Not worthy...

Filling in a tax return isn't the best preparation for a night's dancing; but I was out early last night. I was determined to actually get there in time for Andy's class last night, having seen the tail end of a class with some really interesting moves the previous week.

Not really wide awake in the class, which was a shame as it some really useful stuff in it. But in the free dancing I got to dance twice with H******: ) What a remarkably poised, precise and controlled dancer she is. I gather she learnt salsa from the same teacher as Andy, which figures. The dancefloor was crowded and chaotic, but she made it easy to dance in a cramped spot by the wall: I could predict exactly where she would go when I led a move. Only problem is dancing with someone as good as that makes me very aware of my own limitations.

Had a major deadline to meet today which meant I didn't manage to stay beyond 11 - I even missed out on dancing with Charlotte. Frustrating, but I knew if I stayed beyond half eleven I'd get my second wind, stay til half twelve, and then be unable to sleep. Has anyone worked out an efficient way of winding down after a night's salsa?

Hilarity

Monday nights are definitely picking up. Loads of nice people to dance with this week: extending it til midnight was definitely a good idea, even though staying til midnight wouldn't be (well, not if you've got the deadline I'm trying to meet this week).

Welcome reappearance - on a flying visit - of someone I used to dance with regularly, even though she was amused by being a bit rusty: at one point I did a move that involved walking her round behind me, turned to pick up her hip only to see her doubled up with laughter about six feet away. I didn't think my leading was that funny. Fortunately there was plenty of space so we weren't dancing near anybody.

I also danced with a very talented beginner (on Keith's recommendation - good to see him back on the scene). It's amazing how some women 'get' following immediately. She'd just done the one lesson but will obviously be a very good dancer with a bit of practice. What will complicate matters for blogging purposes is that she shares a first name with two of Cardiff's most talented dancers.

Pretentious crap (again)

Thinking about it over the weekend, I can't really justify the comments I made (see post below). They weren't intended to be quite as critical and dismissive as they came across, but that's no excuse. Memo to self: think before posting next time.

Reality bites

Oops, thought this blog might get me into trouble once people realised who I was (and I've left enough clues for anyone who can be bothered to work it out). This week I was confronted by someone who told me that the blog is 'pretentious crap', presumably because they had been the subject of some mildly critical comments.

I've removed the comments. I've also amended this post as the previous version may have made the identity of the person concerned a bit too obvious.

Otherwise it's been a pretty good week for dancing. The later finish (midnight) on Monday seems to be attracting more dancers. Even though I don't stay much later than I did before, it's nice to leave when the joint is still jumping (as it were) as opposed to winding down. Music was pretty good this week too. Thursday was good too (as usual) and didn't wrap up until twenty to one. Good for dancing, not good for productivity on Friday.

Get out and dance!

Felt great after Thursday at the Toad, so I thought I'd try the Wharf again last night. It was quiet again, but there were a couple of good dancers there so the evening wasn't wasted.

Frustratingly, there's one woman who does the class and is obviously a very talented dancer but can't be persuaded to stay around for the free dancing (though I once saw Andy 'persuade' her by picking her up and carrying her onto the dance floor). I don't think she realises how good she is - maybe she's selfconscious about not knowing all the moves, but that doesn't matter if you have her natural ability.

Back in the swing

The Toad was at its best on Thursday night: not that many people there, but most of them were good to dance with. Dancing with Charlotte made me feel like a dancer, rather than a lump with two left feet, for the first time in weeks.

Everybody was complaining about being out of practice, but I had a really good time and felt surprisingly unrusty. Nice relaxed atmosphere as well: a good start to the dancing year.

Happy New Year

The Wharf was very quiet on Sunday. Looked promising when I got there and the class was good, but the three people I really wanted to dance with left before the free dancing : (

The Toad is back on this Thursday, with Nigel Maye teaching for the next couple of weeks. (Andy and Lucy are in the Dominican Republic.)