The Downbeat as Therapy, as a social model, as a dance tool.
Several hundred years ago there was a confluence of musicians into New Orleans coming from all over the globe. “Let’s jam!” was the order of the day, of course. This unique moment in history created our modern world in many aspects. These strangers wanted to play together but did not know each other’s regional music, so they had to create something new. Someone said, probably a woman, why don’t you guys agree on just ONE note? So then we can dance!” Thus the downbeat was invented, and it gave birth to the blues, rock n roll, folk and pretty much everything else in our modern world of music. The concept of the downbeat is a unifying force; a mutual agreement that we will cooperate by supporting this imaginal anchor note. The Downbeat is the beginning note. It repeats consistently, so if we get lost, we listen for the next downbeat and we get back on the groove. This ability to feel a world model where there are no real mistakes, rather than to intellectualize, is healing and empowering, and very fun.