Jazz Class

For many years, as a child, I took dance at the local dance studio in Lake Park, FL. Jazz was my favourite because I loved the music more than ballet. It moved my soul. One day, when I was 8, this would have been 1978, my teacher did a class routine to a new song. I loved it so much that I had to ask what it was. "Rebel Rebel," she said. Excitedly, the minute I got in the car I looked at my mom and said, "I need to buy a song!" So my mom drove me to the local Peaches Records and we asked the guy at the counter if he had a song called Rebel Rebel. "I have a song called that by David Bowie." My mom, being an awesome mom, bought me that record. ChangesoneBowie. It was my first adult piece of music. And I loved it SO very much. Rebel Rebel was great, but Fame ended up being my favourite song. I wore a groove in that section of vinyl. I would dance around my bedroom pretending to be a rockstar. He has a way of doing that to people, I hear. To this day I'm proud to say that his music was a huge influence in my life: the life of a young, 8 year old ballerina turned jazz dancer turned (now) swing dancer. Last night at a local swing dance the DJ played a tribute song. Fame. I got to dance to him one more time. It was a beautiful closure to the sadness that I've been feeling since his death. It was as if Mr. Bowie whispered in my ear, "I'm still here. Keep dancing." Thank you, David. You will forever and always live in my heart and in my soul.


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