Classic City Swing 8 was the last weekend in September in Athens, Georgia, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So far, this is the only swing dance workshop I’ve attended more than once. Just like last year, I also visited some friends in Atlanta before and after the event. Here are some highlights from this past weekend.
After unintentionally sleeping in, I braved the morning traffic and went in for my eighth straight float. I wanted to get some peace and quiet before the long drive. That float also gave me some time to focus and mentally walk through everything I still had to do to be ready to go. Then I went home, ate a good breakfast, finished packing, prepared my car, and hit the road. It was about 11:30 by then but I didn’t mind. I was just happy to have all that preparation behind me and started relaxing as I looked forward to my destination. After many hours of driving and one stop for gas, I finally met my friends in Atlanta. We had breakfast for dinner and hung out for a while before going to sleep as everyone was pretty tired by that point. I was glad to see them again and to be out of the crazy traffic for the night. It was a great start to my trip.
I slept in about an hour later on Friday than I had the day before. Since I went to bed at a good time and had been getting insufficient sleep for more than a week, I felt more refreshed than I had in a long time. After breakfast, I continued my visit, which included unicycling for them, until it was time for me to leave in the afternoon. I packed up my stuff, said goodbye, and grabbed some food on the way to Athens. The drive was pretty straightforward even though, like last year, it took me well over two hours due to the heavy traffic that time of day. I ended up getting to the University of Georgia Campus a little after 8. Although the main dance had started by then, the band didn’t start until around 8:30, and most of the other folks from Jacksonville didn’t arrive until much later. I enjoyed listening to the band, dancing, and hanging out with both familiar and unfamiliar faces that night. I stuck around for a good bit of the late night dance, which fortunately was also at the same campus, and met up with most of the rest of the Jacksonville folks before heading to my Airbnb and calling it a day.
We had a good breakfast the next morning and then went back to the campus for the level placement auditions. I got into the Intermediate/Advanced track last year and figured I could get into the Intermediate Plus track this year. However, much to my surprise, I ended up in the Intermediate track. Despite this unexpected turn of events, I managed to get engrossed in the lesson taught by instructors Jon Tigert and Jenna Applegarth. I got several reminders of things that I normally forget when I’m social dancing, especially related to the Lindy circle. Periodic reminders of technical things are helpful since they allow for better communication between myself and my dance partners, which ultimately results in better, more enjoyable dancing. During the lunch break, I walked over to Killer Burgers, a place with great food and no lines. I had a wonderful conversation with someone else from Jacksonville both while we ate and as we rode back to the campus in an Uber after lunch.
The afternoon lesson with instructors Mikey Pedroza and Nikki Marvin also went well. They focused a lot on swingouts and mixing up the timing, which is something I hardly ever do but might start doing more since I feel like I now have a better understanding of it. I took the large block of time after that lesson to go off by myself and recharge for a bit. I found a place that I could unicycle for long enough to get some good practice in without careening down a hill or riding over a ton of bumps. Once I finished with that, I felt much better due to the solitude and headed back to the Airbnb. I laid on my sofa bed and rested a bit more before showering and getting dressed for the main dance.
A group of us went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner that night. It was busy and we had been unable to get a reservation, so we walked around the city for a while and then hung out at the bar until our table was ready. I had predicted that they’d do something to celebrate my birthday during that trip and I turned out to be correct: they got me two coconut cakes, sang Happy Birthday to me, got me some thoughtful cards with nice puns, and covered my dinner. I enjoyed the festivities and had fun talking to everyone at the table. It felt wonderful to be so appreciated by the folks in my dance scene. At the main dance, I had fun dancing with most of the Jacksonville dancers and several from other scenes that I had met during the weekend. I missed most of the late dance due to going out for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s. Once I found a parking spot, I met up with some other folks from Florida, got some milk and cookies ice cream (tasty but not my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor), and hung out with them outside the shop before we said good night and parted ways. I danced in the wonderful, air conditioned blues room for a little while before deciding to turn in. I drove back to the Airbnb with a friend from Jacksonville for some much needed sleep.
My first lesson on Sunday was with instructors Peter Kertz and Elze Visnevskyte. They focused a lot on the swingout and had us feeling pretty good about them by the end. That’s unusual for me as I’m usually so worn out by this time that I have trouble with things that are normally easy for me, so this was a nice change of pace. I had ordered a catered lunch that day, so after I got my food, I went to Panda Express with some Jacksonville and Gainesville dancers. Sleep deprivation was in full force during that conversation as we talked about all kinds of weird, goofy, and unusual things and laughed hysterically at ourselves. When we got back to the campus, we had the opportunity to choose from several elective lessons. I chose Swinging Slow, which focused on solo dancing and included learning some choreography that Elze had developed. I was tired, sore, and mentally out of it by that point, but I pushed through and did the routine as best as I could. I was proud of myself for getting through it without giving up. I ended up skipping the second elective, so I said goodbye to some Jacksonville folks who were leaving for home. Instead of dancing, I unicycled, refilled my water bottles, and went back to the Airbnb. I helped one of my housemates clean the kitchen before they headed to the farewell dance. I then worked on some of my own interests, showered, and packed all of my stuff (in addition to grabbing a few things that the others had forgotten) before locking up the place and heading out. I decided to skip the farewell dance this year, so I got some food and gas and drove back to Atlanta.
I got in about an hour earlier than I did the previous year and the drive was much shorter than it had been on Friday since there was almost no traffic on Sunday night. I met up with my friends, told them about parts of the event as they watched football before we all went to bed, once again exhausted from our busy weekends. I finished my daily activities, stretched out, and then went to sleep. I woke up the next morning feeling pretty refreshed despite my busy weekend and sleep deprivation. I enjoyed the remainder of our visit until I had to leave. Although I was planning to leave around 3, it ended up being closer to 4 since I didn’t want to go. I’m glad it worked out that way since, despite getting caught in some heavy traffic, it gave me more time to spend with everyone and still got me home shortly after 10. I hope to visit with them again soon, especially since we don’t get to see each other more than a few times a year. I grabbed some food, hit the road, and stopped for gas once on the way home.
On my long drive back to Jacksonville, I worked through a number of things, including the pain I felt about not making Intermediate Plus this year. That, along with listening to David Goggins on Joe Rogan’s podcast, reminded me of the value of facing pain and fears instead of avoiding them as I used to do. Once I had fully explored my feelings on my level placement, I felt much better and moved on to thinking about other subjects. Additionally, this trip served as both a much-needed break from my regular life and a reminder of the kind of life that I’d like to live. Having several days off from work along with time and money to do what I wanted was wonderful. Staying away from social media for the most part also helped a lot, as did getting plenty of time to myself. I felt more free on this trip, especially during my alone time, than I had in a long time. It was a wonderful taste of what can and will be once I get some things sorted out for myself. The timing was also helpful since the trip coincided with a major turning point in my life and gave me some space to think about my future. Although the trip wasn’t quite as smooth or enjoyable as it was last year, I still enjoyed it and got a lot of good things out of it. It can be its own thing rather than trying to compete with past or future events, and that’s fine. It may not have been exactly what I wanted but it was probably exactly what I needed. Thanks to everyone who made this another great road trip. I appreciate you and I’m grateful for the things you’ve added to my life.