Today my ballroom dance teacher Fitz and I worked on our Viennese Waltz show dance routine. He is challenging me, a longtime bronze level dancer, out of my comfort zone with silver and gold level choreography moves. The more complex footwork beyond basic natural and reverse turns includes progressive running steps and a “slingshot” move, where we continuously pass one another using leverage and momentum at a fast tempo. I was out of breath and exhilarated after the lesson, feeling as if I had just stepped off a rollercoaster.
As Fitz said, the lesson was “scary and fun.” That got me thinking about how things in life can often be scary without being fun, and fun without being scary, but that combination together is special: performing, thrill rides, parenting, learning something new — to name just a few. What activities do you enjoy because they’re both scary and fun?
At yesterday’s ballroom dance lesson, my teacher Fitz and I worked on cleaning up my Viennese Waltz footwork. I’m learning to dance independently (before going into dance hold), to clearly understand the mechanics of every movement with reverse turns, natural turns, change steps, etc.
There was a moment when the lightbulb went off in my brain about why one of my transitional turns wasn’t working. We figured out I was doing 2 change steps where only 1 is needed, which meant I was not able to get back into partner hold easily. It was a satisfying feeling to “problem solve” the footwork issue then glide around the floor more smoothly, to uplifting Viennese Waltz music.
These lightbulb “ah-ha!” problem-solving moments are always satisfying when they happen in daily life, off the dance floor, also. As another example — on a lovely evening at Follow Your Art Community Studios, I participated in an outdoor ukulele event where a few dozen people of all levels came to strum and sing along to favorite songs. I showed up as a novice with my new bright blue uke, and sat next to a kind woman who helped me learn the fingerwork for various chords. It was several hours of fun, community social connection, and lightbulb moments!
Last weekend when I was out social Swing dancing, an older man who asked me to dance shared the exact address where he grew up when he introduced himself. I was speechless because a) that is not something one typically does, and b) it turns out that he grew up right across the street from my grandparents — and used to shovel their driveway six decades ago! He even remembered my grandfather’s name. What are the odds of this coincidence? As a child, I spent summers and holidays in that beautiful brick house my grandfather had built in the 1930s, and we both recalled the expansive view of Boston from the back patio. This was a surprising and unexpected connection on the dance floor.
Last night I danced at the annual “Swingin’ on the Charles” Swing Dance event at the Charles River boat house. The skyline, sailboats, and red line “T” crossing the Longfellow Bridge provided a quintessential Boston backdrop to the jazz music and dancers on the docks. One thing I love about Swing Dance is that people who show up to social dance are passionate about this style and happy to dance with others, even much younger or older than themselves. I was happy to see a predominance of twenty-somethings from the local universities, mixing with dancers from various other ages up through their seventies.
A young man in his late twenties asked me to dance, and commented that the Boston waterfront view reminded him of Seattle, where he’s from. I told him I used to visit Seattle often when I lived in California. After some back-and-forth conversation–while we were practicing back-and-forth Swing, Charleston and Lindy Hop moves–we discovered that we attended the same California graduate school for our PhDs in engineering, years apart.
These two “small world” discoveries through casual dance floor conversation make me wonder how many more would be uncovered through more social connections and conversations on dance floors and other places in our day-to-day lives. What “small world” coincidences have you experienced?
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.
The last few weeks I signed up for beginner line dancing lessons in my town, held at the local VFW building that has a stage and dance floor. It was taught by an enthusiastic young woman who is a competitive line dancer at her university and was home for the summer. I had only tried this form of dancing once before, at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville (pic below), and recalled correctly how much fun it is. Not only did I enjoy the country music songs and learning new steps and choreographed line dance routines, I also enjoyed the comraderie of people (mostly women of various ages) learning and practicing these in unison. The first time I went alone, the second time with a friend, and the third time with a different friend and my daughter. Each class was an enriching new life experience, and an opportunity to get out of my house and socialize with others in my community. I am inspired to do more social swing dancing this fall, along with more ballroom lessons and group tap classes!
Today I enjoyed a transcendent dance lesson with my teacher Fitz, as we started preparing a show dance for competitions and charity events. We focused on Waltz, Tango, and Viennese Waltz and combined steps from different levels (Bronze and Silver) and styles (International Standard and American Smooth). Instead of practicing Bronze level competition routines, we went “off script.” This means I did not know what move he would lead me into from one step to the next, so I needed to be even more present and in the moment than usual. There were numerous times I misstepped and almost ran into him, but overall I felt exhilaration, empowerment, and freedom as we zoomed and floated and spun around the dance floor. We laughed throughout the hour and I left the studio with a smile on my face that I’m still wearing hours later!
As a scientist used to approaching life analytically, going “off script” is challenging for me. Throughout my research career I was always more comfortable reading notes for the numerous presentations I gave rather than impromptu public speaking. As I get older, I’m learning to let experiences unfold more organically and to be ok with an unstructured daily schedule. Once again, lessons I learn on the dance floor inform my life outside the studio, and vice versa.
Several weeks ago I attended Derek Hough’s Symphony of Dance Encore show in Boston with a VIP ticket I splurged on last winter, when I was immersed in Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Season 34. I was starstruck to meet the Emmy-winning choreographer/dancer/actor/singer/tv personality, take this joyous photo with him, and participate in the Q&A session (his favorite dance styles? Paso Doble and Argentine Tango). Derek not only choreographed and starred in an incredible dance show (with his wife Hayley, a dancing miracle after a near-fatal brain bleed and surgery two years ago, along with a highly talented dance troupe), but also shared his vulnerability and gratitude with the audience. His positivity and zest for life was truly contagious with the audience and tangibly shifted my energy, reminding me again the therapeutic powers of dance.
I was also grateful to make new friends in line and the seats next to me—kind New Englanders who also appreciate the beauty of dance and this amazing artist. I’ll add that watching DWTS over the years has brought me tremendous joy and comfort, including through pneumonia recovery and other tough times. I’m looking forward to next season, and inspired to work with my ballroom teacher on a Pro(fessional)-Am(ateur) showdance number. Thank you, Derek!
Ballroom dancing is a gorgeous and challenging art form. In today’s lesson I had fun continuing to practice the Waltz, Tango and Viennese Waltz with my outstanding teacher Fitz. We talked and laughed about “so much happening” in every single moment. Feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, back, neck, head all have their roles and must help each other and stay in sync — for each partner individually as well as together in hold — and must also be connected with every beat of the music for the dance to look graceful and beautiful. As a scientist, I think of it as a complex physics equation I’m always working to solve by adjusting each of the components as needed. As a dancer, I’m having fun letting go of “so much happening” outside the dance studio —and feeling the pure joy of stylish movement!
I’ve been taking private ballroom lessons regularly on Wednesday afternoons for the last few months. That hour is the perfect midpoint of my week! My teacher is helping me polish American Smooth Waltz, Tango, Viennese, and Foxtrot bronze level routines. Each style has its own personality, and dancing them brings out different facets of my personality. There aren’t many guarantees in life — but walking out of the studio feeling totally blissful and energized is one of them! Highlights today were flying around the dance floor in Viennese waltz to R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts,” nailing Tango turns, and rediscovering the joy of partner dancing to a bluesy foxtrot number. Looking forward to next Wednesday!
Hello! It’s been too long since I last posted because, well…Life. Including unexpected early retirement, family medical challenges, traveling, finishing my novel, et cetera. But I’m happy to report that I have in fact danced a lot since my previous post. After a friend gave me a salsa lesson gift certificate for my last birthday, I took some private and group salsa and bachata lessons. While I haven’t yet managed to push myself out of my introverted comfort zone to venture into the social dance scene again, Spring is just around the corner with its endless possibilities.
I also enjoyed adult group tap class again, at two different studios (one in my suburb and one in the city, with different teachers and age demographics), in which I learned more about tap and myself. Last fall I also took more private ballroom dance lessons, working on waltz, tango, foxtrot, and Viennese. This reinvigorated my dream of dancing the Viennese waltz in Vienna, preferably during the balls season, and ideally on New Year’s Eve. I learned that a dance friend of mine has the same dream, and we talked about traveling to Vienna together around our 60th birthdays, which happen to be a few months apart.
Every one of these dance styles and experiences is a gift. Another gift I’m grateful for is the supreme joy I feel when dancing around my living room (or sometimes my basement or hotel room) by myself, playing my favorite songs on the Spotify list I created. Sometimes I blast the speaker with disco lights that strobe to the beat. Sometimes I dance with my eyes closed, and am transported to whatever decade and time in my life each song evokes. Every single time — whether I’m doing the twist, swing dancing, salsa dancing, disco dancing, freeform dancing — or all of the above, as I did tonight, I am 100% guaranteed to feel better after shakin’ my groove thing without a care in the world. If you haven’t turned your living room or basement into your own personal dance floor, I highly recommend trying it!
