Blues Dancing

Last night I went blues dancing for the first time. I was going to get dinner with a friend, and she mentioned that she was going to go to a dancing class afterwards and invited me to come. My first instinct was, "Um, I'd rather just do dinner. Dinner is safe. I'm good at dinner. I know how to do dinner." But then I thought, "No. I'm in my 20's, the prime of my life, and now is the time to try new things and explore new adventures." So I agreed to go with her.

And I am SOOOO glad I did! It was amazing fun, and the night exceeded my expectations by a million miles. I expected there to be eight women in the room, attempting to count while moving their feet back and forth, trying to do something that could be called "dancing." But I was so wrong! First of all, there were more men there than women. WHAT?! I didn't think guys liked doing that kind of thing! Not only that, there were easily 40 people there. Some were newbies like me, others were very experienced, but everyone was friendly and was willing to dance with everyone else. The class part was only about 30 minutes, but it was enough to teach the basic frame, rhythm, and steps. I figured I had the hang of that part, so I felt pretty comfortable.

Then after that, we were off! Song after song, man after man, dance after dance. I enjoyed dancing with so many different people (all more experienced than I was) because they each taught me something new or gave me tips; each had their own style which made it fun to mix things up. I also will admit that usually I am not good at following while dancing or changing up the routine (surprise!). But this experience allowed me to do both: I had no idea what I was doing, so I had to follow the man's lead, and since I only knew the very basics, things got switched up very quickly and I just had to go with the flow. It was so refreshing, and definitely a good feeling to step out of my comfort zone.

Plus, it was quite an ego-booster. I was in a cute dress, one of the few women wearing high heels (I actually find it easier to dance in heels. They give me better posture, and just make me feel sexier!), and there were so many men asking me to dance that I didn't sit out during any of the songs. And I usually think of myself to be a good dancer in general, but it was nice to have that reaffirmed with all of these guys telling me I'm a good dancer, especially for my first time blues dancing. And this isn't meant to be creepy at all, but it also feels good just to touch someone. You know what I mean? I remember one summer living with my grandmother (who is not a touchy-feely person), and just feeling deprived of that social contact, even hugs! So dancing let me feel that human connection again, just having someone hold you next to them. We're social animals, so it was a good feeling.

So, I am obviously doing this again. Like, every week if I can manage it. People are always telling me I need a new hobby. Well, I may just have found it.