Getting the swing of things
Several years ago I decided I’d take up swing dancing. Considering the fact I had 2 left feet from birth and an inability to clap on the beat this seemed like a fool-hearted errand… But here’s the thing, the girl that invited me out, I had a HUGE crush on her, and I was willing to look stupid if it meant I’d get to see her for an extra few hours each week.
So every Sunday evening from 7 to 9 I took dance lessons. I tripped over my own feet. I stumbled in ways that even newborn gazelles couldn’t manage. And only half the time was any of it on beat…
I had to do something! I loaded my iPhone up with all the swing music I could reasonably fit. I had Benny Goodman, I had Chick Webb, and I made sure I had plenty of Louis Armstrong. So I began listening religiously. I choreographed whole dances in my head. Rock step, triple step, step, step, triple step echoed through my mind on repeat. As I walked to classes at university I made sure I was walking on the beat, and if I was driving I’d be tapping my feet… And at some point, it all stopped being about a girl and became about this challenge I had before me.
I started spending more time and energy on swing dancing. I began attending a second night a week dedicated to practicing, and I was still listening to the music daily. At some point, I just knew it’d click; then I could say I’d figured it out.
But it never happened.
Eventually, others considered me good, but I never did. I would look at the same people I’d danced beside for 2 to 3 years and see how good they were, and failed to see how far I’d come. I’d see their joy and passion behind their fancy moves; all I had was sheer determination and what I hoped by now was a solid understanding of the basics.
And that’s when a new group started up teaching blues dancing. I initially went just as a chance to hang out with a few friends that attended, but I soon began going every Friday. I loved the music, and the steps were easy to pick up. But more importantly, I was having fun.
And that made all the difference!
I didn’t consider myself an expert, but I knew I could do this dance, and people noticed. I was being asked to dance by strangers, and for many there I became one of their favourite leads. A year in I was even asked to teach the beginner lessons. Unlike with swing, there was something different about blues dancing. I didn’t need it to click because I finally got out of my head and just enjoyed what I was doing.
Still, for a while, it surprised me that once a week people were showing up to have someone with 2 left feet and no natural rhythm teach them to dance. But, then again, I wasn’t that person any longer.
All that rugged determination to learn how to swing dance paid off; it helped me overcome my natural shortcomings. But, that mattered very little when I didn’t have the passion or the confidence to just enjoy what I was doing. At the same time, passion alone wouldn’t have made me a good dancer. Without intending to, I managed to strike a perfect balance between hard work and passion.
