A Study in Contrasts

As Gary said in his post, when you travel you never know what the dance venue will be, no matter how hard you research. And so the two places we attended over the weekend in and around Virginia couldn’t have been more different.

Let me first say unless you travel to DC there isn’t much dancing around Winchester, VA. I did find one nearby dance school and they recommended on their site a place called the Gables Nightclub. I was wary; a bar with a dance floor is not the same as a ballroom with a bar, but we decided to try it.

So we arrived after 8 (it opened at 8) and pulled into the parking lot. There were about ten cars there. We walked up to the door: locked. Interestingly enough, there was a door bell. Weird. We decided perhaps it wasn’t yet open, so we drove around and came back. More cars in the lot and some people talking. OK, we thought, here we go. But no….locked again. We decided at that point we did not want to attend anywhere you had to ring a doorbell; I had visions of a prohibition speak easy or the little green guy from the wizard of OZ saying you don’t get in no way no how to see the wizard. Or perhaps the doorbell was for something more distasteful.

Saturday then, we were more than ready to dance. We decided on the historic Spanish ballroom in Echo Park, Maryland. We were worried about the drive, but although a bit long from where we were (an hour) the journey was easy. When we arrived in the area you’d of thought we'd driven into an enchanted forest… and that illusion stayed with us the whole night. We parked in the lot and walked along a wooded path across a rushing stream. In the distance we began to hear the sweet sounds of a calliope, lights winking through the trees. I thought I had arrived in Lothlorian.

We rounded a corner and there it was in all its glory, perfectly restored. A wizened man (OK, he was a wizard, I just know it) ushered us through and I hopped aboard a long eared bunny. It was magical. The whole park was unreal; deco buildings, an old bumper car ride, set in an impossibly beautiful setting.

And then the Spanish Ballroom. It truly did feel like we’d entered another world; huge arched doorways, multicolored columns the length of the wall topped with a glowing sconce so they looked like giant candles, a perfect dance floor, and a great band. We danced and danced. And maybe because the night was so perfect, we officially now have added the rockabilly swing to our list of dances we can do out. We did great! It seems like only yesterday we thought we’d never be able to do it.

The ballroom is open air so it was hot, October would be wonderful, but a small price to pay for such a luscious experience. One of THE best I’ve ever had. Sigh.

Pictures to come when we get home.