The Dance
I used to go regularly when I lived in PA. I discovered it shortly after my divorce and I would go nearly as often as Flash went to his dad's. What I loved most was the variety of people that were there. Young singles, older couples. It didn't matter your walk in life. It didn't matter if you came alone or attached. You were not just welcome, you were a part of it all.
I rarely had a date. Not every guy appreciates the environment, but a couple indulged me. But even single, I was never in want of a partner. Someone will always ask you to dance. That's part of the country community, I suppose. It doesn't matter much who you are, we all just know how much fun it is to dance.
I haven't been now in years. I started looking several months ago but couldn't find a place that really understood. It's a combination of things that make the environment great. Sure, great music is a part of that, but the real focus is on the dance floor. It needs to be huge. Country dancers like options. We want to line dance, but we also love to couples dance. Which means we need space for both.
I went last night to a new place I had heard of. From the parking lot I could hear the music and even as early as 8:15, the lot was full of cars. The minute I walked in the door, it was like coming home. The dance floor was huge. And I saw people not only line dancing, but doing my favorite couples' dances around the outside. It might sound silly, but my heart skipped a beat.
The first year I went to the country bar I never danced. I didn't know the dances and I felt intimidated to go out on the floor and learn them. But eventually I let a boy persuade me and he took my hand and he led me around the dance floor. My boots were on his feet more than the hardwood floor, but I never laughed so hard or smiled so much. In one dance, I was hooked. He taught me a lot of the dances I know. He would come find me throughout the night and I would say, "Do I know this one?" and he'd assure me I did only to get me out on the floor so he could teach me another new dance.
But even when he wasn't there, or on the nights when I just wanted to watch, what I loved most was seeing couples dance in such a way that you knew they had been dancing together for years. After watching them night after night, I realized how wonderful it must be to dance together regularly. It's not just touch, it's fun. It's not just a night out, it's a night spent in intimate contact. Women smiled, men led confidently. You just can't be that close and NOT feel the love.
Last night I got to be a part of it again. It's been too long and I was thrilled to be back. The dance steps came back to me faster than I might have imagined. Some dances that I knew back home, I found to be slightly different here. I was found by a man that was often looking for a partner and he led me around the dance floor several times for the ones I knew.
But it was when he asked me to slow dance that I remembered just exactly how much I love dancing. The gentle hand on my back guiding me. The other holding my hand. Guiding, moving, gently leading me around the dance floor. Not just in circles, but in a beautiful, sweet, rhythym. I loved it, without having any interest in the man himself, and likewise for him.
Dancing does my soul a world of good. I know it's not for everyone, but I wonder how marriages might change if couples danced together regularly. I hope to find someone to lead me around the dance floor and through life holding my hand and guiding me with a gentle touch to my back.
I rarely had a date. Not every guy appreciates the environment, but a couple indulged me. But even single, I was never in want of a partner. Someone will always ask you to dance. That's part of the country community, I suppose. It doesn't matter much who you are, we all just know how much fun it is to dance.
I haven't been now in years. I started looking several months ago but couldn't find a place that really understood. It's a combination of things that make the environment great. Sure, great music is a part of that, but the real focus is on the dance floor. It needs to be huge. Country dancers like options. We want to line dance, but we also love to couples dance. Which means we need space for both.
I went last night to a new place I had heard of. From the parking lot I could hear the music and even as early as 8:15, the lot was full of cars. The minute I walked in the door, it was like coming home. The dance floor was huge. And I saw people not only line dancing, but doing my favorite couples' dances around the outside. It might sound silly, but my heart skipped a beat.
The first year I went to the country bar I never danced. I didn't know the dances and I felt intimidated to go out on the floor and learn them. But eventually I let a boy persuade me and he took my hand and he led me around the dance floor. My boots were on his feet more than the hardwood floor, but I never laughed so hard or smiled so much. In one dance, I was hooked. He taught me a lot of the dances I know. He would come find me throughout the night and I would say, "Do I know this one?" and he'd assure me I did only to get me out on the floor so he could teach me another new dance.
But even when he wasn't there, or on the nights when I just wanted to watch, what I loved most was seeing couples dance in such a way that you knew they had been dancing together for years. After watching them night after night, I realized how wonderful it must be to dance together regularly. It's not just touch, it's fun. It's not just a night out, it's a night spent in intimate contact. Women smiled, men led confidently. You just can't be that close and NOT feel the love.
Last night I got to be a part of it again. It's been too long and I was thrilled to be back. The dance steps came back to me faster than I might have imagined. Some dances that I knew back home, I found to be slightly different here. I was found by a man that was often looking for a partner and he led me around the dance floor several times for the ones I knew.
But it was when he asked me to slow dance that I remembered just exactly how much I love dancing. The gentle hand on my back guiding me. The other holding my hand. Guiding, moving, gently leading me around the dance floor. Not just in circles, but in a beautiful, sweet, rhythym. I loved it, without having any interest in the man himself, and likewise for him.
Dancing does my soul a world of good. I know it's not for everyone, but I wonder how marriages might change if couples danced together regularly. I hope to find someone to lead me around the dance floor and through life holding my hand and guiding me with a gentle touch to my back.
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