Close and Move On

Ever have a dentist appointment that you dreaded? Maybe you had a cavity that needed to be filled and you knew the drilling would hurt like - well, a lot? So, for hours before the appointment you tried to figure out if - just maybe - the pain was imaginary and you could just go on like nothing was wrong. In the end though, painful or not, you got the tooth drilled and filled and eventually felt a lot better for it.

This week's been that way. The dust on our doomed routine has settled, the initial shock and disappointment (though still present) has faded into clarity, and it's time to move on. Well, it's time for us to move on.

It's not surprising that a ballroom studio teaches ballroom style and values ballroom priorities. When Kelly and I first started dancing we had no idea that there'd be any difference between a place teaching ballroom and a swing-oriented club. I mean its all dance, right? The short answer is yes and no. Yes, swing is a dance just like any of the ballroom dances. No, the core philosophy of swing and ballroom aren't the same.

In my heart I'm a club dancer. I love swing in all its variations from South Carolina Shag to Arkansas Street Swing and from Rockabilly to Bop. That doesn't mean I've given up on learning and dancing the Fox Trot. My heart beats in a certain ardent way when I think about listening to a romantic Goodman tune while I circulate around the dance floor. In the final analysis, though, I don't need medals, trophies, or ballroom strictures to tell me I'm a good (or bad) dancer. I feel it.

2010 will start with more exploration and more fodder for our blog. We're going to take on Latin dances from Afro-Cuban instructors, we're going to plumb the depths of Swing instructors, and we're going to try to capture the elusive Fox Trot. Raise a glass to the new year and strap on a fresh pair of dance shoes. The band's warming up and it's almost time for the ball to drop in Times Square.