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There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed. —Kate Douglas Wiggin
Within a week or two of starting my initial partner dance class (a swing series with Living Traditions in 1998), I was venturing with classmates to dance at the Century Ballroom. Sweating profusely and nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, I bumbled through my first dances outside the relative safety of class. Approaching unfamiliar people to croak out awkward invitations to dance — as I struggled to keep a consistent basic — was as frightening as it was humbling.
Fast forward to 2001 or so and I’m again at the Century, practicing my latest love at a Zydeco dance camp. Sean Ardoin (now a 5-time Grammy nominee) was there teaching with his wife, Vanessa, and playing with his band, ZydeKool. Sean is an amazing dancer as well as musician; I wore through my VHS tapes of that camp studying his smoothly syncopated movement. And a prized dance with Vanessa led to the first occasion I can ever recall using the expression “like butter”. The Saturday night of the camp, Marla Meyer and I partnered for a demo and — though video would later reveal, by comparison, my painfully stiff dancing — we hit all our practiced fancy moves and the partisan crowd cheered us wildly.
Returning to teach, then, last Thursday (to what is now the Reverie Ballroom), was not only a dream come true but a homecoming, of sorts. That first hour flew by, and I’m looking forward to the next three weeks, when we get to bring Zydeco back to where, for me, it all began. Moreover, I can’t wait to host the premiere “Louisiana Dance Party” on October 4, which just happens to fall during the weekend celebrating Reverie’s first anniversary!
That’s the power and beauty of our dance spaces, like the Reverie (née Century) which allow for generations of dancers to be born, go forth to explore and learn, and return to savor the indelible memories of connection, joy and passion. Wherever our dance community gathers, particularly over long periods — with all our nervous, challenging, fun and ecstatic interactions — we create sanctified ground, infused with love and grace.
To see numerous venues and events deserving of your vigorous support, where we can celebrate irreplaceably precious moments, simply visit the Dance Calendar.
See you on the dance floor —Sean Donovan