Interesting Encounters While Swing Dancing

So I made some new friends last weekend. Really great girls with hearts for Jesus. So thankful for them! Sometimes they even laugh at my jokes, which really helps the self-esteem.

Anyways, these new friends decided they wanted to try out a swing dancing venue last night. Now grace and coordination are not among my gifts. My dance moves consist of the pancake and whipping my hair back and forth. However, I wasn't going to miss a chance to bond with these new friends--even if it meant a night of imminent awkwardness. We went early for a lesson, and then danced the night away! It was really a fun night, full of laughs and  some awkwardness!

I danced with several different guys, but here are my top five most memorable encounters...

1. The Closer, This asian guy was quite petite in stature [and me, of course, a head taller], but what he lacked in height he made up in an unique form of self-confidence. He was definitely what you would call a close dancer. Complete with a quirky, awkward smile, just staring up at me. When he wasn't dancing with a partner, you could see him on the sidelines, doing some unique solo dancing.

2. Happy Feet, Much taller and with a smile even wider, though just as asian, I thought I might be in for a normal dance. Control, however, was lost quickly as the spins kept coming. I had no idea what was coming next or when it would all stop. He'd spin me around, pop up on one side, and then quickly be on my other side before I could even blink. We spun, we twirled, we dipped. When it was all over, I was thankful to have survived [and not vomited]!

3. Rico Suave, My final partner of asian descent, this guy was obviously experienced, but he wasn't all about making smiley connections like The Closer and Happy Feet. With a sense of cool confidence, he was all business. I had a really tough time following him, so much so that I lost a little control during a turn and elbowed him in the face. Needless to say, unlike The Closer and Happy Feet, this fellow did not ask me for a second dance.

These next two partners didn't have quite as memorable dance styles, but they did include awkward interesting encounters:

4. Guido, This guy, after our dance, asked my name. After hearing my response, he told me that he was very impressed with the way I articulated my name and that I must work in the theater. While I assured him I did not, I was rather excited to learn how efficient I am in pronouncing my three syllable name.

5. The man who took me back ten years in a matter of seconds. As I began my final dance of the evening with a new partner, he asked me if I would like to know the first dance move he ever learned. He then proceeded to put his hands on my waist and hold me an arm's length away. With my hands on his shoulders, I quickly realized we were back in middle school.


After we'd all had our dancing fix, I went with my new friends to a frozen yogurt place so we could all try to recover and process what just happened!

Well, I'm off to go try and figure out what the heck is going on in the forearm!