WHEN SHE DANCES by MAX GIESINGER. Story by Katja Brvar.

Maribor, Slovenia. April 4, 2023.

It is a gloomy day in Maribor, and I find myself feeling a bit down. Don’t get me wrong, I love rain, it is peaceful, but cloudy skies for no apparent reason weigh heavily on me. I have just a couple of minutes to wait before heading to yet another class. And let me tell you, I usually love school and learning. So, is it the weather’s fault for my bad mood? Yeah, definitely.

Everyone has their own field of freedom. For some, it’s music; for others, books.  I love dancing. I am not a dancer per se, not at all, yet dance classes in primary school gave me an appreciation for whirling to music, possibly barefoot on the grass, underneath the stars. I like to dance the heavy demands of the world away. And Max Giesinger, a German pop singer, gets me.

His song Wenn Sie tanzt (in English: When She Dances) is primarily about his mother, who was a single parent, but I believe any listener can take something good from it. He sings about how hard is to keep the balance between life and freedom. Sound familiar?

Despite the lyrics being plain and minimalist, the monotony of everyday life we all know so well is felt. The listener can recognise the emotions that the elegant language conveys, without explicitly defining them psychologically. That is probably why the song hits differently. Since we all go through life and have moments that happen insignificantly and pass through as if we never even experienced them, we feel intimately connected with the song. The refrain especially awakens feelings of freedom and carefree moments when the only worry was what flavour of ice cream to pick.

The essence of the song is in its title – When She Dances. When the protagonist dances, she enters another world, exactly where she wants to be. Living for the moment, she experiences it to the fullest, leaving no sensation behind. She runs barefoot through the streets of New York, catches a ride through Alaska and swims underwater in Bali. When she dances, she becomes someone else, someone who is completely lost in memories, putting on her headphones and shutting out the world with music. Unburdened by worries, she is unstoppable on her journey towards regaining a sense of lightness and ease.

Class is over, and I am on my way to my apartment. The weather is not better, but I am, somehow. I am thinking of what to prepare for lunch. Should I heat up the leftover soup or make a sandwich? Soup it is – not really a hard choice to make, wouldn’t you say? The small red dotted pot finds its way on the stovetop and the soup starts heating up. My roommates are not home yet, which means the apartment is quiet. Today I don’t like it. I look for my phone and open the music app. After a quick thought I click on the playlist called Spin Like a Cinderella. The music fills my ears, and all the worries disappear. I move to the rhythm of the song, spatula in my hand, and hum to its melody. I close my eyes and instantly I am somewhere else. I escape into my inner self, the one that is an eternal optimist – I cannot help myself, I see life through rose-coloured glasses; the one that is a hopeless romantic – dancing in a pair is always sweeter, wouldn’t you agree? The one that is a dreamer, a big one. When dancing, I can catch the so-desired feeling of freedom; I can occasionally be clumsy. Me, who makes my kitchen a dance floor.

How do you feel when you dance? Is it a pleasant sensation to you? Is the world spinning with you or is it staying on the side, watching you with a jealous eye?

I believe we all are dreamers at some point in our lives. That is why we have an idea in mind of how things should or could look. All of those dreams may come true, but we must know that they won’t necessarily happen in the shape or way that we imagined. Just like that, it may be even better! When heading in a different direction, we must remember to accept whatever happens on the way and we must have the courage to dream with open eyes (not just closed like we usually do). In When She Dances we are challenged by a question. At first sight, it may seem rhetorical, but I interpret it as a question to all listeners: Would you dare to live your dreams if you had time? Would you dare to take a chance and dance like nobody’s around?

Stereo Story #720

Maribor, Slovenia. April 4, 2023.

Maribor je ovit v sivo meglico, prav tako pa se počutim sama. A ne razumite me napak, v resnici obožujem takšno vreme, obožujem dež – tako spokojen je. Nekako pa mi danes mi vendarle ni v oporo, danes mi je težko. Le še nekaj minut me loči od odhoda na študij in slednjega se običajno izjemno veselim. Je torej za moje slabo počutje krivo vreme? Definitivno.

Vsak ima svoje polje svobode. Za nekatere je to glasba, za druge knjige. No, jaz pa se zatečem k plesu – zahteve sveta rada odplešem stran. Sicer nisem plesalka, vendar pa znam zahvaljujoč plesnim vajam v osnovni šoli ceniti, ko se kdo pod zvezdami bosonog vrti po glasbi. In nemški popularni pevec, Max Giesinger, me razume.

Njegova pesem Ko ona pleše (v angleščini: “When She Dances”) se sicer primarno nanaša na njegovo mamo, ki je bila samohranilka, vendar se lahko poslušalec vseeno poistoveti z njo. Poje namreč o izzivih ohranjanja ravnovesja med življenjem in svobodo. Se sliši poznano?

Ne glede na enostavno in minimalistično besedilo se monotonija vsakdanjega življenja, ki je vsem nam še kako dobro poznana, občuti. Poslušalec je zmožen prepoznati občutke, četudi so v besedilu oviti v tančico skrivnosti. Mogoče se nas pesem ravno zato dotakne. Vsi se namreč srečujemo s trenutki, ki nam enostavno spolzijo skozi prste – na koncu skoraj pozabimo, da smo jih kdaj doživeli. Z refrenom se v nas zbudi tisti nostalgični občutek, ko je bila edina skrb, kateri okus sladoleda izbrati.

Bistvo pesmi se skriva v njenem naslovu. Ko pleše, protagonistka stopi v nov svet, je točno tam, kjer želi biti. Bosonoga odkriva New York, z ribami plava na Baliju in z dvignjenim prstom ustavlja avtomobile po Aljaski. Ko pleše, na glavo posadi slušalke in popolnoma utiša resnični svet – postane nekdo drug, nekdo, izgubljen v spominih. Na tej svoji poti je neustavljiva, lahkotna in nič ji ne pride do živega.

Pouka je konec, jaz pa sem na poti do študentskega doma. Vreme se še ni izboljšalo, a jaz sem bolje. Moje misli okupira kosilo – kaj naj jem? Naj pogrejem juho ali si pripravim sendvič? Juha bo – to ni bila težka odločitev, se strinjate? Rdečo pikčasto kozico postavim na štedilnik, juha v njej pa se počasi segreva. Sostanovalk še ni doma, kar pomeni, da me obdaja tišina, a mi danes to ne ustreza. Sežem po telefonu in v aplikaciji za glasbo predvajam seznam pesmi z imenom: Pleše kot Pepelka. Glasba napolni moja ušesa, vse skrbi izginejo. S kuhalnico v roki se zibam po kuhinji, mojem občasnem plesišču, in si mrmram besedilo. Zaprem oči in v tistem trenutku me odnese nekam drugam. Pobegnem k svojemu bistvu; k večni optimistki – ne morem si pomagati, svet gledam skozi rožnata očala; pobegnem k sanjaču, velikemu; k brezupnemu romantiku – plesati v dvoje je vedno lepše, se ne bi strinjali? S plesom znam ujeti trenutke svobode, ki jih drugače ni zaslediti.

Kako pa se ti počutiš, ko plešeš? Je to zate nekaj prijetnega in se svet vrti s teboj? Ali pa te zavistno gleda iz strani?

Verjamem, da na neki točki v življenju vsi sanjamo. V glavi imamo sliko, kako naj bi stvari izgledale, kako naj bi se odvile. Vse te sanje se bodo nekoč mogoče uresničile, vendar pa ne nujno v obliki, ki smo si jo zamislili. A lahko je še bolje. Ko cesta zavije v nepričakovano smer, moramo tisto, kar se zgodi, sprejeti in navkljub običajnemu sanjanju z zaprtimi očmi le-te pogumno odpreti. Kot nas izzove tudi vprašanje v pesmi Ko ona pleše, ki sprva deluje retorično, bi si upali živeti svoje sanje, če bi imeli čas? Bi si upali tvegati in plesati, kot bi nikogar ne bilo zraven?

Stereo Story #720