Dance Class Is in Session: Flail, Get Weird, Unlock Yourself

You’re going to feel silly, Angela Trimbur promised.

It was a Sunday, and Trimbur, a dancer and choreographer in a Jane Fonda-worthy ’80s leotard, was leading a class in a midtown Manhattan studio. Nearly 50 people were lured in by her pitch: an afternoon twirled away in unserious but very intentional movement. The goal, Trimbur said, was to attain the effervescence of children putting on a backyard dance show.

“We’re equal, we’re 13, and we’re just going to do some silly choreography to show our parents before dinner,” she said. “That’s the vibe.”

To loosen inhibitions, Trimbur suggested some screaming. And hugging a stranger. Dancers — clad in everything from ballet slippers with ripped tights to Converse and kneepads — were instructed to run across the room, wail in one another’s faces, then embrace. I joined in: It felt great and powerful and properly ridiculous. The energy was equal parts eighth-grade gym class and righteous affirmation.

Read more @ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/arts/dance/angela-trimbur-online-dance.html