Had an AMAZING time last night out west coast swing dancing. It started off pretty disappointing, wih a very low turnout. There'd been a dance convention over the weekend, and it was a good long shot that people would come to this place Sunday night. However, either people went to get food and were so exhausted they stayed home; or, they were watching the Lakers in the play-offs and celebrating afterwards. So, starting to get late, there was a very bare turnout and I thought of calling it a night.
However, a couple more people turned up and two of them were very high-ranking talented dancers. I've danced with them before and really nice guys! These guys are sizzling with talents and due to low turnout, there was no hold-back on us dancing a lot together
. Earlier in the night my dancing hadn't really found the right groove and was feeling kinda bleh. However, suddenly my body and soul clicked, and I was ON. (Freely giving credit to these two awesome guys helpin' me get back in sync). There was no barrier between my ears hearing the beat, to my heart being moved, to my body being the outlet. I didn't think; I felt, I DANCED. Now, I'm always technically moving in a dance and trying to be musical. But I feel you can only really call it dancing for times like last night! Also, one of the reasons I had such a blast was the freedom these guys allowed in the dance as we played off each other creating new moves and styling. I could have danced the entire night if my alarm wasn't set to torture me with a 3:45 am wake-up call.
On top of that, one of my favorite pro-couples came out to the club. While they were dancing one song, I just suddenly got floored in inspiration by them (I'm feelin' ya Van - see his blog "Got inspire?"). Watching them was pure poetry and artwork. Ben and Melina have won 3 of the US championships. They are simply amazing. They are smooth and fluid, yet their innovation is jaw-dropping. My browser won't let me access videos, so I'm not sure which one this is... But here's one video of them, click on link...[I'll update this part later for anyone interested...] 2006 US Open
I've been kinda really laid-back the last couples of years in my dancing and I'm ready to step it up. I've been competing a little on the side, but just for fun. Because the last time I was competition/performance driven was for music. Since 2000, when I dropped being a music performance-oriented major, I'm still burnt out. So, I've really wanted to treasure and protect my dancing. Enjoy it for the creative outlet it is, for I'm never more clearly expressing myself then on nights like last night. However, now I WANT to go all out, just for fun, for ME and for Him. I'm not out to prove anything to myself or anyone. I simply want to enjoy to the MAX the awesome blessing that God's given me of dance. Maybe it's simply been a perspective change long-overdue, but sometimes I admit I can get pretty stubborn. 
Vive la danse!