Dance

Dance

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, I went to a concert at the Dome of the First Nations Pavilion. One of the bands that played was called Shun Dun, which means the ‘Song People’ in the Tutchone language of central Yukon, in Northern Canada. The music was inspiring and moved me in a way that no new music that I have listened to has in a long time.

It was a mix of traditional native music with classic rock. The melodies and harmonies were native, as were the rhythm and the singing, but it was played with classic rock instruments, in a typical rock ensemble. The band had a guitar, an electric guitar, an electric bass, keyboards and drums. They were accompanied by dancers, three women and two men, dressed in their traditional costumes.

The singer, Jerry Alfred, was the leader of the band; he seemed to be around 40 or 50 years old. He wore a buckskin jacket with fringed sleeves embroidered with beads of many bright colors arranged in abstract patterns that resembled flowers and geometrical shapes. He played the classical guitar and was sitting down during the concert. He also wore a baseball cap on stage! He sang in Tutchone, but when he talked to the audience between songs, he did so in English. He told us that when he was born, he was given the name and responsibility of the “Keeper of the Songs” for his Nation.

The keyboardist was also a member of the Selkirk First Nation of the Yukon and he seemed to be was in his twenties or thirties. He had long black hair, which he wore lose. He was also wearing a jacket like the one Jerry was wearing. He was a big man, and so was the drummer, who looked a lot like the keyboardist; they looked like they might be brothers.

The electric bass player was a white, blond, 14-year-old boy. He wore his hair long and was also wearing one of the jackets described before, except his was black. The electric guitar player was a white, blond, 50-year-old man. He wore his hair long and was also wearing a jacket like the all the rest of the band. At once, I thought they must be father and son. And when Jerry introduced them, he said the same last name, so my guess was confirmed.

Something about the sweet, soft melodies and the steady, thumping rhythm inspired me to create this poem. I wrote it in my head as I listened to the band play:

Dance – with your eyes closed
Dance – as if your life depended on it
Dance – like there will be no tomorrow
Dance – with complete abandon and sensuality
Dance – in response to that tribal instinct
which is proof of your humanity
Dance – to forget about yourself

And forget – forget about yourself
Forget – forget about the world around you
Forget – forget about your problems
Forget – forget about everything

But – remember…
Remember – to feel the music

Feel the music
Feel it creeping into your pores
Feel it racing through your blood
Feel it beating in your heart
Feel it thumping in your feet
Feel it flowing in your arms
Feel it swaying in your hips –
From side to side to side –
Slowly, softly, sweetly…

And dance – like there will be no tomorrow
Dance – with your eyes closed

Dance – Dance – Dance
Just Dance.