So I’m going to Ft. Lauderdale this weekend for SoFLEX. Ostensibly, I am going to see some friends and escape the ass-cold of Chicago. But I think maybe this time I’ll actually try to do a bit of dancing. And try to enjoy it like I used to, those many years ago.
I am trying to figure out why it is that I don’t enjoy it as much. And I think I’ve narrowed down the reasons.
**
Reason 1 – Fear.** For some reason, I think everyone is better than I am at dancing. The reason is probably because they *are*. This is why I rarely dance with someone I don’t know REALLY well – I don’t want them to think they wasted a dance on me when they could have been dancing with that “dreamy” lead who is so magical. At least with my good friends, I feel like we have fun just because, well, at least we know each other.
Reason 2 – Boredom. After a couple of songs, I get kind of bored.This is probably because I suck. If I was more creative, then I could see dancing a ton. I guess that’s why I don’t “get” the appeal of dancing for hours straight and doing nothing else. There are few things I would do repetitively for that length of time. Maybe I need to be more creative.
Reason 3 – Physical Shape. I’m hoping that having quit smoking will help with this one. Maybe if I don’t get winded, I’ll be willing to dance more songs in a row.
I think Reason 1 is the biggie. I don’t like doing things I am not good at. So it’s embarrassing for me to dance with someone who thinks I suck. But maybe I just need to embrace the suck. I mean, I know what I am doing. I can do a passable swingout. I know a couple cool turns. I know how to pay attention to the follower and try to play off of her. In theory, I should be an acceptable dance partner.
We shall see.