“Funkytown,” by Lipps Inc, is a track from their debut album, Mouth to Mouth. It was written by musician, composer, and record producer Steven Greenberg and sung by Cynthia Johnson, who later became a member of the gospel group Sounds of Blackness. I’ll say the album, on the whole, is not a full-on collection of hits. “All Night Dancing” is a little slow, and you’ve probably never heard of “Rock It” and “Power.” But “Funkytown,” the hit single, has survived many decades as an amazing and relevant dance track for a reason: It is so so so so good. “Funkytown” is a song I often use as the base or first act of my various performances.

My moms say I have a tendency to get “lost” in things: Millie says I am a daydreamer, Lucy will say I am sometimes easily distracted. Both are definitely true when I am making art or performing. I don’t know what a person is supposed to be thinking when they’re making art, or dancing, or singing. I mean it’s not like my brain stops working when I’m doing any of these things. But it definitely works different. Like when I’m just normal me, I can see the things that are in front of me, like a tree, or a fountain, or a lamp. When I’m making art, it’s like everything gets. . .intense? Or like, lighter but deeper?

Like, I can see the things, but I can also see all these things that could be. Like all the symbolism jumps out, and the fountain is suddenly “flow” and “rejuvenation” and all that junk. And I can see me in those things, in these evolving worlds, I guess? And in those evolving worlds, anything is possible.

Anything is possible feels like a fresh slice of lemon in your brain.

I could feel the smile spreading out over my lips as my skates glided over the pavement.

“Boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop.”

As my wheels rolled over the concrete, everything went rainbow gooey. The sequins on my outfit flashed in the sun and sent little prism rainbows around the square, which was what I’d hoped would happen. About two minutes into the song, after a series of slow swoops around the fountain, just to let people know what I was about, I did a back walkover into a spin and down into the splits.

That kind of move is what is called a “crowd pleaser” in that way most circus/gymnastics–type stuff is crowd pleasing (or Cirque du Soleil wouldn’t exist). This move is normally where I pause, if only for a moment, and take in what Lucy calls “the temperature of the room.”

Or the square in this case.