I could have danced all night... if only the tube didn't shut down so early

Ok, so here's the entry I promised about dancing in London. I think it was fate that it got delayed, because as of last night, I am feeling much better about it.

Blues
You already know from my cryptic references that things are going well in this arena. Damon Stone was here teaching a workshop a few days before I arrived (and fortunately, he stuck around for an extra week, so we got to dance and hang out). His workshop sold out two months in advance, despite blues dance being a relatively unknown thing in the UK. So it seems I have arrived at exactly the right time. Not only that, but I happened to move in just around the corner from their weekly venue. Coincidence or fate? I don't know, but I'm loving it. Anyway, Damon generously and unexpectedly mentioned my name to the organizers and, as a result, they expressed interest in working with me before I even arrived! They've included me in their meetings and discussions, asked me to teach (and conduct a teacher training), and just generally have been very open to what I have to offer. They're a brilliant bunch - very fun and smart about how they do things - and it has been a delight to work with them. I also get to teach my very first UK blues dance private lesson this evening. Looking forward to it.

Lindy hop
The lindy hop scene here is huge, and I've been trying to check out as much of it as I can. So far I've been to A Train out in Hammersmith, the 100 Club on Oxford (a 2 minute walk for me), and C Jam in Balham, as well as to a Tuesday night at Charlotte Street Blues, a swing dance picnic in Regent's Park, and an outdoor dance at the Thames Festival. All of it has been fun, but it wasn't until last night at C Jam when I was able to bust out with the kind of dancing I really wanted to do. I definitely want to make more of a habit of going, but it's a shame that it's so far and the tube shuts down so early.

Some interesting observations about the lindy hop scene here:
- Everyone seems to know Collegiate Shag and it's already been led on me a whole bunch of times. This is exceedingly uncommon everywhere I've danced in North America. I'm grateful to be one of the few North Americans who do actually dance it.
- It seems to be common practice here to dance more than one song in a row. Or at least, nearly every person I've danced with has asked me for more than one song in a row. I don't usually mind it... and definitely don't when I'm having a really good time dancing with somebody. It's also nice in that it ensures I spend more time dancing. But it also means I don't ever really get to take a break. As soon as I sit down, I am almost inevitably snatched up for another 2+ dances (which probably means the ratios are also more in the girls' favour here).

West Coast Swing
I haven't made it out to dance WCS yet. I tried on my first night here, but the night turned out to have been cancelled. I'm really eager to check it out soon, though, since I've heard so many good things about the scene.

Contemporary and Capoeira
I promised myself I'd start taking classes in these styles as soon as I arrived. I still haven't. Maybe next week?

Next on the (long term) dancing agenda:
- Find a dance partner (in addition to Jamie, because he's wonderful but rarely in town and already works with a couple of other people)... though I'm not exactly sure how to go about this
- Do some teaching and establish a (hopefully good) reputation
- Start spreading the idea that maybe, just maybe, the rest of Europe might benefit from having me teach in their cities :)

Here's hoping!