The Dance Floor

What’s a party without a dance floor and what’s a dance floor without dancers?  Sad is what it is.  Considering dancing has been a part of the rituals of many cultures for thousands of years, you should never underestimate its importance to creating atmosphere.  And let’s face it, good music with just the right kind of beat makes your feet restless.  Naturally, music that isn’t to your liking will make you want to dance as much as you want to set your hair on fire.  Then again, you can always pull a few ironic dance moves to show how unimpressed you are with the music.  Luckily, SUB has the best DJs. I have no specific dance dos and don’ts to share as this article isn’t about etiquette or ballroom dancing.  Any recommendations I may have about the dance floor can be summarized like this: don’t give a crap what you look like.  Yours truly would never claim to be a good dancer.  My formal training is limited to some ballet as a child but that has never stopped me from shaking what my mama gave me.  If you are on the shy side, a little Dutch courage is no crime.  No one should worry about not having the right kind of moves.  Letting loose is not about competition.

Like many other things, dancing is the most fun when you’re sharing it with another person or a group of others.  You can even start synching your movements with others which naturally means everyone else will have to give you more room, but it’s also a lovely way of bonding.  The party scene of SUB is lively and vibrant and the same can be said of its most enthusiastic dancers.  It’s only fitting our President is the grooviest dancer I’ve seen.

There are plenty of examples where dancing has been used to tell a story, especially a coming-of-age kind of story.  The uptight small town in Footloose is boring and lame because dancing is banned, but then Ren comes from Chicago and changes everything.  In Flashdance, Alex chases her dream of becoming a professional dancer.  Baby finds love in Dirty Dancing.  The list goes on and on.

Personally, I believe that at its core, dancing is one of the simplest ways of expressing joy (or any other feeling for that matter).  But especially at parties, it’s about having a good time and making sure your entire body will hurt the next day.  There's room on the floor for everybody.

Suiting-up for Dummies Like Me

I say HUMANIST,you say potato! March 2011