Form vs function

This is a story about form, utility and function. Of the human body. 

To have strength but not be able to use it because of inflexibility is a crime in my opinion. Overly flexible but can’t hold yourself up, not good either. Dancers and Yogis are a great balance of both, and strive to balance their entire being, not just their body. Nature doesn’t pervert herself. That’s a quality that is saved for us humans.

A few lifetimes ago, when we lived on the Upper West Side of NYC, my husband and I were strolling past the Beacon Theater. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we were surrounded by, and I mean surrounded, by little orange, puffed up men. Distorted even. And such an odd color. We just stopped and looked slowly around. 

What was going on? Did we inadvertently find ourselves in the middle of a location shoot? If so, the location lacky was gonna have a heart attack when he saw that we somehow got through. On second thought, those location people are usually Teamsters, and I doubt they’d like being called lackys. Maybe it was some unlucky PA.

As we looked around at the Oompa’s, trying hard not to point, we managed to lift our gaze to the Marquee, and low and behold, there was a body building competition.

Now, I’ve never understood the desire to pervert the physical form in this way, so beyond functionality. I find it confounding and hilarious. Seriously, the fake tan? (even worse to look at now, in 2025…..)

Fast forward to years later……Imagine my surprise when my gorgeous ballet lean friend started dating a body builder. Now, he wasn’t just any body builder. He was the hulk. Well over 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide with no apparent neck. I give credit to my friend,  for not having a “type”. If someone appealed to her intellectually, she was all there.

This gentleman, however, was so vastly different that I just couldn’t wrap my brain around it. He was from New Jersey for starters. A long held belief of New Yorkers was, is and maybe forever will be, that the two don’t mix. He was also conservative. A conservative. She was an extremely liberated, fierce and self- made woman. He had no range of motion, she was a dancer. Despite the differences, they dated long enough for him to buy her a  Mini Cooper. He, drove a Hummer. I doubt he could fit in the Mini. 

They popped by a couple of times and I have to admit, he was a nice guy, but I almost couldn’t bear to look at him. He was too large to be fully human. 

My husband actually agreed with me on that one, and he generally makes it a point to disagree with just about anything I say.

I like to teach humans to move. To find a balance of form and function, so they can do what ever it is they do. Obsessive behavior limits us. Balance found in discipline is liberating. Let’s be liberated!

1- Hip Liberation.

2-Mind Liberation : )