Choral Ethics: Under the Sun

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.” Pablo Picasso

Most of you know, my Dad passed away at the age of 96 this past February 29. And most of you also know he was a Master Dance Pedagogue, as well as Bob Fosse’s vaudeville partner. I have shared some of his Show Biz Wisdoms here before but there are three I would like to delve into a little deeper during the next few weeks. This wisdom, Show Biz Words to Live By if you will, is applicable in our own art form, stretching beyond dance or music or theater. All were taught to Dad and Bob as children by their manager, Frederick Weaver.

They are:

• There will always be someone better than you are, so be the best YOU can be.
• The people you meet on your way up the ladder of success are the same people you will meet on your way down, so be nice!
• There is nothing new under the Sun, so take something old and give it a new spin, make it your own.

Let’s look at Dad’s third and final Wisdom today: There is nothing new under the Sun, so take something old and give it a new spin, make it your own.

Creativity was an everyday occurrence in our house, we thought it was normal and every family was like that. We were often encouraged as children to follow our own paths, still doing what other children did but making it our own.  From clothing to the treehouse my brother built in our grandparents’ backyard, we were taught to “think outside of the box” long before that phrase became popular.

Halloween costumes were often our own design, or we used bits and pieces of costumes designed by a Great-Aunt who was a costume designer. I remember complaining we never got to buy a store- bought costume with fancy plastic masks until I was a 7-year-old Cleopatra. With silver eye shadow from Mom’s stage make-up, a long flowing blue nightgown and Auntie’s Cleopatra headdress, I was stunning–everyone who saw me told me so—and I never complained again.

When I was a junior in high school, my English teacher encouraged us to enter a contest sponsored by the local historical society. There were two divisions, visual arts and written essay. Since my family had lived in the community since the 1890s, I really wanted to enter. I was a decent artist but didn’t think I was good enough to enter a painting. I didn’t want to write an essay but still wanted to enter something. One evening, I talked about my dilemma at dinner. This was the first time I remember Dad specifically using the phrase “nothing new under the sun.” Dad asked me why did I want to do what everyone else was doing when could put my own spin on it. I decided to write a collection of short poems, twenty as it turned out, about the history of the community. I didn’t win but I came in second in the written essay division. Dad thought I could have won if I had put more time into my entry. I wasn’t sure about that since one of the judges told me my entry was so different but so good they had to give me something!

Dad took his wisdom of “take something old and make it your own” even to the DATE he died: Leap Day. The week he entered hospice, several of my siblings and I agreed we thought he would die on February 29. While he did wait until 11:45 pm on that evening, he was still putting his own spin on his life until the very end.