Five Six Seven...

For the first time in... Jeez, I can't remember, I took a dance class again! It was a real basic beginner class on salsa, which is good because the thousands of dollars I spent years ago on dance lessons didn't do crap for helping me retain any knowledge of the matter. It was a decent night of re-learning basic steps and allowing myself to begin letting loose in seemingly awkward social situations.

I'm a little conflicted on the particular studio however. Nice people, tons of stuff going on and obviously very talented dancers instructing as well as teaching. If there's one thing I learned in my scattered career of dancing is that the relationship between the dancer and a studio is like finding the right lover. There is a chemistry behind the decision to keep going back. I've been to studios and dances where I felt like staying up all night practicing footwork or style from the night's lessons. It's not even always about the people you dance with.

The instructor for the class was great. He made everything very easy to understand and took us along in baby steps. Along with a little standard mixing of students, it made for a comfortable night meeting new people. At the end of the class, I felt a bit dirty. Like I paid my ten dollars to get on an amusement park ride and once it was done it was 'exit stage right' and then I was left wandering into the abyss. Or like paying for a date only to be bluntly informed that the farthest I will get is the 'friend zone.' My progressively informal training will keep me from getting too critical here.

My motivation lies in taking advantage of the plethora of dance resources here in Southern California and maybe find a place that I fall in love with. Maybe not, but I'll keep my eyes open. My semi-ultimate goal with dancing is to simply find someone else to dance with. Not just anyone. Someone who just like the studio, I want to keep coming back to. Someone that I feel comfortable pulling back in when they go too far astray. Someone that truly understands what it means to save the last dance for someone.

I still believe in the unspoken power of dance. I hope to one day experience in full instead of just talking about it. And until then, I'll dig up some el-cheapo group classes and meet some new studios and the people that frequent the floors. Maybe a spark will ignite something undiscovered.