The Sweaty Face of a Social Dancer

There is the general external perception that dancing is such an elegant activity ~ it’s all glitz and rhinestones; you’re perfectly coiffured; are demure and look like a princess … the reality is quite different, especially when you social dance, especially if you’re me and especially especially when you’re wearing a dress entirely inappropriate for dancing! It’s raw, it’s visceral and it’s sweaty ~ especially when you’re at it for 3-4 hours. But damn-it, it’s fabulous.

At the end of a day of Competitive Edge seminars and workshops there was a gala ball where you dressed-to-impress, so I wore the dress I intended to go out in afterwards … because I didn’t intend to stay until the end … because my ability to leave a social dance before the end is well documented … it isn’t, I just can’t leave, and I didn’t and I danced and danced and then was about to leave 10 mins from the end … and didn’t.

My brother asked me what I was up to, so I sent him a picture of my “current state” to which he replied “dear god do they have the paramedics on standby?!” … rude!  I was about to be offended when a cha cha came on and I abandoned my phone and took to the dancefloor again.

You just can’t explain the joy-of-dancing to someone ~ to me it’s just utterly joyous – even when you’re limping home covered in crusted sweat! … especially when you’re limping home, covered in crusted sweat!

… I eventually got to my friends birthday, after midnight …!

Back on the Dance Floor

Oh my god, I have been excited about going back to the Rivoli since before New Year, before the flu started, well before I really should have been excited about it. I was like a clapping seal, I was that excited. But boy was I pissed off that the flu nearly put paid to that. But it didn’t. I did however hold back [a bit] … I only did one jive and didn’t mind that I sat out a few dances.

It seems like I haven’t been social dancing in ages … October …! This is not right, this is very very wrong! Dance competitions seemed to fall on Rivoli weekends throughout last year. This year, very few do … Super Excited!

I ache all over after dancing for 4hrs … including my face ~ it was such a joyous night. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep, I’m in so much pain, not be able to walk in the morning. One thing I am sure of, is that I don’t care … can’t wait until the next social!

Why I Dance

Why I dance … the short answer is, because I can. The longer answer is because 18 months ago I couldn’t ~ I didn’t have enough energy to walk 50m, let alone dance. I’d been in and out of hospital, had a blood transfusion and finally had an operation that left a not-really-very-disposable internal organ in a bowl.

Some people criticise me for never sitting down at socials, I don’t apologise for that. I literally care not-a-jot.

I dance now for all the times I couldn’t dance in the past and for the times I may not be able to in the future. I dance because it brings me joy.  I dance because I lose myself and all the stresses of my life.  Dancing was my focus and motivation on the long road to recovery.  I push myself, because it may be taken away in an instance.

Dancing is joyful, it is when  and although my nerves sometimes cripple me in competitions, I will keep going and strive to achieve.  Because that also makes me happy.

My First Ballroom Competition

Today I competed in my first dance competition, ballroom at that, not Latin, which is what I’ve been focussing on more over the very short two years I’ve been dancing.

My dance teacher has put me straight in at Silver Medal level despite having not done that medal test, nor indeed

30 Years of Being Seizure Free

Today is my 30th anniversary of being seizure free. It’s a strange and weirdly emotional thing to say.

Most years I let go by with barely a flicker of acknowledgment, but this year I thought I would mark the milestone and spend it with some amazing people.

March Rivoli

I’m so excited to be back in the Ballroom and more specifically at the Rivoli ballroom social again.  I missed February as my friends were getting married – don’t get me wrong, that was most excellent, but it did leave a big-old-gap between Rivoli visits.  However, that did also mean that I was as excited as a child at Christmas before this visit.

There were a good few of the regulars there thankfully – so I managed to spend nearly all of the 4+hrs dancing ~ sweaty fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Distraction Club, Prefaced by Dancing

My social life seems to have gone a bit crazy again with nights having to be double-stacked. Last night was a quick drink with a friend followed by a double dance class, tonight is a private dance lesson followed by the once-a-month Distraction Club. I always end up missing the first 40mins of DC, as I have to head back into Town from Westbourne Park – but I wont miss dance.

My First Wedding Cake ~ The Big Cake Build

Well it’s finally finished and boxed up ready to go to the wedding tomorrow. I go through periods of really quite liking it, to really not liking it at all. Part of me think it’s a bit mummsy, the other part of me thinks it’s beautiful.

It’s my first wedding cake and only fifth formal cake ~ so no pressure at all.

Samba Masterclass

I haven’t done a masterclass in a while – and this is the first one this year ~ a gruelling 3hrs of technique and learning a routine from scratch… On. A. Sunday!

Typically what happens is this: part way through the 3hrs my brain just gives up and forgets how to either link moves together; or the routine itself; or gets confused if the orientation of routine in the room changes ~ today all of those things happened. By the end it’d all gone to pot and I definitely didn’t want to solo dance in front of the class … oh, lordy-be no!

It was great to dance Samba again though – I only get to dance it now at the Rivoli Social which is once a month, which is probably why it’s become less natural to dance and remember. I love it though.

January Rivoli

God it’s so good to be back in the ballroom for 4.5 hours of dancing.  It was an utterly glorious night zinging around in circles, quickstepping, waltzing, jiving – doing line dance after line dance ~ I barely sat down all night