Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now

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  • The little things

    Trainer Nitzan Gantz dancing “Connecting”

    Day 36 of 52 Nia dance

    So good to be back in the studio with Dael Parsons and my Nia dance pals. We danced to “Connecting,” which today felt sumptuous, like a tasty meal for muscles, joints, bones, etc — oh, and the mind — to enjoy.

    I like how Dael (and all the teachers, really) call out suggestions that I wouldn’t necessarily think of. Today, she reminded us to notice our toes. I liked that because it helped me direct attention to what is the foundation of every movement.

    This is a benefit of dancing daily. I can hear and respond, not only to the guidance on next steps, but also these more nuanced things.

    The music in “Connecting” has many many textures. I haven’t yet chosen it when I’m dancing online routines, but today reminded me that it’s worth spending more time with. The lead song, “Connecting” Nadav Dagon & Orka, is especially fine.

  • Like you mean it

    I did get around to dancing today, doing “Alchemy” for a third day. I had to run through a couple of songs twice because they are so rich and fun and somehow true.

    Finding the Mary Oliver poem I quoted in my earlier post today made me want to go digging for more words about dancing.

    I found several great quotes from this web site, which actually lists 100, and thought I’d share a few. I especially love the Kurt Vonnegut quote at the end. He’s the science fiction author who, in one of his books, noted that one of the purposes of life is to love whoever is around to be loved. The more you know about Vonnegut’s life, the more remarkable that perspective is, but I digress.

    “You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.” –Gene Kelly

    “The spine is the tree of life. Respect it.” –Martha Graham

    “You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” — Isadora Duncan

    “The moment is everything. Don’t think about tomorrow; don’t think about yesterday: think about exactly what you’re doing right now and live it and dance it and breath it and be it.” — American ballet dancer Wendy Whelan

    “There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.” –Edwin Denby

    “Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but the living room…” — author Kurt Vonnegut

    .


  • Later, there will be dancing

    Poet Mary Oliver

    Day 35 of 52 Nia dance

    Usually, I write after I dance. But today, here’s a poem first.

    I’ve been reading Mary Oliver when I wake up in the morning, because it’s so much better than waking up to the news of the day.

    Here’s the Mary Oliver poem I found this morning.

    Three Things To Remember

    As long as you’re dancing, you can

    break the rules.

    Sometimes breaking the rules is just

    extending the rules.

    Sometimes there are no rules.