MICHIGAN DANCE CHALLENGE: PART II

If I could make one suggestion, it would be that there should be a way for such an event to be more “neophyte friendly” on a couple of different levels.   Ballroom Dancing would bloom with fresh new faces if this could be done.  Please understand that these are not criticisms.  My comments are more about how I “felt” than about “reality”. And… I must admit that I saw only a couple of hours of an event that lasted several days, so I’m probably not in any position to make any suggestions for improvement whatsoever.   I’m sure that those that work so hard to put together such a spectacular event, might not appreciate someone as insignificant as me offering my “2 cents”.   But… I will take that risk, hoping that no offense will be taken.

I realize that this event was a competitive event and we were not competitors, and I’m not sure how to fix this, but Joni and I felt really out of place.  As much as I love to dance, I still strangely felt like I didn’t fit.   Now I’m not one of those prissy types that needs someone to hold my hand, and coddle me.  I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself… but… Joni and I both felt like we had just gotten thrown into the deep end of the pool.    

I mean… Holy Tango, Batman… I thought I was a being a really great guy when several months ago I ordered online a dance skirt for Joni that cost $89.   Last night as she was looking at dresses she said, “Oh, I like this one.”  Then she saw the price!   “Does this say $3600?”  “No, sweetie… it says $3800!!!!  It was becoming obvious that we were Little Leaguers at a Major League event.

Perhaps it was this perceived distance between ourselves and people who have spent 6 figures annually on dance instruction that I was feeling.  One of the contestants, I was told, was the #1 Dancer in the world several years running.  So I suppose it is not possible to have an event that “feels” right for both he and I.  

I’m a businessman and I have a basic understanding of the enormous budget that is required to hold such an event in such a beautiful place as “The Henry”.   But I wish there was a way that I could afford to have seen more of the great dancing.   Just as a spectator it would have cost nearly $200 a person for the entire multi-day event; for the both of us, just under $400!  I realize that each person’s personal economic situation is different, and for some that may not seem like a lot.  But… for me, it seems a bit much. 

Dancing is a recreational hobby for Joni and me.  It is one of many leisure activities that we enjoy; along side of spending time relaxing on our boat, or water skiing at the lake, or riding our motorcycle down a twisty 2 lane highway.  We have to stretch our discretionary dollars a long way.  So… I suppose that this is what I was “feeling”:  We were discretionary dancers in the midst of those for whom dancing is mandatory.