Off Balance

I almost don't know what to do with myself! Today was the last day of school for our school year. I ignored the uncorrected school work and the books I need to add to my Book List of the children's reading for the year. I also ignored the report card grades I have not yet begun compiling. I paid my full attention to 5 hours of Pride and Prejudice on DVD and I reveled in it. That was a nice way to balance some of the stress from the last weeks.

There will be time next week for book lists and grades and preparing portfolios. For today, my time was my own.

Some more of what I did in that time is reflect on a TV show I enjoy. So, You Think You Can Dance generally holds my interest. This year's cast has been fun to watch so far, and I'm looking forward to more.

But I do have a complaint. And for me it is a serious one. I absolutely hate it when I'm watching a particularly enchanting number and the camera angle tilts so the dance floor is at a 45 degree angle. I have to shut my eyes. Perhaps I'm too heavily invested in the dancers' movement, and I feel the floor slipping out from under myself. It is so unnerving I was close to turning off the tv on Wednesday.

The show self-proclaims to be bringing dance into millions of living rooms where it would not have been otherwise. I'm sure that is true. But I wonder if viewers would enjoy it more if the cameras would stop spinning the picture so people could see the dance rather than just the spectacle.

I don't mind walking out of the room while the musical guest is performing during the results show. Rather, that is a pleasure. But please don't make me leave the dancing!