A little over a year ago, I got involved in the Bellingham dance community. Specifically, I got into a dance style called fusion, which is simultaneously self-explanatory and the worst possible description of what we do. The word "fusion" really means nothing if you've never seen the style in action. In fusion, we fuse dance styles, including (but not limited to) blues, tango, salsa, zouk, micro, swing, waltz, and pretty much any other style you can think of. If the dance exists, it can most likely be worked into fusion.
My favorite part about fusion is the low-key “no rules” aspect. Now, that's not to say there are literally no rules; it's just a more relaxed style that doesn't have specific step patterns and measures to keep, and there's no predetermined posture that you have to keep to stop the dance from falling apart. You move how the music and your partner tell you, together. Because of the wide-ranging influences in fusion, it's an instinctual dance that focuses on the communication between partners using musicality.
Thanks to its flexibility, you can fusion dance to many different types of music, which produce varied dance experiences. This can make DJing simultaneously easier and much more complicated.
About six months ago, a growing interest in DJing began bubbling in the back of my mind, but I didn't feel like I had enough music to share. I knew about three or four of the artists that any DJ played, but my musical preference leaned way more to the rock and metal side of things, and I knew that wouldn't fly at fusion. I spent this time observing the dance music, the speed of beats, how little nuances in the songs changed the way the dance made me feel. I paid attention to how other DJs constructed their sets, changing up the pacing, adding lots of variety. I slowly acquired a taste for electronic music, and the more I listened to the music and danced to other DJs' sets, the more I wanted to share my music, my flavor, with the community.
Over the weekend, I decided to give Pandora another try. I'd recently signed up for the Apple music membership, and with the wide world of artists at my fingertips, I had gotten really bored of the same three artists. I know, I know, Pandora's not a news flash or anything -- my ex used Pandora on his phone all the time. However, I hated the ads with a fiery passion. They were too frequent, playing after every third song or so, and definitely every time you hit skip, and they were always the same two ads! I don't know if I'll ever get rid of the “Donate to Biolife!” out of my head. No thanks, Biolife, I can't stand to even think the name of your company anymore. But, I digress. I tried Pandora again because I desperately needed some musical variety, and the amount of dance-able songs that played rekindled and old, flickering idea of mine: to DJ at Fairhaven Fusion. Luckily, the president of that club is a good friend of mine.
I started writing down a few track names and artists for when I decided to actually commit to this DJing idea. The next day, I turned Pandora on again and continued with the track name thing until my page was nearly full. I'd typed in one of my favorite groovy artists that had been featured on other DJs' playlists: Arctic Monkeys. That was the station that finally convinced me. I could actually do this!
I bit the bullet and texted my friend who runs the dance venue, asking about DJ set availability. Our community has been running a little thin on DJs, so I knew my interest would be more than welcome. What I didn't know was that I'd get in immediately. She told me “Friday!” which loomed on the horizon, splattering my stomach with a mass of nerves and wriggling butterflies, anticipating the dancers' response to my playlist.
I've fiddled with it over and over, adding and replacing songs — as late as three a.m. on Thursday morning — trying to get the pacing of the music right, not wanting to tire anyone out or make them bored; trying to make sure there are enough familiar songs so that I don't scare the dancers off the floor with obscure music that moves too sluggishly. It's like bringing a rough sketch to a group of artists and hoping that they'll be inspired enough to color it with their bodies. It's nerve-wracking, and exciting, and inspiring.
Watching the art in motion couldn't be more gratifying. Knowing that people feel moved by music that moved you enough to share it is well worth the time it takes to make the playlist. Every time I heard someone say “oh, good song!” or every time I saw someone bopping to the music, a smile lit my face. It gives you a whole different dance experience, and I highly recommend it. I'll be doing another set in two weeks!
The point is: Always try those things you're interested in. You never know how immensely satisfying it can be until you've experienced it!
