i chose a theme and made you a mix tape of all my favorites!
*note: I've made some changes to the weekly mix tape post. If you want to know why, you can read about it here. If you don't care, just skip this part!*
Track 1: the teaser
Track 1: the teaser
click on the video to get to full screen
by Matt Harding.Track 2: notes on the theme
I'm working on some writing about my growing up years. Years surrounded by a big, loving and very conservative family. My grandparents totally fascinate me and keep showing up every time I sit down to write. Here's an excerpt about my Grandfather.
A few years ago, while the two or three-dozen of us still gathered once a year for the Thanksgiving dinner, someone got the ambitious idea to turn the far side of the fire hall into a dance floor. One by one a few cousins, especially the littlest ones of the fourth generation, an uncle, an aunt began to dance. After not much wheedling, Grandpa and Grandma took their turn on the floor. The fox trot never looked so good. Only a few occasions – mainly heated volleyball matches and whiffle ball games at the cottage – had I seen my grandfather’s blue eyes twinkle with this shade of pleasure, matching rhythm with his four-score-year-old feet. Standing along the wall my mother whispered to me, “All these years, he thought he wasn’t supposed to dance.” It’s one of the saddest epigraphs I can imagine.
There’s a few quiet stories told only one-to-one, whispered in sad reverence for this beloved man. A few stories that reveal the brokenness hidden under the delight and back-breaking labor he has served up all these years. I don’t know what would have been different about his life – or mine – if he’d known all along he could dance. Maybe my own feet wouldn’t be so clay-like. My own brokenness not so hidden underneath...Track 3: recent links referencing dance:
- Creative Movement by Dyana Herron at Good Letters: the Image Blog: sounds like we grew up in the same way, using euphamism for the "d" word.
- In Praise of Excellent and "not-so" Excellent Liturgical Dance at Diary of an Arts Pastor: Should untrained dancers perform in church? What about those cute little Sunday School kids? This post contains ongoing conversation from David's book, For the Beauty of the Church (
March 2010)
Track 4: from the archives
- My Father Took Ballet by Natalie Murphy from "The girl can write" here.
- What did the night my friends rolled up our living room rug to dance to In HeavenThere Is No Beer teach me about the discipline of petition? Seriously. I'm not kidding. Go here to find out.
Track 5: shaking what our momma gave us during this summer's family vacation
Track 6: So You Think You Can Dance
The season is over, but you can catch all of the episodes from the last half on Hulu. We love this show. Hardly any cheese and lots of hard work, creativity and mentoring going on here. Thank you to my friend Margaret for pestering me until I finally gave in and watched the show!
Now it's your turn! Link up your own words or images about dance to the mixtape below. If you don't have a blog, you can still share your thoughts in the comment section.
To participate:
1. Blog about the theme. Write a story, share a photo, link to a video, craft a haiku, whatever you want as long as it has to do with this week's theme. In that blog, mention that you are participating in “monday mixtape” at livingpalm.blogspot.com and link back to this post.
2. If you don’t have a blog, add to the mixtape right here by simply adding a comment to the discussion thread below.
3. Share your information (links, media, etc) and encourage others to do the same.
