A Stunning Revelation....or Not

I can't dance.

It is painful for me to type this, but I realize that I need to come to grips with my shortcomings. Seriously though, there is something that is disconnected between my brain and the rest of my body whenever some sort of rhythmic, vibing, pulsating beat hits my eardrums. This affliction is not a new discovery, I am just woman enough to admit it, now.

When I was a young girl, I remember when all of my grandmother's grandchildren used to dance to the songs at the end of Disney movies, like "Beauty and the Beast" at the end of Beauty and the Beast, or "Under the Sea" at the end of The Little Mermaid. Now during the latter song, the Bajan in all of the grandchildren would stir up inside and there would be a little reggae party up in there. I remember something stirring inside my soul, too, and before I would know it, my arms would flail everywhere, my feet would make random kicks, and I would put forth my best effort to make poetry of the body. All I remember is that after a while, my cousins did not want to dance with me anymore--and I don't blame them. It was totally the David Brent Charity Dance, 5-year-old style. My dancing routine became lethal, and I eventually had to retire it.

Now I sit here, after going on a missions trip, where we performed many, many routines in Uganda and Kenya. The stunning revelation was this: people totally did not care about my proficiency of dancing, whether I could keep the beat or not, or whether I looked good doing it. That was really refreshing to see. I gave my best there, and that was really all that mattered in the end.

Well, I have decided that I am not a great dancer, but I am fairly decent. Enough to fool people when I am standing on the side of a dark room, and people's vision is already distracted by seizure-inducing bright strobe lights. I am completely all right with not ever being good enough to be the next Harajuku girl--although I am willing to still submit the application, hoping that that the whole not-being-Japanese thing doesn't get in the way. Who knows? Maybe I'll be the next star on the upcoming Fox Reality Show "So You Think You Can Dance...But the Mirror Suggests Otherwise" (Thursdays this Fall). I'll let you know....

Until then, this is Tamara, mediocre dancer, disgrace to her parents and her heritage (and proud of it), over and out.



"Bust a move."
~Young MC