I am happy. I just came back from my first ‘GD’ or General Dancing, which is the Friday night social run by the Cambridge Dancers’ Club. I danced most songs (avoided tangoes, foxtrots or Viennese Waltzes, though).
I think… I am starting to get over my dance shyness. I have been out of practice for perhaps two years and my confidence has been quite low. At the Winchester Ball, I huddled in the corner, paralysed unless someone asked me to dance. I felt guilty for not being brave enough to ask, and scared that I would impose a horrible dance experience on someone else.
I remember my first swing social. I hadn’t even had one dance lesson but still asked people to dance. ‘Hi. I don’t really know how to do this. Do you mind dancing with me?’
Somehow, being able to lower expectations made it easier. I guess I’m now in a situation where I am aware of my deficiencies as a dancer and not able to make up for them. Ignorance can be bliss.
Tonight, I danced with a man wearing a shirt, tie and waistcoat. I asked him to dance a quickstep, warning him that I was quite ‘rubbish’ at it. He replied that he was as well, and proceeded to lead me through a lovely quickstep. He was clearly not rubbish and had thoughtfully matched my level of dancing.
When the song finished, he gently hooked his arm through mine and walked me off the floor. It was very gentlemanly. I was surprised and really quite charmed.
i am happy for you too really!
i started dancing too! and though i am physically drained but i just feel soooooo great!!h
Hey Damo, you’d better match that guy’s gentlemanlyness or all those gentlemanly English folk might steal Joan away! 😛
He was a bit of a mystery man. Obviously competent (and charming) but he spent most of the time sitting by the side. Hmm, chivalrous, mysterious, well-dressed and a good dancer! That *would* be hard to compete with 😉
Bah he’s got nothing on me 😉
lol just kidding. I tried that whole sitting by the side thing once, I think people thought I was antisocial 🙂
Maybe it’s because you don’t look mysterious enough, Jon!
It’s kind of hard to be mysterious when you’re always smiling 🙂 I think Jon should play to his strengths — thoughtfulness and welcomingness and interestingness.
LOL 🙂 Thanks Yoan 🙂
I reckon I can look pretty mysterious if I wear a balaclava or something. Or a Zorro mask – that’d play up my whole ‘interestingness’ thing 😉