Disappointment

"The theater, the theater, what’s happened to the theatre?
Especially where dancing is concerned
Chaps who do taps aren’t tapping anymore
They’re doing choreography
Chicks who did kicks aren’t kicking anymore
They’re doing choreography
Heps who did steps
That would stop the show in days that used to be
They’re doing choreography
Through the air they keep flying
Like a duck that is dying
Instead of dance its choreography"

Choreography
Danny Kaye
White Christmas

Yes, as Kelly said the routine is a thing of the past. Last week we decided to discontinue our quest – probably making it the shortest lived quest in quest history. Unfortunately, brevity isn’t equivalent with ease. We’re both unhappy and disappointed – but we come out of the experience with a better understanding of what it is to be involved with a routine.

Kelly said it all: we expected one thing and our studio had different ideas. There were miscommunications all around. We expected collaboration and the studio was offering to choreograph a routine for us to perform. Yes it make sense that the studio wants the end result to be a good advertisement for their business and their instructors. It all makes sense but making sense isn’t the same as the reality feeling good. To be honest, it feels pretty rotten.

Those of you considering a routine should ask two questions. Firstly, ask yourself what level of involvement you want to have in the construction/choreography – for some people the answer is you’d like to have a routine designed for you and for some, the answer is you want to have an integral part in creating the routine. It’s important to know the answer to this question before you take on the second: what level of involvement does your dance studio or instructor allow. If your dance instructor requires total creative control over the routine and you want to play a large part – you’re not likely to be satisfied with the outcome. In our case, we wanted a high level of creative involvement and our studio would allow none. Hence, for us, no routine.
There was a little tense discussion with our instructor, then we ditched. I hate to get all poetic and big-headed but dance (for me) is about self expression and having fun. That wasn't what a routine would have been and so it wasn't for us. The music goes on and the experience hasn't dampened my like of dancing. I'm still jazzed when I get to spend an evening with my girl and a good swing band in a fine old dancehall. There's still magic in a hardwood floor massaged by decades of dancing feet. Kelly and I are fond of saying that dance is a form of athletics; the athlete has to be resilient – even when things don't turn out as expected.

The Routine

I’m excited too. As Gary said, we went from no, don’t think so, to um, maybe, to yes let’s, and now….I’m really excited!

We did have some concerns. As Gary said, at first we didn’t want to spend time on it…we were just beginning to dance, and we wanted technique and steps we could use out every week on the floor.

But we also thought that doing a routine meant it was choreographed by someone else. To us that meant coloring in someone else’s lines; we wanted to do the drawing ourselves. Well. We've learned two things. One is that a routine can be designed by someone else, but it doesn’t have to be. Two is that having someone assist and suggest isn’t a bad thing. And of course, since we have the best dance teacher in the world, she is going to let us have as much artistic control as we want, while gently suggesting that perhaps, a triple wheelie backwards flip just doesn’t fit in that waltz part. :-)

So. We gleefully picked out a weird and wonderful song and have already started to create steps. We’ve written the story line for our routine. I’ve even ordered the skirt. But here’s the hard part: I CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT! I want to. I really do. But Gary wants to keep it a surprise mostly, so I’m honoring that. But how can I talk about its evolution without telling about it??? Heavy sigh.

I so want to blab. I’m a blabber about my creative process, as you might know from reading my writer’s blog. Funny, because in any other area I’m as tight as a clam. When people tell me stuff and say don’t tell, you can bet I won’t. Even when I’m not sure I keep my mouth shut. I don’t discuss me much either, except for my creative endeavors.

My artwork, my books, my dancing, about all of those things I can chatter away. I don’t know why exactly…I don’t necessarily want the feedback…once I start talking I’ve already decided, but I DO enjoy getting embellishment ideas from others, so maybe that’s the reason.

But mostly it just feels good to let the cork out of the bottle. And right now I’ve got all of this fizzy goodness locked up inside about the routine. ARGGHHHHHH!!!

But then, Gary’s already posted the song. Shouldn’t I get to let out one little peep? I’m gonna. Our song, Planet X, is based on the old sci-fi move The Angry Red Planet, and our routine will reflect a little of that.

Ah. I feel better now.