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August 24, 2018 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer

And Then We Danced by Henry AlfordAnd Then We Danced:
A Voyage into the Groove
by Henry Alford
c.2018, Simon & Schuster
$26.00/$35.00 Canada

You can’t stop your feet.

They need to move, to tap-tap-tap, to side step, and do-si-do. The music’s on and you gotta move. You can’t help it, your toes gotta go, and in And Then We Danced by Henry Alford, you take the lead.

Think of all the times you danced in your life.

Your first was likely some bouncy-toddler thing you did, and the adults around you laughed. Later, you endured embarrassing and awkward boy-girl classes or school events until you became cool (even if only in your own mind) and snuck into clubs. You’ve danced at weddings, for fun, for joy; and Alford has danced for work. He’s a journalist who immerses himself in his subject in order to write about it but, in the case of dance, he’s been immersed his whole life.

Dance, he says, is a “universal language.” If you suddenly found yourself in Siberia and you began dancing, nobody would mistake what you were doing. It’s an art, yes—but it’s so much more.

Dance, he says, is a way of “social entrée.” Cotillions and debutante balls are good examples, dancing in a club falls into this category, and if you ever took classes from an Arthur Murray studio, you get the picture.

Politics can step onto the dance floor, Alford says. Think about your favorite candidate on the campaign trail, dancing with potential constituents. Or think of the Cakewalk, a dance that was “Originally devised as a way for slaves to mock their masters.…”

Teenagers know that dance can be a form of rebellion; icons such as Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham knew that, too. Dance can be a form of emotional release—happy, sad, or angry—and it can involve one’s entire body, almost without thought. Any good church choir can tell you that dance is spiritual. With the right group, it can bring on feelings of nostalgia. And dance, if you need it, can be healing.

There are a few pleasant little surprises to this book about moving your body: it’s also author Henry Alford’s memoir, and it’s a series of mini-biographies of dancers you may know and admire. And it’s delightful.

Part of the reason is that Alford uses his youth as example here: he was a gawky kid who tried very hard to ignore his gayness, an attempt that made junior high boy-girl dances understandably more awkward. His tales are mostly universal (who didn’t hate forced dance class?) and they’ll make you laugh, while anecdotes of researching to write this book—Alford dives into dance, remember—are woven between the life stories of Murray, Duncan, Graham, Savion Glover, Toni Bentley, and other dancers, as well as lighter-side dance history through the ages.

Yes, there are “Awww, naw” moments along here with the Nae Nae, but the joy in this book supersedes any sadness. All in all, it’s a quick-stepper, and for a hoofer, ballet lover, line dancer, or anyone who shimmies and bops, And Then We Danced will have you on your feet.▼

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. Always Overbooked, she lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 15,000 books. Cover photo: Greg Villepique
 

‹ August 24, 2018 - CAMP Arts by Doug Yetter up August 24, 2018 - Amazon Trails by Lee Lynch ›

Past Issues

Issues Index

  • November 16, 2018 - Issue Index
  • October 19, 2018 - Issue Index
  • September 21, 2018 - Issue Index
  • August 24, 2018 - Issue Index
    • August 24, 2018 - Cover-to-cover with ISSUU
    • August 24, 2018 - The Way I See It by Murray Archibald
    • August 24, 2018 - In Brief
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMPmatters by Murray Archibald
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Out by Fay Jacobs
    • August 24, 2018 - AIDSwalk 2018 - Why I’m Walking by JulieAnne Cross
    • August 24, 2018 - Straight Talk by David Garrett
    • August 24, 2018 - Sundance 2018 Auction
    • August 24, 2018 - Sundance 2018 Dance
    • August 24, 2018 - It's My Life by Michael Thomas Ford
    • August 24, 2018 - President's View by Chris Beagle
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP News - CROP Serves Sustenance and Love by Debbie Woods
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP News - Reunion Tour, Bear Weekend, Girls Scouts Honor Fay Jacobs
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Cheers!
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Stories by Rich Barnett
    • August 24, 2018 - Volunteer Spotlight - Pat Catanzariti
    • August 24, 2018 - Volunteer Thank You
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Critters
    • August 24, 2018 - Eating Out by Fay Jacobs
    • August 24, 2018 - View Point by Richard Rosendall
    • August 24, 2018 - The Real Dirt by Eric W. Wahl
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMPshots Gallery 1
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMPshots Gallery 2
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMPshots Gallery 3
    • August 24, 2018 - Millennial Times by James Adams Smith
    • August 24, 2018 - Out & Proud by Stefani Deoul
    • August 24, 2018 - Delaware Legacy Fund
    • August 24, 2018 - Intentionally Inclusive by Wesley Combs
    • August 24, 2018 - We Remember James E. Yiaski
    • August 24, 2018 - Out & About by Eric C. Peterson
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Rehoboth Chorus: Just Can’t Stop the Beat!
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Arts by Doug Yetter
    • August 24, 2018 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer
    • August 24, 2018 - Amazon Trails by Lee Lynch
    • August 24, 2018 - CAMP Dates - August 25 - September 23
  • August 10, 2018 - Issue Index
  • July 27, 2018 - Issue Index
  • July 13, 2018 - Issue Index
  • June 29, 2018 - Issue Index
  • June 15, 2018 - Issue Index
  • June 1, 2018 - Issue Index
  • May 18, 2018 - Issue Index
  • May 4, 2018 - Issue Index
  • April 6, 2018 - Issue Index
  • March 9, 2018 - Issue Index
  • January 26, 2018 - Issue Index

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