Falling into Dancing
I started dancing in the fall of 1999 and it has given me much joy. I started with swing,
Latin (rhumba, cha-cha), and ballroom (waltz, foxtrot) lessons at my local Y. Soon after,
I added medieval/English Country dancing with
Three Left Feet. They are friendly and a
lot of fun; I met some of them at one of the
cons I attend, and others performing at the Maryland Renaissance
Faire when I went with my friends Andy and Daphne.
I walked with 3LF in the 2000 St. Patrick's Day parade by the Mall in Washington, D.C.,
along with some Markland fellow-travellers in armor on horses. The crowd was
enthusiastic, and I enjoyed waving. We've also performed at weddings and other events.
Glen Echo Dancing
In the spring of 2000, I became a regular at the
Friday night contra dances at the
wonderful Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park. The park is pretty (it used to be an amusement park -- my mom
remembers going there when she worked in Washington for the war efforts (WWII) -- and now the National Park Service maintains it), and the Spanish Ballroom is
big and beautiful, and has an excellent wooden floor for dancing; most events
there have live music. If you're interested in dancing but not too sure of
yourself, I highly recommend contra (American folk dancing, sort of in between
English Country and square dancing). Every Friday night, there's an hour lesson before the regular dancing, and the caller calls the moves at the start of each dance (the basic moves are simple, but can be put together
differently from dance to dance). Hints for beginners:
- You may notice people looking right at you, don't be bothered,
it's not flirting, they are just trying not to get dizzy, well, maybe it is
flirting, but it doesn't mean anything, well, maybe it does mean something ...
Anyway, it's a good way to keep from getting dizzy during a swing, and you can make "ear" contact instead of
eye contact if you prefer. -- David Cottle
- After you dance with someone, if they thank you for the dance
and then go off to find another partner, it doesn't mean that
they don't like you or that they don't like the way you dance.
They're just following our custom of dancing with lots of
different partners. -- Jim Saxe
I also try to hit
their more advanced Sunday night contras when I can, since
they have a shortage of women these days. I also sometimes attend Cajun/Zydeco dances,
swing dances, and waltzes there. Lessons
for all of these are available at Glen Echo -- I also took (and want to take more) tango there.
More Dancing
In the fall of 2000 I also attended the Heritage Dance Festival outside
Philly: swing, contra, waltz, tango, and much more. Since then I've been to a few dance
camps (e.g., the
American Dance Weekend in Capon Bridge, WV (Buffalo Gap), comes with lake and sauna!).
I really like the community feelings there.
Contra dance sites:
Vintage/Ballroom dancing:
Swing Dance sites:
If you've gone dancing much, you may enjoy this brief essay questioning What's Your Element? (earth, air, wind or fire) as a dancer.
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