No 19. Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, May 8, 2015
Dance in the Right Direction
If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on
walking.– Buddhist Proverb
How many times have I turned a brand new couple around on the dance floor dancing the wrong direction? Foxtrot and Tango and Waltz going against the Line of Direction. They just did not know. They were gazing in each others eyes, oblivious to everyone around them and the havoc they were creating on the dance floor.
How many times have I been kicked by an advanced couple? The man is leading his partner every Gold school figure he knows while ramming his lady into many other dancers, stepping on many others and whacking fellow dancers in the head. He is in his “Dance Zone”. Nothing matters to him but to leading this poor woman into every step he has ever learned in 120 seconds. The tragedy is that this woman is usually a new lady who has had five or less dance lessons. The guy leaves the dance floor with his head held proud, thinking what a great job he did while the lady goes searching for an ice pack for her scraped ankle.
Dancing has a skill named “Floor craft”. It is the ability to glide your partner around the dance floor never hitting another couple and never stepping on your own partner. The dancers know how to pause to let another couple pass, or completely stop to avoid a collision. They know the rules of dance and are wonderful to have on the ballroom floor. They are always facing the right direction!
Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first
or last time.– Betty Smith (1897-1972) German/American Author and Writer
Always take the dance floor as if you were driving to the on ramp of the freeway, and then entering the fast moving traffic to your destination. Get a feel for others on the floor. Look out for the dancers who are “Texting” and not paying attention. Make sure your weight is over your feet and your partner is not underneath your feet. Know how to take care of your partner and be a good dancer with others on the floor.
The force is within you. Force yourself.– Harrison Ford (1942-) American Actor
It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.– Chinese proverb
How does this translate into life? Force yourself to be accountable to others, and rather than cursing the “bad dancers” of life, be a light and dispel the darkness around you.
If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.
— David Viscott
Have courage. If you are not facing the right direction in your life, get a mentor who will turn you the right way. Remember, everyone loves dancing with a great dancer who creates magic on the dance floor. Also, remember, people love doing business with people they like. Find your true North in life and move forward and help other along the way.
Thank You,
David Earl Woodbury