Sueded Shoes

Evelyn: Ed took my shoes with him to Bean Town, where he sueded the soles, and I finally got them back on my feet for a run. It is nice not having to replace the moleskin on the bottom, and spins seem a bit less effortless.

Where our feet take us...

Evelyn: Haven't been dancing much... but tonight - new moleskins on my old converse sneakers while my dancing shoes practice at Bean Town - newly sueded. I fly and swing with familiar faces, content.

Soundboard

Evelyn: I crept up on Sam who runs the Gulfport Dance, and snapped images of operations... shhhh, Top Secret!

Ornaments

Evelyn: Every once in a while you get a young child on the dance floor - inspired by his/her own rhythm; imagination billowing, twinkle toes moving and running, spinning and leaping, eventually the ornaments are in the way and become the residue of her experience. Sometimes I too drop all the ornaments of my being in a heap, and breathe there, present and real.

Light through Limbs

Evelyn: Swing dance at Zendah. The light behind the swirling skirts and limbs is always fun to watch.

A Blur

Evelyn: I head to Gulfport - to resume dancing after a week break. The water is moving and I get the sense of being on a ship, looking at the lights reflected in the distance. I feel tired, and a little lonely, but eager to head in for some connection.

Stretched

Evelyn: It is Katy's birthday, and we meet at a different venue for some live swing-blues and dance. The place serves as an events facility and art gallery. I love the way it is lit, creating a sense of intimacy.

Cracked & Swung

Monica: One of the maintenance guys was weeding around the Red House when the weed whacker kicked up a pebble and shattered one of the double-glass sliding doors on the patio. Over the next hour, the glass crackled outward from the original point of damage, creating a beautiful web of crystalline cracks. By the late afternoon, the bottom half of the glass had shattered into a myriad glittering bits while the top half held on. I've been feeling half cracked myself, what with the overwhelm of learning a new job and adjusting to a new lifestyle. This reminds me that there's beauty even in the broken bits.

Evelyn: I went out to a live band (I think they were called the Red Hot Hornets) for a live swing thing in downtown St. Pete. I had the kidlet and Austin along, and found myself up until 1 am waiting for them to emerge from the 10pm showing of "Hunger Games." A win-win for all, as I got to dance under the stars.

Vinna

Evelyn: Vinna. I love her energy, the playful spirit, and by far, her poppa-dotted poodle skirt.

Chandeliers

Evelyn: Gulfport Chandelier... illuminates the floor and yet I believe, gets neglected by dancers who don't realize how much this adds to the ambiance of the dance floor. I often find myself appreciating them, once the dance has died down and I am not in the way when I stand under one and look up.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Jive Aces - Dali

Places

Pebbles & O's

Evelyn: My recovery and my story landed on the ear of a friend, and I let tears fall... replacing them with 3 hours of dance in Ybor. A soft recovery, faced with warm smiles and familiar hands, my dancing connected and fluid—the light dim and easy. This weekly dance has become my best friend, dependable and encouraging.

 Monica: On our way up the coast, we stopped at Pebble Beach just south of Half Moon Bay. It's a little state park that is easy to miss just driving by but worth stopping at. The beach itself is made up of countless multicolored, perfectly smooth quartz pebbles chipped from an offshore reef and polished by ocean waves. I remember when I lived in Santa Cruz, I drove up here on a broken-hearted day and gathered 24 stones to make a set of Runes. I had planned to keep them for myself, but instead gave them to my best friend to take with her when she moved to Amsterdam. I know she still has them tucked away somewhere in their velvet bag, their gold paint worn off from use.

Playing Together

Evelyn: I love the live band in Orlando, and any opportunity to dance. Tonight was the Little Big Band - resounding old fun songs to swing to - a nine piece. The light is low, and sometimes it is hard to capture their jiving performance  - however this was an unexpected and fun picture; capturing their joy of playing together.

Monica: I was headed to the bluffs to take photos when I heard the shrieks and laughter of children on the beach below. The sounds piqued my curiosity, so I made my way down the trail to the beach and pulled out my camera. There were four boys chasing each other in the creek, kicking and splashing water at each other, hurling clumps of sand, whooping and shouting as they battled each other. In contrast, there were two little girls squatting in a shallow pool away from the commotion, chatting away as they dug in the sand to expand their "hot tub." A group of adults was sprawled on the sand nearby, clearly enjoying watching their kids' antics. I was reminded how much fun it was to PLAY as a kid, to imagine mermaid worlds with my sister, to scream at the top of my lungs while being chased. It was a perfect day at the beach.

Places

Evelyn:  My usual Wednesday night at Gulfport. Work so busy I had to take a nap before dancing. Staying until just a few dancers were left I strayed to the archway of the stage to play with my camera and watch from a distance. The last few dancers whose bodies swung energized by footwork, smiles, and connection had the floor to themselves. I think my love of dance, in part, comes from feeling that connection in my own body when I am moved by the lead of another. It is where I can practice trust, and know it in my body.

Monica: Ten years ago at this time, I was staying with my friend Andrew having just returned from two years in China. Andrew was in a great place in his life; he was newly in love with his partner, Trey, his business was doing well, and he was living in one of the most beautiful little towns in California. He was in the midst of searching for a new home when I arrived, so I got to go house-hunting with him. When we walked into this house, it was love at first sight. The next time I visited, he was living in it. Now Andrew & Trey are living in Buenos Aires. They returned to California this month for a visit. Their old home in Point Reyes (which is currently a vacation rental) happened to be available the last week of their stay, so they invited friends to come visit while they were there. I drove down as soon as I could, eager to see my friends, enjoy some good food (Andrew is an amazing cook), and the beauty of the area. It felt like old times, when Trey and Andrew had a steady stream of visitors dropping by, fabulous dinner parties, and the sound of laughter piercing the quiet around the brightly lit house on the hill. I took a moment alone on the upper deck to soak it all up; the light, the laughter, the delicious scents wafting through the house, and my gratitude that I got to be there, a small part of it all.

Evening Lights

Evelyn: Gulfport, Swing Wednesday. Tonight I was especially fascinated by the lights of Tampa on the water along the pier, through the windows of the Casino Ballroom. Snapping away I caught another reflection: a couple observing the dance floor, taking a rest as others danced, ballroom chandeliers glimmering like city lights, the railings of the outside appear like a fence containing the action, the movement between water waves, swinging hips, and fluttering dresses. Sometimes another perspective, unexpected, fills me with wonder.

Monica: I decided to try my hand at photographing star trails tonight but I wasn't quite prepared for spending the amount of time it would take to get a good photograph. It was late and cold outside and finally I had to give up. This was the best shot of the bunch. 

Swingin'

Monica: Evelyn took me to Swing night where a live band was playing classic tunes from the 20's & 30's. I haven't "swung" since my sophomore year of college, when I took a ballroom dance class. We got a one-hour lesson before the band came in, then we were off. I had a blast. And now I'll have to remind Michael that he mentioned he was willing to go to dance lessons...

Evelyn:  The chatter, the saxophone, the bass, the laughter, the swirling skirts and Charleston legs, the shift of hands, the smell of saturated clothing and contented breath... the feel of different hands, new ways of being held, and tossed, and swung, and caught...

Refrain

 

Evelyn:  I was gifted a lesson in swing dance…and with an American Graffiti theme (with ice cream social) I had the experience of whimsically swirling, rocking, and swinging with several different partners. My favorites were the experienced older men, with their cologne and bowling shirts, grinning at my happy red sneakers, and one red-headed teenage wonder, whose sneakers moved with such enthusiasm I giggled with his playful grace. I didn't have to refrain, letting my body trust each new partner, being pushed into all kinds of amazing moves. I wasn't self-conscious, nor did I stand on the sidelines. I wore a grin from ear to ear and when asked by strangers, "Would you like to dance?" I popped up to trot across the dance floor with fervor.  Red converse sneakers make it impossible not to wiggle.

Monica: I caught the cleaning bug today and found this package of dark chocolate(!) peanut butter cups stashed amidst my art supplies. I remember when Michael brought home a small grocery bag-full of candy that was "on sale." He is an all-or-nothing guy who, once he starts in, cannot refrain from polishing off a whole bag of candy in one sitting. The peanut butter cups were for me, but I knew if I didn't eat them then, he would eat them for me. So I stashed them and promptly forgot about them. I did not hesitate to eat them and since Michael is in a "nothing" phase right now, I didn't have to share.