Back into the swing of things...

Yes, you are correct, I just made an extremely lame pun about going swing dancing... and it was totally called for.

Last night, my friends and I donned our finest poodle skirts and cardigans, pinned up our hair, and lindy hopped the night away at a local weekly swing dance venue. (Note: we didn't actually wear poodle skirts and cardigans, nor did we pin up our hair, but we did dance.)

I was decidedly nervous about going. I hadn't danced in the better part of a year (unless you count trivia night at the bar this past Tuesday, when Kirsten and I decided to showcase our skills with an impromptu performance... which I will assume all the bystanders appreciated), and I hadn't been to this particular venue (or for that matter, danced in this city) for nearly two years. I hadn't done Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, or the Shim Sham in months! I was afraid that I would hate it, that it would be too crowded, that no one would ask me to dance (except for the usual creepers), and that I would realize just how much I'd forgotten since my last dance session. I was afraid that this outing was going to raise my hopes and dash them, quite expertly.

To my utter relief, none of that happened (well, I did dance with a couple creepers, but that is really unavoidable, and it was just a couple)! It was a fantastic night! In fact, I don't think I have ever enjoyed dancing at this venue as much as last night. Of course, I would usually only dance there during summer break, when it is extremely packed with kids home from school, so that might explain it. I even tried (and succeeded) dancing in my new dancing shoes (I say "new," but I bought them last summer... I just hadn't worn them yet). 

Best of all, I was able to follow. I was able to follow some unfamiliar moves, and other moves that I've never been good at executing properly. I won't venture to say that it was one of my finer nights of dancing, but I had been genuinely afraid that I would have lost everything in my time away, and that simply wasn't the case. I felt confident when I left last night, and I wholeheartedly look forward to next time.

*The photo is of my friend Stephen and I dancing at Austin Blues Party 2009