by Patrick Chapman

Marlena Shaw’s version of wade in the water was always one of those tunes that got my feet a moving and sends goose pimples all over my body every time I listen to it. It’s the mixture of brass, drums and soulful lyrics of Marlena that put me in a haze of pure ecstasy. No exaggeration, believe. Watching Elanor Powell dance to this tune, I am truly amazed by her elegance, style and I am aware of moves she is using that could be considered as slightly unhinged. When I say unhinged, I guess I mean in particular at 2:10 of the video below when she starts tapping the table and chair with her foot. In any ordinary instance, this action would be considered odd at best, but given the context of such an upbeat song one can fully understand her decision to improvise in this manner. Dance allows us to express ourselves on an emotional level that is almost impossible to do in any other circumstance normally, without being attacked by others for our candidness.

Marlena Shaw .. Berry Bothers.. Eleanor Powell .. Wade in the water.

There is something quite liberating about dancing, particularly when you can. I guess I’ve been blessed with a lean frame and a good understanding of beat and rhythm, that I was always able to express myself quite well in dance. I feel completely comfortable on a dance floor, as I allow myself to be completely enveloped by the music and I can transfer myself to a place that can only be described as heavenly, not to mention joyful as well. I think we are all capable of this, except for many people they feel uncomfortable being looked at by others. I haven’t trained or been instructed in dance, but I did learn to gather my confidence with how my body reacted to music and decided to go with it. This brought about a huge sense of liberation like no other. Lets face it, it is very rare to express yourself in public without people attacking you. But when you dance how you feel, people notice you and become transfixed and rarely if ever complain about this kind of expression. Somehow, people take it for gratis that the way you move in dance is personal to you and admirable in its construction. Just so long as you are doing it for you rather than others.

Now something that I was unaware previously about this song was that it was originally a song for black slaves. As described by the YouTube author of the video.

“Originally one of the ‘Songs of freedom’(Wade in the water) was sung by way of instruction to escaping slaves .. traveling along the water’s edge or across a body of water, would throw dogs and their keepers off the scent.”

Now there is something quite synonymous with ones fight for personal freedom within the self and that of the freedom to dance in an entirely expressive way for which people will implicitly understand. To be able to show people the way you express life (with integrity), like dance, albeit often seen as extreme in nature, can be liberating for those watching you from the periphery. If you can live a life with virtue, being true to yourself and your feelings, people around you cannot help but notice and be drawn to you.

So, for all of you out there desperate to be understood by your fellow man, why not try to understand your own feelings first and express them in your way, with the confidence of your own virtue and integrity. You will be guaranteed an audience of like minded souls for sure. Once you become yourself, no one will criticize you and the scent of your fear will have disappeared completely. So people, keep wading in the water and try to escape the serfdom that tells you to keep those personal expressions in check. Those expressions are there to inspire others..

More info about the origins of this song can be found here.

Patrick Chapman aquired his BA in Fine Art at the University of Southampton in 2000 and is currently embarking on a masters in Philosophey & Economics at the University of Liverpool.  Visit his blog.