25 August 2008
Do you know how hard it is to take a decent photo of a couple while they’re swing dancing?!
I had no idea—previously, that is! Now, I do. I took bunches of photos at this dance event, and only a precious few came out well. Kat picked up my camera twice to snap photos of me, and both times got good ones! Go figure! (Of course, on the very last dance of the evening, this guy named Michael had asked me to dance, and was wise to Kat’s sneakiness. He dipped me, then said, “look up!” and that’s precisely when Kat pushed the button!)
The day was spent doing computer work, and booth maintenance, and some early trailer-packing. And, except for some bruises and scrapes sustained in a clumsy tumble from the trailer—it’s a long story that will be best told over a margarita!–it was a good day for me where I accomplished a lot. The evening had been promised to Shannon and Ginger. After seven weeks of them going to this club every Monday night for dancing, Kelly and I had committed to going along. After all, we’d missed the DJ contests that Shannon had won, and this was her first official night to spin as a pro! We really HAD to go!
The place is fun. Fizz Bar and Grill is a little joint on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, with a nice menu, an impressive bar, and an even more impressive bartender. (The guy mixes his own bitters and is reviving pre-prohibition drink recipes that date back as far as the early nineteenth century! He mixes his trademark $9 cocktails from eyedroppers full of secret ingredients—awesome to watch!) Upstairs from the main restaurant/bar, is a long, narrow “dance club” where some of the best swing dancers in Chicagoland gather every Monday night. Shannon controlled the dance floor with her expert mix of fabulous music for the first two hours of dancing, and then our friend Doug took over and played out the night. Ginger danced at least every other dance, as did Kat. (You can see Kat in the green skirt in the background of today’s main photo.) When I wasn’t dancing, I attempted to take pictures! As a newcomer to the club, I didn’t get asked to dance much—I was grateful for another friend John (the cute guy in the photos with Ginger), and Shannon, and the earlier mentioned Michael, who did ask me to dance, because . . . I love to dance! I don’t really “get” the whole culture of the swing dance scene, so I have a different perspective on this first time experience, than Ginger or Shannon or even Kat. It seems the cure for feeling like an outsider (even as a woman) is to boldly stick your neck out and ask somebody to dance. Not being comfortable in a foreign environment, and not being overly confident of my own ability, that never occurred to me. I kept thinking, “it’s their club, I’m the guest . . . they’ll ask me.” But, I was informed (too late in the evening to be of use this visit) that I had it backwards! Jump out there, and do it, they said! My response: maybe next year! It seemed to be a pretty friendly place, all things considered, and it was certainly full of talented dancers. I will look forward to future visits.
~MB
Addendum: Here’s a couple of cute photos of Kelly and me from this night at Fizz. Thanks, John, for these pics and a couple others I’ve stuck in as links above!
