Musings on Muses - Terpsichore

Warning: Photo below is not for viewers under the age of 17.

When I think of Terpsichore I think of my children's favorite past time: dancing with their little pink Wii remotes to the game Just Dance for Kids. It was one of the best investments I ever made, and I even enjoy joining in once in awhile. It's a healthy past time and I love that they sleep so good at night because their little bodies have been moving for an hour or more during the day to the music.

There are so many forms of dance, all suited to the genres of accompanying music. Ballet is best done to classical music. Sensual dance is best done to music that will illicit thoughts of love or sex. Head-banging almost always is associated with heavy metal. Each form supports and expands the music into a physical manifestation of the rhythm. The beats are a staccato of non-movement, separating out the flow of the rhythmic movements. The body interprets the dots on the paper from which the music is played in its own unique way.

I recall my first time at a dance club. Everyone anticipated feeling the music course through their veins to increase their heart rate. They wanted to feel excited to be there and ready to move their bodies. I remember the feel of the vibrations within the music pounding in my ears, chest, and feet. It was exhilarating. I felt like my body was expanding to absorb the music in order to fully realize its potential to interpret it.

It is this power I am getting at. Music has the power to open up your physical bodies to move in a new way, to recreate the music with your limbs, torso, and head. To become music incarnate. As a writer, I know it also opens up the mind. It pushes new paths through formerly unknown territory. It's a mathematical equation as both the mystery and the solution. It asks: "What if?" It says: "You can." It can be dark. It can be light. It can be universal. It can be finite. Whatever it inspires in you, will be.

And I will leave you with those thoughts. Happy reading!