Dance Like No One’s Watching

I just finished another weekend of almost non-stop dancing, courtesy of the Capital Swing Convention. As usual, I competed in the Novice Jack & Jill (but didn’t place), hung out with old friends and made new ones, and danced into the wee hours of the morning for three days straight.

Best of all, I have a new dance philosophy that served me well this weekend: “Dance like no one is watching.” I had some incredible dances this weekend, and I think part of my success was that I stopped thinking and just had fun. Besides, what does it matter if I act silly on the social dance floor and (literally) shake my ass to the beat of the music? Dancing is supposed to be fun! My job as a leader is to ensure that my dance partner is enjoying herself, and if I look frustrated or even angry because I’m over-thinking my dance, I will have failed at that job.

Of course, I’m still serious about getting better and climbing up the ranks of the West Coast Swing world; however, I must never lose sight of why I started dancing in the first place.