Friday 1 June 2012

Ship-shape & Bristol fashion!

The question I have been most consistently asked during my year on the road is "where are you off to next then?" The second most often is "Don't you miss having a home/base/place of your own?" To which I always answer in much the same vein: "No. Not at all". (They usually tilt their head, or mutter a 'hmmmm' at this point)... "I can see that by the end of the year I'll likely be happy to think about a place that's 'just mine', but for now (I'm halfway through the year), I wouldn't swap the freedom for anything." The answer is routinely met with everything from nods of understanding to bewilderment. I reckon I understand why. Conditioning. It's not standard for a woman to wander 'untethered' for any sustained length of time. Certainly not one 'over 25'! ;) ... And ofcourse, it's personal choice that may avert people. To be fair, a life on the road isn’t for everyone. Hell, who knew it was even for me til I actually did it?!

And that’s exactly my point, I knew no better than you whether it would work out for me or not. All the questions practical types asked me have turned out to be completely relevant & part of me wishes I'd taken heed of some points more, but the reality was I had to 'just do it' to see how (if!) it could be done. If it works for Microsoft...!
The difference between me and the next person could have been I felt had nothing to lose by trying. It definitely was a product of desiring to break out of the status quo. Perhaps that’s all it takes. I’ve posted previously about when one’s back is against the wall, so I won’t repeat myself, that’s not what this tea break of yours is for, that’s what archiving is for! Cue wise saying:

Amen
My 10 days in Bristol were interspersed with teaching Lindy for SwingDanceBristol, Balboa & Blues privates & checking out the SS Great Britain. Here I am dancing in the dining room - love tall ships - this day was ace!



Perhaps understandably given my current lifestyle, I consistently ponder the wonders of risk. It’s so easy to quickly become attached to the things we are used to. The perceived danger from 'the unknown' for most people far outweighs the rational analysis of what actually could be. Recently, I had a very engaging conversation with a dancer friend who presented me with an article regarding risk here. Ask yourself this - why are 'reality tv' programmes such as Dragons Den so successful? Admit it, we can’t help but watch most people crash & burn under the panel's scrutiny. We are ready to accept the canny few may make a deal, that's the television element after all, the small chance, against all odds etc... I'd wager that living vicariously suits most of us - for example, where would the James Bond franchise be if we were all superb at espionage!? Not so many people would be queueing up to watch action flicks & romcoms if the kind of content within happened to us all everyday I'm sure.

My mum & partner tell me they like checking in on where I'm 'swanning off to' next & not wishing to disappoint them, nor you, dear reader, I travelled the following day to the fair city of Cambridge. It would have been Frankie Manning's birthday last Saturday, so in his honour, swing dancers across the globe jazz danced their hearts out a little more than usual! I'm delighted the following film has reached it's initial goal to be made and fully legally licensed & urge you to check this out. A few more donations are needed to ensure closed captioning & graphics for the hearing impaired. The story of American Social dance... can't wait!
But first I'm going to go actually contribute to the cause myself...!



The story of social dancing continues of course & we’ve been very busy with prep for the bluesFusion weekend these last few weeks! We are inviting dancers to share with us why they love dancing – Blues or Fusion dancing specifically, because we want to celebrate this & engage people to make sure we give them what they want for this seminal weekend! From next monday, we will be posting a clip online & in the facebook group each week, showing why the top international guys love Blues & Fusion so much - we hope you join in & tell us why you love it here too!

Epilogue: Cambridge meant re-uniting with dancers friends not seen in years. A quite epic weekend was had, I thank my recent hosts with the mosts as always for sharing their lives with me for the brief moments we spend together. They are a key part of this amazing journey I'm making.
Oh, and where am I off to next? Manchester, Stoke, Coventry & Birmingham in the next 6 days. Amsterdam Lindy Exchange is on the horizon too. #ThisIsTheLife

1 comment:

  1. Over 25? I'd have ID'd you before handing out a white wine spritzer!

    I like your free spirit, as long as you dance with me when our paths cross Ms. Bond.

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