I have been involved in competitive ballroom dancing for the past ten years. It is a wonderful way to stay in shape, stay mentally sharp and make new social connections.
What a sweet story about you and your future husband! A three-minute affair became a 30-year affair.
Someone said to me recently that in the old days, everyone danced and nobody took lessons. Now, nobody dances and everybody takes lessons. You seem to be the rare exception.
I think your comment about dancing only with better dancers applies to everything in life. Surrounding yourself with your superiors makes you better. When you aspire to something, seek out your betters.
One of the most important elements of dancing, I think, is enjoying yourself. Or at least appearing to enjoy yourself. Happiness is contagious, especially to people who you are touching. If you can't walk away feeling a little happier, you probably won't keep it up. The tango scowl is overrated.
So many good things in your comment! Dancing and lessons, doing things with one's betters, happiness is contagious! And that wonderful phrase, "the tango scowl"! Thanks, Dan.
What a lovely piece, Catherine. I enjoyed learning about your dance history, and I found your comments very thoughtful.
Getting in sync with your partner certainly is a form of closeness. Among serious Argentine tango dancers, there's a additional form of closeness: synchronizing your breath. I never did acheive that form but it's a beautiful idea.
I was hoping for this ending! All beautifully written as usual. Dance experiences I recall with happiness occurred in a large barn like structure in Stowe Vermont called The Rusty Nail. Partner or not, we all ended up dancing as I prefer -- first with one person done with another then alone, separate yet together, spontaneously, with shared laughter, occasional moments of brilliance, and much joy.
It was lovely to see you and Mark at the dance. I enjoyed the article. FYI, I think you might not have had a good Israeli teacher -- I taught international folk dance for many years, and hired guest teachers for workshops. It was amazing their range of quality -- I gave up on several teachers myself. Especially in an unfamiliar dance genre, a good teacher should start with basic steps that you'll use in several dances, so you can have fun while you learn more. Hope you have better experiences if you try other genres. BTW, zydeco is written with a lower case "Z" because Cajun is a nationality and zydeco a type of dance. Hope to see you and Mark again. Good luck with your writing.
Glad you weren't offended. You and Mark both looked great and I remembered a time at a club (Soho I think?) when there was no room to dance and we all had time to get to know one another better, a rarity with dancers, and a lovely memory. Hope to see you at another event. Are you going to Steve Riley's festival in CT?
I have been involved in competitive ballroom dancing for the past ten years. It is a wonderful way to stay in shape, stay mentally sharp and make new social connections.
What a sweet story about you and your future husband! A three-minute affair became a 30-year affair.
Someone said to me recently that in the old days, everyone danced and nobody took lessons. Now, nobody dances and everybody takes lessons. You seem to be the rare exception.
I think your comment about dancing only with better dancers applies to everything in life. Surrounding yourself with your superiors makes you better. When you aspire to something, seek out your betters.
One of the most important elements of dancing, I think, is enjoying yourself. Or at least appearing to enjoy yourself. Happiness is contagious, especially to people who you are touching. If you can't walk away feeling a little happier, you probably won't keep it up. The tango scowl is overrated.
Yes, ballroom dancing is a wonderful way to partner dance . . . and challenge one's skills!
So many good things in your comment! Dancing and lessons, doing things with one's betters, happiness is contagious! And that wonderful phrase, "the tango scowl"! Thanks, Dan.
Taking up Cajun and zydeco dancing turned out to be the best life decision I ever made!
Yes, darling!
What a lovely piece, Catherine. I enjoyed learning about your dance history, and I found your comments very thoughtful.
Getting in sync with your partner certainly is a form of closeness. Among serious Argentine tango dancers, there's a additional form of closeness: synchronizing your breath. I never did acheive that form but it's a beautiful idea.
Oh, I love that idea: synchronous breath! Might try it even off the dance floor . . .
I was hoping for this ending! All beautifully written as usual. Dance experiences I recall with happiness occurred in a large barn like structure in Stowe Vermont called The Rusty Nail. Partner or not, we all ended up dancing as I prefer -- first with one person done with another then alone, separate yet together, spontaneously, with shared laughter, occasional moments of brilliance, and much joy.
Oops, replied above!
Lovely. When was this? Is The Rusty Nail still there . . . and can we go?
Love at first dance ...
I could feel he loved me . . .
It's actually very beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Hi,
It was lovely to see you and Mark at the dance. I enjoyed the article. FYI, I think you might not have had a good Israeli teacher -- I taught international folk dance for many years, and hired guest teachers for workshops. It was amazing their range of quality -- I gave up on several teachers myself. Especially in an unfamiliar dance genre, a good teacher should start with basic steps that you'll use in several dances, so you can have fun while you learn more. Hope you have better experiences if you try other genres. BTW, zydeco is written with a lower case "Z" because Cajun is a nationality and zydeco a type of dance. Hope to see you and Mark again. Good luck with your writing.
Thanks, Fredda. Good to know about no caps on “zydeco”! I love tidbits like this.
Glad you weren't offended. You and Mark both looked great and I remembered a time at a club (Soho I think?) when there was no room to dance and we all had time to get to know one another better, a rarity with dancers, and a lovely memory. Hope to see you at another event. Are you going to Steve Riley's festival in CT?