--- /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
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+{% 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,<br/>
+>saw my baby there.<br/>
+>She was stretched out on a long white table,<br/>
+>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<br/>
+>wherever she may be.<br/>
+>She can look this whole world all over<br/>
+>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,<br/>
+>a box-back coat and a Stetson hat.<br/>
+>Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain<br/>
+>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 %}
--- 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 @@
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+ padding: 11px 15px 12px;
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