The Art of Real Dancing

There is a blog called The Catholic Young Woman that I really enjoy reading. The main author, Clare, has written several posts about dancing. And though my experience with dancing has not been very extensive (that is, up until now), I loved reading her analogies as she compared the beauty of a dance to the flow of life (click here for an example).

While at Christendom, I was taught how to dance. Now, I have been to "dances" before- but they were nothing like this. Today's culture sticks a group of teenagers in a room, blares explicit music with a fast beat through large speakers, and tells them to jump up and down while twisting in provocative ways, then calls it "dancing." But, Christendom is all about being counter-cultural, which means they have a much better way of doing everything!

Now, in order to even begin to learn the moves (we were taught a form of Swing Dance), the ladies realized something very quickly. The gentlemen had to lead, or else nothing was going to work. Of course, we had to remember the steps as well, but we were not in control. The man had to ask us to dance, then we had to trust him to guide us through it. Once two people start to dance, as long as the guy knows what he's doing and the girl is allowing him to take control, their movements become very beautiful and glorious to watch.

I'll try to describe the thrill this new form of entertainment gave me. First, to be asked to dance at all immediately made me feel honored and respected. Then, as the guy was leading me out to the dance floor, excitement started building up inside. It's like that feeling one gets when he's just been handed a wrapped present. He can't wait to see what's inside! As the young man starts to move, he moves me with him, gently but firmly guiding me along his intended path. Then, surprise! He lifts up his arm and I respond without thinking. I spin around and face him again, eyes shining with joy because we just executed the steps perfectly. Throughout the rest of the song, it's the same way. He prompts me through his motions to respond in a certain way, and I do so to the best of my ability. When blessed enough to have a skilled partner, the song ends too quickly; everything seems to flow exquisitely. The gentleman then offers me his arm, and reluctantly I allow him to guide me back to my seat. He bows as he thanks me, and I curtsy while returning the thanks, mentally hoping he will come back again. And maybe he will, but another young man soon approaches, and the experience starts anew.

I would love to describe the way I think this compares to life, but I have already written too much! For now, I direct you to the link above, and to this link. They describe what I'm trying to say much more eloquently than I could, though I will attempt to give my take on it at a later time.

I highly encourage all of you to learn how to dance! I am just a beginner, and still have much to learn, yet I've already gained so much enjoyment from this beautiful activity! Please, revolt against the degrading nature of dances today. It will be such a relief, and so much more delightful!

May God bless all of you!

(By the way, the picture is called "Dance Me to the End of Love" by Jack Vettriano. Perfectly romantic!)