Fame! I wanna live forever! I wanna learn how to fly!
I’d sit in front of the television back in the 80’s and watch rapturously as the screen was filled with people wearing polka-dotted shirts, leggings, scrunchies, tight jeans and jean jackets. This song, these dancers, they spoke to me. Dance is the body’s way of interpreting music and although I couldn’t play any instruments, dance was something that came natural to me.
I have to say that all my life I have felt like a 5′ 11″ man trapped in a 6′ 5″ body. I’m too big to be a dancer or a gymnast, but these are things that I loved growing up. Some guys grow up loving football and sports. They trade baseball cards and play catch with their dads. I preferred to dance. I loved Michael Jackson and parachute pants and although I didn’t grow up with MTV, I was aware that somewhere out there in the world there were people who really danced.
When I was little I always felt like someday I would grow up to be famous. Does everyone feel that way about themselves? What would Freud or Jung say about this feeling? Who knows, what I do know is that as a kid I always felt special and even now when I watch people on stage, I don’t just think, “I could do that” I know I can – and sometimes I do.
For me dancing and performing aren’t about Fame or Remembering My Name… but rather something that is a part of me, like breathing. In order to exist I have to dance. When I hear a great song I envision the choreography for the video. I see a backdrop for a scene, a stage, the lighting and then I imagine myself or someone else dancing to the beat.
When I was a kid I always loved the show “Fame” and when I saw that it was being turned into a movie I was so excited. However, the movie was sort of a let down. There wasn’t much of story line and the ending was sort of anti-climactic, but it did have some nice dance scenes and some great songs mixed in. Perhaps I had my expectations set too high by films like “You Got Served” and “Step Up 1 and 2” but this movie was so close to being good, it just never picked a direction. Instead it did what many of us do in our lives – we try multiple paths and directions hoping to be good at everything instead of being the best at one thing.
I don’t care if people remember my name while I’m here on earth, but I hope to instill in people around me to follow their dreams no matter the cost. I think a lifetime spent working hard at something you love is way better than a lifetime spent working hard at something you don’t.
