Christmas vacation usually finds me at some point curled up on the couch watching a Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers movie. I've always loved to watch them, or any old movie with the classic ballroom dancing, and even more so since the college dances have given me an opportunity to do some swirling and twirling around in beautiful dresses myself.
Dancing is something I've always loved just for the sheer fun of it. Lately, as I've tried to improve and not only do it but do it well, I've come to appreciate it for it's ability to showcase the best in a man and woman. Oddly or not so oddly enough, the best of a man and woman in dancing turns out to be what becomes them best in life in general.
Drilling for the annual waltz competition a couple years ago I had to learn a lot about how to do the steps. Learning the technicalities was easy; learning how to make them something beautiful and special was hard. It wasn't enough to step in waltz time... I had to do it gracefully, lightly, gently. The steps had to flow in just the right way so the femininity of my outfit and dance would properly contrast the masculinity of his.
I had to learn how to trust him. When he dipped me back I had to trust that he wouldn't drop me so that in that moment I could show my grace while he showed his strength.
I had to learn how to anticipate his lead, believing that he would bring me to the right place, so that everything was harmonious and we didn't end up flat on our faces on opposite ends of the dance floors.
His strength. My grace. His lead. My trust.
Dancing has taught me a great deal.
I love Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies too, as well as old movies. It seems like a lot of fun to take a dance class and learn different types of dances, yet hard as you mentioned.I'm sure watching classic films like Top Hat make you appreciate how hard dancing really is, yet how beautiful it is as well.
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