Shall We Dance

I wrote this list in response to watching the movie Shall We Dance with Richard Gere on my way to San Francisco in February 2005. I have only now gotten around to transcribing it. I think that it is a good list.

What I learned from Shall We Dance

  • Follow your dreams, even when they take you in unexpected and even threatening directions. Keep hold of your foundations and things are bound to go well.
  • Don’t be afraid or ashamed. There will be times when you -are- afraid or ashamed. Let the natural course of events overcome.
  • When you see a chance for happiness, take it.
  • Be proud of what you love.
  • Allow new passions in your life.
  • Don’t let your fears control you. Don’t sweat it when it does. It happens to us all.
  • I cry often during movies in which people dance.
  • The substance of what epassions you is much less important than the spirit and energy that is put into it. The spirit -is- the substance, and that will show.

3 Comments

  1. Your libertarian pal from MA says:

    I cry often during movies in which people dance.

    Pussy.

    :)

  2. marah says:

    have you seen the japanese original? http://imdb.com/title/tt0117615/

    all my dance officianodos tell me it is a better film for dance than the re-make.

    i know this because they showed the remake on the village green this summer, however it was too hot out, and i was too exhausted from my own dance class to stay.

    but hey — i have a village green. ; )

  3. Lee says:

    Yes! I have seen the original and I loved that movie too! Putting the two of them side-by-side, I was very happy with the “Americanisation” of the film. I’ve seen a lot of Americanised films that were totally wrecked in the translation. This one, I felt, worked.

    In the original, I didn’t identify as comfortably with the variations of sensuality… no doubt due to a culture-gap between Japan and the US.

    I’m not sure if I recall exactly what your friends are talking about…. how the original was a better “dance” film. If I recall, I think that the technical dance moves were better in the original; but the infused passion of the moves made up for that lack three-fold.

    I’ll take “passion” over “technical merit” every time!

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