Delicious slide, my limbs long and reaching in the water, the motion of travel through water must be akin to dreaming. I could feel the press and push, the simplicity, the glide against my skin and swam laps while my lips formed the word "turbulence."
With a kick turn I could feel the strength of my own travel, like the rush of wind in my ears when I spin while dancing in a long skirt. The wind becomes my own, I make the water swirl. Proof of my physical body. I could feel the ripples of water rolling against my flesh and bone.
It has been years since I've gone swimming. My father taught me to swim about the same time I learned how to walk. My childhood summers were spent in pools. And I did not know how much I miss it.
I'm giving a private dance lesson this evening. Kay emailed me a very lengthy list of things she wants to learn; it made for interesting reading since there is no standard vocabulary for Middle Eastern dance. Many moves overlap, which is a key element in the dance both for music interpretation and for transitions. This is the part that remains a difficult concept for beginning students, that practice and patience are necessary to build a foundation.
The basic essential moves, which are pretty in their own right, are simple motions. Learning a classic form of dance is the same as learning to play an instrument. I played the flute for a long time, and still play when fancy winks at me. Like learning dance, when we learn an instrument we start with the basic notes. Then we combine them in simple patterns, like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Then we add more notes, a full chromatic scale, different keys, alternating rhythms and tempos, and learn many, many songs.
There is a learning curve; some are quick, others take longer. My student is at an intermediate level. She knows the basics, and I think she simply needs to practice them enough so that she can forget them. Teaching helps me learn, too. It makes me focus on exactly what muscles move, weight transfers, where I'm loose and where I balance. I love the feeling of motion through air; I love the swirl and the motion and glide, the kick, the turns. We each have a goal. Mine is to learn the dance like I know swimming.
With a kick turn I could feel the strength of my own travel, like the rush of wind in my ears when I spin while dancing in a long skirt. The wind becomes my own, I make the water swirl. Proof of my physical body. I could feel the ripples of water rolling against my flesh and bone.
It has been years since I've gone swimming. My father taught me to swim about the same time I learned how to walk. My childhood summers were spent in pools. And I did not know how much I miss it.
I'm giving a private dance lesson this evening. Kay emailed me a very lengthy list of things she wants to learn; it made for interesting reading since there is no standard vocabulary for Middle Eastern dance. Many moves overlap, which is a key element in the dance both for music interpretation and for transitions. This is the part that remains a difficult concept for beginning students, that practice and patience are necessary to build a foundation.
The basic essential moves, which are pretty in their own right, are simple motions. Learning a classic form of dance is the same as learning to play an instrument. I played the flute for a long time, and still play when fancy winks at me. Like learning dance, when we learn an instrument we start with the basic notes. Then we combine them in simple patterns, like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Then we add more notes, a full chromatic scale, different keys, alternating rhythms and tempos, and learn many, many songs.
There is a learning curve; some are quick, others take longer. My student is at an intermediate level. She knows the basics, and I think she simply needs to practice them enough so that she can forget them. Teaching helps me learn, too. It makes me focus on exactly what muscles move, weight transfers, where I'm loose and where I balance. I love the feeling of motion through air; I love the swirl and the motion and glide, the kick, the turns. We each have a goal. Mine is to learn the dance like I know swimming.
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