Redefining Motion

We all move.  We walk, we run, we wave, we sit, we stand.  Assuming none of my readership is completely paralyzed, the majority of you are almost constantly in motion.  But how much do you think about it?  Do you think about it at all?

After a three year break from serious dancing, I'm taking a modern dance class.  It'll be my fourth year of modern, and is just as amazing as the first three... even with a different teacher.  (I'm only telling you this because its the inspiration for this post.)

A large part of the class is having us create our own dances.  On Wednesday, we had one of these exercises.  She had everyone write down everyday movements and adverbs.  Then we each pulled movements and adverbs out of the baskets.  Once we had a list of motions and adverbs, we had to perform them (after a few minutes to figure out how).

Even if you do think about your movement, I assume you rarely think about how you move.  Or what it would mean to move differently.  I looked at my list of what I'd have to do.  Roll giddily?  Not that bad.  But then I had to jump lazily and hop stealthily.  And, to top it off: tiptoe sluggishly.

But I did it.  I tiptoed sluggishly across the floor.  And then I started thinking about our final project, which is to choreograph a 3 minute dance.

I've never danced more than a 3 minute dance, so I've been a little anxious about this task.  Until Wednesday, when I discovered how incredibly interesting it was to try tiptoeing sluggishly.  That evening, I discussed my task with some (non-dance) friends.  I told them I was thinking about repeating the exercise for my final: ask friends to give me verbs and adverb, and then try to perform them.

"I know what verb I'm going to give you!" one got really excited.  "Swoon!"

Before long, we were trying to figure out an adverb which doesn't go well with swooning.  "Stickily?" I suggested.  "That sounds like you're in molasses" he responded.  So I got up and fell over really, really slowly.

(If you have any good ideas for movements or adverbs, let me know.  I'll throw them in the pot.)