Saturday, October 6, 2012

Dancing and the environmental movement

Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t need much of an excuse to enjoy dancing.  Music in a store, zumba class, kimchi recipes, even an earworm can get me moving.  I dance when I cook.  I dance when I teach biology.  I even have a personal touchdown dance, but have never played football. 

This video shows a like-minded soul moved by inspirational tunes.  The video uses our bare-chested Mikhail Barishnikov to make a point about everyone’s role in a movement, whether you’re a leader, second dancer, or member of the troupe.  Take a look:

 

Not only is this video entertaining, it’s got some really important messages for those of us involved in the environmental movement.

  • First, no matter what your role – initiator or late-comer, you’re important in the movement
  • Second, leaders must remember that it’s the movement, not their leadership, that’s important
  • And finally, the role of first follower/dancer #2 is of utmost importance

Recently, I’ve witnessed several different environmental movements, both local and national, dance into action.  Locally, a group called Save Tysons Last Forest has gone from a small grassroots organization to a constituency that’s getting the attention of local and state legislators in their attempt to protect a valuable northern Virginia watershed.  The Virginia Sierra Club held a rally this week in Richmond to convince the very politically powerful Dominion Power to increase its renewable energy sources.  Across the country, people are joining rallies against unregulated use of fracking technology.  All of these movements started with one lone dancer. 

Is there an environmental movement that your neighborhood needs or is there a movement you’d like to join?  If so, the question isn’t whether to start dancing.  Of course you should dance!  Dance with abandon! The question is, greenmomsters, which type of dancer are you?

1 comment:

  1. This reminds me of the hippie / woodstock movement back in the 60's and 70's. Here in Australia, nabers accreditation is what we pro-environment are pushing for enterprises.

    ReplyDelete