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

Tue May 14 01:59:45 UTC 2013

Hi, I assumed it was a given that someone wouldn't just ly his cane 
down among the dancers simply because there wasn't a suitable corner 
in which to stash it. In fact, at a time I myself took a ballroom 
dancing class, I had just that, a holster attached to my belt in 
which I carried my cane. Now however, I use a straight cane. The 
advantagges to having your cane on your belt are that you can just 
whip it out when needed, no fuss, no muss.
Cart 06:48 PM 5/13/2013, Kirt Manwaring wrote:
>Carly,
>   It's not always that easy, my friend.  Some dance floors are huge;
>by that, I mean absolutely massive.  When you're in the middle of that
>kind of open space, "setting it to the side" means putting it on the
>floor somewhere where it's liable to cause all sorts of injuries for
>people.  Finding a wall or corner, especially when you have a mass of
>dancing people to contend with would take enough time that the song
>would probably be over when you finally force your way through the
>crowd to a place you can put the dang thing.  I'm not content to put
>my cane in a corner and rely on sighted guide for the rest of the
>night until someone can help me find it when the party's winding down;
>I've done that before and I find it much too limiting.  What me and
>Arielle are talking about is a way to keep your cane with you, use it
>to navigate, put it away somewhere convenient and easily accessible
>while we're dancing so that, when we want to grab a drink or step off
>the dance floor for whatever reason, we can do it quickly and
>efficiently without having to spend five minutes jostling our way
>through an excited and possibly tipsy crowd so we can find the wall
>where our cane is patiently waiting for us.  Do you understand how it
>isn't as cut-and-dry as you were portraying it to be?
>   Best,
>Kirt
>
>On 5/13/13, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi folks,
> >   The last time I went dancing I put my straight cane in a  place nearby
> > and kind of  just navigated my way back to it. I was only dancing 
> for a song
> > or two, and could orientate myself based upon the  speakers.
> >  If the situation came up often enough I would probably  have a
> > collapsable/folding cane of some sort  on me and probably have a 
> cane holder
> >  on my belt  to store it.
> >  I'm actually thinking that's just what I did once.
> >  and "happy place" sounds very California -- Love it! haha
> >
> > On May 13, 2013, at 5:39 PM, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hey folks,
> >>  I think gender only should matter if you want it to; otherwise it
> >> shouldn't.  That was the most terribly worded thing I've written since
> >> my last paper, but you get my point, yeah?
> >>  And I think that Darian's question about what to do if you choose
> >> not to drink is complicated, because all of us have different ways of
> >> getting relaxed and loosened up.  I say find whatever works for you,
> >> whether it be meditation or exercise or alcohol or extreme amounts of
> >> cafeen or some bizarre combination of some or all of the above and
> >> just go with it.  I think not taking yourself too seriously is
> >> probably the key, especially if you aren't all that great at dancing
> >> but want to have a fun time with it anyhow, and that probably means
> >> finding your "happy place", or centering yourself, or however you want
> >> to put it.
> >>  Of course blind people can be fantastic dancers; if you want to
> >> learn how to really be good at it, more power to you.  I'd say being
> >> comfortable with whoever ends up teaching you is key, so finding a
> >> friend is probably a good place to start.
> >>  Now, on a somewhat related note, I actually am curious about what
> >> those of you who prefer navigating with your canes do with them while
> >> you dance?  I used to rely mostly on sighted guide and put my folding
> >> cane in a corner somewhere but, now that I use a straight cane, and
> >> don't use sighted guide nearly as much as I have in the past, I'm
> >> wondering if anybody has any good strategies for navigating with
> >> astraight cane when I want to but quickly finding a place for it when
> >> I want to dance with somebody?  I'm thinking this isn't very
> >> practical, so I'll probably get a telescopic cane for situations like
> >> this so I can keep my cane with me and keep both of my hands free for
> >> dancing.  How do you guys handle this one?
> >>  Best,
> >> Kirt
> >>
> >> On 5/13/13, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> 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
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>
> >>>>
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> >>>
> >>>
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> >>
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