For Young At Heart May 27 edition
Peggy Pollard, Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing Dance So I strolled on the beach at low tide recently. Strangely, a huge number of starfish, perhaps thousands, had washed up on the shore. As the tide went out, the slow-moving starfish were stranded, dying in the hot sun. I saw an old woman shuffling slowly across the sand. She bent down every few steps, picked up a starfish by one of its five stiff legs and flung it back into the salty water. She walked a few more feet, picked up another starfish, and sent it whirling like a pinwheel into the waves. Curious, I approached her. “Ma’am. That is quite kind of you to try to rescue these poor stranded creatures. But isn’t it hopeless? You’re just one person. You can’t possibly save all these thousands of dying starfish here. Why bother to even try?” She gazed at me with ancient gray eyes, picked up another starfish by a leg and pitched it like a frisbee. She looked back at me, frowned a bit and nodded. “You are right, young missy. I cannot save all these starfish. Sadly most of them will die.” She tossed another parched starfish, cracking a smile as she watched it splash into the sea. “But I made a difference to that one!” Then she turned her silvery-veined eyes back to me and continued, “But more importantly, my work as a UCSC Marine Biologist is to research possible causes of ‘Starfish Wasting Disease’ possibly due viruses impacted by climate change shifting the Pacific coast ecosystem balance. So we are leveraging our data analysis through international Marine Ecology programs to persuade governments worldwide to stop polluting our oceans to protect starfish and other essential sea life populations. As her story sunk into my brain, she launched another starfish. “And until that happens, I get a big kick out of seeing these starfish fly.” And so my Young At Heart dancing friends, while we work on improving our lives with bigger things, I get a big kick too, from see you, like those lucky starfish, be set into joyful motion and flung into the ocean of happiness by our dancing program Because, you see, Starfish are Meant to Fly! No, really. Our online social dance program last month ocean theme continued with Starfish Week, when we considered the personality of the humble slow-moving five-limbed asteroid of the sea. I know, I know. You are probably scoffing, thinking to yourself “but starfish don’t move. So could we possibly learn from them about dancing?” But there is always something we can learn, even from the humblest of creatures. Yes, it is true that starfish don’t move . . . much. Only very, very slowly across surfaces with slow moving tube feet, just far enough to envelope and push their prey into their center mouth hole Not what you would call hugely choreographic skills. And definitely not intellectual, it’s true. Even in our lesson, our specific starfish role model is Patrick, best buddy of Sponge Bob Square Pants cartoon show -- a rather obtuse character to be sure. But still. Every creature on earth has something beautiful to teach us. So what can this starfish possibly teach us about dancing better? Posture! Just look at them. One thing we observe about starfish: they are basically flat, with legs spread out equi-distantly in a 360 degree circle. So to imitate a 5-footed starfish, let’s use our own five appendages -- two legs, two arms and our head -- and stretch them all out in a 2 dimensional circle like a five-pointed star. Go ahead, try it. Stretch your head up tall, stretch your arms long and raise them up and pointing away, like you are shooting light out from your fingers into the sky. Stretch your feet down into the ground. Make as big a circle as you can with your 5 points. Doesn’t that feel great? Yes, it does. And it’s actually great ballroom dance technique too, stretching yourself as long as possible. Even only ¼ inch longer makes a big difference to how you feel and how you move in dance Probably your hardest part in this starfish posture stretch is to keep your arms lifted up above your head while pressing your shoulders down and back). This takes a lot of energy and muscle power. But the more you do it, the more you are strengthening the muscles of your arms, shoulders and core. Try it right now! There, now doesn’t it feel great? Next, while you stretch, try to fill your area of space with your starfish energy! Yes, send that energy through the top of your head, through your hands, through your feet, to fill up the room you are standing in. See, you have already learned some great wisdom from the lowly starfish: to stretch out and fill whatever space you have. Be a starfish, a dancing starfish! If that felt good, then now you are ready to try our “Starfish are Meant to Fly” line dance (to Nicky Minaj’ “Starships” song) View dance instructions www.peggydance.weebly.com Then dance it with us at our next online session. Because starfish are meant to fly.
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FOOT Notes from Teacher PeggyAuthorPeggy Pollard has been teaching social/ballroom dance in Santa Cruz since 2010. Archives
September 2022
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