Complete Posting of Blog on May 25, 2009

On May 25, 2009, I posted a blog that was incomplete. If you wish, you can go back to that posting, and read the opening paragraph which ended with the sentence .... is a story by itself. Here is the complte story of how it was that the Times Union Newspaper printed a story with the headlines: "LIFE DANCING WITH THE CALABRIAS: HOOFING TOGETHER FOR 53 YEARS AND GOING STRONG."

Here is the story itself. Several months earlier, Angela and I offered to teach four classes in social dancing to raise money for the Unitarian-Universalist Society fund drive. We were able to sign up four couples and the net result was $320. for the fund drive. One of the couples in the class, who had taken the lessons and were impressed by the way we taught the class and what we taught, had a friend, Brain Ettkin, who was a reporter for the Times Union Newspaper in Schenectady. They suggested that he interview us as an interesting couple to write an article about. Brian contacted us and came over and spent three and a half hours interviewing Angela and I. Subsequently, he wrote a well written story about how Angela and I met and how we have been dancing together since the time we met.

On Sunday, May 24, the article appeared in the Entertainment Section and there was a picture of Angela and I in a dance pose which took up half of the front page (8" by 12") The size and the pose of the picture did capture your immediate attention along with the message: Life Dancing with the Calabrias: hoofing together for 53 years and going strong. To complete the story, two other narratives were included along with a picture of Angela and I in a different pose. In the second page, there is a headline: "Amazing Grace, Schenectady couple have danced together for half a century," while on the third page, the headline reads: "GRACE: Couple enjoy dance's sensuality."

The response we read was astounding. Everywhere we went on May 24 and for a solid week including today, when I am writing this blog, people have approached us to congratulate us on the article. Since the article appeared, I have felt like a celebrity. Now, I have a little sense how Hollywood celebrities must feel when they are in public pursued by their fans.

One final note on this experience. A photographer from the paper came over and, in addition to the three pictures included with the article, the photographer took us in action doing our version of the Argentine Tango. So, if you are unable to see the article, let me know and I will send you a copy of the article.

Before bringing this blog to a close, I want to make a final comment with a message. I feel sobbered (not that I have been drinking as I write), by this awareness. "You never know for sure will when where whatever you do can lead to some consequence that may surprise you". In my case, I had no clue that by teaching that one set of classes would result in earned us enough to it was amazing - I am surprized come off a cheap ou never can be sure how any know where any action on your part will lead to. Our initial action was to teach four classes in social dancing. That experience ultimately ended up with the Times Union article.

Being a Unitarian-Universalist

At todays service, held on the last day of April at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Schenectady (where I have been a member for over forty years), it was New Member's Sunday. Ten new members had joined the soceity and were officially welcomed by the congregation with joy and gratitude. While virtually all other churches had lost members, it was gratifying to see that we had added and not lost members. There are several reasons why I think we have gained new members:

1) Unitarian Universalists believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
(2) They believe in justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
(3) Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in others is a basic idea.
(4) Another basic idea is a free and responsible search for truth and meeting.
(5) Another basic tenet is the use of the democratic process in our congregation and in society.
(6) The goal of world community for Unitarian Universalist is peace, liberty and justice for all.
(7) Finally, there is respect for the interdependence web of all existence of which we are a part.

I was brought up Catholic during which time I was indoctrinated into a set of beliefs I was told to believe in. I didn't like the idea of being told that these ideas came from God and were to be accepted without question. So, at age fifteen, I announced that I wanted to explore all of the world religions before I chose one that I could believe in. This announcement was not taken kindly by my godmother who'se duty it was to see that I remain in the fold.

By making my prouncement at age 15, I didn't know about the regulations you had to fuilfull before being acknowledged a Unitarian. One of my godsons, whose father we brought up as a Unitarian, described what he had to do before he was accepted into the Unitarian Universalist religion. He said he had to explore, over a year's time, all the world's religions and then, in a formal essay, he had to write an essay why he wanted to become a Unitarian. (To be confirmed in Catholicism, you went to a Sunday school for several months to study the Catechism to learn what Catholics believed in and what you needed to believe before being confirmed). Quite a different approach.
This is a long blog and I will end it by saying that some of you who read my blog may wonder what Unitarians believe in and wonder how it was that I chose to become a Unitarian. Who knows: if you do not have a religion, you might want to explore what Unitarian Universalism is all about. For me, it is a place I consider my "second home" where I have met many fine persons I call my friends.

On Sunday, May 24,2009, the Times Union printed photos and an article in the Unwind section of their Sunday editor entitled, "LIFE DANCING WITH THE CALABRIAS:HOOFING TOGETHER FOR 53 YEARS AND GOING STRONG." The picture was an "in your face" photo which showed Angela and I in a dance pose. We knew that the article and the photo's would appear on this date but did not know how it would be presented. We loved the article but not the photos though readers of the article liked both the article and the photos. We were pleased with the article - the result of a three and a half hour interview done at our home - the reporter, Brian Ettkin - wrote a fine article from the interview. How this article and the photos came about is a story by itself.

Several month's earlier, Angela and I offered to teach four classes in social dancing to raise money for the Unitarian-Universalist Church fund drive. We were able to raise $320.

EmmaWillard Dance Concert

Angela and I attended a dance concert held hon May 22, 2009, performed by the Emma Williard Dance Company held at Emma Williard School in Troy, New York. What a surprise this evening turned out to be. One of the Artistic Directors of the Dance Company is Barbara Magee who I knew from the classes in Argentine Tango that she, and her husband, Kevin Magee, held in the tri city area.

The concert was held on May 22, 2009 and it was a delight to see the students perform either by dancing, singing, or playing a musical instrument. The music for the various dance performances included the works of Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Kurt Weill, Beethoven and Billy Holiday.

Mother's Day Flower Communion Service

I have been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society in Schenectady for a number of years. I look forward to each Sunday Service for I often come away feeling inspired from the experience. On this Mother's Day, the Unitarian Universalist service celebrated our mother through the Flower Communion. As part of this ritual, church members were asked to bring in a flower which they would share with other members of the congregation. Through the ritual of the Flower Communion, I received a flower from another member of the congregation as well as gave a member of the congregation a flower. The focus is in on giving and receiving. Through this ritual, I felt bonded with other Unitarian Universalists in my congregation.
On this Mother's Day, one of the readings was directed to out relationship with our mother. I realized that I recieved many many gifts as she nurtured me as I was growing up. I also experienced some feelings of guilt for not thanking her sufficiently for these gifts. On this Mother's Day, were she still alive, I would tell her how much I appreciated the love she had showered on me. I would bring her not one flower but a bouquet.

Pygmalion Theme As Transformative Process

Within the last two weeks, I watched the film version of the Pygmalion theme, the first non-musical version (with Leslie Howard as Professor Higgins and Wendy Hiller as his pupil) and the musical version, "My Fair Lady." (with Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins and Audrey Hepburn as his pupil). I was delighted with both versions. The theme dates back to the time of the early Greeks (I could not locate this connection but will keep looking). As a teacher, one of my motivates is to re-create my pupils into more literate and, hopefully, wiser persons, a goal I hold for myself. Perhaps this theme of teacher-pupil is universal and it is certainly a compelling one.
In the film versions, the professor bets one of his colleagues that he can transform his pupil, a flower girl, into a princess. Working on her phonetics and her voice quality, he devotes his life for the next few months to acheiving this goal and winning his bet. His pupil, in turn, has her goal, to become a lady, to leave her life as a flower girl. In the end, they both achieve their goal not without alot of sparing in between. It does have a happy ending. I regard these two films as both wonderfully entertaining and also instructive - it makes me glad to have been fortunate enoght to have become a teacher whose joy is to be part of this transformative process.