Hey there.
I've been meaning to tell you that I've started attending latin dance classes. I've also been meaning to slip in somewhere on this blog part of Julian ethos. I believe that everything in life is a lesson. That annoying guy who thinks your're his friend that just shives you the gits; he is a lesson. That time a mate or girl treated you bad; that was a lesson. Maybe it was a situation you put your self into, or maybe you had no control over the forces that be. All of these, IMHO is a lesson. The good times are also lessons but we tend to notice the bad stuff more. Whether you choose to take the lesson or even see it as a lesson is up to you.
I also think that these 'lessons' are things that once you learn, hopefully can be applied to various contexts that may be totally remote from the original source or experience of the lesson.
This is where I bring my rant (for those still listening) back to latin dancing.
So yeah, at dance class, apart from some of the obvious benefits such as fun, social, learning new skill and meeting new people theres that lesson thing I was talking about. The first class was great, I learnt the basic steps and then danced with a partner and rotated partners to get used to dancing with different people. The challenge at this point being such a newbie, is remembering your steps PLUS (being male) learning to lead. Well I found that even though I learnt my steps and was executing them correctly, if my parter doubted or stumbled with the steps I was put off and lost my count.
Being in a leading role, you cannot afford to do lose your count. You have to be confident that what you are doing is right. You have to be so confident that you can even signal with your arm, hand, head or simply eyes so that you can effectively communicate to your partner what you are about to do next and what you want her to do also.
Like any emotion, or state of mind, this confidence can be felt and transferred into those around you. In the context of dance, she will trust that you know what you are doing and harmonise with you much more smoothly.
But its not just about confidence either. Its about knowing what you want in life and knowing where you are going. If you know these things or at least confident that you have a rough idea, people will be more interested in sharing that journey with you.
Also if you or your friends lose their way, you have the confidence and knowledge from within, to help lead them back on the right track without unwanted force. So I gained a lot from my first latin dance class. Met new people, learnt some basic steps and a life lesson. It is a life lesson because you can apply this to other situations. Its ok to know what you are on about, but you have to show it in how you talk, how you move, how you lead.
