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Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.
DANCING WITH TWO LEFT FEET |
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Did you ever lift your eyes from looking at the leader's feet to observe the faces of the dancers in the line?
Try it sometime and you will be surprised at the facial expressions you will encounter. You will notice some dancers, lips pursed, face stiff with concentration, as they struggle with the intricate steps.
Others, their minds on the music, happy grins on their faces, eyes half closed as they listen to the melody. Their relaxed feet seem to move without effort to the familiar dance steps.
Then there are dancers who seem to know the words to the songs. They sing to the music, at times a bit too loud. They might not remember the whole song and sing only the refrain or just the beginning few phrases of the song, only to continue humming the melody.
I am relieved that many do not understand the words to the songs, which can be very uncomplimentary and at times very dirty.
Oh yes, then there are the whistlers. With puckered lips they whistle the melody. When they're in tune, the experience can be pleasant. However, when they whistle out of tune, it can be quite annoying and I have the urge to shush them. I seldom do, when I see that they are having such a good time. The ones that pucker up their lips and pretend to whistle are my favorites. They have a good time without annoying their fellow dancers.
Some dancers are not too interested in the melody, and concentrate on the beat of the music. They make clicking sounds with their tongues in a vain attempt to supplement the drum beats of the songs. As with the whistler, if they are in rhythm with the music all is well, but when the beats drift away from the music, my feet begin to follow the loud clicking, and I end up dancing to a different beat.
You could classify me into the singing group, if my two left feet were not attached to my vocal cords. Besides my singing, I understand some of the words, and have the tendency to translate them to the annoyance of the other dancers enjoying the music.
Oh well, I better start looking at the leader's feet. My neighbors' faces tell me that my two left feet are not doing the right steps, or is it my singing.
Printed in Folk Dance Scene, "DANCING WITH TWO LEFT FEET (22), February 2007.