If you made it out to the event yesterday, I hope you had fun! If not, there are plans in the works to make this event a regular thing, which is absolutely fantastic, and it means you'll have a chance to catch the next one! What did I love most about this event? It wasn't actually getting to show off what I do, surprisingly, but getting a chance to see other dances from a variety of cultures. It was a wonderful chance to participate in other forms of dance as well. We had a lot of fun!
I wasn't alone in dancing either! Asimi (my daughter) got dressed up for the event too! This was her first time dancing in front of people, and she was super excited to be my assistant for the day. She stood up with me and danced through the instructional, which was a ton of fun, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
The best part? We got to dance to live drummers! That brings me back to my early days of dancing. Very early on in my dance career I learned so much outside of class at the drum circles I would attend. Other dancers were always happy to share tips and techniques when I saw them do something I loved. It's also why I was always drawn to tribal dance, that concept of community and "tribe" which is embodied so well by the drum circle community. It really brought me back to my own roots as a dancer.
That's how this event felt, with the drumming, the dancing, and all the wonderful different styles of dance. During all the "free dance" segments I had an opportunity to dance with Asimi and one of my other students to practice our ATS movements, as well as another dancer I'd never met who joined us! She just jumped right in and followed along! A couple of children were copying some of our moves as well. One little girl in particular loved what we were doing with our arms and danced with us for quite some time. It was amazing and it reminded me of all the reasons why I dance.
It turned into quite a long day of dance, as I went back out there for the drum circle that night with one of my students. Drum circles not only have great energy and are such fun places to dance, but they're a great way to practice ATS outside the class setting. We were able to get out there and just play. It's also a great place for ATS students to start dancing in other environments, with live musicians, no mirrors, and people who may be watching you dance while they drum, because drummers love to watch the dancers dance! At the same time, it's not a performance, so there's none of that pressure, and there's no audience. It's a fun place to get out, dance, and play! It also didn't hurt that the drummers were excited to see us back and actually thanked us after the first time we danced in the center space. All of my ATS students are encouraged to come out and join us next time! It was a lot of fun!
Of course, after six hours of dance, I was quite exhausted, but the best kind of exhausted. There's nothing like that bone-tired, and yet thoroughly satisfying exhaustion of having put in a long day of dancing. Once upon a time this was something I would do when I was part of the Pagan community. I would dance from sundown to sunrise at bonfire events, somehow finding the energy to do it all again the next day! Oh the joys of youth! It feels good to capture some of that again!
Why is this picture here? Back when I used to perform in Austin, Texas, I would always end up going out to eat with my dance partner, Erin, after every show. Generally the tradition was for Mexican food, because when in Texas where else would you go? But for our little crew it seems sushi is our go-to choice. I suppose there's not quite so much iconic New England food that's open that late at night, maybe Irish pub food? Can you imagine how out of place that would look?
So there I was, wandering around Wegmans post-dance. I know some dancers are really particular about getting out of costume, hair, and makeup after performances, but it's kind of become something I've always done, like going to the renaissance festivals and going out afterwards, still all dressed for the show.
I love to include moments like these because they make those of us who dance seem that much more real. Just like everyone else, we still need to eat (and hydrate!) after a show or a particularly long day of dance. Just like everyone else, sometimes we just don't want to be bothered with extra effort until we get home. And, let me tell you, there's no point in trying to get that makeup off until you get home! Because there's every chance no amount of scrubbing will take it off in a satisfactory way in any kind of timely manner (thank you kohl and similar products that seem to want to stay for weeks on end!) We're really just human, like the rest of the world. We're just human who dance!
So that was my day yesterday, super busy and chaotic. I had a great time, and for anyone I saw out there, it was great seeing you! And if you missed it, definitely look for more events coming up in the future. There will be more of these community dances and more drum circles in our future, as well as all the events that are being added to the calendar every day!
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