Thoughts of a dancer

We met two years ago.

I came to your party.

We moved with the flow.

We then became naughtier.

Together we have been

through all these special times.

A part they’ll be forever.

Of both of our great lives.

I like that, you are positive.

You’re always nice to me.

I’ll hope that you will always.

Keep your sincerity.

Somehow, I know you’re worried

Of how things will turn out.

Your mind shouldn’t get buried.

Under the dust of doubt.

You are a special person.

You should never cry.

I don’t want to hurt you.

I don’t want to lie.

To me you are my darling.

You shine like the sun.

For sure now you must know,

That you’re my number one.

Vadim Garbuzov, 7 August 2007

Passages

Old American smoking in a car. – I have to quit smoking. … But maybe I can keep smoking. I saw a film «Smoke». That’s OK.

Old women in the airport. – Oh, my goodness! Last time I have been to the airport in 1957. Things so much changed since then!

У нас во время конкурсов пол охраняется вышибалами, – говорит Вадик и импровизирует псевдодиалог.

– Куда ты идёшь?

– Хочу потанцевать.

– Нельзя. Я работаю на секьюрити, 10 лет просидел в тюрьме, 5 долларов и ты на паркете с любым заходом.

В машине я, Вадик, Наташа и Надя. Я везу всех к Наташе домой. Наташа недоверчиво критикует мою манеру вождения, противопоставляя мне уверенного в дороге Юру. Вадик так это пародирует. Cначала: «шш…», типа как шум рации.

– Yura, we are already 50 blocks away, but Boris is still not turning. Yura, we turned to 16th, but I do not think we are going to make it home tonight. Please save us. You are the only Communist I know of. We cannot trust these democrats.

Там же в машине. Мы поравнялись с джипом. В нем пара лет сорока. Бородатый мужчина с выпученными глазами выглядит немного озабоченным. Вадик наделяет его голосом:

– Martha, do not look at them! Just pretend you do not see them!

Passages on searching sponsorship in Toronto with Nadiya.

– Where is your coach?

– Right now, he is using an opportunity of making $60 an hour.

Dancing boss. We anticipated first real chance.

– We are dancers, and we know that you too… We are looking for sponsorship…

– How did you get into the building?

Bank president secretary. Leave before security throws you away.

We enter every door in a high-rise. How did you find us? Oh! We searched on the web, in Yellow Pages…

Delegation from Holland. So much garbage here. This room is bad. We are not from Holland, but we have been there.

We walk into the Hershey Corporation of chocolates knowing we are not going to get any sponsorship, but feeling hungry and in hope to try some chocolates. We do not tell it to each other but know it in our minds and recognize each other’s look. As we go in there, many important people go around waiting for the meeting. We see the receptionist and Vadim starts telling her the speech we learned by heart forever and used for thousands of times in other companies. «We are Canadian Champions… looking for sponsorship». While he is speaking, he looks at the dish of chocolates on the left side not concentrating on the receptionist. In the middle of the speech, he totally starts telling the speech to the chocolates as if they were to sponsor him. The receptionist interrupts him: «You can help yourself».

Vadim and Nadiya approach the important law office. The receptionist listens to them and calls to the manager: «There are to people from, sorry, what is your organization?» – «Ballroom dance association». – Bowling association. So, they are looking for your funding.» We hear very angry response on the phone. She with embarrassment that we are listening, turns to us, makes a nice face and says: «You can drop off your promotional materials, pamphlets and flyers so committee can look at it at their meeting next year?»

We have so many business cards with notes «call next year», «call in two years»… So, we imagined what could happen in 10 years if they suddenly call us back when the sport gets popular, they start to get interested in it, and we already drop dancing by then.

Vadim Garbuzov around 2002

Note on judging criteria in arts