My Congress Dance Recklessness

To resist temptation is one of the hardest things in life.

Dancing is for me Huuuge temptation. Broken arm or not; Fractured bone or not.

There was so much I could take but by Saturday I had to give in a little bit. In a safe way but still… resisting dancing was not one of them.

As soon as I got to the first party of the Congress, still on Thursday night, I saw this guy, I looked at him and felt total empathy. I just said:

‘My friend! Let me take a picture for my blog!’

I don’t think I had seen him before… the immediate rapport was due to his clutches and a visible damaged leg.

Talking to him he told me he was still going for surgery… my thoughts go to you friend, hoping all goes well.

The instant friends Ms. Broken Arm & Mr. Broken Leg at SSC09

‘Rugby accident.’ He said.

‘Fell off a horse.’ I answered.

And we kept meeting around the parties (literally walking on the border of the dance floors) the rest of the congress…

If you could only go to the Congress to watch, I bet you wouldn’t resist as well.

I have a thing for finding empty places to dance at. Have done my fair share of performances for invisible public and imaginary admirers.

I was perusing the Brazilian Room party on Saturday night at the congress when I found out that the room was actually a huge space limited by a curtain. Behind it I found a half-dark place with a huuuuuuge wooden, perfect floor, and not a sole person around. As it was just separated from the main floor by cloth the music leaked through it in the same intensity and even a bit of the party lights. The song was one of Mafie Zouker’s and it was going through me directly into my soul.

I took off my shoes and barefooted I began dancing without even realising I was doing it… moving around the floor, spinning, letting the rhythm guide me, letting the beats beat my heart, letting the tears roll… of the sheer emotion I was experiencing. One of those magical, inspired occurrences of a lifetime, that sensation will stay with me forever. I can still close my eyes and feel the dance floor under me and the sensation hugging my body.

I stopped only when I saw someone watching me. I chatted with him for a bit, near the door, until a security guard was a bit rude and scurried us away from there. Anyway, I was already happy.
But got even happier when my friend J.C. saved my congress by dancing one music with me. We went to the front of the room where I wouldn’t risk bumping my hurt arm into anyone and did a “one hand” dance. Fortunately my good arm is the right one and that’s the one most of the zouk leads come from.

It was a strange dance, I lead myself a bit, turned to the wrong sides, had to stop now and then, when someone came anywhere near my elbow. But despite all that, it was an amazing thing. I needed that one dance so badly I just closed my eyes and enjoyed it to its full extent. Those two songs were my personal highlights in the congress.