The Slow Dance

"The Slow Dance" is an immersive exploration of a singular, stolen moment within the Blue Velvet Candlelight Club. Set against the gritty, neon-soaked backdrop of 1970s Los Angeles, the piece captures the "ancient and gentle" recognition between two souls before a single word is spoken.

The work serves as a sensory bridge between the internal sanctuary of the club defined by the hush of candlelight and languid jazz and the cold, rain-slicked reality of the world outside. Through the symmetry of movement and a shared "ribbon of midnight," the dance becomes a secret that the world is not yet ready to hold.

The Blue Velvet Candlelight Club presents: The Slow Dance.

Step inside a moment born from a "soft river of jazz". In the heart of 1970s LA, two strangers meet in a "slow, swaying orbit," finding safety and silence on a blue velvet floor.

The Slow Dance

Before we stepped out into the night,

there was a moment

quiet, unplanned,

born from the soft river of jazz

and the hush of candlelight.

A girl with long black hair

rose from her chair,

her shadow stretching across the blue velvet floor

like a ribbon of midnight.

Across the room,

a Native American man with long black hair

lifted his gaze,

something ancient and gentle in his eyes,

something that recognized her

before either of them moved.

They met in the center of the room

without a word,

as if the music had summoned them

into its slow, swaying orbit.

Her hair brushed his shoulder.

His hands rested lightly at her waist.

The saxophone curled around them

like a blessing.

They did not dance for the room.

They danced for the moment

for the softness,

for the safety,

for the rare chance to be held,

without being asked to explain themselves.

The candles flickered.

The velvet breathed.

And the Blue Velvet Candlelight Club

held them like a secret

the world outside was not ready for.

created, written, edited

Vicki Lawana Trusselli

Outstages Cafe Production

Trusselli Art

copyright 2026