Dance in America - Lifelong Learning Academy

't94
t
MORt STORITS WL
TELL
likc to kiss 1]e too, sonletilues. I re'fV' Sophie like to grab rny
rucmber that evcry tir-ne I sec a child on
on the nosc' I
hair, a fistl'ul in each hand, ancl tl-ren kiss mc smack
She call grc Meanie, but shc
Lorrie Moore
r'lever see any othcr child kiss that rvay'
'Ihe satcllite 'I'V has so ll"Iany channcls, more chanuels than I
the Mainland and a
can count, incluclirrg a Chinese chaunel from
the timc I watch
of
(lhincse channel from Taiwan, but most
many' rnany
bloopers with lless- Also, I watch the bird feeder---so
time' askthe
all
kincts of bircls comc. The Shca sons hang around
()et
lost'
ing whert will I go h<>ure' but Bess tell thern'
going anywhere'
isn't
She
Shet a perlranctlt resiclcnt, say lless'
Then she wink at nte, and switch the channel with the rclnote
control.
()fcourse,lshouldn'tsaylrishthis,lrishthat'especiallynowl
to LJess' Mcl Whot
ar.n becortte h<>norary Irish rnyself, according
one
lrish? I say, ancl shc laugh' Al1 the sanle, if I could rmerltion
to
like
t
of
course'
them
of
thing abotrt sonre of the lrish, not all
Shea
Bess
nrcntiort this: Thcir talk just stick' l don't know how
say a long
shc
what
hcar
I
learn to usc hcr wor<ls, but sometinres
()ver
and ovcr I
tirne later. Perttrancttl rasidtnt' ivo'.goi'( anywlrcre'
hc:rr it, the v<'ricc
<>f
lless'
14
Dance in America
I 'rlt.t- 'ttIliM
dancc bcgins u,hcn a nr()lllcllt of hurt c<>ntbincs
with a lnonlent of bored<tnr. I tell thenr it'.s tlre bocly'.s rcaching,
brirreing air to itself. I tell thcrn that it',s thc hcartls trir-rnrph, tl.rc
victory specch oF thc fcct, thc refincr-ncnt of aninral lrrnge and
flight, the purest nrctaphor of tribc and sclf. It'.s lifc flippinu tlcath
the bird.
I nrake this stuff up. I}-rt then I Fcel thc stray v<>ltlge of' trry
rented charisrrra, hear thc jcrry-rigged authorityil-r rny vt'licc, and I,
tocl, lrelieve. I'nt convincecl.'fhe troupc clisrrrantlccl, thc clrorcography comrrissiorrs dwindling, my bocly hardcr to nlakc linrbcr, t<l
makc go, I havc contc hcrc for two r,vecks-to l)cnnsylvauit I)utcl-r
country, as a "l)arrccr in the Scho<>ls." I visit classes, at collcges and
clemcntary schools, sprcacling l)ancc'.s holy worc1. My lrcad fills
with my own yack. What inteli<lr lifc' has accruccl in rnc is clepleted
[ast, cnrptied out ll-ry mouth, as I stand bctbrc auclicnces, auswcrins
their fcarful, furbidding ()erruart cprcsti()ns about :rrt arrcl rtry
"whorish dances" (the thrusted hip, the sucldcn burnp ancl grind
beforc an attitudc). They ask why cverytlrirrs I rlrakc scenrs so "ltc'rlinistic."
"I tlrink thc word is.fumiristicol," I say. I've srowrr tirccl. I burrrccl
clown u-ry lifc for a few qr>od picccs. and rrr>w this.
196 /
MORL STORIES WE I tI.t
Witlr only onc r-right lcft, I've flecl the Quality Inu. (c:nramtltl
crIIcKrlN ()N wAl,trr.t: $3.9-5 rcacls the sign out frotlt. l{ow cor,rlcl I
leave?) '['he karaokc in the cocktail ]ounsc has kcpt llre trp, all thosc
tipsy and bcllorvirrg v<>ices iust back fr<>rn the ntcn'.s rootn ancl
urgcd to tl-rc front of thc loungc to sing "Sextral ['lcaling" or
"Alfie." I've acccptccl an ilrvitltion to sttly rvith my old fricncl Cal,
who te:rches anthropol()gy at Br.rrkwell, one of the nryriad local
colleges. I'le lrrcl his wifc ()wn a ftrrmer frlt h<luse thcy'vc nevcr
bothereci to rcnovatc. "lt lvas thc orrly way wc cor"rlcl livc in a house
this big," he says. "llcsidcs, r,ve're pcrvcrscly fascinated by thc
wrcckagc." It is I'astnacht, thc lip of l-ent, the night when the locals
makc' hot fi-ied clough anc{ cat it in honor of (lhrist. We arc outsidc,
befbrc dinner, walkirrg Cali do5;, (Jhappers, in the cold.
"J'he lrousc i.s anrazing to look at," I say. "lt'.s bcat-up in sttch au
intricatc way. l,ike a l{auschcnbcrg. I-ike <xre of those beautiftrl
wind*tattcrcd billboards one sccs in thc (lalifornia dcscrt." I'nr detcrrninecl to bc agrceablc; thc' housc, truth be toid, is a shock.
Maple scedlings havc sprontecl up thror-rgh thc clirring rt>ont flr>orboarcls, ficlrn wherc a trcc outsicle has pushcd intcl thc Rrunclation.
Squirrcls tl-re size of collies scrabble in thc walls. l)air"rt is chipping
cverywhere, in scales ancl blisters and flaps; in thc crackecl phster
bcneath are writtct-t the tranres <lf wt>rtten rvho, in rt;72, tg73, and
t974, spent the nicht cluring Spring l\uslt r,veekencl. The kitchen
ceiling rcirds "sigrna power!" and "Wattk trrc with a spoon."
llut I havcn't secn (lal in twelvc ycars, l.lot since he left for llelgium on a lrulbright, so I trrust bc nice. He sccms difFerent to mc:
shorter, older, cleaner, clespite the housc. In :r burst ol candor, he
has already confessed that those lorre years ago, oLlt of frierlclsliip
lor rnc, he'd been cxagllerating his intcrcst in dance. "l didn't get
it," he adnrittecl. "l kcpt trytng t<l figurc out thc rfor)/. IU look at the
purplc guy wl-r<> lradn't tnovccl in a while, arrcl I'd think, So what's
thc issue with fiinr?"
Now Chappers tlr{.Is at his lcash. "Ycalr. thc housc." Cal sighs.
DANCI IN
NN1
TRICN /
197
"Wc clid orrc:e have a paintcr qivc us arr cstitrratc,
[:trt wc wcrc, put
off by thc rrlnrcs of the paints: Myth, Vcspcr, Snickcrcl<r,r,il".
t
cliclrr't rvarrt anythinu calletl Snickcrcloocllc irr rtry
lrousc.,,
"What ls a Snickerdoocllc?,,
"l think thcy're
hunrccl in Maclagascar."
I leap to joirr Itirtr, to play. ..()r catel) ilt Vicnna.,, I
say.
"()r worshipccl in L.A." I laush again fbr hirtr, arrcl rhcrr
rve
natch as Chappcrs sniflt at thc ro<>ts <>f an <>ak.
"lJLrt a ntyth ()r a vcsper---they'rc
always q()ocl.,, I .lclcl.
"(lrucial," hc says. '.lJut rvc clidn't neecl pairrr
ftlr rhat.,,
(lll's son, Eugcrrc, is sevc, a,cr has cystic
fibr<>sis. E.gc,crs
lifc is a racc rvith r.,cc]ical rcscarch.',rt'.s rr.t tlrat I,rl
,-t ftr,
tlrc arts," says oal. "vrrr'r. hcrc; ,roncy ftlr thc urts br.rrsrrt
y<>u
herc.. '-['hatls rvclnclcrful. Itls w<lnclerful to sce
vou aftcr all thcsc
ye.rs. It'.s w',clcrF,l to fu,cl the arts. 11 !.wrr:dcrfirl;
yrr-ri-c w.rrtlcrfLrl' Thc arts arc s<> r'ricc irncl wonclcrfirr. IJut
rcalry: I srrv rct'.s givc illl
tlrc rnorrcy, cvcry Iast fitckirrg clir.rrc, to scicncc.',
Sr>r'rcthi,g cl.rokcs trp irr hi.r. 'r'rrcrc ca, lrc <>ptir,isrrr
in thc irrcrerlrc,ts, thc bits, the chaptcrs; br-rt I hr*,crr't sccrr
lrirrr ir', trvclvc
years and he h:rs lucl tr> tcll lne thc rvholc
story, strrriqht fi-<>nr the
bc{:inlrius, arrcl itls thc rvholc st<>ry tlrrrt,,s-just so sl<.I.
"wc both <:arricd thc ucnc but .rcvcr k,crv," hc s;rys. ..'r'h.t'.s
trrc
way it rv<>rks"fhc ockls Are ()rc irr tw'c,ty, ti,rcs
.re ill twcrty, .lr(r
thc, aftcr that. still .rrly orr. irr fbrr. ()rre iu sirtc*r lru,clrctl,
t.tal.
llingol We shotrkl ln()vc to Vculs."
Whcn I first kncrv Cal, rve rvcrc in Ncrv Vlrk, just ()Llt qracl*
of
ttatc sch.<tl; hc w.as si.qlc, arrd anxi.us, a,c.l st*rck
,,," .r r,r,rr",rr,.
r'vl'r. woulcl ,cvcr actually rnarry arcl ha'c u f,rrrrilv,
<>r ir. lrc clid,
nlarry sorllcorrc dec.rative, s()llrcollc sri,.lrt. rltrt rr<>w;
twcrvc
'v.trltl
ycars latcr, his silvcr-haired wi[c, Sirrorrc,
is ,othiriu rikc that: srrc
is big aucl ficrce arrd ori{-rillal, joinccl rvith hinr
in sricf arrrl cour-.
agc. Shc stortits t>ut <tf I)TA rircetirrqs. S|c gltrcs
littlc scrluips t<>
her sh<>cs. Englislr is hcr third l:rrrguugc; shc rvrs ()nce
u lrrcnr:l.r
r'vhr>lc
198
/
MORE STORIES WE
TILI
DANCE IN AMt'RICA
is all she'll say
"I miss the caviar"
diplornat to Belgium and toJapan'
Pennsylvania l)utchland'
of it. "l rniss thc caviar so much'" Now in
"The 1o,i" p.i,l* satirical oils of long-armed handless people'I can't paint
f;rench accent' giggling' "l]ut
cals,'1
shc explains in her
one
of
the
a studio frotn
hands-" She and Eugcne have macle
wrecked rooms uPstairs'
"How is Simone through all this?" I ask'
a sister who diecl
"She\ better than t am," he says' "She had
young. She exPects unhaPPiness'"
'
"irr, isn't there hope?" I ask' stuck f<rr words'
grown worse' too
Already, Cal says, Eugene hm degencrated'
i'Stitkin"";'
hc calls it' "If he were three'
hrs lurn5'
much liquid in
hope' The researchers are making
instead ,rf ,.,r"r,, theret be more
some strides; theY reallY are'"
thcre arc olcl Colonial
"He''s a great kicl," L"y' Attn" the strect'
winclolv; it is a Pennsylvania l)utch
houses with canclles lit in each
frgm l)esert Storrn, dcpending on wl-rorn you
custom, or left over
ask.
clclg comes up and
Cal stops and turns towarcl ure' and the
Eugencr's great"'he says' "[t's t"totjust
nuzzles him. "Ith not just that
chilcl I'11 ever have. It's also that
the precociry or tl-lat ie'.s the only
L{e's very good at unhei .such a good pers()l1' I{e accepts things'
derstanding everything'"
such sorrow
I cannot irnagine anything in rny lifu that contains
someone' Cal Falls silent' the
as this, sr-rch anticipation of missing
hancl lightly in the middle of
dog trots before us, and I place nry
the colcl, empty streets' up
cal,s back as we walk like that through
of sickle moon' like a cup
in the sky, Venus ancl the thinnest paring
havc made the Turkish flag in
and saucer, like a nose and rnouth'
as we traipse after the dog' the
the sky. "Look at that," I say to Cal
leash taut as a stick'
".Woui' Cal says' "The Tirrkish flag'"
"You'nr sacr, you're backl" Eusene
/
199
shouts {rom insidc, dashing
toward thc fiont door as wc step up onto thc front porch with
Chappers. Eugene is in his pajamas already, his body skinny and
hunchecl. [{is glasscs are thick, rnagnifying, and his eyes, puffcd and
swimnring, secm not to niss a thing. FIc siides int<l the front entryway, in his stocking feet, and lands on thc floor. He srniies up at me,
all charm, like a kid with a crush. He has painted his face with
Mcrthiolate and hopes we'llfind that funny.
"Eugene, you look beautiful!" I say.
"No I don'tl" he says. "[ look witty)'
"Whcre'.s your rrotherr?" asks Cai, unleashing thc dog.
"In thc kitchen. I)ad, Mom says yoll have to go up to the attic
and bring down one of the pans for dinner." F{e gets up and chases
after Chappers, to tackle him and bring him back.
"W'e have a cou;rlc: pots up thcre to catch leaks," Cal explains,
taking off liis coat. "[]ut then u.e end up needing the pots fur
cooking, so rve fbtch thcrrr back."
"I)o you neecl some hclp?" I don't know lvhether I should be
with Sir-nonc in the kitchen, Ca1 in the attic, or Liugere on the
floor.
"Oh, no. You
stay here
with L,ugene," he says.
"Yeah. Stay here with mc." Eugcnc races back fiom the dog and
grabs rny leg.
'fhe dog barks excitedly.
"You can shor,v Huscne yoLrr video," Cal suugests as hc leaves
thc roonr.
"Shorv me your dancc vicleo," he says to rnc in r sings<lng.
"Show me, sho'uv me."
"l)o
we havc tirnc?"
"-We havc fiftcen minutes," hc says with great authority. I go
trpstairs and dig it out of n-ry bag, thcn come back dorvn."Wc plug it
into the V(lt\ and ncstle on the couch togcther. He huddles close,
cold in the drafty house, and I cxterrcl nry lorrg su,,c2ltcr ar<>und him
like a shawl. I try to explain a Fcr.v thiugs, in a qror.vn*up r.vay, ho'"v
this dance canre to be, how lrlove nr(:l)t, rcpentcd, brcaks through all
2OO /
DANCE IN AMERICA
MORE STORIES WE TEIL
to ccstasy;
into a kind of stratosphcrc: flrotlr recalcitrance
nratlc earlier in the weck' lt is a
frot.n shoe to bird. The tapc is one
T.hey each lrad t<l itrvent a
demotrstrirtion with ft;t.rth graders'
cat'l.re up with various crea*
charactcr, thcn ciesign a rnask"l'hey
Mr' llicycle Spoke i-Iead' Flvil Suow-
resistencc
turcs: Miss Ninjr Pc:acock'
I
nran. Saber-toothed Mour: "Half-girl-half-man-half-cat'"'Ihen
on'
ancl lecl thcrn' with thcir ulasks
arrangccl the kicls in a phalanx
ls lt'"
dancti to Kenny l-oggins's "'I'his
ir,
"nin',p..ruised rapt' f {is brown hair hangs in strings in his face'
F{e watches,
Crowcll"' hc says' l{c knolvs
ancl he chcr'vs on it' " fhcrc's Tbrnmy
royalty' When it is ovcr' hc looks
the fourth sradcrs as if they were
I'{is caze behind his glasses is
.r*,, ,, nr", snriling, but businesslikc'
dance"' hc says'
and <lircct. "That r,vas rcally a worrelerlul
brilliant
Hc souur,ls likc an agcnt'
"l )o You re allY thir-rk so?"
"Absolutclyi' he says' "lt''s colorful and
has lots
of fun' irlterest-
ing stcps."
"Will
I ask'
You be rrrY agcnt?"
."'"t""]"'l cl<ln't kll<lw' Is thc agerrt the pcrson who
clrivcs the car?"
, . r-._.-.^,
ilway; tl-rc
"l)inncr\ ready!" Simone calls fk>nr two roo1lls
"'Wank ure witl"r I s1'rtl<;n" rool1l'
tl'rc couch.and
"Ootlring!" shouts Eugene' aLrcl he leaps off
sidew;rys into hcr charit' "Whtto"'
slides into the clining tt""'"' falling
urake it"'
he says, out of brclth' "l alnlost dicirr't
He scolvls,
"Flcre,"
s;rys
E'ugcnc's place
Cal' L{c placcs a goblct of pills at
sctting.
chair' he gcts tlp on his knces'
Eugctte ntakcs a facc, but rn thc
hancl' lnd begins thc arduous
leans f<>rrvlrcl, glass of water in orre
activiry of takirrg all the Pills'
nly napkin ir-r nry lap'
I sit in the chair opposite hitn ancl placc
I
2O1
Stu<;r,rE rrAS MADr a soup rvith hard-boiled eggs ir-r it (a rcgional
recipe, she explains), as ,'vell as Peking duck, uirich is ropy antl
swcet. Cal kecps passir-rg around thc baskct of bread, anxiously,
talking abourt how modcrn man has only been around for 4-5,oocr
years and probably thc bread hasn't changed nruch since thcn.
"Forty-five thousand years?" says Sirnonc. "'Ihat'.s all? 'I'hat
can't be. I feel likc wc've been married for that long."
'flrcre are pcoplc rvho talk with their hands. Then there arc
pcople who talk with thcir arms.'fhen therc arc pcople wl-ro trlk
rvith thcir arms over their l-read. "fhesc arc the ones I like best.
Simonc is one ol thosc.
"Nope, that's it," says Cal, cheu,ing. "Forty-five thousand.
'I'hough for about two hundrecl thousand ycars bcfore that, carly
lnan was going through all kinds of anatornical changcs to gct
r,vhcrc wc arc todey. It wa; r ,('r)/ cxcitirrrl tinrc." Ilc pauscs. a littlc
breathlcssly. "l wish I could have bccn ttrcrc."
"Hal" exclaims Sinrone.
"'T'hink of thc parties," I say.
"Ilight," says Simone. " Joe. how've you becn? Your hcacl'"s so
6r.q now, ancl, well, what is this crazy thing you'rc doitrg rtitlr your
thurnb?' A lot likc the parties in Socla Sprir-rus, Idaho."
"Sirrrorre used to bc marriccl to solrlconc in Soda Springs,
Iclaho," Oal says to nrc.
"V;u're kiddingl" I say
"Oh, it w-as vcry briefl' she says. "l-lc was ricliculous. I sot ricl of'
irim aftcr about six ntonths. Supposeclly, he u,cnt off and killcd
hirnself."
Sher srniles
at rnc impishly.
"Who killed hirnself?"
asks Euscrt,--. I{er }ras swallowecl all thc
pilis but one.
"Mon-rnry'.s first husbancl," says Cai.
"Why did he kill himsclf?" Eugene is starins at tlrc rnitldle ol'
the table, trying to thirrk about this.
"Eugene, you'r,e livecl witl"r your ru<lthcr fi:r seveu years n()w,
DANCE IN
MORL STORI['"S WL TELL
202 /
brightly.
--.^,, Lr..,,,n,{r,rsr,rncls
ancl vaguc way' L.le understand
Hugenc sniiies in an abbreviatcd
is bothered
hc cloesr-r't like or get it' I{e
this is his prrcnts'1nX"' U"
I-lc wants
laugh'
incluiry into a casual
they havc tttruccl his serior'rs
inf<rrnrationl uut
nt'*'
instead' i.'t
jt"t
cliss
into the duck' poking
rncl looking.
nYt-1l:-,T"
visits' What
l I nlarriccl?
Simone asks about thc school
nry life likc blck hornc? Arr-r
i'
Wt-"t
n'"i
to
nicc
people
"l'ilr uclt narricd"' I s;rY'
a
aren't you?" Cal says in
"Btit yor-r ancl I'atrick aret still togethcr'
l
r"rP'"
"Y<>u br<>ke up?" Cal puts his
sighing
"Yes," I
s"rY.
"(lec, I
thor'rght
,t"' *t'"
fork down'
woulcl nevcr brelk trp!" he
says
ln
a
tclnc'
{enuinelY fl abbersastcd
at
sonlehow that rny rclaticluship
rcassurittg
tf'ti'
nta
"Rcally?" f
thc orrtsidc' at least to sonlcollc'
least lookccl goocl from
"Actually'
rcally," aclmits Cal'
wottlil l>rc'rk trp lorrq rlgo'"
"Wc11,
t't<>t
t
thought you guys
"C)h," I saY'
to lris fatl-re arriazing Eugenc
"Scl yorr coulcl t'narry l-rcr?" says
ancl hidc
pour nlore winc into glasscs'
ar-rd lve all leugh louclly'
ther,
onr faces irr
"'fhey all are likc that."
I'm confuscd. I glancc up at thc Iight, an old brass octoplls ol a
chandelier. All I can think of is how Patrick said, whcn he lcfi, f'rcl
up with rny "selfishness," that if I were lv<trried nbout staying on
alone at the lake house, rvith its squirrcls ancl call girl stylc llntps, I
should just rent the placc out*-perhaps to a llict: lcsbiarr couple likc
rnyself.
Ilut
cottccrnc,d way.
"LJh, ntl' Wc trroke
thcnr'
"'Ihe thing to retrlcnrbcr
,,
abt>ut love lffairs"' says
ci--..,.,'
't'
Sinorlc' "rs
your chirtlrcy'"
rlccoolls in
that thcy arc all likc having
Otl'
"()h. r-rot the raccoort stor)"' groar.rs
Eugene'
"Ycsl 'I'hc rlccoousl" crics
I'tu slwing at rllY cluck'
"'We l]lve tttttt""'" sotuctinres itl
1ll()nc.
"I-lrrtnrnt," I
say' n<lt surprisccl'
o'r
2O3
"And once we tried to strroke them out. We lit a fir-c, klrclrvir-rg
they were therc, but we h<lpecl tlrat the surokc r,vould cause thetn tcl
scurry ottt the top ancl ncvcr con)c back. Insteacl, tltey caught on
Iirc and came crashirrg dowr.r into our living roorr"r, :rll charrccl ltncl
in flamcs and runninil mac{ly aroutrd until they clroppccl clcad." Simonc swallows sonle w'ine. "Lovc affairs arc likc tirlrt," sltc says.
want to kill
lr'hy sonrcone closc to her lvould
ancl
look straight acloss at each other
lrirrrsclf?" Sirtlonc tud i:^t
ancl you clott't know
laugh
AMIRICA /
chir,rrey"' erplairls Si-
Eugene, across from me, nods errthusirrstically, looks
pleasccl. FIe's heerd thc raccoon story bi:flclrc and likcs it. Once
again, it'.s been told right, with flames ancl g<>re.
Now tlrere is salacl, which wc pick and tcar at like o:orvs. Aftcrward, we gaze upon tlre bowl of frurit at the ccntcr of thc tablc,
lazily pick a Gw grapcs off their stcrns. We sip hot tca thrt Cal
brings in fnrm the kitcl-ren. Wc sip ur-rtil it's cool. and thcn urrtil it'.s
gone. Already thc tirue is tcrr o'clock.
"l)ance time, dance tinre!" says Hugenc u,hett we're throush.
Every night, before bcd, thcy all go out into thc living roon-r end
dance until Eugene is tired ancl f;rlls asleep otr thc sofa.'['hcn the:y
carry him upstairs and tr-rck him in.
Hc conrcs over to nry chnir and takes n'ry harrcl, lcads rne out
into the livinu room.
"What nrusic sha,ll we clance to?" I ask.
"You choose," he says, and leads nrc to the shclf r,vherc thcy
kcep their compact discs. l)crlraps tlrcrc is sontc Stravinskv. l)erlraps
Petrouchka, with its ronsirrg salute to Slrrovctidc.
"Will you conle sce nlc tollrorr()w rvlren yotr visit thc lirulth
graders?" he asks as I'm looking thr<lush thc sclccti<>r.r. 'liro nruch
Jr:an llaez."Ibcl much Mahler. "l'nr irr r()()nl or)e t>lr lirtrr." hc says.
204
/ MORE STORIES W[
TTIT
"'When you visit the fourth sraders, you can just stop by rrry classroom and wavc to me fronr the door. I sit betrveen thc bulletin
boarcl and the window."
"Sure!" I say, not knowing that, in a msh, I will forget, and that
I'll be on the plane home already, leafing thlough some inarrc airline rr-ragazine, bcfore I remember that I forgot to do it. "Look," I
say, finding a Kcnny Loggins disc. lt has the song he heard earlier,
the one from thc video. "Let'.s play this."
"(ioody," he says. "Mom! Dad! Conre on!"
"A11 right, Eugenie-boy," says Cal, coming in fiom the dining
roolrr. Simone is behind hirn.
"l'nt Mercurry, I'm Neptune, now I'm Pluto so far awayi' says
Eugene, dashing around the room, making up his or,vn dance.
"They're doing the planets in school," says Sinrone.
"Yes," says Eusene. "We'rc doinq the planets!"
"Anci which planet," I ask him, "do you think is the r:rost irrteresting?" Mars, with its canals? Suturn, with its rings?
H,ugene stands still, looks at me thoughtfully, soleurnly. "liartlr,
of course," he says.
Cal laughs. "Wcll, that'.s the right answer!"
"This is itl" sings Kenny t,oggins. "This is it!" Wc make a phaIanx and march, strrrt, slide to the nrusic. !7e crouch, n-rove backward, then burst fonvard again. Wete ainring to crcatc the
milclelvy, resinous sweat snrell of dancc, the parscd, repeatecl lnovcment. (lal and Simone are into it.'fhey jigglc and link arnls. "Tltis
is it!" In the nriddlc of the song, Eugene suddenly sits dor,,n r.r to rest
on the sofa, watc;l'ring thc grorvn-ups. l,ike the best dtncers and audicnces in the 'uvorlcl, he is determined not t<t cousl.r until thc end.
"(lome here, honey," I say, going to him. I arr thinking not
or"rly of rny owrl body hcrc, that unbeguilable, broken basket, that
stiff nrerinque. I anr not, I)atrick, thinking only <lf nryself, r.ny l<>st
troupe, rny ernpty bed. I arn thinking of thc dancins body'.s nraunificent ancl ostentatious scorn. This is how 'uve offer ourselvcs.
enter hcaver), enter spcaking: we say r,vith rn<;tion, in space, "l'his is
DANCF IN AMERICA I
2O5
what life''s cronc so far down
hcre; this is all and rvhat and everythi,g it''s nranaged-this b,di1 these
bories, rhat body-so what do
you think, Heaven? What do
you fucking think?
"Stand next to nrc.,',
I say, and E.rg",L docs, looking up ar rne
with his orange warrior fhc-e. We
stc.p
in place: knces up, knees
down. Krrees trp, knecs clorvn. Dip_glide_slide.
Dip_glide_slide,
"This is it!" "This is itr" 'r'rrcrr
*" go i"ira ,rra fling our Iirnbs to
the
sky.