Ms. Babs Case.

Babs is away this week in the ruins of Chaco Canyon,

drinking in time past, present and future.

So, while the cat’s away, this mouse is ordering up a few cheesy dishes

of a “danceful” nature for your aesthetic palate,

something to make your whiskers curl…

and perhaps produce a squeak or two. 

Your first slice is a fine American cheese which tastes of joy, remembrance, and the honor of ancients. 

Mr. Gregory Hines.

Gregory and I worked together a number of times, performing benefits for the American Tap Dance Orchestra at the Cotton Club and working on a Shakespeare play in Central Park for Joe Papp.

Last time I saw Gregory, he jumped on my back as I was walking out of the LA Airport on the way to a gig. Watch Gregory go. Feel his heart. Play the cheese.

Your next cheese is soft, rich and creamy. Camembert has a distinct taste that will jump around in your mouth.

Mr. George Carl.

I first saw George at the Crazy Horse Club in Paris in the 1980’s. He did three 10 minute shows a night and worked there many years.

Boy, could George jump around. Play the cheese, please.

Your third cheese is a Stilton. It puts just the right perk in your palate, hence its well known critique of ‘being worthy of a sonnet.’

Mr. Merce Cunningham.

His dancers often called him “Chief”. Last time I saw him on stage in Berkeley, California, my college buddy David Chase and I yelled “Chief “up to him during the standing ovation. I think he heard us.

Most knew “Chief” as Merce Cunningham, and he choreographed and danced for 70 years. The first time I saw him was in 1978, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He and his company were performing in the festival and so was I. The audience sat on portable metal pipe bleachers in a gymnasium, and during one piece there was a loud clanging sound below me. I looked down and there was John Cage, the eminent composer and partner of Cunningham, beating on the pipe seating structure with an enormous wrench. It was part of the musical composition for the piece. It was fantastic, it was freeing, and it heralded the understanding that all is possible. 

This piece, Split Sides, is simple, and in its simplicity, a monster to perform. And from the rodential perspective, it epitomizes the idea that, in truth, ‘the cheese stands alone.’ And the “Chief'“ stands alone.

You know what to do.

Have a good third week in April.

Dance in your heart and mind.

Make yourself a cheese plate.

Start with a fine American cheese, then a Camembert.

Follow up with a Stilton and put on your dancing shoes.

Take care.

Mr. Robert Berky.