SWAGALICIOUS - REFLECTING SELF ESTEEM, BY ALICE P CIERI

Learning can come from the strangest places and never ends. I am glad that I have something to contribute to this discussion as I am being taught self-esteem by a terrific hip hop teacher whose name is Bev. She is teaching me to have self-esteem with “flava”. Bev has flava and self-esteem to spare and you have to experience her to understand it. One could also say that she has swag. I am learning many marginally useful things in this class but it’s all good! Here's how to understand swag via the urban dictionary:

Warning - some words below may be inappropriate for grandchildren and those easily offended.

Swag: The way in which you carry yourself. Swag is made up of your overall confidence, style and demeanor. Swag can also be expanded to be the reputation of your overall swagger. You gain swag, or "Swag up", by performing swag worthy actions that improve this perception. A person can also "swag down", by being an overall pussy and garnering negative swag for their actions. Swag is a subtle thing that many strive to gain but few actually attain. It is reserved for the most swagalicious people. Swag can also be quantified, with point systems existing in some circles of friends.

Examples:
"That dud is swag".
"im really diggin your swag."
"He got a killa swag".

"I got two girls last night".
"Awesome dude, that's some swag."
"I think one of them was my sister though...."
"Negative swag"

"I'm digging that strut son, I like your swag".
"Thanks, Dad."

"I don't think that I can go out tonight, I got too much work".
"Swag up you little bitch".

"If I finish this pizza in under 3 minutes, can I get a swag point?"
"You really don't understand swag...do you?"

Swagger: Also called swag. Whatever it is that makes women want you and men wanna be you.... or vice versa, I would add.

As you might tell, I have been very immersed in my dancing of late. I wish a good fairy would appear and let me either win the lottery or find my rich second husband so that I could quit my job and devote every waking hour to my dance education (of course, supplementing with some altruistic volunteer obligations because I am into random acts of kindness).

Hip hop is such an egalitarian endeavor which is one reason why I like it. It does not discriminate against size, shape, color, or even ability. Hip hop is all about attitude. I recently learned that it is not cool to smile in hip hop class as the goal is to look fierce and project a “don’t f-ck with me attitude”. This is a very useful posture for me coming off my divorce. As a matter of fact, the song “u & ur hand” by P!nk was practically my personal anthem during those years. I recently went to a P!nk concert at the Garden and, despite my Chanel bag now smelling of beer, I came away fervently wishing that in my youth I had been a rock star with platinum hair and multiple tattoos. It must be such a head rush! Also, spoiler alert for Russ!! I know your destiny and it is P!nk as there is an exclamation point in her very name.

What is so instructive about this? How we use and project our bodies is very important to our self-esteem. I learned a very important and interesting lesson years ago in my jazz class with the great Luigi. During the warm up he turned to the assembled class and asked no one in particular “where is the center?” with everyone dutifully pointing to the center of the room. His answer was brilliant - the dancer’s credo. “Center is where-ever you are.” This illustrates that each dancer should dance as if they are, in fact center, drawing all attention to them by their excellence.

My hip hop dancing is not yet very evolved to this point, so I have not yet acquired the necessary clothing – the baggy sweats, maybe with one leg rolled up, the triangle bathing suit top in lieu of a bra, covered by some slouchy top, maybe hooded which you flick on and off your head as desired. I decided to grow out my hair so that I can flick it appropriately – head flicks are integral to hip hop. Hair needs to be wild and out there. I have good and bad hair days, as I either look like the madwoman of Chaillot (good for hip hop) or Elizabeth Taylor (better for dating). As you can see, one has to have lots of self-esteem to pull this look off, even when you are only 20, the median age of the class. I am always the oldest one in the class and never the best. I am also not the worse. For me, just showing up in this class weekly tends to enhance my self esteem.

I would suggest that the next time you see someone you know who is a dancer, remark on how they walk. They walk "like a dancer", majestic and full of self-esteem, projecting the center of the universe. Next time you are in NYC, look out for me walking down Broadway, owning my piece of the sidewalk, swagalicious, like a dancer.

Recommended music playlist:

Mary J. Blige - "The One"
Flor Rida - "Right Round"
Keri Hilson & Timbaland - "Return the Favor"
Sean Kingston - "Fire Burning" & "Beautiful Girls"
Ciara - "Pucker Up"
P!nk - "U + Ur Hand, So What, Sober, Please don't leave, Who Knew, Funhouse"

Alice Cieri, Author, October 6, 2009