Nancy was blunt and to the point. “Dance is the by-product of people wanting to get laid,” was how she told it. Lucy needed to have a mini-Ricardo, you see, so she puckered up her lips, applied her rouge and dramatically pranced around the stage of life. When Ricardo wanted Lucy, he would puff out his chest, waddle around his territory and bellow out in his deepest baritone, “Lucyyyyy!”
Nancy’s last, main stage performance showcased her choreography from past decades as well as embraced the humor and musicality that she is renown for. Most poignant was her newest dance piece, called “From Lucy to YouTube” - a comedic, 2-minute lecture on the sustainability of dance. Nancy began this investigation of humanity by addressing why we Homo sapiens sapiens initially began dancing. In a brief video montage, she implied that our human call to dance was merely Darwinian in theory. In other words, in order to propagate our species we needed to have sex.
By no means am I here to refute biology. In fact, all we need to do is observe the environment found directly around us to witness the truth in this fact. Birds execute daring dives and flamboyant sequences that can include wing flapping, head dipping and elaborate stepping as part of their courtship rituals. Jumping Spiders perform intricate footwork, along with coordinated vibrations, in their attempts at catching the attention of prospective mates. And, Seahorses can carry out a several hours long, elaborate movement pattern that, if successful, ends with the female depositing her eggs into the male’s pouch. These physical rituals can also include the display of colorful pageantry, the demonstration of bold gesticulations and the sounds of piercing harmonics, or shrill calls. Sight, sound, scent, taste and touch all play an important role in the sexual reproduction antics found within the animal kingdom.
In us humans, we find the same preening, as well as roaring hormones, in almost any Saturday night social scene. In these venues, members of both genders brush up against one another after pain staking preparations have been taken in choosing the perfect outfit. Every single hair has been coiffed into the right place while gel, cologne and perfume have all been liberally applied. Entrances and exits are made with erect postures, slow strides and narrow glances. Non-verbal signals and silent cues are continually responded to and sent. A collective consciousness is at play in which the survival of the fittest is acted out; meanwhile, cultural norms dictate who has the most mating success. These standards typically reward those who best mirror contemporary sex appeal. Thus, it can be inferred that rather than being an elitist and exclusive art form, dance is, instead, a biological necessity deeply embedded in our DNA.
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| Stone's Throw Photography, 2010 |
