There have been times in the past couple of weeks where I’ve just been running around and trying to get so much accomplished. Between organizing the ballroom team’s intercollegiate socials and competitions, writing my thesis, attending my classes and finishing my work, and applying for fellowships and graduate schools, I’ve been so busy that I’ve forgotten the bigger picture sometimes.
Last night at Ballroom practice, I was off in my own little world. I will admit that I do miss dancing at Oxford simply because of the intense nature of the team; at Holy Cross (or even in America in general), we simply can’t run a program similar to Oxford’s. In the Advanced lesson last night, a sophomore who I didn’t know all that well asked to stay for the lesson even though she explained that she was only Intermediate. My coaches agreed to let her stay since it’s always good to challenge yourself. As usual, there weren’t enough guys for all of the girls, so I acted as a leader (boys are called leaders and girls are called followers). Coral said that she was having difficulty understanding what the coaches were saying, so I attempted to break it down for her. That’s when I realized that Coral is partially deaf. Even for those of you who don’t dance will recognize how difficult it must be to dance without being able to hear the music or the instruction. Right when I realized the situation, it made me step back and take a look at the bigger picture. I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now, but I have always used dance as a release for pent up energy, aggression (it happens sometimes, and jive is always good for that!), or sadness (it happens sometimes too. Not that often, though!). I even just use walking around campus whilst listening to my iPod as a release. I couldn’t even imagine dancing being difficult because I couldn’t hear the music – I don’t know what I would do. After Coral let me know the situation, I started to break it down more for her, and she taught me some helpful bits of sign language that would make it easier for her to understand. By the end of the night, Coral was able to “hear” more of the music and was able to dance the routine throughout. When I told her that she danced extremely well during that lesson, her smile was enough to get me through my late night of applications and essays.
Honestly, welcome to an education at Holy Cross. I always conclude my tours by saying that Holy Cross asks you to be a man or a woman for others and to share your talents with the community. Last night just made me really step back and realize the talents that I have and the opportunities that Holy Cross has given me to use them for the benefit of others.
In some less heavy news, please enjoy some of the photos from the Ballroom Team’s social that was held this past Friday. We held a 1950’s sockhop and we even had a Lindy Hop lesson. We also had a great turn out, and it was great to see so many ballroom teams from New England.
