So, Monday it snowed. Today, Wednesday it’s 70 degrees. Again, Ohio, I don’t get it.
Last night sweet friend Allyson and I went for half-price fancy pants sushi at Ichiban in Mt. Lookout Square and followed it up with a showing of the dance film ‘Pina’ in 3D at the little independent artsy Mariemont Theatre. I’m so happy to have a girlfriend to do these things with so I don’t have to besiege and subject poor Ted to the agony and torture of raw fish and modern dance.
Clearly, it was awesome. I had a seaweed salad, a Cajun roll (avocado and lightly seared tuna), the Volcano roll (eel, avocado, spicy crabmeat, and tempura), and a lychee martini. It was delicious. And I always feel so refreshed and healthy after eating it. Hopefully sushi dates can become a routine. And at half-price, there’s a definite possibility they will!
Pina was an interesting film. I’m not sure that the 3D made much of a difference. In fact, I only noticed it once. Also, I’m not actually quite sure how I feel about the film yet. Obviously, I love dance. I have a huge respect for all kinds of dance and I took many, many dance classes in college and the program was modern-based. But Pina Bausch’s choreography was really hit or miss for me. On one hand I really liked how she incorporated a lot of different natural elements onstage – endless rain, huge puddles to splash in, boulders to dance on, massive pits of dirt to roll in, blowing leaves, etc. I also liked the juxtaposition of all these gritty, natural fibers with the gorgeous flowing evening gowns and business suits the dancers moved in. Plus some of the dances were staged in urban settings – glass greenhouses, public parks, on busy street corners, and in subway trams in Germany. The whole movie was in German with English subtitles. I felt like all the choreography was highly emotional. Purposefully meant to elicit very strong feelings – which it did. But the choreography itself baffled me at times. Maybe it was just too artsy or offbeat for my tastes or level of comprehension, but I’m really glad we saw it and were able to experience it. The one thing (other than the raw slabs of veal in the girl’s pointe shoes) that I really took away from her work and the film was one line:
Dance for love.
If you’ve ever danced, you know this feeling in the pit of your soul. You know that you dance for no reason other than love. I’m an actor by training and by nature, and I obviously love what I do, but when I dance I often get a feeling that I don’t always get when I’m acting. I feel totally free, totally happy, totally in love – even when it hurts or even when I can’t get the step – it’s just me there, by myself – even with everyone watching – and everything is fine and peaceful. I’m by no means the best dancer in the world, but that’s why I danced. And as soon as I can save enough money to make it a reality, I intend to jump right back into those darn dance classes.
Dance for love.
And sushi for love too. Yum.
