Are you dancing or are you DANCIN?!

Last week I mentioned Social Ease Dance Studio and the Latin dance lessons that Brent and I have been attending. This week, my friend Emily invited us to go join her and the studio at Kahunaville for a free Latin dance lesson and then a social dance. I am always up for a dance and so after some persuading Brent and I made our way to the bar.
We arrived a bit late for the event and so the lessons were in full swing. This typically would have posed a bit of problem for Brent and I, seeing we don't always catch on fast. But, this night was different, because we actually knew the steps before hand. They were teaching steps that we already knew and when they came to something new we had the background knowledge to fall back on. This made for such a great night. We, in a sense, we had practiced the steps before hand that meant that we could really dance. For me, that means, letting everything go, forgetting my feet and letting the music take me where it wants. It was a fabulous night of great music, good people, and a night full of dancin'. I'm not sure if that would have been true if we hadn't practiced. Thanks to our practicing, we weren't only dancing, but we were dancin'!
Here is a video to help you get started in your latin dancing practicing.

This story started when I went to a Halloween dance at Social Ease Dance Studio. My dear friend Emily had been a member of the studio for years and finally I had the chance to see what all the fuss was about. While I was there I was convinced to sign up for a deal that gave Emily one free lesson and me two, one hour private lessons. This was the beginning.
My husband Brent and I went to the two private lessons and had a great time. At the end of the two lessons, our instructor tried to persuade us to signing up for a huge package dance deal. Because we are poor newlyweds, we unfortunately were unable to sign up. We left the studio thinking we were done our days as Social Ease.
Jump to the Christmas holidays. On Christmas Eve I got a phone call from the studio and at first I was very confused as to why they were calling. After some time I realized that they were trying to sell us another package deal: eight weeks, Latin dancing, $100. I hung up the phone and bashfully asked Brent what he thought. Immediately he agreed. I was shocked yet beyond excited.
We are now on week six of our dance lessons and are absolutely loving it. The thing that makes it so good though, is my partner. Brent is an incredible partner- the best partner. He would be the first to admit that he's not the best dancer in the world, but he is more than willing and that makes all the difference. When I'm with him I feel free to really dance and give it my all. When I'm in his arms, I feel like I am on a grand stage and each twirl I do with flare, and each step I do with zest. When I'm with Brent and I'm not only dancing, I am dancin'. Brent you are fabulous. Thanks for being the best partner a dancer could ask for. I love you.

Unfortunately this week my dancing experiences were next to non-existent; however, I was reminded of an experience that I had a few years ago.

In my books, location is huge! As I've mentioned before, I've danced in quite a few places and some of my favourite locations have been in the middle of a grass field, in a church sanctuary, and in a casual living room (I know. Not your typical dance locations). This weekend, however; I encountered one of my not-so-favourite locations, at least not on a Saturday night.
Stella's is a nightlife hot spot. It generally attracts an older crowd and the establishment is known for its strict dress code. This past weekend, one of the girls from my class was celebrating her birthday at Stella's. Some of my ladies were going and so I thought, "what a great opportunity to dance".
I went alone around 11:10 p.m. to meet up with my friends. Of course being the practical dancer that I am, I didn't bring a coat, but being the neive dancer that I am I didn't realize that there would be a thirty minute line-up OUTSIDE of Stella's. So I waited and waited and finally made it inside, after paying the $5 cover. Shivering and annoyed, I pushed my way through the packed crowd to find my dear friends in the VIP lounge.
The VIP lounge is basically a reserved corner of the room, roped off for parties or the like. When I got there I was told that I could have walked right past the lineup and wouldn't have had to pay the cover if I would have told them which party I was with. Ahg!
Despite my increased frustration and frozen feet, I decided that I was there to dance and so that is what I did.
But the location was not ideal. The VIP lounge quickly filled with who knows who, and the four of us who knew each other, soon were forming a line dance between the couch and the table. It became really difficult for me to really dance.
However, I do want to give honourable mention to Miss Dalton, who as soon as I got there was the first to show me her fabulous dance moves. She was confident that the best way to dance was to dance like nobody was watching. Miss Dalton, you were truly dancin'! Thank you for showing me how it's done.