Your Best Friends...
03.06.08

Starting out in the dance world can seem strange and even frightening for many of us. Many would be dancers are trying to overcome shyness or gain social skills as part of the learning process.
 
I don't think I'll ever be accused of being shy, but i can tell you that when I started out on the dance scene, I was completely out of my comfort zone! I had some 20+ years under my belt hammering into other men on a football field. Dancing seemed a very foreign concept.
 
I was very lucky. After a series of privates sessions, I began trying group lessons. All of us have strengths and weaknesses in our learning to dance. In these groups, it became apparent that each of us had different issues to overcome in order to master any level of dancing.
 
Dianne, one of these fellow students, became a good friend as we learned to dance together, even entering some small contests and doing a showcase at one point. She invited herself to our table when we ventured out to the even scarier social dance scene. We began inviting other students to these social dances and shared a table. The group grew until quite literally, there were more dancers than there were chairs at a any one table. The Dance Maniacs were born!
 
The Dance Maniacs have spread out to different parts of the dance scene. Many of them have become leaders in the dance community.
 
So, why the history lesson? Take a page from our book. You share the enthusiam of dance with those same faces you see in your dance classes. Talk to each other, practice with each other. Meet at dances and support each other in venturing on to the floor. Many of us have shared privates together, getting focused attention from instructors and spreading the cost out.
 
More than anything else you could take from this column, appreciate those around you and give each other the support and positive feedback we all need to grow and become comfortable in this arena. The dance community has a few who have forgotten where they came from. This could come back to haunt you, as when those dancers become accomplished they may remember a less than pleasant dance experience and avoid your gaze. Always remember, if advice is not solicited by your partner, whether in a class or on the social floor, it usually isn't welcome. Most of us remember our first steps on to the dance floor and can identify with where you are now.
 
Don't lose that memory from your early dance days either. There will come a time when someone is looking up to you as an accomplished dancer and in need of that kind word and a chance to dance. Help us help each other and the dance community will be the best place to spend your time and energy!