Blowing minds one breath at a time.

I'm getting started on the new year a bit early this year. Usually everyone waits until New Years Day to start putting their resolutions into practice, but I'm getting started on the new skills and traits early.

I've started taking a great new dance class called ElectroLock, which blends hip hop style (djs, graffiti, battling, b-boys, etc.) with electronic music and classic "rave" dancing. It's all about having complete control over every muscle in your body - no easy feat when you start off. After half an hour of working on the classic arm wave, my shoulders were ready to fall off. But I'm hoping it will pay off in the long run with a more diverse repertoire, and something cooler to do out at dance clubs than grinding or slow dancing.

This video showcases my fabulous ElectroLock teacher dancing to a new favorite band of mine, Pretty Lights. All of their music is available for free on their website, so if you're a fan of electro funk remixes, check it out.

Another band I JUST discovered today (yeah, a bit behind the curve): Hadouken! Grimy sick Leeds dubstep and rave elements combined with rap vocals and pop sensibilities. You can get one original track and two remixes here.

Rocking HARD,

K

PS: For anyone who follows me on Twitter (or speaks to me in person, anymore), I use a phrase in times like these: "[suchandsuch] kicks rocks." That originates from the Cowboy Bebop remix album Music For Freelance, where the pirate radio dj host Mr. Martian has this to say:

"Anybody out there remember the name Seatbelts? They were a maximal band from 30 years ago...all we know is that a woman named Yoko [Producer and composer Yoko Kanno] wrote all the tracks...all I know is she wrote music that KICKS ROCKS, and this is one guy who'll play even a boho's tune if it moves the 'little Martian', if you know what I mean..."

Gooseberry Lay

I know everyone's still going crazy over revived 50s and 60s kitsch a la Mad Men, but allow me to direct your attention to another couple of decades that were just as exciting: the 20s and 30s. This time period has fascinated me since high school, and I love sharing it with people.

We've been consciously or unconsciously thinking about them for the past three years (we are in the worst financial crisis since the actual Great Depression, as if you forgot), but other facets of life in the days of flappers, jazz and social perversion are subtly making themselves aware too. For instance, the new HBO original series Boardwalk Empire.

Not only do gangsters never go out of style - just how many people are influenced by Scarface? - but the idea of speakeasies and leading double lives fascinates just about everyone. On the outside you may be a stand-up member of society, a real square, but who knows what you might do after you've tipped a few! The whole idea of going to underground clubs and participating in the counterculture, whether by drinking, dancing or listening to the jive, is still around. Have you been to a secret show lately? For that matter, everyone should learn how to do the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. Not only is it handy to know how to dance, these are the original American dances.

Being fashion conscious, there are definitely styles from the 20s and 30s that I emulate, and I'm not alone. Drop-waist dresses with shorter skirts, cloche hats, pixie cuts and smoky eyes are all still immensely popular, if updated. Why not try a finger wave next time you have a free day to play with your hair? Here are some more shots from Boardwalk Empire to give you some fashion inspiration:

I originally saw these photos on the Classic Bride blog, original post here.

1920s by fishfromheaven featuring a crystal handbag

If you're into webcomics, there's a fabulous one called Lackadaisy set in the 20s that chronicles the adventures of a bunch of people associated with an ailing speakeasy in St. Louis. I'll warn you, the characters are all anthropomorphic cats, but if you can get past that, the art, story and writing are really fabulous.

To finish up, here's an adorable song from one of my favorite bands, the Ditty Bops. This has the cute Charleston/Balboa rhythm and cheek factor of the era, from a modern band.

Keep on truckin' (a cool Charleston move you should look up),

K

Long Or Short, It Don't Matter

The internet has been abuzz the past few months about Willow Smith's single "Whip My Hair", and now there is finally a video. Not really necessary, because we all loved the song already. Her fearless attitude and measured vocal style are enough to admire, on top of her eyebrow-raising fashion sense. This video showcases it all.

I (among everyone else who talks about this video) love her honest swagger and integrity. She doesn't have to inject sex appeal into her performance to get attention. We can all appreciate the song's infectious beat and uplifting lyrics as if it were a peer singing, not some celebrity's child. It's so accessible, even I can relate! I hope she keeps writing, and we hear more songs like this very soon.

Robots Rock

Sometimes things don't go out of style. They may change a little to reflect the times, but they never lose their essential integrity. Sometimes they seem antiquated, but they still manage to keep up. For me, it's Daft Punk.

These guys never seem to age in a way that isn't graceful. They have their personalities (the creative disguises they use in public) and the instruments they use (drum machines and synths), and they know how to use both to delight their audience. At first listen their songs may sound repetitive, as does most electronic music outside the Top 40 pop genre, but the way they mix different melodies together really is inspired.

Personally, I can't stand still when I listen to this. It's like the banging synths and the pulsing beats are living inside my body, pounding my bones, dancing in my nerves. The music transcends its form and becomes a pure feeling, and evolves into an expression.

Imagine

I sat down today and decided I was going to watch a movie that has alternated between piquing my curiosity with its beauty and disgusting me with its title and concept. That's right: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

I'm sure the story changed a bit after Heath Ledger died, because the plot of the movie is absolutely absurd and full of holes. For anyone who doesn't know, the movie concerns itself with one Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), an immortal man who keeps the universe spinning by telling stories, and his daughter Valentina (played strikingly by supermodel Lily Cole) who wants to leave her father's ramshackle sideshow operation for a domestic life out of Martha Stewart Living. Parnassus just wants to protect his little girl, most notably from the devil (Tom Waits), to whom she was promised before her birth. Faustian adventures abound for these two, and for most of the movie a possibly-shady-possibly-valiant Heath Ledger/Johnny Depp/Jude Law/Colin Farrell swaggers around the real and imaginary worlds, either messing things up or working miracles.

The imaginary world really carries this movie. The real world is, well, real: it's full of drunken jerks and crooked politicians and greedy socialites. Surrounded by all that, the double-decker sideshow theatre looks like a Baroque painting of a Greek myth. That's a comfort in itself, but once you go into your imaginary world, things just keep getting better. They were all designed to resemble famous paintings, but all eventually grow rampant in their own creative directions (gondolas, Willy Wonka candy-scapes, celestial lily pads and lotus blossoms, pop-up forests, designer shoes and Fabergé eggs, deserts, ladders to clouds, you name it). It's divine just relaxing and enjoying these dream worlds while they last.

Unfortunately, like every other dream, you have to wake up and try to make sense of the plot of this movie. If you want a great movie about imaginary worlds and their real-life consequences, watch The Fall (then buy it on Blu-Ray, because you will want to watch it again).

Reveling in the sumptuous beauty,

K

For all my fillies.

Just when I begin to think that fashion magazines don't know how to write a decent article, along comes a surprise. W Magazine has a fabulous article about a female racehorse - with the coolest name, Zenyatta - who has been dominating races since 2007, including some against all-male competitors. She has a come-from-behind formula that works every time, and is even known for her "dancing" style. On top of all that, she has never been anything but first. The horse is amazing.

Still, I was absolutely floored by the quality of W's article. Steve Haskin's turn of phrase is elegant and powerful, just like his subject. He takes something most of us probably can't relate to (unless we were deeply moved by Seabiscuit or Secretariat, or had a friend or family member who took us to the races a lot), and makes it not only interesting and inspiring, but something we can care about too, now that we know it exists.

Love to all my fillies, keep on pushing!

K

An Old-Fashioned Love Story with an Empowering Message

I just rewatched one of my favorite Bollywood movies, a charming folk story called Paheli. The sets, the costumes, the music and the actors are all superb, but what I really love about it is its ability to transform my mood whenever I watch it.

Paheli (meaning "riddle" in Hindi) tells the story of a young woman named Lachchi (played by one of my favorite actresses, Rani Mukherji), who is engaged to be married to a trader's son named Kishan (played by Bollywood superstar Shah Ruhk Khan). Kishan is something of a weenie, he always cowers before his father and is obsessed with his accounts. He takes so much care to balance the wedding accounts that he appears to be uninterested in consummating the marriage, but soon reveals that he just doesn't want to get Lachchi's hopes up, since he plans to leave the very next day on a five-year business trip. Lachchi is devastated, but comforted by the women of the house.

However, as soon as Kishan leaves, a spirit who had fallen in love with Lachchi comes to the house, in the form of Kishan! He fools the entire household into thinking he's the real son, but he tells the truth to Lachchi, wanting her to love him in return. She accepts the spirit's love and devotion in exchange for that of her real husband, and they spend four happy years together. Unfortunately, she becomes pregnant by the spirit, and news reaches her husband away on business. The real Kishan comes back, and the family can't tell their son from the impostor. A wise old shepherd manages to solve the riddle, but I won't spoil the ending for you if you want to see the movie.

While it's fun to watch the family's antics and worry about whether the spirit will be with Lachchi in the end, what I found really inspiring was the feminist message of the film. At the beginning, Lachchi is completely powerless, married to a man who doesn't seem to really love her, alone at the start of her married life and (if this were more realistic India) in no position of power until she bears a son. She has all of the burdens of being subordinate to her husband, but none of the benefits. When the spirit comes along, he seems to be a man made out of female desires:

"I am the yearning that resides in a woman's heart...that's who I am. I'm the love she wants."

While the real Kishan is away importing and exporting and tallying figures, the spirit Kishan dotes on Lachchi, his reason for living. Not only does he listen to her and help her fulfill her desires, he treats her like an equal. When she gets mad at him for using magic to help the family, he listens to her and promises never to use magic again, so she can "forget that he is a ghost" and believe he is her human husband. He also builds a well in the town and strikes water, ensuring a secure future for everyone. Though everyone attributes these successes to the spirit Kishan, he is really acting as Lachchi.

Lachchi also grows throughout the film. Starting off a naive young bride, the spirit gives her courage to be assertive right off the bat. When he reveals himself to her and asks her whether or not she wants him to stay, she immediately bursts into tears and replies, "No one ever asked me my wish." She becomes empowered by his love for her, turning her into an excellent wife and mother without withering her youthful qualities of joy and grace. She even has the courage to tell the real Kishan the truth - that the spirit did not deceive her and seduce her, that she chose him for his honesty and pure love. At a time when men were the beginning and end of conversation, this is a great example of a woman's grace and power over her life.

Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Phil Milenge Chalte Chalte!

K

Multitasking and Looking Fine

To partially distract myself from not having a real job yet, I've been using the little funds I have available on fashionable work clothes. I bought this top yesterday on Ruche, a great alternative to ModCloth, and hope to have it delivered sometime this week. I'm planning to wear it with a patterned skirt, simple slacks, or with jeans on weekends.

I know a lot of people are down because of the economy and the lack of employment opportunities around the world. Trust me, I'm feeling the anxiety and frustration and anger just like you. There are some times when preparing for a job you don't even know is out there seems like a waste of time.

But someday you will get that job. One day, someone is going to look at your resume and say, "This is the person we need." And you will be hired. Or maybe you will get the courage to start your own business, to take your dreams and passions and share them with the world. Then you'll be completely in charge of yourself and your destiny. Either way, on that day, you're going to want to look fabulous.

Chin up. I love you, and one day, so will they.

K

Au Naturale

I'm always inspired by nature, the shapes and textures and colors that occur without much purposeful design. I hope these photos I took of places around the Bay Area will inspire you to check out the world around you!

Always love and respect,

K

I Like Being Alone

When I was a kid, I had a children's book called I Like Being Alone by Betty Ren Wright. In it, a child in a large noisy family builds herself a treehouse so she can have a space away from everyone else. She discovers that she likes having a private place where she can think, read, and just be quiet by herself. After a frightening night sleeping outside in the middle of a storm, however, she realizes that she appreciates the company of other people too, and learns to balance the two aspects of her personality.

I thought of that today when I was linked to a video of a poem by Tanya Davis, called How To Be Alone. I found it comforting, interesting and inspiring. No matter whether you are single or in a relationship, it's always good to be alone sometimes.

I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my birthday!

Mature love,

K

Headphones

I was walking home tonight, listening to some music on my big Sony headphones (they double as earmuffs in the winter), when I caught the eye of a man about my age with taped horn-rimmed glasses and headphones like mine. As I got closer, he stopped and took off his headphones and said, "Let's swap." I put mine on his head and he put his on mine, and we stood there in the middle of the sidewalk looking at each other. I realized then that he would try to know me based on the music that happened to be playing, and that I would do the same. He got to listen to the best part of 23 Hanashi by Yoko Kanno - when the dissonant notes finally fall into place and become something consonant - and I felt the beat of Paradise by Mickey Factz reach down and defibrillate my heart. We took our own headphones back, and he said, "If you're ever walking around with your headphones on like this, we should do this again," and I feel adamantly the same.

This is the kind of thing I always want to happen, but rarely ever does. I'm glad he was brave enough to take off his headphones and stop me, because I have a wonderful memory and something to look forward to as I run around the world with my own soundtrack pumping in my ears.

The Hit List

Thanks very much to the Smart, Pretty and Awkward blog for first posting this link to 100 new classics from 1983 to 2008. How many have you read? I'm currently struggling to finish Love in the Time of Cholera.

Also, Smart Pretty and Awkward is one of my go-to blogs. I always learn something new and find tons of useful etiquette and fashion tips.

Take a look, it's in a book.

I don't remember exactly how I got linked to it, but I am a huge fan of the Better Living Through Beowulf blog. The author, Robin Bates, is a professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland and as far as I can tell the most well-read person alive. Not only does he demystify classic literature and poetry to make it more personal for everyday people, but he always picks his pieces based on current events, either global or personal. He writes a ton in every post, but none of it goes over your head. His blog really was the inspiration for this one (though he updates much more frequently).

I was catching up on some posts today, and read two pieces that really piqued my interest and curiosity, so much that I ended up reading a lot more about them than just what was supplied in the blog. The first was a very interesting post called The (Out Of Control) Passion of Mel Gibson. In it Bates almost plays a psychologist, interpreting Gibson's movies (and personal life) as a result his crazy Catholic upbringing. His observations about the male struggle for success through masochism are really thought-provoking.

The other post, Mama Grizzly vs. Real Grizzlies, offers a Goldilocks parody poem written by his father Scott Bates. I recently read another one about the oil spill that really touched my heart, so I went into G IS FOR A LITTLE GIRL WITH LONG GOLDEN HAIR very excited to see what came out. As it turns out, a really "scarily prescient" allusion to Sarah Palin's attitudes and policies. If you're an environmentalist, if you're creeped out by the Tea Party, or if you just love interesting poetry, you'll love this post.

I hope perusing Better Living Through Beowulf inspires more people to read and to explore literature to find out more about themselves. I know that I've become closer to my fiancée after reading Bates's thoughts on Citizen Kane, and I've been itching to pick up The Canterbury Tales to really go back and absorb the feminine power of the Wife of Bath.

Love, and stay interesting!

K

Sparkling Diamonds

If you haven't already heard of Marina and the Diamonds, the Welsh-Greek (I never use the word) singing sensation, you're about to. If you already are a Diamond disciple, high five.

Marina Diamandis has an amazing range that dips down into warbling guttural bellows and soars to falsetto boasts, an ear for hipness, and (most importantly) a lot to say. I have been impressed with every single song on her album The Family Jewels, but I will go in depth on a few tracks I especially love.

Oh No!
The first single I ever heard, and my introduction to Marina and her style. After getting linked to the video from Nylon, I pretty much watched it for a week, stopping only to eat and tear apart my closet searching for something resembling anything worn in the video. No luck.

Although the style and the attitude caught my attention first, what stayed with me were the lyrics and the themes of the song. As an utter romantic, I balked at first to "don't do love, don't do friends / I'm only after success." But after the first initial hump, I saw the song's other message: self-reliance. "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be...I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy..." As a career girl down on my luck, this was inspiring. It was the get-up and go I needed to get me back on the job hunting train.

In actuality, Marina's songs on this album are chronicling her rise to stardom. She learns to deal with her insecurities about putting herself in the public light, she struggles to overcome what other people think of her ("OH MY GAWD, you look just like Shakira / No, no, you're Catherine Zeta / Actually, my name's Marina."), and she takes big risks not knowing whether the payoff will be worth it. Oh No! is about what happens when you realize you have to sell your soul to reach certain levels of fame, and the question of whether or not you will do it. Will we go all the way? This reminds me of a great Bollywood movie, Fashion, where an ambitious small-town girl does whatever it takes to become an internationally famous runway model. She gets everything she ever wanted, but also gets an abortion and wakes up in a strange bed with a black guy after a night of coke-addled hysteria. But I digress.

Honestly, the second verse and following bridge hit me the most:

One track mind, one track heart, if I fail, I'll fall apart

Maybe it is all a test, 'cause I feel like I'm the worst, so I always act like I'm the best

If you are not very careful, your possessions will possess you

TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal

I feel like if I don't get a job and get something to work on, I really will fall apart. Without a focus, what do you do with your time?

Oh No! is great if you know how to live in moderation. If you have a direction, you can pursue it, but you can also decide to leave your integrity intact.

I Am Not A Robot
This song is a revelation, like many others on the album. While listening to it, you wake up and look at yourself differently. You are not a robot after all.

This song is about being detached from the rest of the world, about the way Marina would behave in relationships (The Sun, Feb. 5 2010). It's about bridging the impossible divide between an outward appearance and how you feel on the inside. "Better to be hated than loved for what you're not."

I generally believe that it's better to be yourself and alone than surrounded by people sharing in a lie. That's easy to say when you have friends, but as I take more and more time to do things that I actually like and that express my personality, I find I need the validation of my friends less and less. While Marina appeals to others to teach her "how to feel real" and to "turn her power on," you can really do it yourself. I like singing this to myself while looking in the mirror, and listening to what my reflection says.

Numb

Numb is about the end of Marina's journey: she's reached the Emerald City of fame, but has no emotional connections or friends. After devoting herself wholly to the pursuit of fame, she reaches her goal and realizes it's empty. In her search for the "golden light" she plunges herself farther and farther into the dark. "And I will wonder why / I get dark only to shine."

We all have situations like this: the great career that makes marriage impossible, the creative spark that alienates everyone around us. If these situations are focusing on relationships, it's because 1) I am very relationship-oriented and 2) this is another song about Marina's relationships. "I'm no good to anyone / 'Cause all I care about is being number one." She lost everyone in her skyrocket to fame, and now is shining and falling back down:

And I light up the sky

Stars that burn the brightest

Fall so fast and pass you by

Spark like empty lighters

Guilty Pleasures

I recently decided that I was going to do something that most women do way before they're my age: I decided to watch Sex And The City all the way through. I didn't invite my friends over for drinks and partying while we shared the experience, I chose to watch it alone. Maybe it's backwards, seeing the series after the two movies, but I think I've reached an age where I should stop caring whether people judge me or not.

For YEARS, I've known women who squeal, "I'm a Carrie!" or "I'm Samantha!" or any member of the quartet at the drop of a hat. What is it about these women that's so identifiable? If there was one thing I wish I could identify with them on, it would be their jobs - owning a PR firm, writing a successful column (when you can pay for an apartment with your writing, you're a success), dealing art, lawyering - not their sex lives. Anyone can have sex, you have to work hard to be professionally successful and financially independent. Maybe that's something that other women see too: we all have sex, even if we're too poor to afford fancy shoes.

There are also identifiable points about all these women that I think everyone can find within themselves: Samantha is outspoken in a way we all wish we were, Miranda is all kinds of intelligent, and Charlotte is an idealist and a really genuinely nice person. Yet they are still put into cookie-cutter stereotypes: the libertine, the career woman, the conservative. Maybe that's why there are no "I'm a Charlotte" t-shirts.

So what's so different about Carrie? She's average enough in her lifestyle that she can represent the viewer - she didn't start off the series wearing designer clothes and lavish jewelry, she eats greasy Chinese instead of gourmet cuisine, the first time we even see her we see her fingers smudging out a cigarette into a half-full ashtray, something distinctly un-glamorous and imperfect. She's smart but not a genius, romantic but not a sap, powerful but not overpowering. She is quintessentially average.

I do feel like I'm a Carrie, if I were to be one of them. I mix expensive pieces with flea-market finds, I take a lot of risks when it comes to my appearance, and I am generally a pretty creative person. I had flings, but I eventually settled down and found true love, and I do worry I'm going to be one of those boring married women. I totally identify, and part of that is what made me spend money on those ridiculous movies and 19 slots on my fiancées Netflix queue.

Fierce love to you all,

K

Stars, Banners, and Bombs.

It's almost over, but it's been a very good Independence Day for my family. I'm usually not a very outwardly patriotic person: I'm not one of those who wave American flags and proudly sing the national anthem. My relationship with the country is just a little too complicated to be that blatant.

However, you can't deny that there are huge advantages to living in the United States, and I enjoy those advantages, so it would be disrespectful of me to not take a moment and think about how glad I am to be living in America.

One thing I have an issue with is patriotic American songs. It's totally fine to write patriotic songs, but I find the usual stereotypical country-rock pseudo-ballads uninspiring. We've all heard stories of Jimmy and Suzie from Oklahoma or Nebraska, who lead simple lives and have big dreams that they may never see come to fruition, but who love their land and their family and their country like they love God. I've heard that story way too many times, but it seems to be enough for most other people.

My 4th of July traditions usually consist of two things: watching V for Vendetta and turning off whatever preprogrammed music comes with the local fireworks display (usually patriotic marches and "God Bless The USA") and playing the 1812 Overture while the fireworks go off. I only watch V on the 4th, because it's just enough time that I forget what happens and have to be reminded of the kind of integrity and patriotic love that goes into that story. Consequently, the 1812 has become this proud statement of strength and patriotism to me, as it was for the Russian people when it was written.

If I had stopped there, it would have been enough. But there's another song that describes my feelings about nationalism and identity even better: "Anthem" from the Broadway musical Chess. It concludes the first act of the show, and the new world chess champion from the Soviet Union is about to defect to England to be with the woman he loves. Since the world championship was between the USA and USSR, it was seen as a proxy for international politics rather than as a simple game, so the Russian's choice to defect immediately after winning causes a frenzy among reporters. They ask him if he will denounce his motherland, and he replies very simply:

No man, no madness, though their sad power may prevail

Can posses, conquer my country's heart - they rise to fail

She is eternal: long before nations' lines were drawn,

When no flags flew, when no armies stood, my land was born

And you ask me why I love her, through wars, death and despair

She is the constant, we who don't care

And you wonder, will I leave her, but how?

I cross over borders but I'm still there now!

How can I leave her? Where would I start?

Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart,

My land's only borders lie around my heart!

I am a believer in a school of thought called constructivism, which believes that no social construct can be taken as a given in any context. The idea of nationalism is interesting because the political borders of sovereign nations are constructed by the people that live in those countries. You can't see the border between countries, but they are enforced according to a social contract between two governments. So, like Tommy Körberg says in "Anthem," our home has endured ages before we fought wars, drew lines and "created" it. And it will be in our hearts wherever we go, as long as we believe in it. Take your sovereignty upon yourselves - your homeland is truly indestructible.

Rollin' on the River

It's summertime in Boise, ID, and everyone here has one thing on their minds: floating the river. My fiancee's dad (who works for the City of Boise) got paid to go float the river with a group of kids, and some friends have invited me to go rafting/floating with them sometime.

The only problem is, I do not currently own a swimsuit.

I have had terrible luck with swimsuits. I never have been a fan of the little triangle string bikinis that you find everywhere. My ideal swimsuit is something like the one supermodel Liu Wen wears in this short film:

Usually I'm a big fan of colors and prints - life is for living, you know, so why wear just one color? - but there is something to be said for a classy black swimsuit, especially one as tasteful and modern as this one. It should work for more than just getting in a pool, you could almost walk down the street with something like that on. Also, it's a great example of good cutouts in a swimsuit.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find such a provocative yet classy suit. The closest I came were this and this. I shall keep looking.

Love to you all, and a happy early 4th to my American friends!

K

Slam Poem

I got a great comment on the Delance Fashion community by Fashionwrites (you can read her blog here) about my first post, but it has come to my attention that the link to my poem on DeviantArt wasn't going through. So to make it available for all the people who didn't hear it performed live last month, I'm posting a mini-update.

PS: If you're unfamiliar with slam poetry, here's a really good poem I found on YouTube to explain things.

PPS: This does have one allusion to sex, but I don't think it's too creepy or gross.

Pull Shapes

Dance with me, pretty boy, tonight
The sparkle I need is back in my eye
My body shakes, vibrates, gyrates to the beat
The heat of my palms and the flush in my cheeks
I'm afraid people will laugh
I'm terrified they won't
My soul has finally connected with the world around my body
And I have to keep going, showing, flowing
Moving my arms like a synthesized hula girl
The monkey, the swim, the hand jive in nothing resembling irony
Endless energy, electricity shooting through my thighs and lungs
Soaring melodies spark tears of joy
Drums defibrillate my heart back to the downbeat, keep me sustained
Bass drops my spine and sways my hips, mixing what's within
The rhythm is complete
All together, that's some kind of superhuman power
Even better than a Dancing Queen, I am a Force of Nature
An earthquake, fissuring the feeble dance floor when they play punk and metal
A sultry breeze, clinging to the back of your neck when they play Black Velvet
A forest fire, popping and crackling between the couples to the dirty filthy disco and hip hop beats
And light, pure light, everywhere at once, shining shimmering laughing glittering, when they play my favorite song request
I had my first real orgasm on a dance floor
I've caused so many more
When you feel the beat like I do, and not just feel it but be it
Each song is a story of your life
And each dance is the window to your soul
If you focus on the words, you can get your heart broken
Your children can die
You can waste away to emo nothing
But if you let the moment envelop you like a mirror ball bubble
With glitter shine feelings whirling around you
If you jump on the upbeat
And slam on the off-beat
You can touch dance club immortality
So come on, pretty boy
There's a big floor before us, just for you and me
It's a shame to let it go to waste

What makes your heart beat?

Welcome to my blog! If you're coming from one of the style communities I frequent, welcome fellow critic! If you came here following the link in my Facebook profile, thanks for noticing! And to anyone who finds this blog by another source, welcome welcome welcome.

If you're wondering about the significance of the blog title, here's a quick description: dokidoki (ドキドキ) is a Japanese phrase used to describe a palpitation, most often the sound/feeling of an intense heartbeat. It happens when you experience something that moves you - love, excitement, and ultimately inspiration.

This blog is an exploration of inspiration. I want to share with you what makes my heart beat out of my chest, what makes it want to soar and sing, what makes me grow and question and absorb and learn.

Here's an example:

I am a sucker for pop songs like this. The beat that starts in your toes and sets them tapping, the bass that makes you swing your hips, the guitar/synths/vocals that make it impossible not to smile. Put together in a tasty package of biscuit backup musicians and sassy polka-dot clad dancing front women, I absolutely give in to delight.

This song speaks to me because it's talking about the pure emotion of dancing to a great song - something I can't help but do. It even inspired a piece I wrote for a poetry slam. When I watch The Pipettes sing and dance, a little flame of hope burns in my chest that someday I'll be able to start the girl group I've always dreamed of starting.

That's a good start for now. See you all again soon!

K