Although I am a dancer, I am not too fond of dances, per se. Back in high school, a dance was my idea of a moderate circle of hell. In an experiment to see if this could change in college, I attended the Winter Term ball my first year-- still not for me, or at least, not the dancing part. Suffice it to say, I am the least likely person you will ever find ‘tearing up the dance floor,’ or however that saying goes, at any party. Even in a dance class, if you ask me to improv, I am just as likely to waltz out the door.
Despite all of this, I ended up at a dance last night. I’ve been experiencing some dreaded writer’s block with the blogs lately, and when this happens, I usually think ‘I just have to go do something for a good story.’ Said mindset makes me far more likely to go out of my comfort zone-- it even feels like an excuse to. Between that, my partner’s love of dances, and the scarce opportunities for a real date-night amidst the bustle of college life, it seemed like fate when I saw the poster for a swing dance happening Saturday night, right here on campus. Hence, I made the plans, put it in the gcal, and attempted to get over my fear of dancing sans choreography.
Unsurprisingly, I’d never been to a swing dance, so I had no idea what to expect-- although I have had the pleasure of watching the OSwing Exco perform at the Student Dance Showcase. All we knew was that there would be a short lesson for beginners right at seven. When we got there, a small circle of people waited for the lesson to start while a live band got their instruments ready. The lesson was led by two experienced swing dancers, both of them fellow bloggers (Hi, Ida and Evan!). They taught us some basic steps, and then the real fun began.
First of all, we have to talk about the band, because they were incredible. Their presence truly made the night-- they played lively and lovely oldies and even had a jazz singer. It was so much fun to experience. As far as the actual dancing went, my dance partner and I felt a little out of our respective depths at first-- I will admit I frequently stepped on his toes, made all the more unfortunate by my adorable, yet impractical, heels. It took a couple of songs to find our footing (no pun intended), especially considering we’re polar opposites on the dance floor: they’re very go with the flow, I, of course, am not. Eventually, we abandoned the steps we were taught altogether and just did whatever. While we twirled and swayed and stepped, we also got to watch some of the more experienced dancers (which inspired me to add the Swing Exco to my Oberlin bucket list). Speaking of the other attendees, it absolutely must be noted that I have never seen so many amazing vintage outfits in one night before. I was delighted.
Wilder Main, although gorgeous and huge, is not known for its well-circulated air. Eventually, the heat got to be a little much for us, and we had danced our fill for the night. The Swing dance was a great time, and such a cool opportunity as well-- where else can you walk a mere three minutes from home for a dance lesson with live music and a ton of your friends? I love Oberlin. And, for the first time in my life, I can now say I had fun at a dance!
