Moooove

Last night I awakened something inside of me that has been just tap tapping, longing to get out, burst out. And thats exactly what happened, an explosion of powerful energy that took control of my body and mind.

I went to a concert of a group called Alo Brasil. A Brazilian drumming group with dancers that accompany them. We went to the 11 showing, me and my roomie with a group of other girls. I was in line to get each of us a mojito when the drums began to beat. Oh man I thought, I dont even care about this stupid mojito I've got to get down there!! But I waited a few more seconds for the icy drink and ran to Nyika throwing her drink at her and leading the way through the crowd.
Excuse me, oh very sorry, sorry, just need to squeeze through here- ah ha! The front row.
Well I couldnt very well begin to dance with a drink in my hand so we both took a few big gulps, threw them down and let the music take control.

For three hours I was a dancing fool...FOOL! I have never never danced so freely in my life. Every song brought a different contortion to my body, the beat pulsing through every limb. My feet were tapping, sometimes jumping to the one beat while my arms and chest were pulsing like a sweet harmony of rhythms. At times I would just be mesmorized by the dancers on the stage, the ecstasy that they too found themselves caught in. they didnt dance the conservative tap your foot snap your fingers...

their bodies enveloped the music,
they moved for the music just as the music moved for them.

Other times I would just close my eyes and I was taken to another world. With a look of serenity and a slight grin, my body and the music became one. Only when the song ended would I remember that I was in a crowd full of people enjoying the same beats. Though only a few around me had lost control of their bodies as I had lost control of mine. To see that this music had a inebriating effect on others was an incredible feeling, a feeling of community. Experiencing something that is so...primitive, basic, fundamental to humans. Something we have been doing since the beginning.

Near the end of the show My roomie had caught the bug. Her body was moving in convulsions to the beat that I had never seen her do before. At times we would catch each other's wild eyes and our grins would grow even wider and our eyebrows would furrow a bit as if to say...what the hell???? Im not sure where Im going but Im glad your coming with me! And then we would look to the drummers, the masters of our bodies, and continue.

By the last song I was truly sad. I could have stayed there through the night. I couldn't believe that three hours had passed so quickly. The last song was an incredible climax. my body seemed to be moving even more intensely, limbs jerking from one side to the next as if I knew this was my last chance to get it all out. Suddenly the drummers began to come off the stage. They circled the crowd and eventually began to wrap towards us. I waited for their line to pass just inches in front of me, the wind of each hit of the drum felt on my face, leaning over and bent low so as to get as close to the energy of the drummers as possible, bopping my booty to the beat and clapping intensely for each drummer.

This the most incredible part. A synthesis, an ocean of sound, of power and rhythm were all around you yet when each drum passed before me theirs was the beat that I heard, each so distinct, so unique

Rat tat tat tat
ratatatatatatat
tum tum ti tum tum ti
tooka tooka tooka

This went on as each drummer paused in front of me for a few seconds and few clap of the hands, until they all made their exit. As soon as the last drummer passed by I looked at one of the girls across the way with a look of utter..how to describe, shock excitement disbelief, my mouth wide. I jumped into her arms and squeezed her while saying over and over how incredible that was. I was more out of breath during those five minutes of complete unity with the music than I had been after three hours of dancing.

My physical connection with the music became an emotional connection which manifested itself in a physical feeling, so different from the physicality of dancing, but still, physical- a brief ecstasy.

And all I can think about today is the music, the dance. How free I was last night, how my body was meant to do exactly what it did last night...dance