Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – September 3, 2004

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – September 3, 2004

Dancing

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – September 3, 2004 – I don’t know many women who don’t like to dance. What most of us wouldn’t give for a trot around the dance floor with the likes of “Bond” – James Bond. Thoughts of warm summer nights, romantic music, the sensual feeling of being close to another person and the subtlety of the beat of a familiar, sexy song.

Well – that’s how we women see it anyway. Many men, on the other hand, see dancing as a duty to be engaged in only at holiday parties, weddings, anniversaries and “how do I get out of trouble with my wife” evenings. They miss the wonderful, rich subtleties of blending occasion, music and physical contact with their partner.

Some people, both men and women, are intimidated by dancing. The claims of “but I have two left feet” are heard throughout the land. It’s a shame because you don’t have to be John Travolta, Patrick Swayze, Madonna or Beyonce to enjoy dancing. All you really need to do is grab a partner, strut out onto the floor, listen for the beat of the music and move your hips. What could be easier?

My gal pals and I used to have a blast dancing with each other in our parents’ living rooms when we were kids. We did the Shimmy, the twist and the jive. We bopped around like lunatics and did the bump and grind. We imitated Elvis Presley , Sandra Dee, Fabian and sang into our coke bottle microphones – but mostly we laughed and laughed and laughed.

Then high school came along and it was off to Friday night dances at the high school and Saturday night dances at the roller rink. If there were no guys around, we gals danced together and usually a couple of courageous guys cut in and hung around for the inevitable slow dances. These were often the guys who pumped your right arm up and down, to their rhythm of the music, and sang the lyrics in your ear – almost always off key. But to give them their due, they tried their best.

High school dance partners gave way to more serious pairings in university, where it was great fun to dance with someone you really cared about in a closer, familiar way. I had a guy pal in university named Dave Sutton, and we went out dancing together a few times. I don’t think we actually dated, I can’t remember why, but he was an amazing dancer.

One of those guys who held me just right and twirled me around the dance floor like I had wings on my feet. All these years later, I still recall those few magical nights of dancing with Dave. Because he was such an exceptional dancer, I became a good dancer just by following him. What fun was that?

Most men I’ve been involved with haven’t been avid dancers. I’ve hardly ever been able to convince a man to go out for an evening of dancing, much less take ballroom dancing lessons. So forget the tango, the waltz or the lambada. I should just sign up for dance lessons on my own and hope for an available guy who has the same idea. Alas, something to put on my “to do” list. I’ll probably get to that just after I finish cleaning out my basement. Sigh!

I took dance lessons for about six years when I was a kid – ballet, tap and modern jazz. It was clear pretty early on that I had a level of youthful enthusiasm but not the necessary talent. However those years did give me an appreciation of moving my body and maybe a bit (not a lot) of rhythm. I still like to crank up the CD player and bop around the house to the strains of a great Springsteen tune, and I’m not that bad at shakin’ the old butt and lip syncing to the words.

Fortunately I have no thoughts about quitting my day job but I hope to never be too old to have fun! Go on, catch a partner by the hand, pick a venue and go out dancing – it will gladden your heart, make you smile, limber up the old gams and make you feel like a kid again.