Wednesday, August 30, 2006

To Polka, or Not to Polka

Saturday night I hit the polka dance floor with a man wearing a gold t-shirt that had some words emblazoned on it that I kept thinking said “reefer madness.” Such was not the case. What they really said had to do with reefs, but there it was, I saw what I wanted to see. I rarely wear clothes with words on them. It's a solid color for me, no florals, rare stripes, fewer words.

He was a good dancer, and a patient teacher. The thing about the polka, it seems to me, is you can either glide or you can chop. It can be smooth but syncopated or high stepping and sweaty. It is a proletariat dance-- about anyone can do it--and the dance floor was filled with a small village. The demographics would make a census taker proud. For this I may get a t-shirt, and mine will say: I Have a Polka Blog. His: Beer Barrel Polka or Bust.

Maybe the polka is one of those ways you really find out the truth about another person, like de-tangling Christmas tree lights together or getting lost in the Paris Metro with minimal French skills. My personal favorite dance is the cha-cha-cha, maybe because I don't know the tango, but the polka sure was pure unadulterated fun.

3 comments:

Erin Berger Guendelsberger said...

Beth--I love this post! (Perfect language and vivid description.) And I love to polka! (Although I don't know the "proper" way to do it, I've picked up the gist from watching my relatives.)

Dancing is such a fabulous way to express energy, grace, excitement. My favorite types are East coast swing and lindy hop. :-)

Theresa Williams said...

Any kind of dance is a form of magic. I'd love to see you dance. This is a fun entry.

Vicky said...

When I went to my all-girls school, we had dancing lessons, and being tall for my age, I was always "the man." I well remember whirling around the floor to the furious tempo of the polka, which was my very favorite dance, round and round in a never-ending spin, giddy and high with the joy and energy of youth. I loved it. I do have one regret, however, namely that if I'm not careful when I dance with a man today, I still lead!

Glad you had fun - and I am happy to re-visit!

Vicky