Redman: My holiday wish is that you release your creativity in song, dance and storytelling
As the holidays draw nigh and the year is closing, many people find themselves gathering with others to create memories and practice traditions with food, song or storytelling.
While the past several weeks have seen halls, stages and auditoriums filled with extravaganzas of concerts, dance and theatrical performances, the next week will see people mostly gathering in homes. No longer is the spectacle of bright lights the draw of the day. For most of the next week, there will be recitations of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” slightly off-key belting of favorite holiday carols and dances choreographed more by liquid spirits than those of timeless artists.
While nearly all holidays from traditions both secular and sacred are accompanied by professional productions, there comes those special times when no ticket is necessary and people can forget for a day, an hour or even a moment that art isn’t just made by professionals.
In each and every person is the ability to create; yet it often takes a holiday to remind us we don’t have to be the best or have years of training to celebrate creativity. Everyone can sing and laugh with loved ones. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone, even those whose bodies are broken and tired, can dance — whether with all of their limbs or only the flicker of an eye.
While our lives are made better by the talented professionals who elevate our souls with their commitment to bringing the very best of every art form to our communities, ultimately, art exists at every level and in every soul. It is part of what makes us human. It grants us one more way to connect.
Once upon a time, before mass media brought the best of all the art forms into every living room and recording devices made it possible to capture and broadcast well-rehearsed and carefully choreographed performances to everyone, all music and art was experienced live. If you wanted to hear music, you either created it or went to where the singers were.
It was common for most people to play a musical instrument of some sort because if they wanted music, they had to make it. People gathered around fires and kitchen tables, dancing, not knowing they had to “do it right.”
While today it can be harder to forget what art is “supposed” to look or sound like, this next week invites people to set aside their reservations, to use the excuse of “tradition” to sing a carol, dance a jig around the tree, cut out snowflakes, recite a poem or tell a story.
And perhaps that moment can create a feeling of authentic joy that carries over into the New Year. Just maybe it can provide a spark of hope that it is still possible to inspire a better world, a world where people remember they have spirits that can create.
Encore!
While most performances are taking a hiatus over the weekend, there are still a few places you can catch some holiday shows:
On Friday, Larry McCray will perform Holiday Blues at UrbanBeat in Old Town. The show begins at 7 p.m. with an opening act at 6 p.m. of Coreyeon Ingram, Rhett Yocom, Dorran Burns, Anthony Taylor and Clique Vocals. Tickets are $15 for general admission or $35 for a four-course dinner and the show.
The “A Lot More Fun Comedy Club” will put on a holiday show at 7 p.m. Saturday at Christ Community Church, 227 N. Capitol Ave. in Lansing. Billed as a clean comedy show, this performance features Cam Rowe, the winner of The Next Comic Standing Contest in Los Angeles, Niko Lukoff and Tim Palmer. Tickets are $20 with discounts available for multiple purchases.
Williamston Theatre ends its run of “Murder for Two: Holiday Edition” on Saturday. The two-person musical mystery comedy is set on Christmas Eve and takes audiences on a madcap journey that weaves in both Christmas and mystery tropes and jokes while solving a murder.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Redman: My holiday wish is that you release your creativity
