Ballroom Dancing
I go dance once a week. I would say I learn dance once a week, but that would be a misnomer since as soon as I leave the dance lesson I can't remember a thing. This month I go on Tuesdays and am learning the Ramba and the Samba. It has been a lot of fun. Most people are at the same level and haven't a clue to what they are doing. Of course that's what makes it so fun. It seems to take the pressure off of performing well when everyone is having the same problem as you are. And it is fun when you get to try to work things out together and try to figure out what is wrong and what is right. Of course getting your toes stepped on is not that fun. It doesn't bother me that much, but the ladies tend to leave the dance hall doing a little limp. They must enjoy it, too, because they keep coming back.
Last night we learned how to do, well, I am not sure exactly what it is called, but we learned the basics in both Ramba and Samba. We also learned breakouts, an underarm turn, and how to rotate on the floor. The Ramba is slow and I do alright with it. My mind tends to do OK if it has the time to think about things. The Samba, on the other hand, well, my brain just doesn't work that fast, not to mention my feet. In fact, I am lucky to stay on my feet, not to mention off the feet of my partner.
We always start on opposite sides of the room; men on one side, women on the other. We learn the steps and then the women are told to go get partners. I don't know, but this part reminds me of elementary school when we picked teams because I alway get picked last. In fact, the instructor, Eileen, often has to encourage any women who didn't get a partner to partner up with me. This wasn't a problem when my wife went to dance. But she doesn't go any more.
When you are dancing there are so many things to remember and concentrate on. It's not just where your feet go, even though that is very important; but you have to know what to do with your hands. And of course you have to hold your head up high and not look down. Looking down when you are dancing tends to have the same effects as when you are up high. Its scary. Perhaps it is scary because you see how close your feet are coming together. One of the things you have to rememver is where to position your hands, when to hang on, and when to let go. It can be pretty embarrassing if you don't let go with your right hand when breaking to the right. Believe me, you have to be there to picture it; that's about all I want to say about that on this blog; or any other blog for that matter. And then what do you do when a lady wears a low cut shoulderless dress, where do you put your hand? You know, it's kind of like the dilemna of where to pin a corsage on a dress that has too little dress to pin it on. And then keeping your mind working in these conditions...
Most of the people dancing are my age. I would say older, but that doesn't seem to work for me anymore. There are lots of singles there and most everyone is there for social networking, except me. If anyone knows me, they know that I am a social recluse and incompetent in social circles. I am there to support the teacher who is a friend of ours. (OK, so I am really there for therapy if you must know.) Often times I feel like I have been hired on as a dance host of a cruise ship. If you've ever seen the movie Out to Sea with Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau, you will know what I mean. It was a terrible movie and I wouldn't recommend you to run out and rent it just to see what I mean; I think you can get the gist just by thinking about it. I tend to picture myself as a dashing host entertaining the women and making sure they are having a good time, and, of course helping them gain confidence in their dancing. I know, it doesn't quite fit after the other things I've talked about in this post. But tonight I had another awakening when I overheard some of the ladies saying they felt like they were dance hostessess on a cruise ship...I guess I'm not the only one. So we continue to sail the seven seas together, each one helping out the egos of the others.
Last night we learned how to do, well, I am not sure exactly what it is called, but we learned the basics in both Ramba and Samba. We also learned breakouts, an underarm turn, and how to rotate on the floor. The Ramba is slow and I do alright with it. My mind tends to do OK if it has the time to think about things. The Samba, on the other hand, well, my brain just doesn't work that fast, not to mention my feet. In fact, I am lucky to stay on my feet, not to mention off the feet of my partner.
We always start on opposite sides of the room; men on one side, women on the other. We learn the steps and then the women are told to go get partners. I don't know, but this part reminds me of elementary school when we picked teams because I alway get picked last. In fact, the instructor, Eileen, often has to encourage any women who didn't get a partner to partner up with me. This wasn't a problem when my wife went to dance. But she doesn't go any more.
When you are dancing there are so many things to remember and concentrate on. It's not just where your feet go, even though that is very important; but you have to know what to do with your hands. And of course you have to hold your head up high and not look down. Looking down when you are dancing tends to have the same effects as when you are up high. Its scary. Perhaps it is scary because you see how close your feet are coming together. One of the things you have to rememver is where to position your hands, when to hang on, and when to let go. It can be pretty embarrassing if you don't let go with your right hand when breaking to the right. Believe me, you have to be there to picture it; that's about all I want to say about that on this blog; or any other blog for that matter. And then what do you do when a lady wears a low cut shoulderless dress, where do you put your hand? You know, it's kind of like the dilemna of where to pin a corsage on a dress that has too little dress to pin it on. And then keeping your mind working in these conditions...
Most of the people dancing are my age. I would say older, but that doesn't seem to work for me anymore. There are lots of singles there and most everyone is there for social networking, except me. If anyone knows me, they know that I am a social recluse and incompetent in social circles. I am there to support the teacher who is a friend of ours. (OK, so I am really there for therapy if you must know.) Often times I feel like I have been hired on as a dance host of a cruise ship. If you've ever seen the movie Out to Sea with Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau, you will know what I mean. It was a terrible movie and I wouldn't recommend you to run out and rent it just to see what I mean; I think you can get the gist just by thinking about it. I tend to picture myself as a dashing host entertaining the women and making sure they are having a good time, and, of course helping them gain confidence in their dancing. I know, it doesn't quite fit after the other things I've talked about in this post. But tonight I had another awakening when I overheard some of the ladies saying they felt like they were dance hostessess on a cruise ship...I guess I'm not the only one. So we continue to sail the seven seas together, each one helping out the egos of the others.
Rites of Passage
A Second Thought
A Second Thought
So I have been doing more thinking on rites of passage. What other rites to I have to look forward to in this journey of life. The first thing that came to mind was retirement. That is definately a rite to passage. But I seem to have already done that, too. Albeit not by my choice. So what then is next?...OK. I'm not ready to go there yet...
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