Generally speaking, very few things bother me about the social dances I regularly attend. They’re a ton of fun, the people are friendly, and it’s much cheaper than going to a bar. There is one not-so-great thing that stands out to me, though: the times of these dances. Or more specifically, the days they fall on. The majority of social blues/swing dances in Boston fall on weekday nights. In other words, evenings where most people have to get up early to go to work the next day. And I find this to be a bit of a drag.
As I’m sure this blog makes abundantly clear, I love going out and dancing. If I could do it most nights a week, I probably would. But sadly, anytime I attend a dance that is not on a Friday or Saturday, I then pay the price the next day in the form of fatigue from staying out relatively late. (And it doesn’t help that caffeine and I don’t get along). Don’t get me wrong; I never regret going out to dance. But it does sometimes make the next day at work (or school, for some) a bit of a struggle, particularly in the morning.
This of course begs the question: why are some many of these social dances on weeknights? I actually don’t know of a regular blues or swing dance that occurs on Saturdays. I find this rather odd, as one would think Saturdays would be one of the prime-time dance nights. Of course, it could be that there is such a dance, and I’m simply not aware of it.
But whatever the case, I find it odd that so many social dance activities (both dances as well as classes) occur on nights when most people can ill afford to be out late, even if it’s for something as awesome as dancing. Of course, it can be done, but that next day can be brutal.
I guess I simply wish there was more regular social dancing on the weekend. That being said, I love all the dances that happen during the week. It’s just too bad I can’t generally make it to said dances because of that silly “having to get up in the morning” thing. 😛 But if you’re one of those people who doesn’t need sleep, head out to the dance floor! Know that you’ll have an awesome time, and also that I’ll be jealous.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or experiences of your own you’d like to share, feel free to post a comment! I’d love to hear what you have to say!
If you’re interested in checking out some Boston blues and/or swing dancing there are lots of opportunities. There are blues dances at Bluesy Tuesy every Tuesday, swing dancing at MIT every Wednesday, blues dancing at the Blues Union every Thursday, and swing dancing at Boston Swing Central every Friday! 🙂