[nabs-l] CanI dance if I want to?

Tue May 14 00:54:02 UTC 2013

Hi all,
I was fortunate to grow up among many Jewish kids who all had bar and
bat mitzvahs, (Jewish celebrations of coming-of-age that happen at age
12 or 13) and most had dance parties for their bar and bat mitzvahs,
so I became comfortable with dancing and potentially looking stupid at
quite a young age. :) I'm sure some people taught me how to dance,
though I can't remember who and honestly, by now I've forgotten most
of my formal instruction. I do remember being told that dancing is
mainly about having fun and just moving your body to the beat of the
music. I'm sure I don't dance perfectly but I've always had fun and
nobody has ever criticized my dancing or not wanted to be with me on
the dance floor because of my dancing. So I don't think you need to
worry too much about how you appear to others. If the group is doing a
line dance like the YMCA, and you don't know the moves for that
particular dance, there's no problem with sitting it out or just
moving off the dance floor to talk to people, or go get a drink or
snack or whatever, during that song. If you want to learn some things,
you could ask a friend or family member who has lots of dancing
experience to teach you or just to watch your moves and tell you
what's good and what you could change or improve on. Also, slow
dancing is easy for girls who are just supposed to follow the man, but
if you're a guy and want to learn how to slow-dance with women you may
want to get a little bit of formal instruction.
One thing I haven't quite figured out yet is where to put my cane
while dancing. When I was younger I would just go with a sighted
friend and stash my cane at a table while my friend and I danced. Now
I'm less comfortable being with the same person all night and I'd like
to be able to keep track of my cane myself without having it on the
dance floor with me. If I go to a dancing event I usually am not
wearing clothes that allow for storage of a telescoping cane, unless I
bring a purse and keep it on me while dancing, which I suppose is an
option. I'm curious if others have found good ways to manage this
issue. The best solution I've used is to find a sound landmark of some
sort like the bar or music stand and put my cane in a corner near that
spot. But this doesn't work as well in large venues.
Arielle

On 5/12/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Get a guy then; it's cool.  That works.  Longg as he can dance a little,
> and
> is a good teacher.  Tell him to move you your body for you at first so you
> can get the movement.  In japah, that is how the black belts teach the
> white
> belts.  That is how my instructor instructs me.  Also, if you don't drink,
> then that is fine too.  That is just a trick I use.  You can do the same
> thing with a cup of water, or a soda; it should work the same way.  If you
> don't want to hang onto a cup like that, then any of the other methods will
> work just fine.  You just got to mix and match my man.  Mix and match.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darian Smith
> Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 8:10 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] CanI dance if I want to?
>
> Hi listers:  should gender matter  in who teaches you?
>  and  what would you suggest if you cannot or  choose not to  partake   in
> alcoholic  beverages?
>  I think these are very interesting points indeed,  Just curious as to
> other
> ways you might go about it?
>  Thanks Justin!
>
>   Darian
>
> On May 12, 2013, at 3:59 PM, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Get a friend, preferably a girl to teach you how to dance.  Sometimes
>> keeping a drink in your hand will give you an excuse not to dance.
>> Personally, I avoid dance clubs like the plague if at all possible;
>> however, there are just times in social situations where you just have
>> to shake a leg.  Do the best you can.  Just move your hips and try to
>> keep up with the beat.  There are a lot of other people out there with
>> you who can't dance either.  They also look terrible.  If you drink,
>> it loosen's you up just a little.  It doen't make you better, you jus
>> think you are.  Smile just a little even if you don't like dancing, or
>> aren't very good at it.  The appearance of enjoyment, or hopefully you
>> are actually enjoying your self, lets everyone see that you are
>> confident; you can't dance and you know it, but you don't care.  It
>> helps.  I feel you man; I'm in the same boat as you accept I have
>> learned a few tricks to fake it until I can get off of the dance
>> floor.  I get fairly drunk on nights like that if I go out with a
>> group of people because I am using trips to the bar as an excuse not to
> dance.  Remember, if possible, get a friend, especially a girl to teach
> you.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darian
>> Smith
>> Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 6:36 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] CanI dance if I want to?
>>
>> Hi all,
>> Please  excuse  the slight 80's song reference,  but I am curious
>> about how you all go about attending social functions where dancing is
>> a part of the atmosphere?
>> Do you decide to not  take part in it because you don't know how to
>> dance?
>> are you too shy?   Do you just get out there regardless?
>> On Dancing, how do you learn how to dance  if you can't do what a lot
>> of folks do and watch it  on television  or the internet?
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Darian
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%4
>> 0gmail
>> .com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dsmithnfb%40gmail.
>> com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40gmail
> .com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
>