Let Joy Be Unconfined

I do not know what the spirit of a philosopher could more wish to be than a good dancer. For the dance is his ideal, also his fine art, finally also the only kind of piety he knows, his "divine service."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Thursday, May 22, 1997

Today I skipped the festival, since we had a Cacophony event I didn't want to miss. Jayson has been doing a social dance workshop for the last few months, and he is a really good teacher. We meet at Gasworks Park, where there is a large shelter with plenty of open space for dancing.

My first experience with social dance was in college. We would never have done such a thing in high school, being the intellectual crowd that we were, and my family wasn't in a social set that sent their children to dance class or cotillion. I picked the social dance class as an easy gym credit, and it was a lot of fun except for one guy that stepped on my toe and broke my toenail.

I also took some lessons with a boyfriend when I was in my twenties. I think we signed up because he thought it was a good deal, one of those specials that Arthur Murray runs. It was fun, but we didn't get in the habit of going out dancing. I recall taking a class a few years ago through the Mountaineers, a Seattle organization that has classes in everything from bird-watching to technical climbing.

I would rate my skill level as moderate. I know enough that I can be dangerous. When I am trying to help a beginner, it is perfectly possible for me to give him a lot of bad advice, or explain things poorly enough that I just confuse him. But my partners have been very patient and tolerant, and haven't taken my efforts the wrong way.

These workshops are in preparation for a larger-scale event in September, a ball somewhere with costumes, decorations, etc. We did this once before, a few years ago. The Gothic Nouveau Masquerade Ball was held on a viewpoint and fishing pier operated by the Port Authority, and we watched the barges go by.

So tonight we danced the waltz, swing, set dances, and a very strange three-person dance. We had a variety of skill levels, but everyone dove in with a good spirit and kept on trying. I really made progress in the Viennese waltz, which involves a leap of faith to get yourself turning around the floor in a complicated way, precessing like a planet and moon revolving around the sun. It was a beautiful evening to be outside, and as the park got quieter, the ducks wandered close to our feet, looking for crumbs.

Now I feel pleasantly fatigued. Tomorrow it's back to the movies, and I really want to get to the midnight show. Let's see if I last!

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