Riot and Frolic

No, I'm not going to talk about bowties and g-strings.  Today's post is all about stroking the male ego.

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There's not that many men that stick with ballroom dancing.  And I'll tell you why: ego.

A guy, anywhere from age 13 to 83, will walk into a ballroom studio and get paired up with a good-looking, sassy 20-something lady and then… have to take directions from her.

If you stopped at the "paired up with" part, ALL MEN would be dancers.  

But there's that whole "learning from the weaker sex" thing.  

And most ladies involved in ballroom  dancing are not what I'd call "weak".  No, we're a bunch of sarcastic, blunt, opinionated, strong-willed perfectionists who don't like to be messed with.  (You'd never guess it with the smiling and the fake eyelashes and the rhinestones on, but we are often cursing at our partners under our breath.  Surprise!)

So, the men come in, and take direction from ladies who are often the age of their daughters, and get smacked down, just, all the time.

They are constantly getting corrected and adjusted and complained about to their faces.  

"No… Not like that… Elbows higher… More crunch… You're pushing me… You're pushing me… You're not leading me…"

THEN, we lady teachers have the gall to tell them to "be confident" and "own the floor" when they go perform.  

It seeeeeems like we're giving them a mixed message.

Obviously, many men would leave.  Who would put up with that?

The few, the proud, and the brave.  Yes, these men are the Marines of ballroom dancing.  

Any guy who gets past the beginner stage can proudly say he has an ego of steel, the patience of a Zen master, and skin as thick as an elephant's.  

But don't let that go to your head…

And for God's sake, stand up straight!

Happy Friday, Man Dancers.