Having not danced since September, my partner and I decided it would be good to find somewhere to go in Edinburgh. Having hunted around on the net, we found a social session in Leith Town Hall, which sounded like the sort of thing we wanted - nice and relaxed, no pressure - so we gave it a go. On our arrival, we found a large, rather empty hall, with a lot of couples at least 30 years our senior. The first dance was a waltz - great, something we can do! But as soon as we stepped onto the floor, we very nearly became ballroom roadkill! They were all amazing - fast, with lots of fancy twists and things - think Strictly Come Dancing. So we spent most of the hour watching, interspersed with a few dances. I think there were murmurs going around though, as one gentleman came over and asked if either of us wanted a partner - we politely declined, but that wasn't the end of it. A little while later, just as we were about to get up for another waltz, another gentleman came over and very insistently asked (or maybe demanded would be the correct word?) one of us to dance. As L usually leads, it fell to me. It wasn't quite as bad as I expected, and he even helped me out when I was clearly doing the wrong steps (as he was doing things I've never done before), but when it was over he said he'd be back for a dance with L later. It was time to plan our escape. I think seeing two women dancing together clearly perplexed the rest of the group. Another gentleman came over (just as we were preparing to leave) and asked if we usually danced together. When we said yes, he paused for a moment, and then said - 'There's a competition every January in Blackpool for...ahem... ladies who dance together'. Slightly floored, we nodded and smiled (this seemed the safest option). If we hadn't already been plotting our escape, this would have had us tunneling through the perfectly polished floor. We made a hasty exit into the chilly Leith night and waited for our bus home. Hopefully without the almost overpowering scent of vodka this time. 'Ladies who dance together,' repeated L with a wry smile. 'Now there's a euphemism I haven't heard before.'
"Ladies who wear comfortable shoes" yes, but "ladies who dance together? I really haven't heard that one anywhere before! :o)
Posted by: Livvey K | 01/23/2009 at 01:33 PM