A child sings before it speaks, dances almost before it walks. Music is in our hearts from the beginning.
— Pamela Brown
Before I started dancing, around the turn of the century, I was under the impression ballrooms and dance gatherings were largely a thing of the past. Sure there was disco, funk and clubbing, but partner dancing seemed to me a relic of the 1930s, 40s or even 50s. Attending the wonderfully fun Salish Swing event in Port Townsend last weekend, I was reminded again how we are those dancers people will one day look at photos of — as we may gaze upon shots of the great Savoy Ballroom in New York, say, or The Trianon in Seattle (with room for 5,000 dancers) — and perhaps be filled with wonder.
Strolling through Port Townsend, those we spoke to invariably expressed interest or astonishment when informed we were there specifically for a dance event. To many, I believe, dance still seems anachronistic, though folks almost always seem delighted and intrigued to learn it is a living, breathing thing and that there are varied communities most everywhere.
We’re the lucky ones, we who’ve discovered the camaraderie, joy and community partner dancing provides, and each of us is an ambassador who can help bridge the rather common misapprehension that partner dance is long gone. On the contrary, it is alive and well, thanks to the efforts of teachers, organizers, and dancers who’ve carried on the traditions, over the years, through thick and thin.
One of those torch bearers, Rick Gossard, passed away recently. A professional dance instructor since 1978, Rick was “a friend, dancer, a champion, a great Ballroom dance teacher,” as Tony Azar posted. There’ll be a Celebration of Life memorial this Saturday at Pacific Ballroom, where Rick will not only be remembered with dance, his legacy will live on, as proceeds fund student scholarships to nurture the next dance generation.
Celebrate your lucky life and spread the good word of dance this week at any number of the events listed online at the Dance Calendar.
See you on the dance floor —Sean Donovan