Nightclub night was last night. It ended up being almost exactly like a social dance with a Christmas theme; the only difference was a formal heat list specifying when you danced and with which pro (no social partner swapping). My impressions, in no particular order:
- I've never seen so many casual red dresses in one room (I wore one too)
- hustle is one of the most fun, energetic dances I’ve learned so far, and is surprisingly easy to follow
- after working on mambo for several months, ballroom salsa feels weirdly simple
- sitting directly under one of the loudspeakers was truly stupid of me
- applying hand sanitizer before and after each heat really dries out your hands - and it stings like heck if you happen to have a paper cut on your thumb
- masks at a Christmas party don’t look out of place, the way they sometimes do at other events
- I don’t like wearing my hair down for dancing (give me a low bun any day, or even just a ponytail, or at least a barrette to keep the front sections off my face)
Dancing with Substitute Pro is not as enjoyable as dancing with Pro. It’s just not. Pro has FUN when he dances. Because students were allowed to sign up for heats with other teachers, I was able to watch Pro dance with lots of different people, and it was obvious that he
genuinely enjoys it. Every heat is a performance (and he’s a ham), and he wants to bring his partner along with him and make sure she has fun. What a treat!**
Substitute Pro, otoh, spent the night doing his job. He does have a couple of advanced students he obviously enjoys dancing with (one in particular who is very talented, and who also happens to be beautiful and supermodel-skinny, but I’m sure that has nothing to do with his enjoyment); but with his bronze and/or much older students, he comes across as politely tolerant. I would describe his lead style as “impatient.” He seems to be
trying to have fun, and off the dance floor he makes an effort to be charming, but that’s the point: he has to make an effort. I don’t get the feeling that he loves what he does.
In addition to Pro, there’s one other teacher at the studio who always appears to be having a great time, both at performance events and during lessons. He’s energetic and makes his students laugh and adds fun embellishments to his own dancing. He’s the only one there with whom I’ve never yet had a lesson, and I want to try a lesson with him to see if I get the same vibe up close.
Anyway, my conclusion is that I’m glad I went. Along the lines of what
@j_alexandra said, I have learned that I only regret the things I do NOT do. And especially in these current times, as one never knows when one will have another opportunity to dance, I’m not inclined to pass up any opportunity.
**The smooth “fun night” in September is the only exception I’ve experienced to this, and in hindsight, I think my negative reaction to that night was (a) disproportionate, and (b) a result of it being the first time I’d ever danced at
any public event. I mean, he said the things he said, and used the tone of voice I described, but it was also
his first time dancing with
me at any public event, so neither of us knew beforehand what our expectations were. The more we perform together, the more comfortable it gets.
)
