This past week I spent time with my family at my brother’s funeral. One of the things that my brother did was to take ballroom dancing lessons. For him it was a release into his nature – the athlete, runner, musician all combined in one. Those who attended his celebration of life attested to how he could flow across the floor, a dancing partner of consummate ability.
I’ve thought on that this past week. As a family, we were brought up not to dance. For one very simple reason – contemporary dance was about seduction!
Why did my brother dance? I think for him the answer was simple. This was an opportunity to be with a partner, to step together, to know each other’s movement by the slightest nod of the head or inclination of the body. The dance was the thing, not a chance to get a trophy for being the best dancer, or to seduce someone, or even to be seen as the best dancer on the floor. This was about the joy of partnership, the enjoyment of a relationship.