I remember the first time someone showed me what would become the foundation for my hand flow. I was 15, sitting in the back of the school bus and talking to a friend. She said, “Here, do this.” I had no idea what she had just demonstrated to me. A couple of years later, also on the school bus, a different friend showed me digits. Again, I had no idea what I had just seen. That I had witnessed liquid and digits in their most basic forms didn’t occur to me, nor did I realize how much of an impact these two separate events would have on my life. This was all before Youtube, Napster, Kazaa, or anything that could distribute media like we have today.
Those were the days, when it was all unexplored. Before rules and technical standards, there was this freedom that I haven’t witnessed since. Whereas before, the liquid was guided by the soul, it now seems to be directed by the quest for technical perfection.
I have been fortunate enough to meet and talk to some of the authors of the online tutorials. I had the pleasure of watching some of them dance and demonstrate their technique. Some are phenomenal, their creativity shining through their technical mastery. Others make me feel like I’m watching a tutorial video on Youtube. There are some who, for all their displays of technical mastery, never look like they are dancing, but rather working through training regimens or exercises.
When I was young and still trying to figure it all out, we used to play “liquid” games. The thing that made these sessions special was the exchange of knowledge. At times we would slow down the flow to the point that you could actually see every bodily motion in sequence. The thing that stood out to me as absolutely critical was the connection made between the people in the circle. Now, when I go to parties, I see circles, but they are not the circles I once knew. They are like an impromptu stage, where the goal is to develop the biggest audience, to inflate the ego and not simply to dance.
I go to events to dance, listen to music, and see my friends, not to be seen. I think the thing that is missing in all of the tutorials and seminars is the connection to the soul, the people around us, and the music. What’s missing is that this is an expression of creativity and not just a demonstration of technique.
