What did Steve Irwin and Peter Brock have to do with dancing?
This morning's plan was to go for a long walk and come back and comment on 4 Ps of dancing: Passion, Participation Performance and Practice, especially as earlier in the week I had seen the full-on, energetic performance of www.burnthefloor.com at the Aotea Centre http://www.the-edge.co.nz/ in Auckland. I was wondering if there is any link at all between the passion they showed in their performance of ballroom and salsa with the way that most of us participate in our passion which seems pedestrian in comparison.
But the walk prompted contemplation on a very different matter. This has been a terrible week for a number of New Zealanders and Australians in particular as two very well known identities, Steve Irwin http://www.crocodilehunter.com/# and Peter Brock http://peterbrock.com.au/ have died tragically, while indulging in their passion.
On this morning's walk, there were no roses to smell at this time of the year, but there were plenty of other things to observe and absorb.... Herons and pukekos, dogs taking their people for a Saturday morning walk, mangroves and the hidden life they support within their shelter.....
The death of people whom we either know or feel connected to highlights an appreciation of life and reminds me not to take this tenuous thread for granted. I thought also of the people who attended the Burn The Floor performance, who needed physical help to get in to see the show. I surmised that some of these, usually older people, may have been dancers in an earlier time and are now no longer able to fully participate. But more on that another time....
Dancing can surely not be as dangerous as dealing with wild animals or racing cars. But wait. A Google search www.google.com with the exact phrase 'death while dancing' produced over 300 links, not all relevant, but demonstrating that it can happen and has happened. But how would someone who dies and goes to heaven while dancing know? Surely there wouldn't be any difference as they were in heaven already.
So until that day comes, I go along with Friedrich Nietzsche who I have quoted here www.dancetours.co.nz 'Every day I count wasted in which there has been no dancing' He also famously said 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. There are a lot of Nietzsche's sayings here http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/friedrich_nietzsche.html listed in alphabetical order.
So that's enough soulbaring for today. Death while dancing would be pretty tough on your partner and others left behind but if there was a choice, it would be a beautiful way to go. Would Steve or Peter have had theirs any other way?
