Dancing with Cats

Dancing is classic, and cats are classic. You'd think dancing with cats would be classic. And yet the two examples you've posted are clearly a couple of douchebags. I blame the author for trying to show that it "relates to astrology, inner spirits, energy fields, numerology" instead of how it relates to playing with kitties.

Whoa.

The last one has taxidermy.

Also: this book can be found in the humor section.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/lariatfare/dancing_with_cats.jpg
"Before dancing, Helen and Boots do a series of mirroring exercises to specially developed feline soundscapes. They also spend time in noncontact stroking and mutual rubbing. 'He rubs against me and I rub against him, and I feel fantastic! Don't let anybody tell you that cats rub up against you just to leave their scent on you. They do it because it builds up energy and makes them feel great and want to dance. My partner and I now regularly rub up against one another to reenergize and it's made a big difference in our relationship."

Damn, I can't find anymore pictures online. Should I scan a few pages? There are some really hilarious photos in here, and every caption is gold, without exception.

oh you should definitely scan a few pages

"Also, a little lemon juice in the bath does wonders to get the jizz out of her fur."

OK, it's going to take me a little bit to do that, but while I do that I would kindly point you here:

Dancing with Cats homepage, complete with tips, videos, cat dancing music, an FAQ, and more

Sample:

What if my cat won't dance with me?

Well you have to accept that some cats, like some humans, just don't dance. But a lot of the time cats won't dance because people expect almost instantaneous results. They think they can stroke their cat a bit, then put on the music and puss cat will be boogieing with them in no time. It's not that easy. You have to put hours of time in to the pre-dance energy alignment exercises, like mirroring, remote stroking, mutual purring and so on, before most cats will dain to join you in the dance — and then it's often for only a brief moment. The other problem people have is not being able to relax and let go of their doubts. Cats are extremely sensitive to our moods and people who are even slightly skeptical can easily put the cat off.

Wait, I found some more pictures on their website...there IS a God! Again, I'll add the captions for each photo.
http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/arija1.jpg
^"A moment of real empathy: Arija sweeps low, sleek, and catlike, while Ginger mimics an upright two-legged human strut. 'There are times during our dances when we become each other - when we're transformed. To dance with your cat you must be prepared for transformation. Only that inner willingness can bring the dance alive and give it real power,' Arija says."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/arija2.jpg
^"While I'm dancing, I picture Nijinskat in a certain position, and then imagine that image floating into his head like a bubble. For some reason he responds best when I color the whole image blue."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/jane.jpg
Sooty twirls dervishly beneath Jane's swirling viel, responding with a series of graceful hip gyrations of her own. Jane's husband used to maintain that Sooty's jumping about was simply her excitement at the veil fluttering like a bird. But, Jane says, "When he saw her waggling her hips to the music, he had to admit pussy was really dancing." Jane thinks Sooty might be a reincarnated harem princess, or "maybe she somehow absorbed the moves from always sleeping on a pile of Seventh Veil magazines in the living room."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/images/sabine.gif

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/joy.jpg
While Pinkle and Tonk were happy to dance with each other, Pinkle always became more reserved when Joy attempted to join in. To overcome this, Joy tried dancing to a slow waltz while holding Pinkle in her arms. She discovered that by also gently stroking him in time to the music he would eventually respond by waving his front foot rhythmically. Joy could then put him down on the floor and he'd reenter the dance with his normal degree of exuberance.

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/ralph.jpg
For Ralph, the actual dance itself always begins with The Invitation. "I come right down to the cat's level and begin purring really loudly. Then I push one foot out behind like a tail and flick it from side to side in the feline 'let's go' signal. At the same time, I reach out for Petipa's paw, stop purring, and begin to hum something that seems just right for the moment. It could be one of Handel's oratorios or a sprightly chakra cha cha. The faster it is, the higher Petipa leaps."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition2/images/daphne.jpg
Daphne's cat has displayed the ability to respond to her emotional states. "When things are bad I often console myself by singing and dancing nursery rhymes like we used to at school. Minstral has always been particularly attentive when I'm down, so I guess it was inevitable that one day he would join in. Now we dance Humpty Dumpty and Ding Dong Bell no matter what my mood. Minstral does a wonderful wobbly egg and is brilliant down the well." Through the joy of cat dancing, Daphne has become aware of our spiritual connection with animals and no longer eats meat. "You can't commune with animals and eat them too,"she says.

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/images/jeanne.gif

It could be one of Handel's oratorios or a sprightly chakra cha cha.

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition1/ajan.jpg
"When I dance with Muffy I start with him in my arms and go slowly round and round to David Parsons' "Invocation to the Dance" which has a lot of lovely lilting purring in it.

Once he begins to purr I know he has begun to feel the energy flow and I turn a little faster which leads naturally on to the next track, "Sassy Cat," which is much more up tempo and I can really start to spin around until I feel him tense up (even though he's still purring), and then I put him down and he begins to leap about.

He just improvises, one move leading to another as he begins to form his dance which culminates when he synchronizes one of his turns with one of mine and we're almost knocked over by the energy."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition1/apyramid.jpg
"My sister Judith and I have developed a very special way of dancing with Jazz.

First I stand on all fours and we encourage Jazz to jump up onto my back. Once he's there, I begin to move my hind quarters around in time with the music and Jazz sits right on the back of my rump and boogies along. (I have to wear two pairs of shorts underneath because he does need to hold on with his claws when I really get going.)

Then Judith can hold his front paws and move them about in time with the beat while his back legs are moving in time with my beat.

I think there's a special kind of energy build-up and communication that takes place because I really begin to feel like a cat, and I'm sure it is more than just because I'm in a cat position."

http://www.monpa.com/dwc/exhibition1/vicky.jpg
"I dance with Tiger (who has the same birthday as me), at least once a day, usually when I come home from work and he's really pleased to see me.

We have been doing it for two years now, ever since my divorce, and it has become a really important part of our lives together.

I am really aware of the limitations of words to describe the cat dancing experience.

Only the dance itself can convey the meaning of its experience.

Much more is involved than rhythm and movement.

It really is a quite spiritual thing which you can't appreciate until you try it."

http://i4.glitter-graphics.org/pub/315/315124q0s06rgmsd.gif

Those last three were reader submitted photos and stories.

> Through the joy of cat dancing, Daphne has become aware of our spiritual connection with animals and no longer eats meat. "You can't commune with animals and eat them too,"she says.

Minstral, however, continues to drag baby jaybirds to their death for fun.

http://www.tcj.com/259/achewood.jpg

"I dance with Tiger (who has the same birthday as me), at least once a day, usually when I come home from work and he's really pleased to see me.

We have been doing it for two years now, ever since my divorce, and it has become a really important part of our lives together.

scans coming...

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/128347368779218750invisibledisc.jpg

This is one of my favorites:
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/Sue.jpg
"Sue puts on a bird costume in order to dance out some of her past traumas. 'I adopt the form of the bird,' she says, 'because I want to feel vulnerable, like the naive little creature I once was - one who was preyed upon and abandoned by a charming but ultimately selfish male. Zoot treats me like he would a bird. He leaps about and showers me with attention, when in reality he only wants one thing - to dominate, consume, and move on.' Dancing with Zoot helps Sue reenact and come to terms with the joy and sorrow of a brief but painful relationship: when she fell in love with her daughter's father while he was photographing bridges in her neighborhood. 'When I'm at the low point of the dance, Zoot jumps up and taps me lightly on the nose as if to say, 'It's ok, it's just a game. You're not a little bird anymore.' And suddenly I feel so much stronger."

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/catman1.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/Arija.jpg
"In order to demonstrate how cats sense human depression and instinctively attempt to negate it, Arija deliberately sets up a strong negative field around her. She does this by dressing in Gothic garb, playing droning music, and concentrating on deathly thoughts as she dances. Once the negativity reaches a particular intensity, Wiky reacts with an extraordinarily high leap that brings her cranial aura into contact with Arija's and reverses the flow."

I love the way this caption illustrates the difficulty in explaining your habit of dancing with cats to outsiders.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/catman2.jpg

That's all for the scans. I'm going to make some animations now, I think. Another WILD Sunday night for me!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/catmanimation2.gif

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/ZachRScott/catgod.gif

u mad

Tekken sux

omg cat love

That book is horrifying and those people need help.

^Truth.

They just need something useful to do with their lives.

I will be using the line "I have to admit pussy was really dancing," more than once in my future conversations.

They're probably all emotionally stunted recent divorcees who would be furry characters instead if they were born fifteen years later. x-post

I think you've nailed it. Still - scary.

http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html

as amazing as these stills are they really don't show us what dancing with cats is like in motion. I hope cat dancing becomes the next big YouTube trend.

I will be periodically checking out Youtube for astrological cat dancing videos from now on. Currently there is a mockumentary about Dancing with Cats that isn't very funny, but that's all.

Just ordered the book from Amazon.

I have Why Cats Paint, and I'm not 100% sure it's a farce.

it is:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/paintedcats.asp

A quick search reveals Dancing With Cats is made by the same authors as Why Cats Paint and Why Paint Cats, so it is obviously a parody too. Sorry to ruin your fun.

Looks like a well made parody nevertheless.

I mean, you can almost imagine some cat-lovers really doing this sort of stuff.

I thought this might be the same people. But Why Cats Paint is definitely good fun, so now I can have 2 books on my coffee table.

I love that fluffly cat!