D is for Dance, and 365 Days of Blessings Day 310

D is for Dance!

Dance:
1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.

2. to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly: to dance with joy.

From some of my earliest memories to this very day, dance is a word, and a verb, that has shaped my life. I'm not a competitive dancer, or a professional dancer, or a dance teacher. I don't have great skill, and there have been many, many years that I haven't practiced any particular type of dance. But I still love it. I love moving rythmically to music, or just to the sound of my own made up rythm. I love dancing with joy. I've even danced when I've been angry or sad, in a determined decision to dance myself back into joy. I like dancing with a crowd, or a partner, or just by myself. One of my favorite metaphors about faith involves dance. One of my favorite quotes about writing has the word dance in the midst of it.

"Writing is a dance of language." - Ivan Doig

Do you love to dance your way through life and writing too?

Dance Blessings:

1. One of my earliest memories of dancing as a child involved dancing around the living room to my mom's classical music and pretending I was with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.



2. And of course, there is this classic, that has inspired me to dance through puddles - a necessary ingredient to enjoy living in the Northwest.


3. Plus, my favorite dance from that same movie, with Donald O'Conner and Gene Kelly is Moses Supposes

4. Then, one of my more recent favorites in dance and rythm:


5. I didn't like my desire to tap dance as a kid being compared to Shirley Temple so I refused to watch all of her movies until my kids were little and did different versions of Shirley Temple dances for their first recitals. They wanted to know who she was, and so . . .I rediscovered Shirley's amazing talent with them. This is one of my favorites:


6. Baryshnikov in White Nights gives this intense performance, showing how dance can express sadness and grief:


7. Back in that early 80's breakdancing craze, I was totally into that, and loved it. However, if you want to see some pretty cool breakdancing from a more current time this lady is pretty amazing. This is a commercial clip, but I still like it:


8. There are cool Christian Hip Hop Teams, which I discovered not that long ago:

My daughters were able to take a few classes from this same teacher just a few weekends ago at a Hollywood Dance Connection Convention in Seattle. My oldest daughter loved it - the first time she's really enjoyed Hip Hop.

9. Dancing with my Dad, with my Mom and my Grandma, with my Husband, are all amazing memories for me. I love dancing with family and friends.

10. Dancing is in the Bible too, especially when there is a celebration.

Scripture Blessings:


"Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13