Lindy hop

Cathy and I are thoroughly enjoying lindy hop lessons with our wonderful teachers Alan Hands, Tish Mos and Mandy. When I was young, I was someone who refused to dance in any way, shape or form. I’ve heard Henry Shukman on YouTube somewhere talking about this very English phenomenon of the inability to dance as originating in being alienated from your body, which is seen in our culture as something to discipline and subdue, rather than something to allow to move freely. It’s Cathy who’s encouraged me to try to overcome this, initially by learning a first dance for our wedding.

These classes suit me very well, since they involve learning set moves: I’m much happier, as with the wedding dance, when there’s a fixed routine and I know what I’m supposed to do in advance. What’s still a nightmare for me is being told I can do whatever moves I want – that’s when I’m liable to freeze. Cathy and I can now dance with one another, in the safety of our home, with some freedom and without existential dread, so that's quite an achievement. My goal for the classes is what Alan, Tish and Mandy are always encouraging: relaxing enough to listen to the music and respond, rather than just robotically learning the sequences. But it’s still a wonder to me that I can now go to these classes and dance with all of these friendly and helpful followers without destroying everyone’s evening. My higher goal is to feel that I can go to a social dance, and ask someone other than my wife to dance without being haunted by feeling that for them this will be three minutes of their evening they can never get back. Wish me luck! #lifegoals