# HG changeset patch # User Steve Losh # Date 1288874445 14400 # Node ID f1521e91b896815f7d0b3405ca993881ed711cc8 # Parent 5c6cffa71d575050c27d6ae2eaaa3a6674989e10 Keep Calm post. diff -r 5c6cffa71d57 -r f1521e91b896 content/blog/2010/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/content/blog/2010/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html Thu Nov 04 08:40:45 2010 -0400 @@ -0,0 +1,183 @@ +{% extends "_post.html" %} + +{% hyde + title: "Keep Calm and Carry On" + snip: "You don't always need to be sexy." + created: 2010-11-03 12:00:00 + flattr: true +%} + +{% block article %} + +I've been dancing quite a bit lately, both going to exchanges and teaching +blues dancing with [Lady Luck Blues][llb]. I haven't written anything about +dancing in quite a while, so I figured it was time for another blog post. + +This post will be about a particular idea (or if you prefer: "pet peeve") of +mine about blues dancing today. I'm going to take a while to get to the point, +but I think it's worth the reading. + +[llb]: http://ladyluckblues.com/ + +[TOC] + +Saint James Infirmary +--------------------- + +For this post I'm going to use a very popular song as an example: "Saint James +Infirmary". I'm sure almost every blues dancer has heard this song at some +point (probably many times). + +There are *many* versions of this song around. Here's one if you'd like to +listen to it to refresh your memory: +["Saint James Infirmary" by Snooks Eaglin on YouTube][sji]. + +[sji]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VSDneTo60 + +What is this Song About? +------------------------ + +Saint James Infirmary is a very old song. There's a great overview of its +history on [the Wikipedia page][wiki]. + +Let's take a look at the lyrics and try to figure out what the song is trying +to say. The first verse goes (roughly) like this: + +>I went down to Saint James infirmary,
+>saw my baby there.
+>She was stretched out on a long white table,
+>so sweet, so cold, so fair. + +The first thing we learn about the song is that the singer's lover has died. +He goes to the morgue to view her body. We can already tell that this is not +going to be a happy song. + +Let's look at the next verse: + +>Let her go, let her go, god bless her
+>wherever she may be.
+>She can look this whole world all over
+>and never find another man like me. + +In the first part of this verse the singer is accepting the fact that his lover +is dead, and wishing her well in any afterlife she may be in. The second part +is a bit less clear, but he seems to be telling us that there's no man on Earth +that loves (or, rather, "loved") her like he does. + +The last verse gets even darker (note: this verse's lyrics often vary quite +a bit between versions, but the idea is the same): + +>When I die you can bury me in straight laced shoes,
+>a box-back coat and a Stetson hat.
+>Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
+>so all the boys will know I died standing pat. + +All of a sudden the singer is talking about his *own* death. What happened? + +The singer's lover died, he accepted her death, and now he gives instructions +on what to do when he dies. I'm sure some people will disagree, but to me it +definitely seems like he's contemplating suicide. + +Now that we've got a pretty clear idea of the "mood" of this song, I want to +talk about what bothers me about how many blues dancers seem to dance to it. + +[wiki]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_James_Infirmary + +The Problem +----------- + +Blues dancing is often seen as a "sexy" dance. Often there's good reason -- +many blues songs are lewd and suggestive, so being sexy as you dance fits the +music. + +The problem I see often is that dancers get comfortable in one "mood" of +dancing (usually "sexy") and don't bother to explore other ones. + +Almost without fail I see people dancing to Saint James Infirmary and trying +(often succeeding) to be sexy. They use lots of hip and body movement like +they do with other blues songs. + +I want to say something to them. + +**Stop it.** + +**You're doing it wrong.** + +**You there, doing the body roll: *stop*, god damn it!** + +Saint James Infirmary is *not* a "sexy" song. It's about death and suicide, +not hooking up! + +Would you ask someone for a date at their friend's funeral? No? Then why +would you dance like that to this song? It doesn't make sense and it's +completely inappropriate. + +We often talk about "musicality" in dance classes, but often it's just about +"hitting the breaks right." There's more to it than that. Reflecting the +music in your dancing isn't just about hitting the notes, it's about matching +the *mood* of the song too! + +The Solution +------------ + +Now is the time when I tell you how to fix things. I'm not the best dancer out +there, and it's hard to describe dancing in text, but I'll do my best. + +If you don't agree with the specific things I mention that's completely cool -- +my goal is to at least get people *thinking* about these ideas, not to tell +them one specific way to implement them. + +### Followers + +The one major thing I'd like to tell followers is: "stop being sexy." There +are songs where that is completely appropriate, but this is not one of them. + +If you're only used to trying to be sexy, what can you do instead? + +The simple answer is: "just follow." Don't worry about adding styling if +you're not comfortable with it -- a solid follower is much more fun to dance +with than one that's trying to force a style she has no experience with. + +The more complicated answer is: "use styling that reflects the mood of the +song." Unfortunately I don't have much experience with following so I can't +really describe this. Take a private lesson with someone like +[Mike Legett][mike] or [Carsie Blanton][carsie] if you want to get a more +informed opinion. + +[mike]: http://www.mikethegirl.com/ +[carsie]: http://www.carsieblanton.com/ + +### Leaders + +As a leader, when I dance to this song I think about taking on one of two +personas: + +* The singer -- someone who has just lost a lover. +* A friend of the singer that is comforting him (or her, if my follower is female). + +In both cases I try to eliminate any "swagger" or "bravado" from my styling +(not that I personally use much of that anyway). Funerals are not the place to +be an alpha male. + +If I'm taking on the singer's persona (someone that has lost a lover) I'll +usually dance in a "ballroomy" style. I'll use short movements (like muffled +sobs) punctuated by larger, sweeping movements (cries or wails). I'll (gasp) +slightly collapse my posture just a tiny bit to express the depression. + +If I choose the other case (comforting someone) I won't collapse my posture at +all. I'll try to represent the shoulder that someone would cry on when their +lover dies. I'll try to be strong, confident and solid, but not really +"manly." + +In both cases I'll almost always stay in close embrace for the whole song. +Whether you're comforting someone or being comforted, a hug is usually helpful +in dark times, so it feels appropriate to use close embrace. + +My Goal +------- + +The reason I'm writing this post is not to tell people how to dance. I just +want to make people think about an aspect of dancing that they may not have +considered before. + +{% endblock %} diff -r 5c6cffa71d57 -r f1521e91b896 media/css/sjl.less --- a/media/css/sjl.less Mon Oct 18 18:33:07 2010 -0400 +++ b/media/css/sjl.less Thu Nov 04 08:40:45 2010 -0400 @@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ blockquote { border: 1px solid #ccc; background-color: #fafafa; - padding: 0px 5px; + padding: 11px 15px 12px; margin-left: 2em; overflow: auto;