Why Do I Dance? Billy’s Thought for Today

Happy Monday my people!  I was scrolling through my pics and doing alot of thinking and self-reflection, and in doing so I realized that I’ve been dancing for more than three years now!

If you’d asked me a few years ago, I’d have never thought I’d be into dancing like I am, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Dancing has truly changed my life for the better.  How?  It’s provided a creative outlet, which unlike my other outlets (music, photography, etc.) has a heavier social component.  It’s provided an awesome way to relieve stress and stay afloat during hard times.  It’s helped me get through heartbreak and relationship troubles, job issues, and general day to day stress.  It’s given me the opportunity to travel to any city and know that I can go to a dance social and have fun, whether I’m alone or with a group of friends.  It’s taught me to connect with people on a whole new level. It’s put me in a position to meet people who have become lifelong friends.

For example, this pic was taken three years ago at one of the first Kizomba/Bachata/Salsa socials in Houston.  There’s Jenni on the right, one of the very first people I ever met through dancing.  She is a large part of the reason I enjoyed the dance scene when I first joined and decided to stick around.  I had just started taking classes, I was a salsa/bachata newbie with only weeks of dance experience who knew nobody in the scene, but she was always so sweet to me, and welcoming, and never made me feel bad when I knew only 2.3 salsa moves and couldn’t do anything fancy.  And a couple months later, she was also in the very first Kizomba Harmony​ class with me!  Three years later, we’re still great friends, and she may not know it, but she’s one of those amazing dancers that I’m secretly trying to recruit back to the dark side (aka Kizomba lol).

Keven aka Master Panda (on the left) is someone well known in the scene, and I still see him all the time doing his thing at socials and congresses all over the place.  He has also been a big supporter of the growing Kizomba community as well, much appreciated my man!

And lastly but certainly not least, is Monica Kay, who is now my partner in every sense of the word, with whom I am building something truly special on and off the dance floor.

Dance brought these folks into my life.  Dancing may not be comparable in some ways to saving a life in the ER, or closing a $500 million dollar transaction, but it truly brings joy to people’s lives in a unique way.  And as an instructor, I think that it is important for me to sometimes step back, and realize that although quality training and technique is important and making sure students learn properly is part of the job, that I don’t forget what drew me to dance in the first place.  It’s not just about being the best dancer one can be, but about CONNECTING with people and having FUN!  And I will make it a point to keep this at the forefront of my mind, so as to better offer to our students the same experience that made me fall in love with dance more than three years ago.  Enjoy your day my people.