Making Up for Lost Time

A Small-Town Gent Meets Ballroom Dance

By Jackson Fossen

If you’d asked me a year ago what I thought of ballroom dance, my response would’ve been along the lines of, “Uh, like, fancy dancing?” I might’ve had a better guess along the lines of Dancing with the Stars, but it was really a vague idea. Fast-forward a year and my sudden and heavy involvement in the ballroom world has taught me a lot. Much of my interest in and enjoyment of the experience of ballroom dancing comes from my background in dance: absolutely nothing. Aside from obligatory dances at prom and the awkward ... whatever the hell middle school dances were, dancing was just not my thing.

I come from a small town in northern Minnesota: Cloquet, population 12,000, described to most as near Duluth. I didn’t have much exposure to dance in Cloquet, so when I moved down to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and encountered the Ballroom Dance Club, it was extremely new, and to my surprise, I liked it ... a lot. I was first drawn to this romanticized vision of history, of wealthy aristocrats in Europe and great American cities partaking in their fancy activity. I quickly learned there was much more to it than that, having such stunning revelations as, “Hmm, swing equals ballroom,” and, “Latin dances too?” The world of ballroom dance was far bigger than I had imagined: a forty-person competition team at the university in addition to a large club? Countless studios and instructors throughout the area? There was a lot I didn’t know, but like I said, I liked what I saw. And now I find myself writing an article for a dance publication.

Being from a smaller town, I can say many of the stereotypes are at least partially true. One in particular, that news travels and everyone knows everyone, was demonstrated repeatedly on my visits home. It seemed everyone I talked to had heard about my dancing escapades. I, not being overly talkative, assumed the information had spread from my parents, and spread far. It feels like there isn’t a single person I’ve spoken to since being back who hasn’t heard about me dancing and taken an interest. They are all, it seems, just as curious as I was, so I share what I know.

I’ve been asked to give lessons (am even I qualified to do that?), asked if I’ll be on Dancing with the Stars (slow down; do you realize how freakin’ good those guys are?), asked if I dance with any girls (occasionally, if I’m lucky). Hopefully I can turn some of this polite interest into genuine enthusiasm for something I’ve become passionate about.

A complete ignorance of dance for most of my life thus far is admittedly, in some ways, a disadvantage, especially for one who aspires to compete, but on the upside, now that I’ve finally started my journey into dance, it’s exciting. It’s brand-new, a novel pastime, a refreshingly large change in my life, and now I’m determined to make up for lost time.