On music

This was going to be a facebook/twitter update (I do have a twitter and facebook) but it got too long in my head, so it's blog time!

I was a musician long before I was a dancer (so at least my "dancing" was in rhythm - air quotes are a necessity, I wouldn't call what I used to do dancing), so it's a really big part of my life. It not only serves as a reminder of people, places, events, etc. It's tied in to my mood and is always my first point of inspiration in pretty much everything I do. I'm one of those people who is quite happy jacked into an iPod 24/7. In fact, when I was in grad school (and for a bit at the end of undergrad), I would thread earbuds down the back of my shirt and attach my player to my belt as part of my "getting dressed" routine. If I'm not listening to it, it's in my head... I'm pretty much always walking to some kind of beat.

Anyway, that's not where I was going with this. Now that I've gotten into the bellydance world, I find songs reminding me of performances (this post brought to you by me listening to my "bellydance performances" playlist). Some songs, I associate with a particular dancer and performance so strongly, I would never consider using that song for myself. Pretty much anything Ariellah uses in a performance is off-limits to me. I've danced to those songs at clubs and I can't listen to it without thinking of her performance. There are other songs out there that I think of as, "Oh, that She'enedra song or Shoop's song" or whatever.

Then, there are the songs I consider permanently sullied by a less than stellar performance. It's almost to the point where I can't listen to some songs because it reminds me of a particular performance that I was... less than impressed by. The worst is if someone uses a song that I associate in a very positive way with one dancer and then... well... smears dirt all over it, to be metaphorical. Thankfully, for this, there are DVDs and youtube videos that work well as a form of eye bleach. But less abrasive (and yes, I really do have, "Quick! Go to a new video!!" occasions).

I just find that interesting. I wasn't a dancer AT ALL until... about two years ago, I suppose? Anyway, it's strange to me now how I associate music with dancers and dancing. I will say that part of what drove me to dance was the choreography I saw in my head while listening to some songs. I definitely have a longer list of songs I've been inspired to dance to than songs I have used. It's part of why almost every performance I do is completely different. I have to much music to reuse anything! :)

While I'm kind of on the subject, I'm really excited about Pirate Faire in July. I'm really thrilled about my music choice, which I got from when I was a clarinetist in the University of Toledo wind ensemble. The last segment of music is one of my favorite tunes. If you ever catch me dancing to nothing, it is entirely possible that song is in my head. It's an extremely danceable tune and also so very happy. To me, dancing should always be something that makes you happy.

Enough rambling... I'm actually busy today and should get back to that.