It was Fall, or nearing Fall. I was clueless (as I really never think of myself) when someone whose company I was thoroughly enjoying sort of interrupted us both and blurted out "You know I am falling in love with you...." Well, knock me down with a feather, I had absolutely no idea. That said, when I asked him his favorite color sometime later in the season as we admired some leaves in their many variations, first he said RED without hesitation, and then I suppose in a moment where he decided to seize the opportunity to woo, he said "You are my favorite color."
Let me tell you how ludicrous that was! I have never been a red girl. My favorite color for the longest time was yellow. My favorite Crayola crayon as a child was "yelloworange." I had a t-shirt that color that I wore to death in the fifth grade. In my earliest teen years, I morphed into a lovely pale yellow, and even made myself the palest yellow linen dress. Somewhere in high school I took a drastic turn toward blue and have never looked back. A love affair with someone whose favorite color is red could never last with me in it!
I woke up early this morning. I turned on the television to find one of my favorite dancers taking a bow. It was public television, so I quickly grabbed the remote and searched the feature that tells you what programs will be coming throughout the day. Lucky me, in three hours there would be a rebroadcast. I set my alarm for 8 am and went back to sleep with visions of the "Firedance" in my head. I woke at the appointed hour and bolted out of bed and toward my (blue) wingchair. And waited and watched. She would be only a portion of the program, but I was glued to the tube as they used to say. Well, once again, I was clueless. The "Firedance" began, only this time, no fire! This was not MY dancer. I didn't even stay tuned through it.
Many years ago, when my husband and I were first married , we caught a documentary on flamenco dancing. I have been on the watch for it ever since. In it, the instructor described the metaphor behind flamenco--- something about the reaching up to the sky and down to the earth and the constant search or need for balance in between to be struck. Oh, I wish I could remember exactly how she said it! We were both mesmerized by the description. Years later, when I saw Maria Pages perform the "Firedance" I was utterly taken with her and flamenco again.
I am a sign language interpreter. I enjoy theatrical interpreting. To say I enjoy music would be the understatement of the century. Here is the whole of all those fascinations; Pages' hands are exquisite. And then there's the red dress. Even I cannot deny its power. Same dance, different dancer, though, and I changed the channel.
Here in these last days of Fall, I am designing a tunic for holiday attire. The idea for this came as I began to unpack Christmas decorations for my classroom. I began to covet the European old-world Santa suit on a stuffed doll. Deep crimson velvet, white fur trimmed cuff and hem, embellished with gold embroidery. Now why couldn't I find something like that to wear this Christmas ??? So I made a sketch and began to procure the materials. Faux fur? Check. Elaborate Chinese frog closures? Check. Vintage golden ribbon embroidered with deep red chrysanthemums on its way from China? Check. I am still scoping out the main player in this project, because even I realize it's all about the red.
Not sure the materials will make it in time for this Christmas... not sure there will be time to make the garment in mind if they do. If any of it comes into being, I will post photos of it here. Meanwhile, I will have the memory of the "Firedance." And the dream of my tunic. And the balance in between memory and dream. The leaves will be gone soon. We'll need something to fill the void. Maybe that is why people pour christmas lights all over their homes or string lights on their trees...to fill the void left from Fall's departure?
Below are some links to some things that feed the senses for even a blue-loving girl like me:
Maria Pages' "Firedance" --- pay attention, if you will, to the moments at 4:10-4:12... something about the timing when she knows the exact second in which her skirt will find her hand takes my breath away : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9jLGS7Y_TM&feature=related .
And just for fun, Chris De Burgh's "Lady in Red"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqmXja6ElME&feature=related
and
Bryan Adam's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq2KgzKETBw .
Let me tell you how ludicrous that was! I have never been a red girl. My favorite color for the longest time was yellow. My favorite Crayola crayon as a child was "yelloworange." I had a t-shirt that color that I wore to death in the fifth grade. In my earliest teen years, I morphed into a lovely pale yellow, and even made myself the palest yellow linen dress. Somewhere in high school I took a drastic turn toward blue and have never looked back. A love affair with someone whose favorite color is red could never last with me in it!
I woke up early this morning. I turned on the television to find one of my favorite dancers taking a bow. It was public television, so I quickly grabbed the remote and searched the feature that tells you what programs will be coming throughout the day. Lucky me, in three hours there would be a rebroadcast. I set my alarm for 8 am and went back to sleep with visions of the "Firedance" in my head. I woke at the appointed hour and bolted out of bed and toward my (blue) wingchair. And waited and watched. She would be only a portion of the program, but I was glued to the tube as they used to say. Well, once again, I was clueless. The "Firedance" began, only this time, no fire! This was not MY dancer. I didn't even stay tuned through it.
Many years ago, when my husband and I were first married , we caught a documentary on flamenco dancing. I have been on the watch for it ever since. In it, the instructor described the metaphor behind flamenco--- something about the reaching up to the sky and down to the earth and the constant search or need for balance in between to be struck. Oh, I wish I could remember exactly how she said it! We were both mesmerized by the description. Years later, when I saw Maria Pages perform the "Firedance" I was utterly taken with her and flamenco again.
I am a sign language interpreter. I enjoy theatrical interpreting. To say I enjoy music would be the understatement of the century. Here is the whole of all those fascinations; Pages' hands are exquisite. And then there's the red dress. Even I cannot deny its power. Same dance, different dancer, though, and I changed the channel.
Here in these last days of Fall, I am designing a tunic for holiday attire. The idea for this came as I began to unpack Christmas decorations for my classroom. I began to covet the European old-world Santa suit on a stuffed doll. Deep crimson velvet, white fur trimmed cuff and hem, embellished with gold embroidery. Now why couldn't I find something like that to wear this Christmas ??? So I made a sketch and began to procure the materials. Faux fur? Check. Elaborate Chinese frog closures? Check. Vintage golden ribbon embroidered with deep red chrysanthemums on its way from China? Check. I am still scoping out the main player in this project, because even I realize it's all about the red.
Not sure the materials will make it in time for this Christmas... not sure there will be time to make the garment in mind if they do. If any of it comes into being, I will post photos of it here. Meanwhile, I will have the memory of the "Firedance." And the dream of my tunic. And the balance in between memory and dream. The leaves will be gone soon. We'll need something to fill the void. Maybe that is why people pour christmas lights all over their homes or string lights on their trees...to fill the void left from Fall's departure?
Below are some links to some things that feed the senses for even a blue-loving girl like me:
Maria Pages' "Firedance" --- pay attention, if you will, to the moments at 4:10-4:12... something about the timing when she knows the exact second in which her skirt will find her hand takes my breath away : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9jLGS7Y_TM&feature=related .
And just for fun, Chris De Burgh's "Lady in Red"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqmXja6ElME&feature=related
and
Bryan Adam's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq2KgzKETBw .
