Rita Dove: American Smooth

Rita Dove is a brilliant mind which was fostered from a young age.  She came from a family of intellectuals which rubbed off on her.  As a child she loved to read and her parents encouraged her passion.  Her love of literature inspired Dove to pick of a pen and start writing.  Over the years she has made an imprint on American literature as a poet and writer.  Dove has received numerous awards and recognition for her work.  She broke boundaries not only for African-American writers but also for women.  Rita Doves poetry is very widely ranged.  She speaks on everything from race and gender too political and history, and everything in between.  Her poems are loved so much because they are nonrestrictive and universal.  All readers are able to connect and relate to some aspect of her work.  Also her use of great detail and imagery aid the reader on an experience like no other. 

“American Smooth” by Dove is a collection of poems all relating to dance.  Rita has a passion for dance and started taking lesson with her husband after suffering a tragedy.  In this particular selection dance is used as a metaphor for life.  It is a representation of the American way.  The dancing is just a distraction or escape from the monotonous lives we lead and when the music stops we are brought back to the ground or reality. 

Before I dug deep into my close analysis of the poem I did a little research American Smooth to see what it was all about.  In my research I found that it is a style of dance that combines both Latin and Ballroom dancing.  It includes the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz.  American Smooth is the American equivalent to European Ballroom or International Standard.  International Standard dancing uses steps and terminology used around the world making it universal.  It is the EXACT form of dancing and focuses on closed position.  Two dancers move as one at all times and do not disconnect.  American Smooth is not so much as exactness as focused on flowing movement which is more “American”.  Dancers are not always in close position.  They break away from one another for solo action.  In this case timing is everything as they move in unison separately.  

In this piece Rita pays tribute to the American identity.  The America way of life seems natural and fluid but to reach this elevates way of living it takes extreme precision and form.  We constantly need to be "always smiling, smiling", showing our best face to the world.  At some point if you smile enough you forget about everything and take "flight" until you are brought back to reality.  American Smooth is all about push through life with a sense of ease even though we all know life takes a lot of work.  What I get from Rita's poem is that we live our lives working for moments of flight and when we achieve them they are amazing but they can not last forever.  Once you get off your high and come back to reality it is time to start working towards something else.  Its an American Cycle of life.  We work hard, achieve, enjoy the moment, and begin working again.