Why did you start dancing?

[christina]

Enough of all these threads debating competition in music. Why did you start to dance? What got you into your first class or out on the social floor?

My story comes in multiple parts:

1) Grandparents are ballroom dancers. Always wanted to learn, never bothered to find classes in deep woods of Vermont growing up. Spent much time dancing alone in my bedroom pretending I was a prima ballerina. Settled for cheerleading as it was the closest I was going to get.

2) Went to college at the beginning of the 1998 swing crazy. Campus hosted a month of "Swing" classes and brought in a band. Of the hundreds of people in the classes, twenty showed up for the dance. Spent majority of time trying aerials with two of the three guys there. Danced my own brand of Charleston at fraternity parties to "Zoot Suit Riot" and "Jump Jive & Wail" since the campus interest in dancing with a partner died quickly.

3) Graduated and moved in with grandparents under the stipulation that I can live rent free so long as they are allowed to teach me to dance on Monday nights and I go out social dancing with them on Saturday nights. Am the darling of the geriatric crowd as no one is within a 5-decade radius of me.

4) Move to New York City with the bribe that grandparents will pay for first month of dance classes if I sign up. Parents encourage by offering to buy my first pair of dance shoes if I like it.

5) FINALLY sign-up for classes after living in city of a year. ECS which I want to do doesn't seem to have classes that match my schedule. Figure WCS can't be much different. It will be a great way to finally start meeting people in this big city since the two people at my small company living in Connecticut and roommate is a hermit. Discovered mother was big-time hustle dancer in upstate NY back in the day and both great-grandmothes use to compete in Charleston and Peabody constests out on Coney Island

6) Hooked

[whipkitten]

I had always wanted to learn how to dance. But mom and dad didn't really see dancing as a productive hobby.

In college, I took a western swing class with some friends. It mostly involved a lot of aerials so there were only a few people that I could actually dance with.

When I graduated from college, I decided that I was tired of waiting for someone to join me in class and I just decided to go take some classes. I started with ECS because it looked similar to the western swing classes that I had taken. It was so much fun! After a year thought I got discouraged because I wasn't meeting any new people so I quit for a while.

Then an old friend came to town and we became roommates. I thought dance classes would be a great way for her to meet new people. So we ventured out again to ECS. This time it stuck. I eventually moved into Lindy for a few months and then I found out about WCS! Holy moley, LOVED it. I've been doing this ever since! That was in 2001.

[bethany]

~After college, I was burnt out on singing and needed a different art-outlet that was different from my music job, so I went to a free ecs class and loved it.

~I gravitated toward lindy hop 5 months later and stuck with that for YEARS, becoming very involved in the community.

~I attended a few wcs dances as a lindy dancer, got LOTS of help on the dance floor from Barnes. At the same time, I was growing tired of some of the politics in the lindy scene, so I decided to check out wcs.

~I've been enjoying both dances equally for the past 4 years.

[CrazyKate]

Why did I start dancing? Honestly, I can't remember; I was 5. I would assume that I was interested in dancing and/or my parents signed me up.

I'm sure that's not what you were really asking, but it's a huge part of the path that got me to WCS.

From when I can remember, I've been dancing. I started with ballet, tap, jazz, and competitive roller skating. I gave up roller skating for soccer (stupid), and then gave up the dances for robotics and tech crew for theatre. Even though I gave up dance classes, I never stopped randomly dancing to whatever music was on.

In college, I was sitting on the floor in the hallway of my dorm (rocking out with my headphones, of course) when someone asked if I wanted to go to a dance class. I immediately joined them, just to find out that it was ballroom dancing. It was different, it was cool - I had no idea that I wasn't supposed to be leading. A more experience guy finally told me that it was his job to lead & not mine - I couldn't believe it. I competed at the college level all 4 years; I didn't do amazingly, but I didn't suck either.

My senior year I was at NASA for my senior project in Greenbelt, MD. I went to their ballroom club on Sunday night & had an absolute blast. When I did ballroom outside of college, I was used to dancing with people my parents' age, and didn't have a problem with it. Well, they realized I was young, and said I should go to another venue so I could dance with people my own age - I didn't mind country music, right?

Well, I went to that venue - Cherry Hill with Dean & Dawn Garrish - and took the two-step group class & stayed for the social dance after. My first dance, I had no idea I was doing WCS - and the guy just kept on telling me to smile & have fun (boy was I mad that he refused to tell me the basic step!). I learned a lot about that dance on the social floor (thank you Dave Moldover's dance parties), but luckily the next month was a WCS series of lessons.

I came back to New England for the rest of college, and back to ballroom. While I was gone, my school's group turned VERY clique-y, so I got fed up one night & found Bill Cameron teaching WCS at a country bar near school (thanks to a guy from the Boston area I met while in MD, whom I still see at dances now - and his daughter rocks!). Well, there was no turning back once I jumped into the deep end in the Boston area. I love this dance!

[WestieTash]

I started in ballet, tap, and jazz when I was 5. I danced at my studio until even the owner said I'd outgrown the studio.

Started figure skating at 11.

Quit skating when I got to college. I needed another creative outlet, so I tried flamenco dancing. I kept looking into ballroom, but somehow never started the classes.

January 1, 2006 I made a pact with a friend. We were going to concentrate on us, rather than silly boys. Our first step, do something for us. We signed up for classes at the local Fred Astaire. I loved every minute of my time in the studio!!!!

Moved to Houston April of 2006. Didn't like the FA studio here, so didn't dance for a while. Then found the "Q." While attending a class there, I saw real WCS.

Hooked since September 2006.

[KelKel]

I've always loved dancing. My mother said as a child I would watch dance on tv and try to immitate what I saw but I had too many hang ups and insecurities so I never really pursued it. I focused on singing and acting and spent most of my childhood doing musical theatre.

I switched gears in college and wanted a change and stopped performing. A few years ago I got the itch back and really wanted to do those things that I let slip by in my youth. I didn't want to live a life of regret so I set out to take dance classes and do something I had loved and let go.

I ended up in Ballroom only because it's difficult to find adult begginer classes in jazz, modern, or hip hop. At least it was difficult to find in my area at that time. So Ballroom seemed to fit for me. I started privates and began learning every Ballroom dance imaginable. About 8 months into my lessons I heard about WCS. I didn't know anything about it and asked my instructor to show it to me. The minute the music started playing I knew I'd found my dance. I started going to conventions before I even knew what I was doing LOL! Just to watch and enjoy and learn. I've been hooked ever since.

[westcoastjunkie]

Oh Christina, I can't believe you beat me to this. As I was lying in bed last night I told myself I was going to start a new thread like this.

I love the responses I've read so far, especially the one about avoiding silly boys.

Unlike some of you who have posted so far, I do not have a dance background either in formal training or family background.

I am a walk-off-the-street-trip-over-my-own-two-feet-clutz. However, I did grow up listening to swing music, and at family weddings and reunions I would see my parents and aunts and uncles swing dancing. It looked like so much fun.

Later in life, after college and after the Army, a friend of mine told me about a monthly swing dance in my neighborhood and the free lesson. It was ECS but I was still hooked and very excited to finally be learning to swing dance. I signed up for a six week class. The same teacher also held practice sessions. It was at the practice session where I noticed one of the local dancers doing something different. I asked and was told that that was WCS. I liked how expressive and musical it was, but was not "hooked". A short time later the teacher brought in Donna & Kenny Rosel to do some workshops and they did a demo the night before.

WOW!!! I've never seen dancing like that before! WOW!!! That looks like so much fun! Completely Hooked. Started taking WCS lessons. Not too long after that I moved to NYC and was able to start getting some instruction from professional WCS dancers and go to the North River Bar.

I'm still hooked. Although NRB is gone and the scene has changed I still love this dance. It's such a joy to dance for the love of dancing. :) :) :) :)

[Arjay]

I started dancing in grade school.
I was already a musician and so I had a major love for listening and creating music. I was also very athletic. I fused the two to be my passion. It also helped that I had two older sisters in college during the start of the hip hop era.

I taught myself hip hop and loved dancing it when I wasn't playing my violin.

In high school, I had the option of waking up for A period (7:15am before 1st period) to do P.E. which meant trips to the weight room with the jocks and other random people, or take dance during second period where the male/female ratio was 1/12. hmmm no brainer folks...not to mention dance class counted for my P.E. requirements!!!

In college I was presented with the opportunity to join my parents and dance ballroom and latin. Having found my new passion, I was really interested.

But getting into WCS, I really only learned at first to meet Melissa.

NO JOKE!!! yes, she showed me the ropes and got me into WCS!!!!

[Scott S.]

For me, I was a skater growing up so performing started young. I stayed away from dancing for years because it seemed too simple or too formal for me. I started rooming with Dave Pena, who had won an Open Swing National way back in the day and had a local teaching contract where he had 400 people on the dance floor at once (this bar was huge, 1000+ person capacity). So, I was dancing a little socially and then Dave needed assistants to go around and help people learn basic 2 step. Once there, we were haninging out with the local instructors and I saw that WCS had the kind of compexity I loved without the stuffy formal air and it had awesome improv potential as well.

Suddenly, I was hooked. To this day the most fun part of the dance for me is improvised playing off the music in all sorts of ways that have nothing to do with patterns.

I took some time away to pursue other interests but then started dating a gal who wanted to dance ballroom. I tried it and asked her to try WCS, but she wasn't up for it and we ended up splitting up anyway. Since I owned a new pair of dance shoes for ballroom, it seemed a shame to let them go to waste... so I looked up the local WCS crowd and started all over again.

[TJZitoJr]

What a great question!

I have always HATED dancing! My first school dance in seventh grade...my girlfriend was mad because I wouldn't dance with her and she slow danced and kissed another guy. I ran from dancing the rest of my life! I even skipped prom and went to a college fraternity rush party just to escape the pressure from dancing- seriously!

My senior year of high school, I was finishing wrestling season (I was and still am a die hard wrestler) and I met a girl who asked me to come to a country western bar. She tried to teach me basic two step and i was hopeless.... Well, she told me I had no chance at ever learning to dance and ran off with a redneck guy and danced all night.

I was so upset I started going to the bar to learn-- only until 8pm at night because I was seventeen and it was technically not a bar until 8 pm.

I got to college and I met another girl who dragged me into competing UCWDC. I worked hard to impress her and had a lot of ups and downs....dancing, winning, losing, dating, the whole nine yards!

We climbed the ranks and then we broke up--The girl was gone, but I oddly enough really enjoyed the dancing. I briefly danced with another partner and then quit for roughly five years while I finished graduate school at Alabama and started the whole corporate career, bought a house, got married, started a family, etc.

Fall of 07 after our baby was born, my wife asked for us to start dancing as a way to lose the baby weight (I had "sympathy" weight) We started training in theater arts and west coast and I was hooked again! We started competing together and also started a dance company out of our basement. www.vulcanperformers.com

From there we gained local publicity and a studio. Now we are in spring of 08...I am quitting my job and we will do the studio, the dance company, and other dance interests full time!

All of this craziness!! This stuff gets addictive!

TJ Zito Jr
www.bhamrhythm.com
www.vulcanperformers.com

[CALI DOLL]

TJZitoJr, I LOVE your story. I smiled the whole way through it.

I've always enjoyed dancing (I had never partner danced, though) and I had *heard* of WCS but I always thought it was Lindy Hop.

My first EVER class was with Benji Schwimmer near Philly back in December 06 and I enjoyed the class enough, but I never thought I'd really take WCS again. Then I went to my first WCS convention (NYE 06/07 in Boston) and I was HOOKED! Man, I remember that I couldn't really hold my own with even the most basic of WCS leaders but I knew I loved the dance and I wanted to take lessons...immediately.

So, I found my local studio in February of 2007 and I've been there ever since. I'm hooked. :D

What's great is from taking WCS at my studio, I'v also been introduced to a lot of other dances that I've grown to really enjoy such as Country Two Step and Cha Cha. It's also great because I get to share this common addiction with a lot of my friends.

[heatherleigh]

Started with the classical training when I was 4. The usual, tap, jazz, ballet(although that teacher had it IN for me!), floor gymnastics. I had just graduated to point when my parents finally gave me the choice between dance or sports. I chose sports which took me through highschool.

Senior year in highschool, my youth pastor was getting married and they had decided that they wanted a swing wedding. So they got a group of us together(the wedding party) to learn basic ECS. It was a blast.

Here's the thing... I thought that was it. Who knew that people still get together to dance like that? ha. Anyway...

Go to college the next year up in dallas and lo and behold there is another Heather in my dorm. Not only that but we seemed to get along really well. In the first week of class, she meets a girl who invites her out to go dancing. So she tells me and we decide we'll drive in and go. We're thinking clubbing.. "yay!"... not so much. But we had a blast. We started going out 2 to 3 times a week. I quickly got into Lindy... turned out she was just there to make out with guys(or try to... creepy... we don't talk anymore).

So that was in Sept 2000... I was into Lindy Hop because of the people while I lived in Dallas. Couldn't find better people than that!

When I moved back to Houston after graduation, I wanted to not go back to lindy. Truth is, the music isn't me... it doesn't move me. I decided to try WCS and it's a much better fit for me truthfully!

It's been almost 8 years not altogether for me!

The End.

[vegas4x4]

I started dancing during the swing craze of the late nineties when a friend of mine offered to teach us to ECS. At the time you could go dancing three nights a week easily. I eventually got into lindy hop taking a few group classes, but I never really "got it". Somehow while I was dancing I found out about a lindy/ecs swing camp in Big Bear, CA, so I went there for a weekend. I ended up dancing lindy/ECS for about a year and a half until the lindy/ecs swing dancing scene completely died and there was nowhere left to dance.

A couple years later I started going to country bars and eventually picked up line dancing and a little two step. I learned completely on the bar room floor, mostly from people who had no idea what they were doing. It makes me sick to say this, but I spent two years dancing nothing but the basic two step. Never did a single turn! Two years dancing quick quick slow slow!

After about two years of two steppin, a friend tried to set me up with a girl. We went on a date and she mentioned she always wanted to take a dance class, but her ex-b/f refused to try it out. I went looking for a ecs/lindy type class and all I could find was WCS. I said what the heck, it can't be that much different. We took that six week intro class and learned some really bad basics! Since I had been to the lindy/ECS swing dance camp, I figured there would be something similar for WCS. I searched the internet and found New Years Dance Camp in Palm Springs. We went to that event about a month after we finished our six week intro class. We saw the pros dance and got hooked!

I always joke that if I knew how long it would take to get halfway decent in this dance or if I knew how much of my life it would consume, I may never have started.

[CALI DOLL]

I always joke that if I knew how long it would take to get halfway decent in this dance or if I knew how much of my life it would consume, I may never have started.



Yeah, it's like a trap! But, you don't find out until your in too deep. LOL!

[westcoastjunkie]

Originally Posted by vegas4x4
I always joke that if I knew how long it would take to get halfway decent in this dance or if I knew how much of my life it would consume, I may never have started.

Yeah, it's like a trap! But, you don't find out until your in too deep. LOL!

Or a drug! :shades:

[Kelly]

omg..great thread christina!!

Lets see...as a child i studied music and played sports. Then, my parents decided (when I was 12) that they wanted to learn country line dancing. They hired instructors to come to our house and teach them in our basement. I thought it was hilarious!! I was like, "you will never catch me doing that!". Anyway I sat and watched them on the stairs every week, then it became "I can do that...?!" So at the age of 12 I started country line dancing. Got really into it....then came 2-stepping (my second love), east coast swing, and other country dances. I watched "Club Dance" on CMT every week and was obsessed with this couple that did "west coast swing"?? I taped the episodes and learned how to do a sugar push and thats how I got hooked!!

So..at this point...I had already dragged my brother into line dancing at the age of 14....then we learned how to do the sugar push together. We would literally dance to a song and only do a sugar push for 3 1/2 minutes!! very boring!!

Eventually a new country dance club had opened just as i turned 16 and they had Dave Townsend teaching. So...I dragged my brother and we took the classes! BTP 1998 was our first event...made novice strictly finals!! woohoo.....

Bri...lets get out our white button downs and black pants!! :eek:

[bethany]

So..at this point...I had already dragged my brother into line dancing at the age of 14....then we learned how to do the sugar push together. We would literally dance to a song and only do a sugar push for 3 1/2 minutes!! very boring!!

Bri...lets get out our white button downs and black pants!! :eek:

Cutest post ever, hehehe. There HAS to be pictures somewhere....

[Cheshire Cat]

My brother started dancing last year, and he got me private lessons in WCS for Christmas. I started at the ending of January and am now kind of obsessed.

[CALI DOLL]

My brother started dancing last year, and he got me private lessons in WCS for Christmas. I started at the ending of January and am now kind of obsessed.

Well then you are right on track. :D

That's how it usually happens.

[Kelly]

Cutest post ever, hehehe. There HAS to be pictures somewhere....

better yet....we just got the video! Youtube coming soon....stay tuned!! Its HILARIOUS!!!:eek:

[Connie]

Mom used to dance hustle back in the day before my parents were married. She later dropped out of the scene to have a family, like so may people do. She returned to dancing after my father and her decided to go separate ways.

One night, she bribed me with ice cream if I would go to the hustle dance with her. There was ice cream involved, so naturally I went. I learned that night that I really didn't like hustle, and I never went back... not even if there was going to be ice cream.

So one night a few years later mom came home rambling about this "west coast swing" thing. I thought it was going to be another surrounded-by-people-40-years-older-than-me evening, so I got myself out of going every week by insisting that my teachers were trying to kill me with homework. I managed to steer clear of going for a good eight months, until she finally caught me when I had nothing to do on a summer night. Again, there was ice cream involved (sensing a pattern?) so I went.

I remember just sitting there watching people's feet that first night. I didn't understand that there were 6 AND 8 count patterns. And I loved how people seemed to glide across the floor instead of step. And I just had to learn how! So I did.

(Oh, and I may have had a slight crush on the teacher... which may have had something to do with me coming back...)

[BJW]

Here's a new twist (sarcasm) I started dancing in country bars.:D I was in the Marines and line dancing and two step were the best ways to meet women. I like the old, "hey, can you show me that", line.

I spent about 2 years based in southern California, AND NEVER FOUND WCS!! I think back on that and kick myself.

I got out of the Military in 2002 and didn't find a dance class till spring semester of 2004. It was called "country western dance". I was late to the first class and figured it didn't matter since I would probably be the only one there. There were enough people that I thought I was in the wrong place; 21 women and 7 guys.

By fall of 04' I found the local dance venue. One year later I helped tally scores for our local dance event, The Salt Lake Swing Invitational. I was hooked. The class I first took taught WCS, ECS, Waltz, Texas Two step, Night Club Two Step, and Cha Cha throughout two semesters.

I started a WCS club at the community college and was dancing at least 8 hours a week. As I reflected back on the year 2000 when I was living in Southern CA, one of the greatest hubs for dance, I couldn't understand how I missed it. Too much drinking is probably the most realistic answer, but that's the Infantry for you.

Anyway, this August will mark my 4th year of finding WCS. I am still addicted, and yes, I think addicted is the correct term. But hey, it's probably one of the healthiest most rewarding addictions one could have.

[Cheshire Cat]

Well then you are right on track. :D

That's how it usually happens.
Yeah, not to mention the bulk of my spending money goes towards learning it:(:D

I also started because I figured it would be good socially, which it is.

[whipdancer]

When I turned 15 my mother told me, "You're in high school, you need to learn to dance."

So, I learned Jitterbug, ECS, 2-Step, and Polka. I thought, "Cool, now I can dance." Only, when I went to the dances - NO ONE DID ANYTHING LIKE THAT. They all stood in small groups and kinda wiggled. I quit.

When I was 16 my mother said wanted me to come to one of her dance contests. I kinda stood around and watched. My mom was dancing with this skinny dude with way too much hair and beard. Turns out that was some kid named Junior. His dad was Mario.

I liked the music (they were dancing to Al Green, BB King, Lucky Peterson, Aretha Franklin, Johnnie Taylor and Etta James) so I decided I could learn this. Then it turns out the women love a guy who can dance. I've been doing it since (about 23 years now).