Dancing with the Stars of Boston Trilogy: Part 2

Wednesday Weblog for July 27, 2022

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Joe's Positive Post of the Week

Quote of the Week

"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance, Never settle for the path of least resistance.

Livin’ might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin', Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'.

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter, When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. I hope you dance...l hope you dance" —Leann Womack

Leading Off: Mack the Knife

Sloppy Work:

Last week I flunked math and proofreading. I mentioned that this event took place a dozen years ago: it was actually 14 years ago. I also noticed a small typo in the Leading Off section. Don't blame my wife: she didn't proof that paragraph.

If you haven't had the chance to read Part 1 of this series, you can check it out here.

Wikipedia:

"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (German: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer") is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera. The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists.

Mack the Knife Lyrics

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear

And it shows them pearly white

Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe

And he keeps it out of sight

You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe

Scarlet billows start to spread

Fancy gloves though wears old MacHeath, babe

So, there's never, never a trace of red

Dancing with the Stars of Boston, Part 2 of 3

Log Entry: May 23 Sixteen Seconds

For practice, I was flying around the vacant office space in our building feeling pretty good, by my low personal standards, and feeling very much like a light-footed dancer-you know doing the knee dips and stuff and wiggling my hips when I really got into it, when I noticed a sound. I turned around and that was when I realized I was still alone, but my fingers were snapping to the music in my head.

Oh, my, gosh! I was turning into a GQ kind of guy right before my eyes! Could it be that I was actually enjoying this stuff? Nah. Just a fleeting moment and the fear returned anew. That shark may have pretty teeth, Babe, and he may keep them pearly white, but this whole process was getting out of hand, particularly later that same day when my professional dance instructor told me I did (and I'm quoting here) "An awesome job."

That's right: when it comes to finger snapping to Mack the Knife I have what it takes. Whether I can dance to the song is another matter, but I am ready TO-DAY to snap my fingers for two minutes and 16 seconds if I have to. (In response to numerous inquiries: no, I am not wearing one of those cute little vests and I am NOT waxing my chest).

You may be saying "everything seems to be coming so naturally to you, Ed" but you would be wrong. Finger snapping, I get an 'A', Fedora management, I get a 'C'. That's right, I start the dance with a fedora (that's a hat) in my hands and I have to put it on my head WHILE I'M STRUTTING.

This is a basic variation of the 'walk and chew gum at the same time' theme we are all familiar with. I have to strut and twirl a fedora at the same time. You don't want to know how many times it takes to get this one right. Thursday, I will show my professional instructor that I have the steps, the finger snaps, and the timing down to move on to the next part of the choreography.

I'm pretty sure, but not certain that when I stride triumphantly into the Arthur Murray studio in Natick for my next lesson, I WILL have memorized all 16 seconds of the routine. That's right: to this point, all I have rehearsed and worked on is the first 16 seconds of the routine. I am a master at the first sixteen seconds of Mack the Knife, but how I am ever going to learn the remaining two minutes of this dance is anyone's guess.

Less than two weeks to go to learn two minutes of dance routine. Can I do it? Let' see, with two double lessons this week and two triple lessons next week-it is going to be close. But, if I'm already up to twinkle steps, then the sky's the limit for me. (Yes, twinkle steps is a real term).

I know I will be on that stage with the lights shining in my face, very much hoping not to wet my pants. I still have several practices to go, and I had better pick up the pace. I finally have the fedora flipping down and my son observed a practice last week and indicated that I was better than he thought I would be, but this close to Father's Day he's not likely to be slamming me.

I have put those earbuds in everyday and danced by myself mastering those 16 seconds: in my driveway, the basement, the kitchen, the bottom floor of the parking garage at Post Office Square and on the steps of the State House. I play the song Mack the Knife pretty much non-stop in the car visualizing each of the steps. I know this much at this time, I might be bad, but I'm not terrible and in fact, I may even be proudly mediocre.

My Mom was a great ballroom dancer and has encouraged me. She believes I have the genes to do this. After today's lesson I will know more about how much work I have to put in and how many of the most critically needed genes I might have. I'm thinking maybe bungee jumping would've been a better choice for whatever mid-life crisis I'm living out on this one.

I am still learning. I was a little surprised today when I learned that I can't walk backwards and wiggle well enough to include such a show stopping step into the routine. It has been replaced by walking backwards and basically bumping butts with my partner. And while I have no formal training and we practiced very little, apparently I am a good butt bumper naturally.

I also learned that even though the likelihood that I will drop my partner at the grand finale when she falls over my bent leg on her back is slim, she is still nervous. That's her problem. I'm nervous about the whole damn dance, she can be nervous about the last two seconds.

I also learned that I need to develop an 'attitude' and 'ham it up.' I'm just not "Mack the Knife' yet. This could be the hard part. In machine like fashion and with hard work, I guess I always knew I could memorize the steps. If you can memorize all those formulas for Algebra you can memorize dance steps.

I guess I also always knew that I would eventually find the courage to get on the stage, because I have a lot of experience being afraid in front of a crowd and I have always managed to face the audience. I'm just not sure I can get an "attitude" I don't have.

Log Entry: May 29 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON?

At today’s lesson my wife dropped in because the curiosity factor was killing her and she may have insightfully saved me without realizing it.

At dinner we didn't talk about my routine much, but she said something that put a tear in my eye then and has one there now. She said when she was watching me prance around the room, it reminded her of my father: Mack the Knife was his kind of song and his kind of attitude: Sinatra-like.

It's been decades since anyone said I reminded them of my late Dad, but I realized she was right. If I'm going to find that 'attitude' for the song that they want me to have, I guess I can stop looking around and start looking inside. My father could have an attitude and he could 'ham it up.' I guess maybe I'll just bring him on stage with me and see what happens. Maybe he's been with me all along and I just couldn't see him? It wouldn't be the first time I had help from him I didn't know I had.

Log Entry: May 30 DARING, SCARY AND NUTS

I guess this will be my last entry until the contest. The next time I write I will have completed one of the most daunting tasks of my life. To get up on stage and do this with no dancing experience or ability is stupid, outrageous, daring, scary, and nuts!

But like the sign hanging on the wall in the Men's Room at the Natick Arthur Murray studios says "Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Someone's breath is going to be taken away next Wednesday, and although it could be mine because I could forget to breathe, maybe that's enough. And while I can honestly say I have never been inspired before by any sign on any men's room wall anywhere, the next time someone asks me what my goal is for this event, I'm going to look them right in the eye, with an attitude of course, and say "to take your breath away."

Surprise Photo at the End: No Turning Back

This photo was taken well into the routine and it appears that I am still breathing. Look close and you can see that Carol is not totally angry at me for missing a step or twelve.

I think she was relieved I didn't faint to be honest with you, so anything I did on the dance floor was a bonus.

At this point in the show, she is still worried that I will drop her at the end, while I am worried that I will drop at the end.

Note: This event is to benefit a Dorchester neighborhood association. Dorchester is Boston's largest neighborhood and it's most culturally diverse. Before we moved to California, we lived in Dorchester very near to UMass Boston where the event takes place-walking distance. So, in one sense, while the song I am dancing to ends with, "Macky's back in town, " I guess I realized this week that "Eddie's back in town too?" Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers.

(To be continued: Grand Finale next week).

If you'd like to see the video of this life-changing event, you can do so by making a donation to the Falmouth Road Race Team for Cystic Fibrosis here Thanks in advance.

Thanks for reading and thanks for referring.

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Refer a friend to

Ed Doherty

774-479-8831

www.ambroselanden.com

ed-doherty@outlook.com

Forgive any typos please.