Dances in the Dark
Dancer: Rosa
Dance Location: Dynamix, Gateshead
This is a dance that... I like to do in the dark.
I've never really been scared of the dark. As a kid I would walk around the house in the dark to test myself that I knew it. I much prefer darkness to artificial light.
I dance here, in the skatepark that I set up and run with my partner. We also live here and when I put my tap shoes on I often start as soon as I leave the house, tapping through the corridors and in to the skatepark. It's usually about 9.30 or 10pm and all the lights are off in the building.
The dance I remember happened on a Monday night in the middle of October last year. I was alone, apart from our dog. It lasted about twenty minutes and probably looked quite lonely and strange in the darkness. I was just dancing for a moment with myself. It was a private moment.
It's strange thinking about it now because that was also the night our dog died. It was when I stopped dancing that I noticed she wasn't behaving normally, and I had a weird moment of wondering if it was because of my dancing. But it was also a good thing because often she would sleep in the warehouse and if I hadn't been in there dancing then I might not have been around when she started to get ill. It felt kind of like I was supposed to be there.
I was inspired to start tap because of the Syncopated Ladies but I didn't get far with classes - I lost my patience and the sound of everyone else tapping did my head in. It's something I do to relax and release, so I don't want to restrict myself by learning steps. I just want to dance and let it be what it is.