"You can dance for inspiration"

On the Playlist: The Power of Madonna by the Glee Cast

The playlist choice put me on a Madonna kick, which inspired this post about dancing. The title is lyrics from "Into the Groove" by Madonna.

I dance more than I walk.

Now, I should say that I can’t really dance. Sure, I can ball change; shanae turn; and on a good day, pirouette, but you won’t see me doing fouettes, arabesques, or tilts. Still, I’m always dancing.

I look ridiculous most of the time. I love improv, meaning I put on a song and go. Usually, the result is lots of flailing, dramatic pauses, and inspiration.

Dance inspires my writing like nothing else, both watching dance and actually dancing. In my current WIP, my main male character, Chase, is an improv instructor (which yes, does sound like an oxymoron), who teaches my main female character, Callie, to dance. His teaching techniques are unique, and there’s little mention of pointing toes or spotting. He just wants her to dance to find and express herself.

I love writing scenes where he’s teaching her to dance. They’re probably my favourite scenes to write, actually. They’re tricky, though, because it’s hard to get readers to see a dance they can’t actually witness. That’s not what’s important, though. What’s important is that they understand how Chase and Callie feel when they dance.

I fell in love with the WIP through dancing. I’d written a few chapters, and I was enjoying it, but I wasn’t at the I’ll-go-crazy-if-I-don’t-write-this stage yet. Then, after watching Dirty Dancing one night, I danced out a scene of Callie and Chase in the studio. When it was done, I got to that point where I, finally, understood the characters like they were myself, and suddenly the story had to be written.

What inspires you?