One way to chase away your ills is to dance so much that you can only think about how tired you are.

As I mentioned previously (?), my group at the SimCompany goes swing dancing every Tuesday night in San Francisco.

Last night, I joined them. Hunter couldn't come because he had to get something done before he left, so I ended up going solo - but in a way, it was good for me, letting me get back in my own personal dancing groove before we go into learning mode. :) Next week, we both dance.

I had a good deal of fun. It was nerve-wracking at times - I'm very out of practice, since the last time I swing danced was at the swing club at Citywalk Orlando -- and even then, it had been about 2 years since I had really danced on the ballroom floor.

But my spinning ability will save me. I'm a fast spin, and most guys figure that out pretty quick and take advantage of it.

One thing that really sort of irked me, though: In ballroom, we learned mainly West Coast Swing. Here on the West Coast, they don't dance West Coast Swing - they do East Coast or even Lindy.

Fucking A.

There were lessons before open dancing - taught by the lead designer on our team here - and those became my first official Lindy lessons. Try as I might, though, I just can't get used to the difference between starting a Lindy dance and starting a West Coast dance.

I guess it'll come in time. In the meantime, I feel bad for my partners who try and start me on Lindy unannounced.

The club itself was pretty cool - it had genuine atmosphere, as opposed to the themed atmosphere at that Orlando club I went to. (The Orlando club did have amazing live music, though...) It's on Broadway (apparently, no California city is complete without a Broadway), and it's mostly surrounded by old strip clubs. Charming.

But it had aged wood paneling and a balcony level and old red leather booths, and it was just pretty cool. The community there was pretty cool too - probably about 100 dancers during open time, all ages.

Ballroom and swing create a wonderful social atmosphere where you can actually dance with a stranger and meet new people very cordially, with little awkwardness. Good etiquette says you don't refuse a dance when asked the first time by someone, so it's fairly easy for guys to approach, and everyone gets to dance with a variety of people. Afterwards, you thank your partner for the dance, perhaps ask their name, and return to the wall or another partner. Lovely.

And there's always the people who surprise you. One of the first people to ask me to dance was an unassuming looking Indian man - but wow, he was a really good dancer. Really tight lead, fast on his feet, and helped me effortlessly through moves I hadn't learned yet. I was flattered that he asked me for a second dance immediately - apparently I must not be horrible despite my rustiness. :)

But oh, how I missed dancing. And not just swing, either. I really do miss ballroom in general. I love Latin dancing, too. I hate feeling somewhat unsure of myself, what with being a new fish in a new pond, getting used to what styles are common with the locals - but I'm certain I'll become more confident with time.:)

Dancing just lets a little part of me free, like I'm a little girl again. I feel as if the only place I'm meant to be is that dance floor at that moment.

(I also realized that I missed our old ballroom clique from my freshman year of college - Larn, Chris, etc. - but luckily for me, quite a chunk of our core clique is here in San Francisco. With a little effort, the crew could be reunited for some nights of wonderful dancing. That makes me very happy too.)

All in all, it was an enjoyable but exhausting evening. The other SimCompany dancers were really fun and friendly, and we all seemed to get along well. I'm sure we'll be back next week... but for now, I'm practially melting in my chair I'm so tired.

Time to get myself back into prime dancing form!