The Magic of Dance

Markku and Johaan Saari from Somero

Today in Kaarina I went to watch the Finnish fusku and slow dance championships which turned out to be more fun than I had anticipated. The event was organised by the Sekahaku dance club from the Turku area, and as always there was a very friendly atmosphere.  
Although Finns have a reputation of being difficult to get to know and sometimes hard to talk to, I have always found that at dance events you can talk to pretty much anybody and will almost always get a friendly response.

There was only one couple from Somero competing, my friend Markku Saari, along with his daughter Johanna. As I write this, I still don't know what their final placing was, but I will update this as soon as I find out.

Like many others, I spent the first half of the competition listening to the music and wishing that I was on the dance floor.

But when it came to the interval, the dance floor was open to everyone.  I enjoyed the salsa (and bachata) which (surprisingly) was played...but then it turned to tango.



Three members of the very relaxed and friendly audience :)

I have almost zero experience of tango, and in a country which is obsessed with this dance, my first instinct was to run, especially as more than two hundred people were watching and I had no idea what to do. But I wasn't going to get out of it that easily. My partner was a tango expert.

"Just follow me" he said calmly.
"But I have no idea what to do, and there are 200 people watching us," I whispered loudly into his ear, feeling the panic starting to escalate.

"Like I said, just follow me," he said. So I did.  And it is a long time since I can remember having so much fun. I forgot everyone around us, forgot my own feeling of inadequacy and stopped worrying about feeling stupid. I just trusted that my partner was going to make this work and that I wouldn't be the first person that day to fall over.

And we tangoed...me for almost the first time ever, and all thanks to a partner whom I trusted and who knew how to lead. Of course I have promised to get my revenge somehow...but the truth is I have not stopped smiling since.

And that, of course, is the beauty of dance. No matter where you are or what is going on in your life....if you are someone who really feels the power of music in your soul, when you dance all your troubles and sadnesses will go away.

So thank you Sekahaku for another successful dance event and to my tango partner for creating the unexpected high point of my week. Wishing you all a happy Sunday ...