In the Eighties, the group Men Without Hats told us
I say we can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
‘Cause your friends don’t dance
And if they don’t dance
Well, they’re no friends of mine
The song’s title was “The Safety Dance.” I think of it every time I hear the word “Dance.”
My wife, Sue, and I aren’t what you would consider dancers. But over Christmas, Sue mentioned she always wanted to take Ballroom Dancing Classes, so I told her she should sign us up.
Why not try it? There is no need to spend the rest of our lives wishing we had tried something so readily available.
So, we signed up for lessons. We started with a pack of two lessons, but we were having so much fun when it was over that we bought a pack of five lessons.
Does this mean we are dancers? No. We still would say we can’t dance but laugh (and sometimes cry) at ourselves and enjoy learning something together.
To give you a little background. Sue and I started dating in high school. We went to High School dances together. We went to prom twice. Like 90% of the people at those dances, we didn’t really dance. We moved around to music at a somewhat rhythmic pace.
Even 10% of those dancing were people with either high self-confidence or lower self-awareness and were willing to do embarrassing things in public. Good for them, but these two white Protestants mostly stood off the dance floor and talked.
The people at the dance studio wonder what our deal is. They want to know if we are learning for some particular reason. They see two types of people. The people who do it competitively. They make your jaw drop when you watch. And the people are learning because they have a wedding coming up.
We have yet to meet a couple where the man seems as eager to learn as the lady. The Chapins are no different from everybody else. We are there because Sue wants to learn how to ballroom dance, and Dave likes to try new things. Dave would rather watch college basketball, and learning new things, especially in front of others, makes Sue uncomfortable. It takes two to Tango (Rumba, Foxtrot, Swing, and Two Step).
We have now had four lessons, and at times, it feels like we are actually dancing to a level others might recognize as dancing. At one point during our last lesson, the person standing around watching clapped when we were done. It should be pointed out that she is also the person who collects the payment for the lessons; she has a vested interest in fooling us into thinking we are dancers.
Do we think everybody should take ballroom dancing lessons? No.
We do think you should try something new. I’ll bet somebody in your life has been trying to get you to do some harmless activity, and you have resisted. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do something but are afraid to take the first step. If so, find a friend who will encourage and support you in taking that first step.
Because even Men Without Hats say:
We can Dance, we can dance
Everybody’s taking the chance
Well, it’s safe to dance
Yes, it’s safe to dance
Now, insert what you will try in where they say dance. (I realize what you pick won’t rhyme with dance and will wreck the lyrics. But you should try anyway).
Even if you don’t dance, we can still be friends. I still can’t say that I dance, but I do have fun.
