Only Child Feb 21 Wild Horses

This video is a dance tutorial followed by the routine in full
To skip to the routine go to 10:20

Woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown

Better Things. Could a TV show ever be named more appropriately for the times we live in? For the way we all feel about what 2021 might bring? Probably not, but this fan girl blog isn’t about the significance of that phrase (although I’m happy to endorse it), no, it’s about the love and admiration I feel for this programme. For its’ kick ass feminist/liberal agenda. For the lols and the tears. For the ‘I really wish I was part of this family’ envy. For the names (pay attention). For the clothes. For the art. For the swearing. For the dance routine end of S2. And I’ll say it again (’cause it bears repeating)…for placing women front and centre in every single scene.

And not in a way you see very often. This is a show with a middle aged woman at its heart. A brash, talented, flawed, funny older woman. Struggling with single motherhood and a career in an industry whose doors slam in the faces of women of a certain age. A menopausal (gasp!) woman with a body in decline. A woman whose own mother (LOVE HER) is by turns exasperating, fabulous and a heavy burden as she slides (kicking and screaming) into the murk of dementia. A woman who feels the pain men inflict upon her friends acutely. A woman witnessing her daughters slip between her fingers as each day passes (they’ll be back!). Every frame blows my mind. This is a show about detail. Nothing is amiss. Nothing jars. And the music is part of this subtle, quietly cool aesthetic. It’s there but it’s never overwhelming and it never removes you from the Better Things world. When I looked at the soundtrack to make my choice for this routine I didn’t know most of the songs. But then, in contrast, you have the mega ‘moment’ in each series (no spoilers) where a full blown musical number just happens. You could have knocked me over with a feather end of S2, and the S4 New Orleans ep is damn near heartbreakingly perfect.

I love it for assuming intelligence of its audience. A rare thing indeed. Not every narrative is explained or spelled out. We, as viewers, just have to trust and go along for the ride. No need to sweat the small stuff (which in the case of Better Things is normally men). The boyfriends (everyone’s!) could be under the patio for all we’re told. They don’t even warrant a footnote. Ah men. They really don’t come off well here. And they are completely peripheral.  The only men with any agency in the Better Things universe are gay. And maybe Jeff. His journey from mega asshole to kind-of-decent-ish every-guy is granted rare screen time – I think only as a fable to demonstrate what redemption requires. But it’s not a straightforward battering of maleness – sometimes yes, but that would be missing the point. Because it’s a celebration of woman-ness…of what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Men might not be painted very happily but then they’re barely painted at all. I’m just thinking of other shows where a female cast dominates. The Golden Girls comes to mind and there are similarities – unapologetic women ruling their own universe. Not subscribing to cliché and making us laugh and cry and root for them and wish they were our friends…

And so to the Better Things song choice. Giving me an excuse to make up a routine and write this blog in honour of a show I love. I settled on Wild Horses for two reasons…a) it’s amazing, and b) The Rolling Stones were very much a part of my musical upbringing – for good and for bad (but that’s a whole other story). And as this piece (and the show) is primarily about mothers, I will dedicate this dance to my own who had a lifelong love affair with TRS (Hello. Marianne). And wasn’t the other Marianne the inspiration for this song? I think, therefore, it chose me…

For Pamela Alice Machin. Every mom is a single mom.
…and for Peter. In memory of THAT tea towel.

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and my own inability to get through a take without numerous blunders. The sound is a bit ropey and the dancing could be better. No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. And remember, these routines are designed to be simple and repetitive enough to learn fairly quickly but hopefully have enough substance to bring some dancing joy.

This one is pretty relaxed (by my uptight standards). Some nice shapes to enjoy. And it’s another slow one which always helps with the picking up of the moves. I’d say mid-level difficulty but should look pretty if conquered.

Notes to self: Ribcage strikes again. Fear of an invisible lampshade.

Next: She’s Gone. Hall & Oates
Before: Cardigan. Taylor Swift