Every Saturday night people come from all over for contra dancing at River Falls Lodge in Marietta, South Carolina. The wooden building near Jones Gap State Park was built in the 1940's as a dance hall for people who lived in the area...many of which were only a generation or two removed from the Scottish people who settled this northern tip of Greenville County.
I've lived five minutes from the place for seven years, have been invited, have driven past it, have even written about the lodge, but never once went. Why, why, why? Last night, exhausted after a full day of clearing out 2011, reorganizing and cleaning house I popped some Ibuprofen, put on my tennis shoes and accepted an invitation to meet some friends for a spin on the dance floor. And it was amazing!
Lessons started at 7:30 sharp and a "caller" went over the basic moves that would be used that evening. A random guy and very good dancer claimed me as a partner (thank God because I had no idea what I was doing). After I got a loose grasp on the steps (and made a preemptive apology to my partner's toes) the band started some sort of variation of a Celtic/Irish dance music and I danced and stomped and twirled and twirled my way across the dance floor until I was drenched in sweat. It was the most exciting, joyous adventure I've had in a long, long time. I laughed and smiled until my cheeks hurt.
Wanna see what Contra Dancing it looks like? (click here) Wanna know more about it? (click here)
Interesting in joining me for a spin on the dance floor? Put on your dancin' shoes! For more info (click here). Side note: The event needs more men! Lots and lots of dancing men. So ladies, drag your man- friends along with the promise that there will be no shortage of dancing partners... a whole wall of them!
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