Girl at the Rock Shows

This past February, I somehow connected with Erinn Liebhard. Erinn is the artistic and executive director of Rhythmically Speaking- a local non-profit dance group. Beyond being a truly inspirational dancer and leader, Erinn is a true treasure of a human and connecting with her and checking out Rhythmically Speaking’s take on Radiohead music in the form of a live dance performance with a live band in February was truly a treat. When Erinn’s name came across my email inbox again, my heart skipped a beat out of excitement. I knew that meant she and her amazing team had a new show for me to check out and I knew I wasn’t going to miss it.

It was a bit weird to walk into Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul when it was still light outside. I got to the familiar bar about thirty minutes before the 2 PM matinee performance of Rhythmically Speaking’s ‘CHILL’ performance. It gave me enough time to observe the audience but also gave me enough time to shake the hangover due to my sister-in-law’s birthday the night before. The room that is typically dark for the shows I go to was bright and full of life complete with kids running around full of excitement and, inevitably, sugar. This festive spirit definitely changed my sluggish mood around and, as I took my seat, I could feel all of the stress of my day and the work that I had forfeited for a longer night’s sleep fall away.

‘CHILL’ was a perfect show for a chilly Saturday with a slight chance of snow in the forecast for later on in the evening. This program was “Charlie Brown Christmas” being played live and danced to live but with a twist. In true Rhythmically Speaking fashion, this was a performance of original choreography and movement improvisations set to the iconic soundtrack being played live by The Jazz Outlaws. Being already familiar with Rhythmically Speaking’s work having seen them before, I knew I was in for a performance that would be full of fun and organic movements along with the feeling that dance can be for anyone and everyone and should be for anyone and everyone.

Just a hair after two, the band took the stage and jumped into a jazzy rendition of “Linus & Lucy” from the Vince Guaraldi Trio (you know– the “Peanuts Gang Song”) as the dancers paraded through the venue sporting the biggest smiles I had ever seen. The crazy thing here? Those smiles weren’t fake and would remain a steady presence throughout the nearly hour long performance. Another thing that wasn’t fake and goes hand in hand with those smiles was the feeling those smiles gave you as an audience member. It had you excited to be where you were at and absolutely captivated by the amount of fun you saw happening both on the stage and in the blank area of floor that was left open as an almost extension of the stage.

I don’t want to give away anything huge about this performance as I truly want each and every one of you to experience it for yourself (there are still a few performances left– ticket link is at the bottom) but there were some moments that really stood out to me that I would be remiss to not bring up.

One of those moments was the way the group approached the quick intermission of the show. First off, having an intermission here was genius. There were a lot of young kids in attendance and I could see them getting restless so it was perfect timing. Just before the intermission, the dancers invited anyone to come up and dance with the pros. A lot of people took them up on this offer and as people were dancing their hearts out, one of the pros stood on stage with white paper in his hands explaining that there was going to be a short break. The papers said things like “Bathroom?” and “Stretch those legs” but the one that got me was “Have another?”. Although this was definitely a show appropriate for all ages, I liked the little snark that this paper brought and how it acknowledged that those parents in there could take a break and “have another”. A super small moment but one that made me smile from ear to ear and even laugh a little bit with the way the dancer presented this paper compared to the others.

One of my other favorite moments happened right after the intermission. I don’t know if I’ve ever considered tap dancing to be cool (no offense to any tap dancers out there) but there was a quick tap dancing “skit” right after the break and it had me dazzled to say the least. The dancers had this way of making tap dancing look super cool and it almost made me want to take up the sport. Okay, maybe that’s not quite true but they did make it look easy and fun. The way their feet seemed to banter back and forth with the band was genius and truly one of many moments throughout the show where it was as if I had completely forgotten where I was and was just truly lost in the performance.

To me, the performance was far too short but, like the intermission, it was perfect for the families that had come out to enjoy the show. I also recognize the amount of physicality that it takes to pull off a show like this. The dancers rarely had a break and were doing movements that had my own legs hurting and my arms feeling strained. That being said, like in February, watching these dancers somehow gave me the feeling that even I could dance. I mean, I’m no dancer, but the organic movements that these dancers were just that, organic, and it gave you a sense that you could be doing it too.

I would like to give the biggest heartfelt thank you (and hug) to Erinn Liebhard for pulling off another stunning performance and keeping this non-profit (and their events) alive. I also want to give a huge shout out to Amsterdam Bar & Hall for continuing to host this beautiful event. Can we please also give a round of applause for everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this show happen? Last but not least– all of the dancers and band members that brought this music to life in a truly beautiful way. Bravo!

Tickets for the remaining performances are still available HERE!

Can’t make it to a performance? Totally get it! Please do consider donating to Rhythmically Speaking. As I mentioned, this group is a non-profit and seriously anything and everything helps. You can donate to them HERE!