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psocopteraI've been having some big sad feelings about whether I would ever be able to dance again - *not* because guilty feet have got no rhythm, thank you, but because last time I wore my right ankle brace for anything it messed up my right knee, and I can't dance safely without my ankle braces, but I can't do stairs and hills without my knee. So I have been all woe, alack, maybe I don't want to even be around the dance scene if I can't dance, but I really wanted to see some friends, so I decided to get over myself and go to NEFFA. And! I danced! I did the medley prep where we learned the dances for the ECD medley, and then danced the medley, and my ankles and knees both did fine, and the only thing that felt bad this morning was a muscle in my left thigh. So apparently the brace is not just instant poison for the knee - maybe it was something specific I did in it last time, like walking up- and downhill, or driving in it, but ECD is not that thing. So maybe I can do more of it, and maybe even experiment with some walked Scottish, or - who knows! The contra medley next year? It felt so good and I was so happy to get to dance again.
(I did screw up the medley fairly significantly, but not for ankle or knee reasons - I was dancing with a contra dancer but ECD newbie and forgot the important rule of having newbies dance the position they've been learning, and then we collided with another couple who were confused about whether they were ones or twos and got really confused about whether *we* were ones or twos, and that took multiple times through to sort out while we vexed various other couples who were expecting one or the other. But I think she had fun, and I've always enjoyed trying to get a less-familiar dancer through a dance, so it was fun for me. Although it's weird in a mask! I'm, like, smiling away, and is that even coming across? Anyways, this felt like a totally normal and reasonable way to botch a medley, as opposed to, you know, my secret dread of rolling an ankle and bringing the entire dance to a halt while I have to be helped off the floor, so enh, it felt like a glorious victory even if by frequent-dancer standards it was a poor showing.)
Other highlights of NEFFA included getting to watch two friends' ritual dance groups (both of whom have now been joined in said groups by their teen children! which is neat). And dinner with one of said friends, and a fun musical performance/history lesson about queer maritime music by the Ranzo Boys, who have an album coming out that I look forward to buying, and listening to the contra medley music even if I wasn't dancing it. (Whose album I suppose I could also buy!) So, that was great. An excellent NEFFA, after I don't know how many years away. (Okay, we apparently went in 2010 and 2011 when the first kid was a baby/toddler, and then in 2013 and 2014 when the second kid was a baby/toddler, but then in 2015 I had had one of the really bad ankle re-sprains, and after that we were more like in "wrangling children who don't want to be dragged to NEFFA and have weekend activities of their own" mode. As far as dancing at all, I apparently went to Harvard English once in 2017, successfully, and meant to go back and just didn't (and/or had more poorly-timed ankle events), and then we began a pandemic.)
(I did screw up the medley fairly significantly, but not for ankle or knee reasons - I was dancing with a contra dancer but ECD newbie and forgot the important rule of having newbies dance the position they've been learning, and then we collided with another couple who were confused about whether they were ones or twos and got really confused about whether *we* were ones or twos, and that took multiple times through to sort out while we vexed various other couples who were expecting one or the other. But I think she had fun, and I've always enjoyed trying to get a less-familiar dancer through a dance, so it was fun for me. Although it's weird in a mask! I'm, like, smiling away, and is that even coming across? Anyways, this felt like a totally normal and reasonable way to botch a medley, as opposed to, you know, my secret dread of rolling an ankle and bringing the entire dance to a halt while I have to be helped off the floor, so enh, it felt like a glorious victory even if by frequent-dancer standards it was a poor showing.)
Other highlights of NEFFA included getting to watch two friends' ritual dance groups (both of whom have now been joined in said groups by their teen children! which is neat). And dinner with one of said friends, and a fun musical performance/history lesson about queer maritime music by the Ranzo Boys, who have an album coming out that I look forward to buying, and listening to the contra medley music even if I wasn't dancing it. (Whose album I suppose I could also buy!) So, that was great. An excellent NEFFA, after I don't know how many years away. (Okay, we apparently went in 2010 and 2011 when the first kid was a baby/toddler, and then in 2013 and 2014 when the second kid was a baby/toddler, but then in 2015 I had had one of the really bad ankle re-sprains, and after that we were more like in "wrangling children who don't want to be dragged to NEFFA and have weekend activities of their own" mode. As far as dancing at all, I apparently went to Harvard English once in 2017, successfully, and meant to go back and just didn't (and/or had more poorly-timed ankle events), and then we began a pandemic.)
no subject
Date: 2025-04-27 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-04-28 02:19 am (UTC)If by this you meant that you might buy the album of the band who played the contra medley, and if that band was Kingfisher, we already own this album and it is great and I would be happy to get it to you in some form or fashion. :^ )
no subject
Date: 2025-04-28 02:45 am (UTC)