Dance Free
Dance is my sport. Either that or my art. When I go to the monthly “Dance Free” in Floyd, it’s a cross between going to the gym and a rave party. Endorphins are released. Contagious smiles get exchanged. Some dancers spin like dervishes waving brightly colored scarves, while others sway, stomp, rock, or weave in and out of each other.
Dance Free is usually held on a Friday night, the same night as Floyd’s famous Friday Night Jamboree at The Country Store. Some of the Jamboree goers wander down the sidewalk and peek in to see what all the fun is about. Some join in.
From the window someone spots the moon and points it out. One by one, dancers glide over to take a look. Soon, a loud applause erupts.
Maria, the DJ, occasionally comes down from the stage and turns up the vibrational volume by dancing with us. At Dance Free, I don’t have to know anything, or make conversation. We are all speaking the same language. Body language, that is.
Post Note: That’s my friend Lora, one of Floyd’s Dance Free organizers. To learn more about it go here. David at Ripples has captured some great Jamboree shots as well.
June 25th, 2006 10:47 am
cool – looks like a lotta fun
June 25th, 2006 10:50 am
What a great event. It makes me want to go find one around here!
June 25th, 2006 12:28 pm
It looks like great exercise and you don’t have to think. That is a plus in and of itself.
June 25th, 2006 5:11 pm
Hello from Michele’s meet and greet. I forgot how fun dancing is and that it really is good exercise too. Thanks for the great reminder.
June 25th, 2006 5:38 pm
Sounds like fun expecially when there is no right or wrong. The blueberry posts sounded delicious….got to go make some blueberry muffins now. Michele says hello
June 25th, 2006 6:49 pm
There’s nothing like dancing to release those endorphins. Recently I went dancing too and I didn’t even feel my sore knee. (it’d be fun to have it every Friday night)
June 25th, 2006 11:15 pm
Oh, I remember you posting about Dance Free last year and I asked you if it was based on the one in Cambridge. So do you remember that? They STILL have Dance Free in Watertown!
Here from Michele
June 25th, 2006 11:17 pm
I do remember, Margalit. I’m sorry that I’m not able to comment on your blog because it doesn’t accept non-blogger comments. I do believe Dance Freee started in Boston/Cambridge.
June 26th, 2006 7:46 am
If my college had offered a degree in social dancing (specifically the jitterbug/shag) I would have graduated summa cum laude! And then I had to go and marry a man who doesn’t dance, even with the threat of death. At Dance Free, I wouldn’t have to worry about not having a partner, would I?!
June 26th, 2006 12:58 pm
You sure do have a lotta fun in that town! And I can’t wait to visit it early October.
June 26th, 2006 1:05 pm
Dance free is free! But only once a month.
June 26th, 2006 7:45 pm
I don’t know what you guys drink in Floyd but you could bottle it and label it as Moon Happiness Elixer and make a lot of money!!
June 26th, 2006 11:01 pm
Hi Colleen,
I’m back! I drove 20 hours to dance for 12. I have discovered new territory between my head and my feet. An amazing landscape it is! My body the bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.
This week-end’s 5Rythms workshop at Omega with Gabrielle and Jonathon was magic in motion. It is beyond words and may eventually transport my paintings into another dimension.
In response to Margalit – yes Dance Free was born in Cambridge. They continue to Dance at a Unitarian Church on Wednesdays and have a family dance in Watertown on Fridays. I also just learned from a new dance friend in Boston that a contact improv group also dances on Monday nights. About 9 years ago, Olivia, a beautiful dancer and teacher from Paris/Boston did a spontaneous workshop with a group of us in Floyd that had been in a creative improv class together. He spoke of Dance Free New England. I was so inspired by this form of Dance and by him that I traveled to Boston to found out what it was all about. It was ECSTATIC! I then set the intention to bring it to Floyd. Two and a half years ago, Maria, our DJ, said to me that she wanted to bring dance free to Floyd – I did to and so we did!
June 27th, 2006 12:10 am
So good to hear from you Lora! Joe says you’re doing a ba gua movement in the photo. I said he’s doing dance movements when he’s doing ba gua.
I actually went to that Contact Improv class that you mentioned. It was hard for me to handle that much contact. When it comes to dancing, I’m not the best team player. Besides I like to close my eyes, which means I don’t even see other people.
I want to get your amazing paintings up here next!
June 29th, 2006 7:18 am
Sounds like a blast!