In Too Deep

Vol 1, Issue 4: Fall 1996


You know who you are. All you do is dance, dance, dance (or look for places to dance, dance, dance). You believe "It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing" is a proverb, not a song title. Just in case you didn’t know, you’re in too deep.

Some more warning signs (the names of the contributors have been withheld to protect them from stares and rude giggles):

  • You’re spending money on clothes that you wouldn’t be caught dead in on the street.
  • People introduce you as their dancing friend, even if they don’t dance.
  • You wake up to the clock radio and the first thing you think of is, "This is triple-time swing – I can dance to this!"
  • While in the dressing room, you have to test the "swirl factor" of the skirt you’re wearing.
  • You attend a wedding and convince the family of the bride to go to a "real" dance after the reception.
  • You evaluate all your new clothes purchases for whether they match your favorite dancing shoes.
  • You find yourself at Bumbershoot or Folklife, handing out dance flyers like some evangelical religious fanatic.
  • You go to a friend’s new house, and the first thing you notice is the amount of open hardwood floor space.
  • Your home stereo is mounted on a hand truck so that you can set up a dance party anywhere in minutes.
  • You see an add in The Stranger for "swingers" and you assume they’re looking for dance partners.
  • Whenever you pass in front of a mirror, you spontaneously try a few steps to see how you look.
  • You tell your sister that, no, she can’t get married that week in December because Steven Mitchell is coming.
  • You find yourself practicing the Shim Sham in the elevator of your office building.
  • You call a club that has a good band playing to ask the square footage of their dance floor.
  • You keep an extra pair of dance shoes in the back of your car "just in case."
  • You’re reluctant to order season tickets to the (choose one) opera/ballet/symphony/theater because there may be a Saturday in 1997 that conflicts with your favorite dance band.
  • You start to believe that white bobby socks look just fine with a designer silk little black dress.
  • You look at the items on this list and recognize half of them as things you do.

-- Beth Chave & Anonymous Friends

P.S. Got some of your own personal examples? Send them in for use in future Newsletters. Email