It is July 2009 in a village hall in Somerset, SW England: my Ballroom Dancing Bronze medal exam:
Time concertina-ed; no more time – this is it. One chance only.
Everything focused, second to second, in precision and flow. Wholehearted commitment to just this. All of me here – nothing left out.
The thrill of reaching for excellence. Sight sharp; sound acute; aware of the shape and feel of my clothes defining me. Balancing several awarenesses: partner close and steady; audience over there; examiner poised behind table; threads of rhythm and music ebb and flow to, in and between our bodies and round the room.
Creating the waltz and the quickstep in time – One, two three… S l o w, s l o w, quick, quick, s l o w. Keeping time; dancing in time; timelessly moving in time to the rhythm. Time was the last thing on my mind.
The timeless space of performance I relished as a drama student. Energies from other times in me which rarely get a look-in in this life-time, released to flow in this time-space. A flooding joy of expressive presence.
“Very neat feet shown,†the examiner wrote. How delighted I was!
Caroline
Beautifully vivid, Caroline. And Hayward recalling the comment he received also conjures up a vivid image, although Beautiful is not the word that leaps to mind. –Michael
This was so well written. I was right there, the immediacy, the racing heart, the space of the surroundings, the felt cellular embodiment. The joy and excitement. Vibrant! Well done!
David
I remember this well.
However the comment I always got was” you are not lowering enough”
Hayward :@)