So I went to the Daffodil Ball last night, which was the big spring ballroom dance extravaganza. As usual, I went by myself, though surprisingly my friend Crater Girl ballroom dances and had she not had a commitment and had it not cost $5, she may have accompanied me.

After looking over the dance card, I decided that the only dances I was comfortable doing were the east coast swing, the waltz, and the cha-cha, since those were the only ones I could remember from when I last danced them, some two years ago. They were few and far between. But by the end of the night, I was doing the international waltz, the international cha-cha, the foxtrot, the quickstep, the hustle, the tango, and my favorite- the samba. The tall elderly asian guy with whom I was doing the samba had apparently learned the same routine that we had done in gold latin dance (samba walk!). I enjoyed them all, but always find the international waltz to be a little invasive of my personal space... if I wanted a man's thigh that far into my crotch, I would do the horizontal polka. (Just kidding!)
Thank goodness the puritanical Americans invented the American waltz, which is by contrast quite civilized. I think the waltz is the epitome of true love. That kind of romantic, sweet, tender kind of love like you hope to have on your 50th wedding anniversary. You know, all you really need is a gigantic ballroom with huge windows and a balcony on one side and stars and cherubs painted on the ceiling and a floor that looks kind of like a compass and a big yellow dress with matching gloves and a big, handsome beast to dance with and life would be perfect.
The rumba, on the other hand, captures the way that love often is, especially in its first, volatile stages where neither of you is willing to lay down your hand. There was a terrific rumba showcase to that song, "Too late to Apologize". I know ranor loves that song. ;) The dance was SO GOOD.
I met a fellow whose job it is to collect seashells and make them into jewelry with his family. I guess they sell these pieces to wholesalers or occasionally at craft fairs. They collect shells from all over the East Coast. I also later learned that he has a website about aliens and a plan to shuttle people back and forth through space by using some kind of magnetic elevator. You tend to get into these sorts of conversations when you reveal that your job is to study Mars.
In the end, I made a lot of new friends and they convinced me to join the ballroom club. Apparently they're having lessons and practice over the summer, when I actually have time to participate. Their coach is a tall, bald British guy who looks more like a drill sergeant than a ballroom coach. But actually, most ballroom coaches are more like drill sergeants than anything, I've come to realize.

TOES OUT!

I found that I could still surprisingly fake many of the dances I hadn't danced in years.

Although I will say... given the choice between International and American style, I'd choose International any day. Especially for the Latin dances. The American Cha-Cha and the American Rumba simply do not compare to the grace and power of their International counterparts.
» ranor on 2008-05-03 02:43:02

awesome! That should be so much fun. You'll be a dancing queen before the summer is over.
» jinyu on 2008-05-03 11:39:24

"A big, handsome beast" made me think of Beauty and the Beast, although I wouldn't consider him handsome necessarily... :P
» randomjunk on 2008-05-04 02:35:38

COOL!
That is so cool that you get to join ballroom dance! They sound like really nice people :-)
» Rachel (76.25.22.226) on 2008-05-04 12:13:11

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