The song "Human" by The Killers (YouTube link) just came up on the little Internet music station I listen to. According to Wikipedia, the lyric "Are we human, or are we dancer?" was "inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson, where he stated America was raising 'a generation of dancers'." Regardless of that background, the tune is catchy and I've always liked it.
But the lyric brings to mind an entirely unrelated question: at what point do you consider yourself a dancer?
There are various labels I unabashedly assign to myself: male, over the hill, etc. But "dancer"? The instructor for my Tuesday/Wednesday/Saturday classes opens class by saying, "Good evening, dancers!" In one respect, it's pleasing to be called a dancer. But as I struggle to master a step that half the class (not to mention most of students in the school) can do without thinking about it, claiming that label seems a bit presumptuous.
Or is it? I'm starting my third year of classes. I've promoted myself from the Beginner I to the Beginner II classes, and am holding my own there. And I can see a time coming when I'll move up again. Maybe it's not as presumptuous as it used to be.
I'm curious, so I'll put it out for comment. Do you feel comfortable calling yourself a dancer, and if so, was there some point or skill level you reached that made it seem "right"?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
4 comments:
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I do think of myself as a dancer, and did even before I started taking ballet again two years ago. But that was more about how I relate to music than anything else. I am not a musician, I am a dancer.
ReplyDeleteOn another note: holy HELL I hate the way that song lyric switches from plural to singular halfway through! ARGH! But, yeah, I kinda like the song, too. I just try to hear it in my head as "dancerS"
You're a dancer once other people recognize practiced skill in your moving to music.
ReplyDeleteI always assumed there WAS an 's' at the end of it, because word endings are often swallowed in songs!
ReplyDeleteI think of myself as a dancer and artist in the sense of dividing people and myself (in a very broad, horribly generalising sense) into mathematical or artistic. But I'm not comfortable enough yet to call myself a dancer after 2 years of ballet. Nor do I feel my lifetime of "hobby" painting makes me an artist - though by rights, who am I to reduce myself by assuming I'm not good enough or professional enough to call myself ...well, anything I want?
The other day a friend offered to babysit my son for a few hours so I could "go dance." I actually said "go what???" because I don't yet consider my flailing around in ballet class to be dancing!
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