|
||
Dancing Begets WarmthCustom has made dancing sometimes necessary for a young man; therefore mind it while you learn it, that you may learn to do it well, and not be ridiculous, though in a ridiculous act. |
   
|
|
Friday, September 12, 1997
I went to the Century Ballroom tonight. I heard about it from someone at work who posted it to the Singles Events public folder (like an internal newsgroup), though it wasn't strictly a singles thing.
I was a bit nervous about going, since I hadn't been there before and going to something like that by oneself is a challenge. I made a deal with myself: I'd go if I could find my second lace-up boot, which had been missing for a few weeks. I've been dancing at our Cacophony dances in my Flojo sandals, but those simply wouldn't do for this!. Then I got home and started reading email and catching up on journals, and almost left the looking for too late. But I did look, and found it, and got dressed, and left the house. The bus came just as I was passing the stop, so it was meant for me to get there in time for the class.
The Ballroom is not far from my house, on Pike in an old building that's the International Order of Oddfellows Lodge. It's a great old place, with a large dance floor, a stage, and a cafe down the hall. Here is the statement from the flyer I picked up, describing the place:
Century Ballroom is an elegant 4000 square foot smoke-free dance hall. The Century maintains a zero-tolerance policy with regard to discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation. We encourage you to participate in Friday night dances; whether you are dancing, eating, drinking, relaxing, or just watching.
I got there just as the free lesson was starting. I've done some swing dancing before, but I did pick up some nuances in the lesson, and met up with D---, the guy who posted the event in the folder, through the partner rotation that's part of the lesson. Two women are the ones who are running the whole thing. They call themselves the Swing Girls. Very good teachers! They run lessons on weeknights.
There were two live bands during the actual dance: Jump Up!, and the Dusty 45s. Both were very good, with good energy. I was asked to dance by two fellows. The first guy was a totally cute young man, in a white tank top with his hair slicked back in a DA. He was wearing two-tone oxford shoes, which seemed to be a popular choice with the crowd, since I saw several others wearing the same type. The second was a man that I could not follow at all, because he didn't know how to dance! He didn't dance in any known swing pattern, which made it impossible for me to guess what he was going to do, and he gave me no recognizable leads. He just twirled me and swung me around. Sheesh! I said after one dance that I was having trouble following him (putting the onus on me). I asked him about his not using the rock-back step that's a usual part of swing dancing. He said "I'm just being creative tonight!" So we tried one more dance, and it was the same deal. I reminded myself of this whenever I felt a twinge of envy at the folks on the floor later on: there are worse fates than not dancing!
The crowd was mixed in age, skill and dress. Some really knew what they were doing. They'd evidently been coming to the swing and lindy hop lessons that have been going on for a while. I really admired their skill and energy! I think I'll join!
|