When I came home from work yesterday, I asked my W her intent on whether she was going to our weekly ballroom venue or not. She said that she was tired of that particular venue. I said that I could go alone and come back to get her to go out later in the evening, as I would be done by 9PM. She got angry, stating I preferred to dance with others, rather than her. I held onto myself and reminded her that we had invested a lot of time and money to not practice our ballroom dancing on a large floor at least weekly. Not practicing was not an option for me. Not all dances can be practiced at home. I gave her the option of going to a different venue that evening, or staying home while I go to our regular venue. I validated her frustration about lack of qualtiy men to dance with at our usual venue. Maybe it was time to try a different place.
We travelled 25 miles to a different venue on the other side of town. We met a teacher whose emphasis is on social dancing, and has no interest in ballroom competitions (same as us). He gave us an introductory private lesson, and sold us an introductory package for a great deal. We'll give his studio a try. We're trying to find a combinations of studios and venues with committed social ballroom dancers to network with. Our studio is great for private and group instruction, but their emphasis is ballroom competitons, so their students aren't interested in social dancing.
What could have been a difficult evening, turned out great due to my holding onto what is important for me, and my W's willingness to explore.
CL
CL 53 W 54 M 20 yrs. 03'-09' Separation + Old Patterns + GAL 10-14' Piecing
"The Master allows things to happen. She shapes events as they come."
