creative forces

Blog # 94…June 2019

I'm with Emma Goldman…one of the problems with the world is that we don’t dance enough. The worse it gets, the more we need to dance - when we’re not trying to change things.

So, whenever I see something about people dancing, I perk up and feel a little shiver (or a frisson for you Francophiles) of pleasure. Combining movement and music and maybe a hug with someone you fancy, what could be better? I wrote a while ago about people with Parkinson’s being stimulated by music and able to overcome some balance issues and strengthen muscles by dancing -  not to mention doing something that made them feel normal.

Now I’ve heard about a group called Old Men Dancing, who are performing in Peterborough (maybe other Canadian centres too) as part of Public Energy Performing Arts.  The group formed in 2002, with men over 50, late bloomers one might say. They perform contemporary pieces created for them by accomplished choreographers, using Feldenkreis techniques to focus on body alignment. The spiritual elements of dance and the expression of emotion and the ability to touch each other without awkwardness are a refreshing change for the men of a somewhat buttoned-up era.

So, next time you're feeling the burdens of the world heavy on your shoulders, get up and do a gentle soft shoe or even a pirouette...and remember the brave Canadian men who landed on the Normandy beaches 75 years ago today.
Go Raptors!