Last night I enjoyed a Swing Dance party in the city with live music. Today I had fun at a kite festival in rural MA on a perfect summer day. As an introvert, it takes energy for me to motivate to get out to events with crowds, but I always enjoy the uplifting feeling from social connection.
The first hour of the party was a dance lesson, where everyone formed a circle and rotated partners every few minutes as we learned new steps together from the teachers. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Being in closed hold after introducing oneself briefly to many others of various ages, abilities, and backgrounds — with a common love of dancing — is a great antidote to the isolation of our heavily online society.
At the festival when a friend and I were struggling to assemble our new kites, we asked two other women who walked by if they had experience. Amazingly, one was a world champion kite flyer, who happily took the time to help me assemble my kite and get it soaring with very little wind!
Something else these two events had in common, besides social connection and a friend who joined me for both, was the freedom and joy of movement. The kites dancing together as they rose in the wind reminded me of the feeling of East Coast Swing. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Rock step, triple step, triple step. The crowd of colorful kites against the blue sky backdrop reminded me of the dance floor full of people smiling, swaying, bouncing, and experiencing the thrill of Swing Dance freedom.
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