New Cities

Portland vs. Seattle. Seattle vs. Portland. Seattle has the Lindy Hop. Don't get me wrong: Portland's got it going on as well, but Seattle HAS the Lindy Hop. Blues, on the other hand, is a more even split, however the communities feel so different. The people who come, the way they relate - it all felt new and different, after only a few weeks in Portland. Even the connection was different. It was hard to dance tonight. I found myself sitting on the sideline - watching and absorbing. This has lately become my habit at social dances.

I analyze every movement in the bodies. I want to understand those movements. I want to know exactly what is happening. I realize as I become more experienced that every error and everything correct begins with the posture. The posture tells a story about how you relate to your partner, to the world, to yourself. And it's in the posture and the arms and the touch that these people tell stories. But it's something like staring at the unencrypted matrix. It doesn't make much sense at first, and then slowly the secrets begin to unfurl, and you start to think that you can understand how it feels to dance with that person.

But all I really know is that my feet are TENSE.