Question: What is a better way to celebrate romantic love than dancing with a partner soul-stirring music?
Answer: Nothing! GOOD NEWS! We have this whole MONTH to celebrate. Phew! One of the many wonderful things I learned from my awesome husband Bob is just that, We don’t need an exact day to celebrate such holidays. Being so precise causes more stress than happiness, he taught me. (since he worked all the holidays anyway, he was already overdosed on stress. No. better to take a whole month, whenever it works best for us. for our Valentine celebration. Ahhhh such freedom! Such a relief! No more stress from the tyranny of the calendar. In 2021 we all definitely need a whole MONTH to celebrate LOVE, as nationally, nay, GLOBALLY, we are all in detox phase from worries of hate and fear this past year. So an EXTRA dose of romantic love will do us all good. Question: What is more powerful than fear and hate? Answer: Love!!! But…what is LOVE, really? That word can mean many things: happy feelings, eros, romance, pleasure, affection, friendship, faithfulness, altruism, goodness. On Valentine’s Day we celebrate a particular kind of love, that romantic, sparky delight of two souls finding a special attraction to each other, the kind that, hopefully, lasts a lifetime, tocreate a family upon, right? Will you be MY Valentine? Romantic love definitely makes a delightful story climax… Hallmark Channel makes millions running that same story endlessly, 24-hours daily, where sparks kindle the union of two hearts within` a few dramatic moments. Much as we delight thinking of love epitomized by pleasurable lip-to-lip electricity, Valentine’s original story had a much different scenario. “Valentine Love” was actually the story of a person’s unselfish acts, sacrificial even their life, for the sake of others in their community. St. Valentine’s Day was instituted by Pope Gelasius to replace the pagan fertility holiday of Lupercalia. The original “Valentine” according to www.History.com was probably one of three possible saints, all named Valentine, martyred by the Catholic church for helping others. My favorite story is of the priest performing secret illegal wedding ceremonies from his jail cell. He was beheaded for that. So…. when you ask someone to “Be My Valentine” you are actually asking him to sacrifice his life for you! Whoahhhhh, let’s re-think this, a bit. Rather than getting all wound up about purchasing the best chocolates, flowers, cards, diamonds and gifts, (NOTE: I’m NOT complaining about any of that) REAL Valentine love is not what I can GET from my lover, but what can I GIVE. Isn’t that more satisfying? Yep, REAL love is about sacrificing, giving up of one’s own pleasure or benefit, in the service of the other person. This is what really ignites the deeper part of our soul! We learn this instantly in partner dancing. The skills to move musically, harmoniously, with a partner depend on each partner focusing on what is best for the other. While both lead and follow roles have specific, complementary skills,the goal of both is helping your partner succeed. Dancers who put their partner’s enjoyment above their own, serving their partners needs first, are the best partners. When I watch my dance partners sweaty face light up with a smile after our waltz, my satisfaction deepens, my confidence grows, their delight is my reward. Of course, this works best when BOTH partners have this generous attitude. So, does this contradict our delight with Valentines chocolates and flowers? No, not at all. When we give each gift, dance each dance, smile each smile, for the purpose of delighting the other person, that is true love. On my first date with Bob, 34 years ago, was I attracted by his handsomeness? spectacular dance moves? slick car? NO. No, my romantic flame ignited when, at the end of our group meal, he jumped up to help wash the dishes. Yes, folks, that is TRUE love in my book. So, dear ones, If you are searching to FIND the right partner, focus instead on BEING the right partner. Be the spark you want to find in this life. Give a smile to a passing stranger, thrill a friend with a 3-minute Polka, work 60 years to nurture your family. Your acts of giving goodness to others bring you true Valentine happiness. Someday my body on this planet will take its last breath. If I’ve spent my life serving others, making their lives better, both my precious few family, and my international audience of many, if I am their Valentine in some way, that, my dear waltzers, will be a life well lived. Join our Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing dances to learn how. No partner needed, (but nice if you have one)
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Question: What is better way to celebrate romantic love than dancing with a partner to music that stirs both your souls?
Answer: Nothing! And the GOOD NEWS is we have a whole MONTH to celebrate. Phew! Yes, one of the many wonderful things I learned from my husband Bob is that, Its NOT so important to celebrate special holidays on the exact day. No, that creates more stress. .. (especially since he worked almost all the major holidays anyway, so already overloaded on stress) Instead we can take a week, even a MONTH to celebrate whenever it works best for us. Ahhhh such freedom! We all definitely need to celebrate LOVE, as we are now nationally, nay, GLOBALLY in detox phase from our worries, political conflicts and fears this past year. Question: What is more powerful than fear and hate? Answer: Love!!! So get started now with our MONTH of celebrating Romantic Love With some GREAT Romantic Music (contributed by many of YOU) In our next sessions and lessons. What’s that? You DON’T have a PARTNER at home to dance with? No worries! You can sub in a broom or mop just fine (they are waiting in your closet for you to invite them) Just tape on some glasses, a bow tie and they will be delighted to dance. So Happy Valentines MONTH Dancers. Join any of our Dances this month (only $10 session) (dance classes are included in Waltz Tribe Pioneer membership Contact me for info) |
FOOT Notes from Teacher PeggyAuthorPeggy Pollard has been teaching social/ballroom dance in Santa Cruz since 2010. Archives
September 2022
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