Dance Dance Dance

Here in Adelaide, I'm visiting Sarah and her boyfriend Tomo. The other night, upon asking what they did for fun (other than sit, read, drink teas), I found out that they are the dancing kind. They actually have a class or lesson or something that night and I figured, well hey I took some swing before, I'll go and check it out. Can't be all that bad, right?

It was freaking awesome.

Modern Jive is a dance with steps so simple, it's hard to just "get it." It can be danced to any kind of music, which is cool, opening up endless possibilities. In contrast, swing was always danced to swing music. The moves for the top half are similar to swing (in fact, you can substitute any move), only the steps for the feet differ.

I have to tell you, Tomo is my hero. He exudes this kind of energy as he dances, like a smooth flow of graceful energy, perfectly in time and utterly synced with whoever he partners with. Nothing short of amazing to watch. I get a kick out of every new move he pulls out of his repertoire (as I make mental notes on how to do them myself). Sarah's pretty good too. She's like this quiet tea loving person at home, talks slowly and softly, yet turns into this fierce, flowing, hip-moving being on the floor. Mesmerizing. Put them together, and it's like watching magic.

After coming to a class or two, I'm starting to understand how to let go of thinking always about what move to go with what, and just enjoying being out there, flowing with the music. It's taken me a while to do it, but I'm getting to that point where it surpasses learning and arrives at fun.

And there was this pretty cute Czech girl named Dasha to boot. Cute partners are always a bonus.



The title is also a good Murakami book, by the way.