There she sat alone
within a few strides of the dance floor, some 25 feet from me, at a table made
for six. But for my purposes, it would
be just right for the two of us! It wasn’t
long before it would be the last dance of the evening. I would claim that with her after enjoying a
few minutes of engaging conversation.
How angelic she
looked, but at the same time, I was just as overcome with her incredibly
voluptuous appearance. As I strode in
her direction, a few of the lyrics to the song, “So Rare,” infiltrated my
brain.
“So rare; you’re like
the fragrance of blossoms fair;
Sweet as a breath of
air; fresh with the morning dew.
So rare; you’re like the
sparkle of old champagne;
Orchids in Santa Fe
couldn’t compare to you.
You are perfection;
you’re my idea
Of angels singin’ the
‘Ave Maria;’
Or you’re an angel; I’d
breathe and live you
With every beat of
the heart that I give you…”
As I got within 10
feet of her, our eyes met in that rare, longing gaze, then…
…another man took her
hand and led her away, and out the door!
“You win some; you
lose some,” I nonchalantly told myself.
After all, women love a man who dances, and is there anyone more willing
than me? So, I reset my focus on another
lady, and began the cycle anew!
But seriously, folks…dancing
is simply an activity I love regardless of any romantic vibes!
My adulation for
dancing has gone through many different stages.
It started with square dancing from 1975-1988. It continued with mostly freestyle moves to ‘Mad’
Maynard and Jackie McCoy’s KADI Original Oldies Show at Club Mali Kai in the
Henry VIII Hotel late in that same time period.
Next was a brief stint of contra dancing some five years ago at The
Monday Club in Webster Groves, then spread out everywhere with a variety of
friends and acquaintances through Meetup groups, and I added swing dancing to
the mix with my first lessons at Moolah in January 2012.
During my many extremely
shy and introverted periods up to the middle of 2010, I often used dancing as
an excuse for not having to actually talk to anyone. But now, I’m wild and free both on and off
the dance floor!
Yes, dancing is a
wonderful means of expression, whether it’s freestyle, slow, swing, salsa,
contra, cha cha, tango, Cajun, or whatever other steps. It’s all about feeling the music, dancing to
the beat, and potentially forming some type of connection with one’s partner.
I returned to the
Concord Farmer’s Club in early 2013. It
was my first appearance there since I dated fellow dancing enthusiast Stalina
from late 2002 to late 2004. I had
forgotten what the place looked like except for the bar area. People told me that the inside was fully
revamped.
Either way, I enjoyed
taking an East Coast swing lesson with someone who has developed into a great
friend, and a bit later, I taught her the River Waltz. It was wonderful dancing with several women I
had previously met over the past year or so, and quite a few new ones. I also loved the mixer about halfway into the
night!
I grabbed my
partner’s friend who had never taken any swing lessons before. She appeared to be the perfect guinea pig, so
I not only combined East Coast, West Coast, and regular slow dancing to the
mix, but also serenaded her in the process with smiling faces and laughter
throughout.
Dancing means SOOO
much to me! It’s not only a great way to
meet people, but it’s a totally active pursuit, the music is normally terrific,
and I can add a little karaoke that I normally just reserve for shower
solos. You know…like some of those Al
Green songs, “Let’s Stay Together,” “I’m Still in Love With You,” “Look What You Done For Me,” and “You Ought to
Be With Me.” It’s great to love &
appreciate oneself, but it’s normally better to sing to someone else than just to
myself.
My dancing venues
have greatly expanded, too! It could be
Sunday evening at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, Sunday night at the Dorsett
Inn for The Oldies Show, Tuesday night at Moolah Shrine (my own Parkway North
Junior High a loooong time ago) and/or Sports Café, Wednesday night at Sports
Café or JP’s Corner, Thursday night at Frontenac Grill, Friday night to Concord
or any of a couple dozen other places on the weekend in St. Louis or St.
Charles County!
Darn! I have to get this blog finished! After all, I DO have a dancing date tonight!
To all the ladies out
there, please save the last…err…I mean…A dance for me!
Very nice... love to dance! I remember the first time I danced. It was at a girlfriend's place. Three of us dancing in a circle. Then it was the school dances. Not many guys danced, so it was up to us girls to move to the groove! I was 34 when I really appreciated how much dancing was in my life. It was my therapy after a relationship ended that I thought would last till the end of my days. It brought sanity to my life and a way to express my sadness. A way to escape the pain. Then later, it became my dance of connection to many friends. Love the dance...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and the importance of dance to you, Tonya! Yes. Dancing can be very therapeutic. I used to be one of those guys who could not force myself to dance. Then I kind of overused it as an excuse to not have deep, normal conversations. Nowadays, I use it to connect, too, usually as the first person on the floor. I remember the first dances with you, in your Halloween costume, at that South County place whose name escapes me.
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