The dance of waiting

There is a dance that happens in the space between steps, in that moment when the invitation has happened and the response has not yet.

It’s a dance in between places, where possibilities stretch in many directions.

It is the dance of waiting.

In my recent tango class, I learned about a way of leading that changed how I see the whole dance.

For a long time, I believed the leader goes first —expressing energy, making a movement for the partner to follow.

I practised like that, but I was often left puzzled by the response —or lack thereof. I was blaming my partner, assuming a missing skill, a gap in experience. I was judging myself for not being clear enough or assertive enough.

What I began to discover is a way of leading that opens the dance —unpredictable, alive, and full of possibility.

In the following lines, credit goes to my teachers Ruth Rozelaar, Norbert Staab and Roy Higginbottom, as well as the Irish poet who has inspired this post.