Reciprocating on the Dancefloor

With regards to reflecting on people’s convictions, I want to be more open-minded when it comes to helping people out. It’s not that I don’t care, but I think some people’s approach is more caring… and I’d like mine to be.

On Monday night Ian and I went to Chevy Chase Ballroom for the usual swing dance. But I barely saw him dancing — because he spent most of the night on the side closest to the windows where the “regulars” don’t frequent. He’s easily one of the best dancers in any given room, but instead he spent the night dancing with beginners. He wasn’t looking to pick up any women, he was looking to help people as they developed a love for the dance. He was patient with them, and I’m sure that they learned more from him in one song than they could from most instructors in an organized lesson. Dance is for the love of the dance. And there’s no reason why the people who start later shouldn’t get on track with the rest of us.

I remember when I started dancing last year. If it weren’t for Ian and Jason I never would’ve got involved in the scene. They told me where to go, they gave me company, and they taught me so much. And now as there are a few people that are asking me for rides and tips, I should be doing the same. Just because I’m finally at the point where I’m comfortable enough to dance with “the good dancers,” doesn’t mean that I should forget how I got here.

So this is just one example of what I was talking about earlier. I only hope that these new dancers can find the same love and understanding for the dance as time goes on… By the way, here’s a quote I came across in sfswing the other day; it’s kinda fitting:

Do the steps that you’ve been shown,
by everyone you’ve ever known,
until the dance becomes your very own.

~Jackson Brown