During my first trip to Europe, my travel companion booked a flamingo performance in Madrid, and I was not too impressed. We sat at tiny tables in a dark lit room, and watched the same three dancers tap their feet to shriling music for theee hours. Perhaps I was too young, and could not appreciate the intensity of the passion the dancers were trying to convey.
Years later I encountered a young flamingo dancer in the streets of Lisbon, twirling to the accompaniment of two steeet musicians. Her feet were light, the melody was joyous, and Her smiles was brilliant. I can’t tell whether she was a good flamingo dancer or not, but her performance was immensely more enjoyable, adding to the already vibrant street culture of the city.
One familiar phrase from inspirational posters includes the line “dance as if no one is watching.” When I was younger, I understood only part of that phrase — to not care about what other people’s opinion of how you dance. Now I’m beginning to appreciate another part of that — would you dance if you knew no one would ever watch? If there were no audience and no one to share with, what would you choose to do with your life?
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