The words “you’re so cultured” were directed at me this evening when I told my friend Robyn that yesterday I watched the Clara Bow silent film It and today I watched the 1940s screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story in the basement of the Lauinger Library. It’s a happy day when I can earn culture stripes from screwball comedy, I gotta say. I mean, gosh! I wasn’t even waxing lyrical about Godard or Antonioni or some other auteur.

It’s been so long since I watched films, so I’m determined to sit down and watch a good few this summer—not just screwball comedies, but a lot of classics I still haven’t caught up with. I’ve started investigating Georgetown’s collection, and on the whole I’m pretty pleased with it! I’m hoping I’ll have some time tomorrow, though I start working in the Writing Center again tomorrow, so that means my day is a little more full than the last few have been. I’m thinking Sullivan’s Travels tomorrow… I was so sad that the Preston Sturges films were always so hard to find in Australia. Here, they’re easier—though I think they’ve all started finding their way down south by now as well.

I made it to my first free event at the Kennedy Center yesterday, as part of their Millenium Stage program—four local dance groups performed: Silk Road Dance Company (contemporary and traditional women’s dances of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus); BosmaDance (contemporary); Jazzdanz/dc (not surprisingly, jazz dance); and Coyaba Dance Theater (West African Dance). I enjoyed the whole, though it was BosmaDance and Coyaba Dance Theater that really excited me. The Silk Road Dance company was lovely, and I was fascinated by the hand movements of the dances—it reminded me of when I was taking Flamenco lessons, and learning to manipulate my wrists and hands in ways I’d never thought about. Jazzdanz/dc didn’t do a lot for me—I was surprised, because I’ve enjoyed jazz dance when I’ve seen it in the past—but I realise that I’ve usually seen it in short bursts, rather than a number of pieces all in a row. There was a female soloist who was terrific though—she seemed to have the kind of fluidity of movement that the other dancers lacked.

Fluidity of movement is one of the things I love about contemporary dance—and I suppose I’ve become really interested in contemporary dance because often there are things that remind me of circus. (I’ve been missing circus again lately…) I took some contemporary dance class when I was in Melbourne, and I felt like the classes tapped into a lot of the work I’d been doing when learning trapeze. I found BosmaDance really rewarding—there was so much in the movement I loved, and yet—I feel like I have no vocabulary to talk about dance. It’s something that—unlike, say, screwball comedies—I am not very familiar with yet.

The final group—Coyaba Dance Theater—were a complete joy to watch. I loved that there was no uniform shape and size to the dancers. What was uniform was the sheer energy. The drumming accompanying the dancers was amazing, and the dancers showed such joy on their faces while they jumped and shimmied around that it was impossible not to feel joyful too. I’m hoping I’ll get to see them perform again.

In the mean time—more writing, bits and pieces. Got one abstract done, and will work on another tomorrow. Staying up-to-date on the Independence Day Project. Catching up with friends.