think of it as dancing

I'm in Herräng for the world's biggest and best swing dance camp, located in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. I'm doing a lazy week this year: volunteering in the café four hours a day, for which I get one meal a day and free entrance to the night parties. Good deal.

Herräng is magical, like it always is. Only an hour after getting here, I found myself in the middle of a juggling workshop (!). There were some people juggling on the grass (next to some people practicing tap dancing on a wooden square that had been put there, and some people eating ice cream in the sun). I only went there to say hello to my friend Arne (who I met at Stockholm Winter Camp in December, and who then stayed at my place during Swingin' Spring), who is an amazing juggler. and well, after about two minutes, I was in the middle of it. I am LOUSY with balls, have always been. Juggling looks like a lot of fun and I've tried a few times, but it never worked. The whole "practice the same thing for ages" maybe isn't for me :)

But this time, it was different. Arne said "don't think of it as juggling ... think of it as dancing". And when I did, everything changed. I just looked at him like I would look at a dance teacher, instinctively following the moves, memorizing them, and then doing them ... and also when I ended up dropping the balls (which I did) there was a completely different flow to it ... like dancing. And it was so much FUN!

Another magical thing was the evening taster class yesterday, locking and breaking. Man, I have not had that much fun dancing for ... maybe six months. They guy who taught it was just so inspirational. And he was an amazing and fun dancer. There are lots of great dancers, but few who spread so much joy that you have to laugh out of pure happiness when looking at them, and trying to do what they do. (I don't remember his name but I think he was from Seattle, like just about every other amazing dancer I've met. What's with that place really?)

So that's that ... My internet time is running out, so I better just post this and go get an ice cream instead (it is hot in Herräng today). Tonight's blues night and I'm hoping to get some nice dances (wish you were here though, Marty). I'm back in town on Saturday, so I'll write more then if not before.

P.S., next year I want to do tap dancing! It looks like so much fun. I took tap dancing in high school (I had to, since I majored in musical theatre) and have been longing to do some more, but there's the time issue ... anyways, a whole week of tap dancing in Herräng, can you imagine the fun?