DANCING WITH WORDS

DANCING WITH WORDS

Do we dance while talking, sometimes?

Usually, we talk with our mouths.

But the eyes are also part of the conversation.

And the ears are attentive, listening to the responses of others as we talk.

The nose scouts the air, detecting environmental scents, while words come from the mouth.

As I view this photograph of my conversation with Wiz Kudowor, an artist, in his studio in Accra, Ghana, I realize that the mouth is just a tiny part of the medium of talking for some of us.

We were discussing art.

I was responding to the painting he is currently working on.

Why does the conversation concern my hands?

The words are already coming out of my mouth.

Why do my fingers need to be fine-tuning imaginary things in the air?

Why is my head turned in a specific direction, as if that matters in the conversation?

Clearly, we talk with the entire body and not just the mouth.

And we also listen with the entire body, not just ears, as the postures of those around me show, as they dialogue with me using their bodies, even while their mouths are closed.

Therefore, talking is like dancing for some of us: we move the whole body, even when seated.