How to dance

This entry is part 10 of 39 in the series Manual

 


Download the MP3

Don’t merely spin; unspool.

Replace all your bones with strong, flexible, environmentally conscious bamboo.

Forget how to walk.

You’re not trying to depart; you’re trying to arrive.

Apprentice yourself to a flat tire. Get down!

You are 60% water by weight—start acting like it.

Evaporate. Precipitate. Flow.

Apprentice yourself to a tectonic plate. Subduct!

Practice by following distant celestial bodies through a telescope without a tripod.

Whatever you’re doing, do it while holding an infant.

Dance about architecture, yes, but also about demolition.

Dance on your last legs, which have waited long enough.

Contrary to received wisdom, it actually takes three people to tango, unless you think you can do it without an accordion.

If you can’t dance, don’t worry—it’s not your revolution.

Do-si-do and promenade. Change partners.

Let your partner also change you.

Dervishes whirl because the beloved could be anywhere, anywhere!

Don’t be in such a hurry to finish.

*

Thanks to RR for a couple of the lines and much of the inspiration.

Series Navigation← How to loseHow to procreate →

11 Replies to “How to dance”

  1. Fantastic work Dave. Very appealing to this ex-choreographer who still dances in private around the easel, sometimes with Jack clasped in embrace in lieu of a bipedal partner! (He always looks happily astonished as I swoop and dive with him, then when I put him down, staggers a bit, shakes himself, and then barks insistently for a game of frisbee outside, pressing me to the studio door and chivvying me downstairs. Ever the opportunist!

    Your playful artistry with words always makes me smile in wonder!

    1. Clive, I’m happy and a little surprised that this piece managed to resonate with a former choreographer. I’m even happier to learn your probable Lakota name: Dances With Terriers. :)

Leave a Reply to Dale Favier Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.