“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
My friend sent me the following link below of a comedian allowing the influence of Shakira to take over. He imitates her insane dance moves in public spaces, while others look at him as if he deserves to be locked up. Although the video is funny, it actually made me want to dance and download some Shakira. The clips of her dance moves are inspirational, who doesn’t want to dance like her? Throughout the videos, the hilarious moments that stand out are when he is bolting out the lyrics to her various songs. Nobody knows if he is just screaming, crying, or simply losing it. The piece ends when people actually recognize what song he is singing and join along. They could collectively could celebrate the lyrics of Shakira.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf0xer3UYuQ
I probably look slightly loco as I type this. I am in the Philadelphia airport, with my headphones on jamming to Shakira. My shoulders are swaying side to side, foot is tapping on the ground, and I have a feeling my fingertips are also moving to the beat. But it doesn’t matter how other people are viewing me right now. Can we carry the essence of music within us as we go about our world?
Shakira is multiracial. Her father is Lebanese and mother is Columbian. Like so many of us today, she has navigated taking the influence of the heritage lineage from both of her parents into her music. Her music combines music sung in Spanish and English, and I am sure most of is blasted in Zumba classes. But in her music videos she also incorporates bellydance movements into the mix. A previous song of her “Ojos Asi” also had some Arabic lyrics, and “Waka Waka (This time for Africa) was created for the previous 2010 Fifa World Cup. Shakira, like dance, transcends culture.
Can we let the music take us over? Can we find moments to dance each day? Can we allow our bodies
to move despite what others may be thinking of us?
Allow the truth to move to the music, remember as Shakira says “hips don’t lie.”
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul”
― Martha Graham
It Only Takes A Smile 