More from my muse, the ever-lovely Miss Isadora Duncan:
If we seek the real source of the dance, if we go to nature,
we find that the dance of the future is the dance of the past,
the dance of eternity, and has been and always will be the same…
The movement of waves, of winds, of the earth
is ever the same lasting harmony.” Isadora Duncan
Reads like a poem, doesn’t it? I like the idea of dance being part of the earth, of the universe, like it has been and always will exist. Hmmm…very nice. ;o)
“The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing.” The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown
You only have to listen to him sing or watch him dance for a minute to understand why he held his title and held it nobly. These days it seems like we could all use a little dance in our lives. To celebrate, to help, to heal, to transport us, to elevate us, or to simply have fun. Amen Godfather.
It is safe to say that Ms. Mia Michaels is my favorite choreographer that I discovered from watching So You Think You Can Dance. She is singular in talent, artistry, power and communication. Damn if she knows her stuff. Many of the dances that I have in my Looking Back at So You Think You Can Dance list are hers, and it’s easy to see why.
“Dancing is a feeling expressed from the inside out.” Mia Michaels
She practices that philosophy every time she creates:
For those of you who don’t know, Mia also choreographed Celine Dion’s monumental A New Day show that was THE show to see in Las Vegas for years. If you haven’t seen it, or clips of it, this is not your normal 10-dancers-hip-hopping-in-a-line-to-the-singers- music-show (and those shows are good too, don’t get me wrong). She really added depth to the show and worked closely with director Franco Dragone (of Cirque du Soleil fame–and incidentally, Mia also worked on “Delirium”) to create an emotional, theatrical experience that blended itself seamlessly to Dione’s epic music catalog.
How ’bout that, huh? I love the way all the really gorgeous male bodies move and ripple together, forming a beautiful frame for Celine. Their movement also really lends itself to the engrossing, obsessive feel of the song. Plus, half n@ked boys are just really nice to look at (thanks, Mia).
“The beauty of art is that there are no rules.” Mia Michaels
That last quote goes so beyond the “I don’t know art, but I know what I like” way of thinking. If there are rules on art, that limits the depths of creativity for art based in reality: real thoughts, real feelings, real experiences. Society tries to put limits on art all the time, because sometimes that’s easier than confronting art and experiencing it, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Mia certainly has no rules on herself, and can also embrace her darker side. “It was dirty, it was raw, it was ugly…and it was absolutely beautiful.” Mia Michaels
Just check out this fierce, teeth and claws bared piece to Duffy’s “Mercy” (nominated for an Emmy Award):
Mia has a penchant for choreographing with props–beds, benches, doorways, and some may think it distracts, but I just think it adds to basing it in reality.
Mia can be harsh and abrasive (“I am a cutter and I will cut you!”), but she is also generous and loving. If you watched this past season of So You Think You Can Dance, you witnessed B-Boy Legacy’s transformation from a gifted street dancer to an artist who understands that dance is about communication, and giving everything you have to communicate it. The more dancers she inspires that way, the better the world will be. And I mean that.
Can’t wait for the upcoming documentary film Move, directed by Kurt E. Soderling and Melinda Songer, featuring Mia and many other choreographers from the dance world. Release date is 2010, but nothing more specific than that. I’ll update you as soon as I know more!
There is a famous dance quote about Ginger Rogers that goes “Sure, he was great but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.”
The “he” of course, refers to Mr. Fred Astaire (see yesterday’s dance quote post). And Ginger was his steadfast and finest dance partner for 10 films, and continued on without him to win a Best Actress Oscar for Kitty Foyle in 1940.
She gave the Fred and Ginger pairing femininity, grace, beauty and even more talent to make a blockbuster duo. Katherine Hepburn was quoted saying “Fred gave Ginger class, and Ginger gave Fred Sex.” Not only was she a class A dancer, she was also a great dramatic and comedic actress.
Of his beloved partner, Fred said “She had guts.” And I love that. Here’s to miss Ginger.
“Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained.” Fred Astaire
I love that Fred Astaire quote for personal reasons. I’ve studied dance for over 10 years in my adult life, and more when I was younger. I abandoned when I was in middle school it because I felt I wasn’t “born to dance”. And others, with more natural talent than myself, were. But for anyone who has worked and studied their butts off, and rehearsed until 3am–that is just a piece of false information. Not only can anyone dance, anyone can be great. That’s just my philosophy! So thanks, Fred, for the awesome quote.
