Living with 3 left feet
Picture, if you can, a young, athletic afro-caribbean boy: An avid rugby player and sprinter with a passion for all things physical,studying at one of the most celebrated schools in London and at 13 years of age, a lifetime of fun experiences ahead of him. I was that child.
At secondary school I was beginning to become accustomed to being one of the ‘cool kids’ which was a bi-product of being the only black boy in my year and introducing my peers to graffiti, but my ‘uncoolest’ moment as an adolescent was looming near.
That summer I went away on a play scheme trip to the coast with a group of other young, excitable,mostly black kids, where we stayed for a week doing activities, and one day somebody started playing some music which was popular at the time that we call New Jack Swing. Shortly, a dance ‘battle’ ensued with girls taking on boys and everyone present got hyped. Even my 11 year old brother got into the mix with some styles I didn’t know he had, and then I decided that I’D caught the spirit as well.
What happened next I’ll explain from the point of view of the camera man. Oh, I forgot to mention there’s video evidence of this!
I come into shot on the left-hand side. The camera man shouts, ‘oh, here comes the secret weapon!’ I waggle my arms by my sides, some how end up on the floor, attempt to spring back onto my feet and then, gleefully, do the ‘Rick Flair walk’ back out of shot while everyone looks at me, one another AND the camera in confusion as to what just happened.
I think I cost the boys that battle, and still get chills thinking about the video, guys. I proved that day I had two left feet, but discovering what I call my ‘third left foot’ is a constant reminder of those memorable times.
Now, as a professional dancer of 12 years I’ve had the good fortune to teach, compete and perform all around the world and was on the choreographic team for the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. I see such naturally gifted movers daily that I am constantly reminded of how hard I’ve had to work to improve my balance, co-ordination, rhythm, dynamics and flow, just to be able to stand watching myself perform.
My 3rd left foot is the fear of ‘looking weird’ when I dance.
It’s fitting that now I teach people to embrace their imperfections for a living and strongly embrace self-expression in my dance classes. My greatest hope is that at least some of my students leave class feeling like cool kids.
