La Danse

La Danse August 28 2010


We've become the heartbeat of the universe.

The rhythm’s regular and strong.

The drums and fiddles carry on

As dancers crowd the floor, moving

Swiftly to the pulse– dipping, gliding, springing –

We’re all entranced together,

Our bodies driven, minds cocooned, hearts enlaced.

We’ve become as one –

A single multi-headed millipede --

Swirling, passionate, conjoined.



Reflection

Last night, we enjoyed an exhilarating evening of Cajun music, played by masters. Not only was the performance enthralling, the room was filled with swirling dancers who two-stepped giddily, number after number. It was a hypnotic scene, a form of collective trance, a time of transcendence. Great music, of whatever kind, can do that for us – transport us beyond our gravity-dependent, normally sluggish relationship with the earth to an experience of utter unity with all. I had spent two weeks once, many years ago, on a music tour in which the principal musician had also participated. We had liked each other, enjoyed each other. We had not stayed in touch. It was fascinating last night, 35 years later, to see this person again, to see reflected in him the weight of those years on my own being.