Dancing Backwards
Posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008
Reading a famous quote about the wonderfully talented Ginger Rogers and her equally talented dancing partner Fred Astaire, I was reminded that, not only did Ginger Rogers move exquisitely across the dance floor with her partner, but she did it backwards. This observation about two Hollywood Legends was meant exactly as it was said. Both dancers had extraordinary talent, but when you see the pair gliding across the ballroom floor in those big, sweeping dance moves, you have to laugh a little. All of a sudden you realize that, yes, Ginger Rogers is being swept backwards, bent backwards, tossed around backwards, and often with yards of fabric dangerously billowing around her high heels!
The observation was meant in a literal sense; Ginger Rogers was indeed dancing backwards because Fred Astaire was leading. This is where I depart from the literal meaning. Oftentimes, a beautiful dance in a movie depicts a certain storyline and is seen as a part of a character’s life. I go so far as to say, in order to make my point, that the Dance Is Your Life. With that said, can you go through life dancing backwards, always looking over your shoulder?
If you have been on this earth for more than a few decades, you’ve probably experienced some real sadness and grief, some real hurt and trauma. Are you still looking back on those painful events and being led through life by the hurt or anger you feel? If you constantly look over your shoulder while you “dance” through your life, and make all your decisions based on what you see behind you, you’re not “leading” your life. If your life is a “dance”, don’t you want to be “leading”?
Yes, spending some time examining our past sadness and hurts is important to understanding our strengths and weaknesses. It gives us an idea of the steps we need to take out on the ballroom floor to create a graceful, well choreographed dance.
Don’t misstep because you’re looking backwards. Get out on that dance floor and lead!
And, when you do fall back, pick yourself up, dust yourself off… well, just watch the video. Enjoy!
