Lady of the Dance

I never wanted to learn to dance. For five semesters of college I went to the ballroom dances in the HUB to hang out with my friends, all of whom were experienced ballroom/swing dancers, and watch. I was happy with that. I enjoyed it, and I could always join in on a little Charleston or line dancing.
That all changed when I was faced with the necessity of fulfilling 2 PE credits in Spring of my senior year, and literally the only 2 classes that fit my schedule were Swing/Lindy Hop and American Ballroom Dancing. I moaned and groaned about it pretty much all semester, spending much time feeling tall and awkward and generally insecure. There were fun moments, yes, but the love of the dance had not yet seized me.
I graduated from Whitworth doubting that I would have many opportunities to dance, at least not outside my little circle of friends with whom I was comfortable looking ridiculous. But when I arrived at my parents two bedroom apartment for the summer of '05 with no friends within 10 years of my age in a 50 mile radius, Lindy Hop at the Mercury Cafe in Denver became my saving grace. Almost every week I met Dave and whoever he brought with him from Colorado Springs for an evening of dancing. I learned, I taught, I danced with complete strangers, and now I can honestly say I have interests outside the realm of religion and languages. Plus I got to know Dave a lot better, which is good because he'll be marrying my best friend in just under 3 weeks. At the wedding reception we are dancing to the song "On Revival Day" which we claimed as our own last summer.
Last night I returned to the Merc for the second time since last summer. I was with Dave and Claire, two of my favorite people and a great couple to watch dance together, and a bunch of college students from their church. I danced with some really good leads, discovered that I can Cha-Cha better than I thought I could, and generally had a great time. I still can't hold a candle to Claire or Dave as a dancer, but I'm glad to have overcome my blinding fear of the dance.