365 Days of Jazz Hands - Day 18

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18th, 2013

What's that you ask?  What seemingly unrelated topic will I go out of the way to loosely tie back into Jazz Hands today?  There are many examples of destruction as a means of creation.  

How's that?

God tore things down to build them back up all the time.  

Jack Pines need extreme heat for their cones to open up and replenish.

Donnie Darko, Tyler Durdin and the coward Robert Ford did it (at their demise mind you).  Most well written films have a story arc where the main character has to struggle mightily and get broken down before breaching a threshold of enlightenment.  The late Joseph Campbell, a renowned authority on comparative mythology, called this the "Hero Cycle" citing Greek Mythology as the grandaddy for the archetype in modern story telling.  

Breaking barriers can lead to success as the Pablo Picassos, Albert Einsteins, Guiellermo del Toros, John Lennons, and Bill Murrays of the world can attest.  Enter Bob Fosse who was physically wrong as a dancer, breaking his own barriers to succeed by destroying an established vision of fundamentally sound dance technique.  Fosse was physically diminutive, asthmatic, had pigeon toes and a slouching posture (reference: The New York Times).  Despite all of those obstacles he became a prominent figure in the world of jazz dance culture, Broadway theater and film.  He, as Campbell would claim, had quite the Hero Cycle.  Incidentally, he directed the film Cabaret starring Liza Minelli.  Small world.

This gives me hope.

I did mention before that if I'm to do this, I will do it on my terms.  I will learn the fundamentals, but damn it if I want to incorporate Spirit Fingers and Turtle Flappers I will do it.  I highly doubt that my journey will find me cycling heroics nor do I intend to destroy Jazz establishment.  That doesn't mean the idea of it can't inspire me...if nothing else I know I don't have to feel discouraged just because I'm not very coordinated.  I'm not pigeon toed, slouchy, diminutive in stature or asthmatic.  But if you've seen me dance, you wouldn't know that for sure.  I will carry on and I will destroy my comfort zone to learn, to entertain and to keep my New Year's resolution in tact...I just hope it works out slightly better than it did for Donnie, Tyler and Robert.  

Oh, and a lightbulb went on for me today.  A realization that will no doubt be a huge asset in my hand jazzing routine from here forward.  More on that tomorrow.  Day eighteen complete.