Dancing. One of the perils of live music. They say the Baptists banned fornication because it might lead to dancing. I don’t have a moral objection to either. But I also like to sit back and listen to music without having to watch either. If I have to watch one, fornication would probably be more interesting.
But dancing feet rarely concur with me. They certainly didn’t that night. The blues band was middling, but it was something to do. So I sat there with the moll while the Chicago blues chugged along at a predictable pace. It wasn’t going to change my life, but it was pleasant enough.
Then the dancing began. A few friends of the band around the edges of the edge started it. Then a group of women in front of the stage. Some of them sashayed demurely. Then came guys. In search of demure derriere, no doubt. One jackass hopped around on one foot like he’d just gotten free from a bear trap.
It was time to see and be seen. Doesn’t mean it was pretty. One ungainly broad in a leopard-print sweatshirt shook her distended belly and stomped. Had all the grace of a beached whale. ”They don’t have any rhythm!” the moll protested to me. Didn’t matter. They had exhibitionism.
But off to the side, one guy wasn’t preening for the crowd or engaging in courtship rituals. He was too old for either. He had braces on both knees. Looked like he needed hip transplants, too. He seemed to move by hiccuping. But he was having a grand old time. He danced with his wife, but she had a hard time keeping up with his exuberance.
The geezer stutter-stepped and shook his hips to the beat. He was a randy old devil, thrusting his hips against his wife. It wasn’t pretty, but it was earnest. His wife had a hard time keeping up. He just played air guitar, balancing precariously on his rickety legs, while she caught her breath.
“Dance like no one is watching.” It’s an old cliché, and not always good advice. But if it’s bad advice, that’s alright. No one does it, anyway. Or so I thought. Lots of people say it. I’ve only ever seen him do it. Wasn’t that bad.
