How Deep Is Your Love? (or "Oh, the people I've met...")

It's 7:30 on a Saturday night. I'm in a large, poorly lit room with 16-foot ceilings on the second floor of a strange building in Cranston. Music is blasting from the corner of the room. I'm learning the hustle with several middle-aged couples.

The men line up on one side of the room. The women line up on the other. After practicing each step a few times, the women rotate to the next man in line. Regular rotation prevents you from developing any bad habits by working with only one partner. It also makes for awkward small talk.

Middle aged woman: Did you used to do the hustle when you were younger?

Me: Umm... I AM younger.

Whoa? How did I end up here again?

Rewind to September. My fiancee Jen has signed us up for a ballroom dance class ("I wanna dance at our wedding. It'll be FUN!"). I'm not crazy about the idea, but I don't put up too much resistance (and I'm not the stereotypical "I don't like to try anything new" kinda guy, it's just that I have no background with this sort of thing). At the very least, I figure it'll be nice to spend some time together.

It wasn't hard core dance lessons; just an adult ed class being run by the town. I was a little anxious about the first class (granted, I'm "a little anxious" about most things in life). Not owning dance shoes, I settled for something comfortable and supportive (at least my feet should be comfortable).

Seven or eight couples show up (with two women coming by themselves). Most of them are in their 40's or 50's, with one other young couple. The other young guy shows up to the first class wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm bored." Ahh, the power of positive thinking.

We learned waltz and swing first. Then we added cha-cha and foxtrot. And you know what? It actually wasn't that bad. We were one of the better couples in the class. Maybe that's a little bit like saying you kicked a retarded kid's ass in chess, but we did enjoy ourselves out there.

Dance is one of the last bastions of political incorrectness. Well, at least ballroom dancing is. The men lead and the women follow. That's just how it is. Most of the men in class don't seem to have a problem with this. It takes some of the women a while to adjust.

Back to the present. We've finished the 8 week course. Now Jen has us going out to actual dances on Saturday nights. This one had a pre-dance lesson on the hustle. We're going out to a dance... in public... with other people... Again, I have no idea what to expect.

At the urging of our instructor, some people from our class show up. Others couples are at varying stages in their dance skills. Once couple looks like they've done this professionally. The whole floor clears out for them on a few numbers. I can't tell if they're trying to impress us, or if this is just some strange kind of foreplay for them.

The wedding is in May. Hopefully, we won't have forgotten too much by then. We may even sign up for the intermediate course in the spring.