Dancing Daze

Looking back at that phase of my life brings a smile to my face.
Oh, the fun that was had. Priceless.

Dancing, literally, was my life. I was dancing for fun, dancing for improvement, dancing for a future, dancing for exercise, and of course, dancing for work. It took me places, provided me with stability, and in my mind, i was doing what i loved and excelling in life. It was my dream to pursue this for as long as i lived. But life had other plans for me and this dream came to a screeching halt.

Every now and then i'll run into the friends i shared this life with. The people i spent 90% of my time with way back when. To see my peers doing what we set out to do and their team catapulted into national and international stardom gives me a sense of accomplishment. Not of my own, of course, but for the idealism we shared. A part of me envies their path... but i know now, for sure, that dancing was not for me. It was undoubtedly a huge milestone and a necessary path, but not the life i was meant to live. This analogy is a completely different story.

I'm quite certain that everybody says this at one time or another- the way things are right now just isn't what it used to be. Of course, this holds true to everything and anybody. How do we really expect the way of the world to remain at a stand still? That's just ridiculous.
People will always hold the fondest memories of their youth close to heart. It's a rite of passage to dream about reliving it. You'll know you've reached a certain age of maturity when you've accepted that the past is the past and you move forward with your life. It's one thing to revisit memories, it's another to dwell on them.

Today's youth are so caught up with status. People do certain things to gain a certain image.
Walking into a club these days feel so different from when i first started making "attendance". We used to go to clubs for the sole purpose of dancing. These days we go for the sole purpose of drinking. That, and well, we watch our (DJ) friends play. But you look out into the sea of people, these carbon copy clubheads, and you think to yourself, "Are they really having fun?". Everybody is so dressed up. Too dressed to impress that's it's almost impossible to execute a dance move more complex than the two-step or the fist pump. Why is that? And they all look the same... but that, again, is a different story.

Nobody dances anymore. It's a showcase now. You go to shows or you go to a class. Nobody dances at the club... nor is it appreciated. You'll get booted out of there faster than the guy who vomits all over VIP if you start busting the up-rock and open up a circle. Shame, really. Those circles made for dancing were the highlight of clubbing back in the day.

One thing i come to understand after thinking about this for almost 20 minutes now is this-
It's all about the money now. You open a new club, bigger than ever, not to ensure space so that people can enjoy themselves... it's to accommodate more people to buy booze and give you their hard earned pay. Smart.
And for whatever reason, it works. This is not the end of it either. The scene will evolve. People will get older and the younger ones will begin to step in... and they will only get younger.

Oh well. It is what it is.
I guess i should consider myself lucky that i didn't miss out.