I have a lot to thank John for! He is one of the first people who I danced with many years ago when I went to my first Modern Jive class. A great dancer who is enthusiastic, encouraging & who has a wealth of knowledge & experience regards dance (www.modernjive.com). Another wonderful thing is that even if you are a new recruit (because he is SOOOO good in the art of leading) he ensures you look good on the dance floor & you come off feeling like you can REALLY dance. Many thanks for that John & for all the great dances I shared with you whilst in England. Even the ones when I never quite knew what was going to happen next!!
OK - so why is this blog & my current dance quest all John's fault? Well, it may take one or two posts for the full story to unfold ..............................
Photos are of Marvao Village & castle which are a 40 minute walk from my house along a roman road - how cool is that?
Where I live is wonderful & I wouldn't change even the quirkiest 'annoyances'. For 18 months (that flew by at a vast rate of knots) I got into the swing of getting used to living in rural Portugal (my learning curve is going to be a vertical incline for quite a while as I am a city person!!). Yes, I like a challenge!! The only 'BUT' is the serious lack of opportunities to dance & learn a wide variety of dances - the like of which we are fortunate to have in England (there are many things in England I will never take for granted again). Yes, the social life is good in this neck of the woods of Portugal if you want it to be. The people, countryside, flowers, trees, wine, vegetables, cafes, river swimming pool, walks, &, & ...... are great. We have festas galore, live bands and parties for a jig around but it isn't quite the same as attending for example a Modern Jive / Salsa / Lindy Hop freestyle & dance class. These have a very different feel & dynamics. In a nutshell I was missing these dance opportunites like crazy & was getting exasperated at not being able to find anything locally.
I heard a rumour from a hairdresser that a customer of his went to a Salsa bar .......... 1 & 1/2 hours away!!!!! Other than that the nearest Salsa options are in Lisbon (a 2 & 1/2 hour drive away). The situation was getting desperate. I NEEDED more dance.
** Approx August 2010
