Welcome to another Tell Us About challenge! Every month, a group of us bloggers write about the same topic, each sharing our own memories and experiences. This month, it was my turn to choose the prompt, and I picked Dancing. After writing about Sunshine last month, this one felt like the perfect excuse to revisit some of my favourite memories.
If you’d asked me what I wanted to be when I was little, there’s a good chance I’d have said a dancer. I absolutely loved dancing. If there was music playing, I was moving. I don’t remember ever being self-conscious about it either. In fact, I was probably the complete opposite! I loved being in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching. It’s funny because these days I’d much rather hide behind a camera than be the centre of attention!
Some of my happiest childhood memories are from the kiddie discos we’d go to during holidays in places like Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe. I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but one memory has stayed with me all these years.
I was happily dancing away when I felt someone tap me gently on the back. I turned around to find the cutest little boy standing there. I was painfully shy, but he quite obviously liked me. We danced together for a while and, although I don’t remember much else about that day, I never forgot that moment.
In fact, it stayed with me for so many years that I ended up using it as the opening scene in one of my early chick lit novels, Forever Fredless. Funny how the smallest childhood memories can find their way into our stories years later.
Back in England, those afternoon discos were the highlight of every holiday. I danced my little heart out every single time, and one day I even won the prize for being the best dancer. I thought that was the coolest thing ever! Looking back, I do think I had good rhythm… I’d like to think I still do!
After we moved to Portugal, dancing became an even bigger part of my teenage years. Although, when I say “teenage years”, I really mean barely a teenager. I was only 13 when my group of friends started going to discos at night.
Can you imagine that happening now?
There we were, a bunch of young girls out clubbing, drinking and even smoking. Looking back, it seems completely bonkers, but that was just how things were back then. Somehow we got away with it all.
One of the clubs held a weekly dance competition. I entered for fun and ended up winning. Then I won again the following week. The third week, they announced someone else’s name, but afterwards one of the organisers came over and quietly told me I’d actually been the real winner again. They just couldn’t keep giving it to the same person every week!
I was completely fine with that. In fact, I still laugh about it now.
As I got older, not much changed. Whenever my friends and I went clubbing, I was almost always the first person on the dance floor. I never needed anyone to persuade me. As soon as my favourite songs came on, I was off.
One night changed my life forever.
It was my 16th birthday, and we were at our local nightclub, O Bote, right on the beach. I can still picture it now. My song came on — Fantasy by Black Box — and I practically sprinted onto the dance floor. As I was dancing, dry ice drifted all around my feet, and for those few minutes I felt like I was performing on a stage. I was completely in my element.
Eventually, the dance floor filled up, so I sat down to catch my breath. We’d just been out for pizza beforehand, and all that enthusiastic dancing had left me feeling more than a little queasy!
That’s when my school friend Phil came over and said his brother’s best friend wanted to meet me. I looked over and saw Michael. He’d been three years above me at school, and I thought he was gorgeous. Phil told me that Michael had said watching me dance was making him “go all hot and cold.”
Did I go over and introduce myself? Of course not! I told Phil I felt sick!
Thankfully, that didn’t put Michael off. Two nights later we met properly, shared our first kiss, and the rest, as they say, is history. That was almost 35 years ago. Here’s a photo of our first dance at our wedding (Michael was terrified lol)
When I think about it now, it’s strange how something as simple as dancing had such a huge impact on my life. It wasn’t just something I enjoyed; it gave me confidence, inspired one of my novels, introduced me to lifelong memories and, quite literally, led me to the person I’ve spent most of my life with.
Despite all that, I never became a dancer. As I grew older, my dreams changed and I found other creative passions instead.
I have tried dance classes over the years, but they never really felt right. Michael and I even signed up for ballroom dancing once. I think we lasted four lessons before we reached salsa. Let’s just say Michael wasn’t entirely comfortable with all the hip movements and decided ballroom dancing wasn’t for him!
That was the end of that.
I don’t dance nearly as much these days, which is a bit of a shame really. But every now and then a favourite song comes on, and for a few moments I’m that carefree girl again — the one who couldn’t wait to get onto the dance floor and who believed she might one day dance for a living.
And who knows? Without dancing, I might never have met my husband.
Now that’s a pretty good reason to keep dancing.
Don’t forget to check out my fellow co-hosts posts on the theme of dancing:
Cat has ambivalent feelings about dancing. https://catswire.blogspot.com/
Find Amy at https://coffeeandcocktailsatthecasa.com/
For Leslie, this month’s prompt – dancing – brings lots of things to mind: a favorite memory, ballet, and a great Ginger Rogers quote. Which will she write about? https://onceuponatimehappilyeverafteragain.blogspot.com/
When Marsha was teaching, her students would beg her not to sing (she still did). But, when it came to dancing, they were all for it. I mean, who doesn’t want to see their teacher make a complete fool of herself? Read Marsha’s post to discover all the goofy things she and her class used to do! www.marshainthemiddle.com
Sally discusses why she can play music but she can’t dance to it. https://www.withinaworldofmyown.com
