Well, I answered "one particular kind," because I mostly do country-western line dancing and two-stepping, which also includes a form of the waltz. Truth be told, I wish I could say I do them all, because I love ballroom dancing, it's just that I haven't mastered any of the steps, and I don't have any place or person with whom I could learn and practice at the moment (nor are lessons in the budget). I do not care for stand-and-wiggle-if-only-I-had-a-pole dancing.

When I was a kid, I avoided sports. I was terrible at it, and I never really enjoyed the win/lose dichotomy. I didn't get much exercise and ended up a chubby kid. I might not have turned out that way if I'd been allowed to follow my interest in dancing, though.

A block from my elementary school there was a "school of dance," a small, gray building that I think was a former residence. I remember the sign included a pair of legs, crossed at the ankles, wearing red and white striped tights. I don't recall ever seeing anyone come or go from that building, but I wanted to learn to dance. When I informed my mother of this, she looked at me sideways with a slightly worried look and said, "That's not something boys do."

My elementary school had an elected activity program, though, where one could choose to learn to do something not on the regular curriculum. In fourth grade, I signed up for dance, and Mrs. Levy choreographed something to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for a dozen girls and probably two boys. It hardly qualified as dancing so much as rhythmic movement. I did learn how to spot, however.

It was not until my senior year of college that I finally got into a pair of tights (not striped), after having dropped about forty pounds the summer before. That year I decided to audition for the chorus of Oklahoma!, but when Miss LuAnn, the ancient choreographer, spotted me messing around in the back of the auditorium doing a series of tours chaînés déboulés, demonstrating to a friend my ability to spot, she cried out, "We found our Will Parker!"

Now, in order to play Will Parker, I had to learn to dance, so Miss LuAnn dragged me, not unwillingly, to her dance studio. I learned a little about tap dance, but never quite got the hang of the time step. I had a blast learning the dance routines for the show.

When the production was over, Miss LuAnn implored me to stay on for the rest of the year and take ballet. I agreed, and later that year I ended up a dancing member of the Montague clan in a production of Romeo and Juliet.

The corps du ballet was comprised of a dozen girls and two guys.

Mother was apparently right.

Regards,
Rex.