I apologize heartily for my absence, but I realized as I got to my lovely, little old 92-year old Grandmother’s house on Monday that I did NOT have internet connections! So, a tiny break for me ;p
I always like a little tongue-in-cheek with my dancing on occasion. And in season 8, Lil Kim and Derek Hough dished that up with their “Jailhouse Rock” Jive. If you’re not familiar with Lil Kim, the rap artist had been in prison in 2005 for perjury and conspiracy.
So, imagine how much I giggled when the roles were reversed and Kim was the prison matron and Derek the inmate!
How cool is it that they went to the Hot Rod show at Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake, CA (practically right around the corner from me)? Awesome.
I thought Lil Kim looked so cute in her outfit and she danced well. The jive is all about speed, kicks and flicks and she delivered. And the judges loved it with a 10-8-10.
Derek and Kim were very well matched, not only in stature, but with personality. Kim and Derek are both boisterous, dramatic and larger than life. I really didn’t think that Kim lasted as long as she should have. Here’s Kudos to her!!
Soul Train used to be some strange show to me that used to come on after all the cartoons were over on Saturday morning/early afternoon. Strange and…intriguing…as the intro started with that psychedelic cartoon of a train running on the tracks (and turning into the “Soul Train” logo), and the voice calling out “It’s the Sooooooooooul Train!”
I would watch young people in outrageous clothing shake their hips and wave their arms. It was odd to me and not odd. I can’t explain it. All I know is that years later I would learn to sing by attempting to imitate Aretha Franklin (not truly succeeding but not unsuccessful either, as I am from Kansas and severely Caucasian), I would be fronting my own 8 piece soul/R&B/Blues band and singing the very song in this video (Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is one of the best soul songs out there). Oh, and also shaking my hips (pretty nicely, I might add). If I ever scan in the pictures and convert the VHS tape to DVD I’ll show it to you sometime. Me, in leopard skin pants!
Soul Train is a jewel of American culture, created in 1965 on a UHF channel in Chicago, and Don Cornelius (and his fab hexagon spectacles) pretty much invented the line dance–and I don’t mean country dancing. I mean everyone lines up in two lines facing each other, then take turns in twos going down the row and struttin’ your stuff. Plus they had amazing soul acts on the show: The O Jays, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
How could I forget to write about this? The highlight of the evening of the Grammy Awards presentation last Sunday was absolutely Pink. The fantastic blend of her music with the beautiful fabric acrobatics was absolutely stunning. Just really a moment of aesthetic stimulation in a sea of shake-em-up-and-stick-it-in-their-face performances. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed most of the night, but Pink’s piece was a welcome break from the relentless pace of the night. Check it out here:
Even the moment with the water was breathtaking. And “Glitter in the Air” is really a pretty song. Made me want to go listen to her latest album, which I haven’t wanted to do in a while. Here’s lyrics from the song:
Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?
Close your eyes and trust it, just trust it.
Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?
Have you ever looked fear in the face
And said I just don’t care?
Wow. So…so…gorgeous, lush…oh.
She didn’t win any Grammy’s that night, but what an award-winning performance. Really a class act. Thanks Pink!
“What is dance? I am dancing all the time.
Every gesture, the body line of every pose,
the way I get from place to place, the movement in the acting –
none of it would be the way it is if I weren’t a dancer.” Ray Bolger
If you aren’t familiar with Mr. Ray Bolger, have I got a treat for you. Ray played the Scarecrow in one of the most glorious movies ever created: The Wizard of Oz. I love how he recognizes that dance is also in every day movement. Who couldn’t use more dancing in our lives every day? I sure could! Here’s his timeless and beautiful “dance” to “If I Only Had a Brain”.
Although Joey Fatone was my pick to win Dancing With the Stars season 4, Apolo Anton Ohno was sure a firecracker on the floor. Plus he had zero dance experience before coming to the show. It seemed to come very naturally to him. Apolo and Julianne definitely were the power couple that year. Here’s my favorite dance they did, a Samba to “I Like to Move It” that was hot hot hot! And take a look at Julianne’s little unitard. Tiger stripes and dripping with beads. Sweet!
