The Curious Dance by CoreyBlack
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Description
I live in Albany Park, one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago. Located on the Northwest side of the city, it is home to a veritable United Nations of immigrants from around the globe. The dominant cultures, however, are Korean, Central European, Middle Eastern and especially those from Mexico and Latin America. It's a cultural variety that keeps things interesting amid the occasional tedium of more than a quarter century in the same city. Though congested, and noisy in summer, I like living in Albany Park. In the immortal words of Forrest Gump: "You never know what you're gonna get."
About a week ago I followed percussive flute driven music out onto my third floor back porch (which affords me a bird's eye view of the alley and the backs of all the houses within a one block radius), and spotted this group of Latino teens practicing a dance routine in the backyard two houses over. I've since followed them every afternoon as the dance steps have gotten increasingly involved and the clothing more vivid. The day before I made this shot, the girls began to wear colorful dresses, and the boys to don hats.( Hats that make me think of Malcolm McDowell in Stanley Kubrick's film version of Antony Burgess' 'A Clockwork Orange'; that's how my brain works.) I wonder what it's all about. Is it some kind of cultural rite of passage? Are they in a play? Are they actually Native Americans practicing for their part in a pow wow? I suppose I could walk over and ask them but I feel like I've already invaded their privacy enough simply by making this picture.
Photographed on August 4, 2011.
Comments (13)
Chipka
Oh, I just love various human cultures and the things of value, as they shift from one group of people to another! My inner anthropologist is looking at this and making all sorts of observations. The bright skirts are an important part of the dance, and apparently the black hats are just as vital a component! What a handsome group of young people too! They know a lot more in this situation than I do; it's just an every-day thing to them. And now I'm wondering about their dance, the music that accompanies it, and the significance of those hats! The skirts are more overt in their symbolic meaning...especially since beauty is such an important part of any human ritual. I'm glad that black, brimmed hats are just as important. As for the picture itself, I'm really impressed. I've just been out on your back porch, inhaling nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other tobacco-related vapors, and I noticed a barbecue going on there. I tried to nab shots, but the cute guy hasn't turned around yet, at least not with my camera at ready. Anyway, this is a great shot of one of the more interesting back yards in your neighborhood. Have you noticed that there's always something going on there, and that the people don't seem as if they're from the same region as the people who live mostly in your building? I wonder if there's any significance to that...I mean, their music is different, they're leaner and have long, elfin features and skinnier fingers and toes...Science Fiction writers notice these things...but I especially noticed their music. It sounds more like Aztec, Inca, Olmec kind of stuff...rendered in a language in which the letter "x" figures prominently and short words contain no fewer than 8-million syllables. At any rate, WOW! I'm impressed and I wish I'd seen them practicing myself. Also, have you noticed, there's always something going on in that yard! I think you should go over and meet them; think of the photo ops you'd get if they invited you to one of their numerous, well-mannered parties! This is a fantastic shot!
auntietk
What a wonderful shot! Do you have any important neighborhood festivals coming up? Parades? Fairs? I wouldn't be surprised to see your neighbors performing on a stage somewhere. They look quite proficient at what they're doing! Great picture. The skirts are mesmerizing!
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend. God Bless.
beachzz
What a great shot and the fact you got it the way you did makes it even better. I think I've seen dancers like them in Mexico and they probably are practicing for a festival or performance of some kind. I just reread part of your narrative and saw "flutes" and "hats" mentioned--that actually sounds more like a Peruvian dance. At any rate, it's a wonderful foto!!
durleybeachbum
Marvellous! (Looks Peruvian to me too.) I should have to watch this every time it happened, how very exciting!
whaleman
I would guess a South American group practising for a festival of some kind. Wrong hat style for Peru though, perhaps Chilean, but who knows. A nice invasion of their privacy, which I'm sure they would welcome. I too think you should go meet up with them. I like the action of the girl with the blue skirt, showing a 'well-turned' ankle.
Lashia
Awesome shot of this beautiful traditions, great POV- thanks for sharing! :)
Selina Photography™
flavia49
fabulous capture!
KateBlack10
This shot is awesome Corey - I love the feeling of movement and color - really excellent shot!
Meisiekind
Wonderful image of this kind of folk dance practise! I see they are one guy short Corey - I hope you have joined them! :)
minos_6
This is a firm favourite from your gallery, Corey. It's full of colour and movement, and there's a muted erotic feel to it too - the passion of the dance! Excellent work!
anahata.c
corey, it takes me so long to catch up with galleries, I can only do a few pics per visit, and hope to come back soon for more. I want to read your recent tale, remembering how much I've loved your writing, and there are at least a dozen shots I want to comment on todya. But I'll end with this for now, not because it's better than others, but because it's just another wonderful shot of cloistered urban life from you, which is nevertheless filled with worlds. I didn't know Albany Park was that diverse these days. I know in my grandfather's day, it had Eastern Europeans, and when I went there I often found no native English speaker for many blocks. I'm glad to know it still is home to so many peoples, and a more diverse confluence than in childhood. From the looks of the hats, these seem S. American (could be Mexican too); when you speak of the pipes---percussive flute music---I have to think Andean Indian. The gowns suggest that too, even though I could be wrong. In any case, it's a complete shot, a complete dance world inside one small area, and has the feeling of ritual. The colors are superb. And your capture of it in this enclosed space---cropped (or taken) with the upper and lower fences as your 'frame'---makes us feel urban life to a tee: Ie, a whole world contained in a small enclosure. And it's more than that: It's vital life that remains unexplained except to the participants; and which, from a distance, feels like we're looking at not a 'neighborhood' dance, but at a whole cultural world. Your gallery is definitely Gallery of the Month material (even though that may not mean a lot to you); but when I faved your gallery in the beginning, I knew you were an artist of genuine sight. Beautiful, gritty, natural, onlooking art; and boy would I love to have heard the music that went with this...Wonderful.
danapommet
Beautiful colors in this capture - a very nice catch. Dana