We know the limits of our abilities, but only to an extent. In some cases, we’re introduced to new experiences that allow us to see that we can push ourselves further than we even before imagined. These experiences can leave us with a whole new sense of enlightenment and the feeling is simply incredible.
For those who don’t understand the terminology in the title, it refers to a specific dance step. If you didn’t catch that hint, my new experience was some dancing. Not just any dancing, but swing dancing to be specific. Last night, I went out with five of the best individuals that the Ambler dorms have to offer: John Gleason, Nick Petro, Alyssa Colleran, Kelsey Stanton and Hannah LaCasse.
With the group of six divided into two cars, we set off for the dance hall in Pottstown, about an hour away. Kelsey drove the girls in what will be known as the “can’t wait to dance” car. On the other side, Petro drove the guys in the “what did we get ourselves into” car. But, on the bright side of things, we did get to rock out to Led Zeppelin on the way down, so that was definitely a positive.
Once there, it was crunch time, do or die. Not literally of course, but the guys really had no idea what to expect, so I assume we were all pretty nervous. At least, I know I was.
After paying our seven dollar entry fee, we soon got split up into beginner and advanced lesson groups. We arranged ourselves in a circle around our instructor and picked partners. Without hesitation, I quickly paired up with Kelsey. After learning how to do the most basic step, (two slow steps and then a rock-step,) the instructor told us to rotate to a different partner.
I was really not a fan of this at all. This concept would not have bothered me one bit if I had any reasonable knowledge of what I was supposed to be doing. All of a sudden, I was matched up with a female I did not know, all while being asked to add a new step to my repertoire.
This would not have been a problem had I mastered the basic step before moving on, but needless to say, I was still unsure of the motions. Although I highly doubt that any of the anonymous individuals in the beginner circle will read this, but if they do, I wish to apologize for my lack of skill early on. I truly did not mean to embarrass you by association.
But, all awkwardness aside, I made it through the lesson and then we got started testing our skills to a live band. Due to our basic skills, the group of six mainly stuck around with each other as we all slowly refined our abilities. The best part? Practice really does make perfect.
Well, at least with my own situation, practice did not make me perfect, but I do feel that it made me a lot better than I was. Within a half hour of dancing to the live band, (which was surprisingly pretty good,) I was pulling off my fair share of spins, twists and turns. We all were doing our thing and having a great time doing it. And to think, all of this for seven dollars. This is definitely an event that I can see myself getting behind in the future.
After dancing our shoes off for roughly two and a half hours, we were all pretty beat, so we decided to call it a night. On the way back home, while rocking out to Metallica’s S&M album, we decided to stop at Phoenixville Diner for a bite to eat. After some great food and condiment balancing acts, (thanks to Petro and Alyssa,) we started on the trip again. When we finally got back to the dorms around 1:30 a.m., there was nothing on the agenda but some snoozing and easing our tired legs.
In the end, I really cannot believe how I reacted as a whole to this particular situation. Going dancing is definitely not something I have ever done before, so I was clearly nervous about the whole scenario. But, I took the plunge and do not regret it one bit. Walking back to my room, I couldn’t help but still feel that groove and dance to the music that was left over an hour ago. Go figure, another situation where I end up trying something new and discovering a new part of myself. Oh yeah, this is how Revak got his groove back!
For more information, please visit www.SwingKat.com.