Feedback from our dancers......
Driven to Dance
When I first started to learn to dance, my motivation was to become more versatile in social situations for the purpose of attracting women. I did not expect to enjoy couple dancing on its own. Through dance I've developed a social skill that is fun and inviting. I found a community in which I feel accepted and encouraged to exceed, but sometimes to fail, but all without persecution. It has given me the confidence to allow people to see the real me.
Over the years, countless women have declined to dance with me. For a long time, I took it personally. It affected my confidence, and in honesty, sometimes it still does. However, I was encouraged by the Dance Club to persevere, to continue to learn and to continue to ask women to dance. In the process, I've learnt more about myself and women then I have about dance. That's not to say I haven't learned to dance, for I certainly have. But I've learned to embrace my anxiety because it now fuels my excitement.
Now, women ask me to dance, young and old, and I enjoy dancing with all of them. I've developed strong friendships with people my parent’s age. Prior to dance, I only really socialized with my own age. Dance has given me opportunities to network on a professional level. I am now able to see older generations as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. It has humanized them, made them more relatable - more approachable, forcing me to let go of my preconceptions and fear. I feel more integrated with society, more connected and with a stronger sense of community.
I have grown as an individual through dance, but most of all dancing is fun. Seeing my dance partner light up after guiding her through multiple turns and patterns is incredibly gratifying. Having others comment on my growth, as a dancer or otherwise, with sincere compliments makes me feel noticed and embraced in a most nonthreatening way. I now dance to dance. Women may come and they may go, but the dance remains and so do the friendships and community in which I'm so thankful to be a part of.
Dagen Bird
March 2015
When I first started to learn to dance, my motivation was to become more versatile in social situations for the purpose of attracting women. I did not expect to enjoy couple dancing on its own. Through dance I've developed a social skill that is fun and inviting. I found a community in which I feel accepted and encouraged to exceed, but sometimes to fail, but all without persecution. It has given me the confidence to allow people to see the real me.
Over the years, countless women have declined to dance with me. For a long time, I took it personally. It affected my confidence, and in honesty, sometimes it still does. However, I was encouraged by the Dance Club to persevere, to continue to learn and to continue to ask women to dance. In the process, I've learnt more about myself and women then I have about dance. That's not to say I haven't learned to dance, for I certainly have. But I've learned to embrace my anxiety because it now fuels my excitement.
Now, women ask me to dance, young and old, and I enjoy dancing with all of them. I've developed strong friendships with people my parent’s age. Prior to dance, I only really socialized with my own age. Dance has given me opportunities to network on a professional level. I am now able to see older generations as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. It has humanized them, made them more relatable - more approachable, forcing me to let go of my preconceptions and fear. I feel more integrated with society, more connected and with a stronger sense of community.
I have grown as an individual through dance, but most of all dancing is fun. Seeing my dance partner light up after guiding her through multiple turns and patterns is incredibly gratifying. Having others comment on my growth, as a dancer or otherwise, with sincere compliments makes me feel noticed and embraced in a most nonthreatening way. I now dance to dance. Women may come and they may go, but the dance remains and so do the friendships and community in which I'm so thankful to be a part of.
Dagen Bird
March 2015