Day 38: I could have danced all night…

I love musicals, any musical; especially the corny ones (are there other kinds?).  They’re all great and they’re all set in a similar venue with a recognizable storyline.  Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets better girl or original girl; it doesn’t matter.  What’s most important is: the music, the dancing, and the singing.  The story line is small in comparison and is simply a vehicle to carry the music much like cake is the vehicle to carry the icing.  Isn’t that true for you as well?

There are so many great musicals and they carried me through my childhood into adulthood with great memories.  I can hear my own voice singing loudly as a teenager walking up Elm Avenue with my best friend Debbie singing songs from the Sound of Music as loudly as we could; turning around and around looking for the Alps.

What is it about these movies that hold tightly to our heart strings if it’s not the plot?  This is not to demean the storylines which are complicated enough sometimes.  It’s just the music and the songs were so much more impressive.  They made you want to sing out loud, regardless of your ability to shine in this regard and they made you want to dance.  How many times have I dreamt of being lifted high in the air by the man of my dreams?

And how about the fact that everything gets resolved at the end regardless of the circumstances.  Remember, the Sound of Music had World War II as the backdrop, how dreary can you get?

Yes, musicals are dream events; ones whereby you can be the beautiful young woman ready to meet the wonderful young man.  Although you have to overcome some obstacles, everything works out in the end.

The dancing was so significant for me, even though the music was key.  I remember trying to practice some dance steps.  I think this was one of the reasons I wanted desperately to be a majorette in high school; it was the closest thing to being in a musical:  great costumes, loud music, dancing (no singing except in my head) and some twirling.

Our majorette coach, Mrs. Adele Little, was a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette or at least that was the rumor; I never looked it up on the internet to see if it were true, but I believe it.  She had a fierce attitude and was a bit of a perfectionist (wrong job for a perfectionist coaching high school girls) but we tried to please her as much as we could.

She taught me the only real dance moves I had ever learned at that point; it was like heaven to me.  I would then teach the dancing steps to my non-majorette friends as we glided along the blacktop of our school’s parking lot in teenage euphoria.

Dancing can make you believe you’re Julie Andrews if that is your goal; singing can make you believe you’re Shirley Jones. Together, dancing and singing can make you step into heaven regardless of your talent.  I say bring on the musicals; sing at the top of your lungs; move those feet, lift those legs; welcome to my dream world…it’s a lovely place to visit!