On a whim, I decided to drop by the tango class at the International
Student Centre. Although I’d never danced the tango before, it was
surprisingly easy to pick up. All I had to do was follow where my feet
felt like going.

It felt so good to dance again.

I like dancing.

I like being able to walk backwards without looking, confident that my
partner won’t let me walk into obstacles. I like finding myself
turning in response to the slightest push. I like listening,
following.

I guess that’s why I enjoy social dance more than any other form of
dance. Social dance is a conversation between two bodies. A good dance
allows me to feel that I’ve truly listened to someone, that someone
knew how to talk to me and I knew how to understand him. How wonderful
it is to be able to completely listen to someone without worrying that
he’ll take it the wrong way!

How much more wonderful would it be if the dance was just the
background for another conversation? I think it would be nice to dance
with someone I know. (And a _particular_ someone I know, at that… ;)
)

Tango will probably be easier to pick up than swing. Tango’s slower,
and it’s less about memorized steps than it is about flow. Or maybe a
nice waltz…

Ah, waltzes. I remember Terry-sama and her husband, silver-haired but
still spry, gliding across the special dancing floor in their
basement. In their carefree dancing, I saw years and years of
listening to each other. Wow.

I want to learn how to dance like that. It isn’t about memorizing
patterns. It isn’t about moving quickly. Heck, it isn’t even about
getting the rhythm. It’s about leading and following, speaking and
listening… I want that. I want to learn how to _dance._