The World Theatre VI - Choreography and sensitivity

Nutcracker, Swan Lake, or contemporary dance. I can not stand them. I could never go more than three minutes watching them on TV, no need to tell you that I have never gone to see a ballet. Well, I lie; I went to see Sara Baras and liked it. But that was the exception; can I go on, or have I already lost all my credibility?

And what's remarkable about this preference (or lack thereof, in this case) you will think, well, the truth is that being aware of my lack of taste for dance in general, led me to doubt of my sensibility for the arts. I always liked music, drawing and painting, theater, literature, sculpture and architecture, including photography, comics and cinema to set out the beautiful old and new arts. Not that I like everything, but I could see in these works that interest me, and that I liked more than others. So, why was not the case with the dance?

It would be a childhood trauma, some atrophy in my brain, or a profound ignorance, but I can not see anything inspiring in the dancers moving to the beat of the music. Is the secret in the pirouettes, the timing, the speed and harmony of the turns and movements? All I see are bodies moving without much meaning, running, spinning, often not completely in sync and I can only think of the suffering of tendons and muscles when I see some positions forced by traditional rules of ballet. Nor do I see anything interesting in the spasms of the modern dancers, who often remind me of swimmers warming up the muscles of the shoulder blades before jumping into the pool.

Until one day I saw that my sensitivity for the choreography was not completely castrated. Because I found one that I love: Kung-fu. What kung-fu has to do with this? Well... a lot. Even considering myself only a fan of the subject, seeing Kung-fu plasticity of movement, the beauty and the cadence I am thrilled, if I tell you the truth, I get goose bumps. I can not help it when I see someone practicing martial arts, especially kung-fu, I get emotional. Attack, defense, jumps and spins, hitting, tripping, waiting time, grabs and swings, threatening or derogatory glances, shouts and rapid jumps. My eyes are wet with the reached excitement, no kidding. I suppose it is a dance most akin to my sensibilities. This, at least, allows me to consider the quota of affinity to dance fulfilled. I'm not castrated.

What is Kung Fu?