68 – Dance

This is a response to Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt.

Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.

I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

As I start walking, an early wave causes me to dart out of the way to keep my feet dry – at least for the moment. Then it hits me – today is Friday – our normal dance night at home. I miss my dance friends, too. I’m sure they will pop into my head this evening, but for now, I will focus on dance as my topic for the day.

Whether a series of actions or a social event, dance is a noun or a verb whose forms are related.

For me, I think of ballroom: The smooth dances as Foxtrot and Waltz; plus their variations as Peabody and Viennese – let’s not forget Quickstep. Remember Charleston? Now add in the Latin dances of Bolero, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Salsa, Merengue, Mambo, Samba, and Bachata.

Photo by Marko Zirdum on Pexels.com

Dance offers Ballroom Tango and Argentine Tango, plus a variety of Swings, such as East Coast, West Coast – let alone single, double, or triple time, Jive, Jitterbug, and Shag. Social ballroom dancers may also enjoy Night Club 2 and Country 2-Step – maybe even an occasional polka. Hustle takes ballroom dancers back to their disco days – but it can be 3-count or 4.

Others participate outside the ballroom by dancing in a square, circle, line, or in the round; which is a variation of square dancing and similar to a ballroom Waltz. The British have Waltz sequences, but a Conga line is different from traditional line dances.

Pop culture has provided the Frug, Freddie, Disco, Swim, Twist, Moonwalk, Robot, Watusi, Bossa Nova, and many more – including the Bunny Hop. Let alone the variation of today’s Hip-Hop like Locking, Popping, Running, and Stepping – plus, Breakdance, Streetdance, Funk, Ragga, and Boogaloo are a few. Let’s no forget moves as Running Man, Happy Feet, Turtle, Arm Wave, The Helicopter, Freeze, and Moonwalk – but Boogie takes on a different meaning over time.

Dance can also be Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Tap, and a touch of the old soft shoe – let alone the variations of each. And to think that dances differ throughout the world because culture influences dance.

Photo by Wellington Cunha on Pexels.com

There are many folk dances based on cultures, and my guess is more people are familiar with Bollywood than clogging.

Dance can be social, formal, ceremonial, or a ritual – choreographed, free form, or delivered through a complex system of acting and reacting, which others know as lead and follow.

Dance is an expression of human thoughts telling a story. It can be sweet and graceful – enchanting and romantic – even seductive. It can also be fierce and devouring – even subtle.

Dance is a form of nonverbal communication between dancers and an audience – or even between two dancers. Dance is an unspoken language from the soul that is all to its own.

Dance keeps the feet moving – something that is important as we age. Dancing keeps one young – something most if not everyone desires.

Dance is a sense of happiness that can lead to solving problems – or at least, a time when dancers temporarily place problems aside.

Life on the dance floor is like life in general – on a big stage. Dancers come in a wide variety of abilities. Some are dancers while others just know steps – so dance is fun for many.

Music provides the rhythms, but when rhythms change, some dancers change while others do not. Just as life changes constantly, so does the music.

Dance involves a rhythm that everyone is born with because the body wants to move – but unfortunately, some cannot hear the musical beats and rhythms or even have two left feet. When we hear an attention-getting rhythm, the body does not want to sit and do nothing – unfortunately, more in some than others.

Dancing in the streets footloose and fancy-free are happy times – but it takes two to Tango – that is, to solve problems or be passionate. Yes, Tango can sweep someone off their feet – maybe their partner, too. I love Tango.

Dancing can involve being light on the feet – a nimbleness that comes naturally to some as they dance up a storm and seem to dance on air. I cheer those with twinkle toes.

Dance has its demands and whims – so stepping out of line, being out of line, or somehow getting on the wrong foot are negatives – but correctable.

Dance involves music. Different music means different dances, but some songs are about dance and perfect for a dancer like me. Let’s dance the night away in the land of 1000 dances. Safety dance, rain dance, neutron dance, pan dance, and sabre dance; all say, let’s dance. Although your mama can’t dance, all she wants to do is dance.

Meanwhile, she dances with the little gandy dancer who is dancing in the dark. Do you wanna dance? Shall we dance? Fill your dance card but save the last dance for me; then dance to the end of love. But the big question is simple: How many songs did I just incorporate into this and the previous paragraph?

Photo by u0410u043du0442u043eu043d u041bu0435u043eu043du0430u0440u0434u043eu0432u0438u0447 u0412u0430u0440u0444u043eu043bu043eu043cu0435u0435u0432 on Pexels.com

Dancing in the ballroom world is about connection, timing, and chemistry with your partner – and the combinations are different with each partner. But when those three components are linked, the dance is awesome – and can be a moment absent in time.

Dancing a smooth dance as Waltz or Foxtrot with someone who is graceful, elegant, gracious, and beautiful is bliss – yet the same partner can rise to the occasion to play the heat of Tango and the passion of Bolero. I love these dances.

Whether at a masked ball, dinner dance, discotheque, on a stage, around a fire, or any other, dancers do many movements in coordination with the music.

Whether shaking a leg, hoofing it, cutting a rug, tripping getting down, or finding the light fantastic, dancers sway, spin, whirl, chassé, twinkle, pose, twist, turn, grapevine, twirl, pirouette, and gyrate to express something while moving their feet.

My dancing feet are the same feet that I use to walk the beach. After all, I like walking the beach because it is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have written about dance

• Rogers & Astaire: Celebrating Dance and Love (essay, photos, videos)
• Dances in the 20th Century (essay)
• Need a Change? 4 ways ballroom dance can help (essay)
• 10 Reasons to Ballroom Dance (List)
• Why Dance Lessons are Good for Your Heart (essay)
• Is My Dance Journey Over (essay)

Next Post: Mars – Tuesday 27 April @ 1 AM (Eastern US)

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