My Life As a Raccoon

"You are a part of history, and don't ever forget it!" - Dawn Hampton

For 16 years I mocked the spirit of Labor Day. I defiantly took on the role of Uber-Geek Worker and reveled in that which is the Telluride Film Festival.

This year, however, I celebrated Labor Day weekend with dance - a LOT of dance. Dancing from morning until the wee hours of the next morning, punctuated by meals and naps by the pool. It verged on Lindy Hop Heaven.

A few years ago my friends Jenny & Mariah went  to Swing Out New Hampshire and their descriptions of the camp elicted Instant Envy & Longing. Other dancers I met confirmed my suspicion - that there was something else fun & unique going on during Labor Day Weekend. The Quest was on!

It started with the super-easy process of signing up online. A few emails with director Mark Kapner, a couple of payments, and I was a bona fide SOHN camper. I had no idea what a treat Mark would be in person. I wish I had half his personality and ability to remain calm! He was instrumental in bringing a great sense of humor and inclusiveness to the camp. (And he leads a great campfire sing-a-long!)

Kudos also go to Mark for creating a space where the beginner dancers - "The Bluebirds" - are treated like royalty. It doesn't happen often enough.

Audra drove me from Boston to Camp Wicosuta and got to experience a brief part of the weekend first hand. I'd been to a couple of Girl Scout camps as a kid, but they were never as fun as this! I'd only been at SONH about 5 minutes before my favorite question was asked: "Would you like steak or lobster for dinner?" YES!!! Definitely my kind of place. (My 2nd favorite question - "Would you like to dance?" - was asked plenty of times, too.)

After the Big Question, 2 "gorillas" escorted Audra & me to my cabin and helped us unload the large boxes I had shipped out for the occasion. Our very own sherpas. Excellent! And just to add a touch of intrigue, all the Gorillas (guys who worked for the camp) went by codenames. Quickdraw. Hollywood. Wolfman. Smokey. The Colonel. Quite a crew.

I should probably elaborate on the notion of "my cabin." It would be more appropriate to say they escorted me to a bunk bed in the cabin I shared with 15 other women. With 4 showers (tiny, tiny showers) and 4 toilets (thank god they were of the flushing variety). And spiders. And every morning at 8am (regardless of whether or not you'd been dancing until 7am) "Revelry" pealed out from loudspeakers hidden throughout the camp. This truly was "Meatballs" for adults. Crazy adults obsessed with dancing.

So... The Dancing. Was great. Five nights of live bands, four days of lessons, and still there was time to go to the lake, or go to the pool, or play tennis, or sleep late. The teachers were fabulous. Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen are a staple and world-class (FYI, they'll be teaching in Denver in October.) Manu & Gina, and Skye & Frieda - young, hip, energetic. But I'm definitely going to have to pick favorites and single out Joel & Alison Plys from San Diego and Alana Hock from Canada. Wow! They were the whole package.

And the talent wasn't restricted to the campers. The Gorillas took the floor a couple of times to show us a thing or two! If I tried to kick my legs as high as Quickdraw kicked his, I would seriously hurt myself. They had some good moves!

Thursday night we were treated to a solo act by Dawn Hampton. Dawn is an amazing, inspirational 80-year old whose love of dance is infectious. I consider myself lucky every time I'm in her presence.

Saturday night we had a cabaret. And I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. For 3 hours. Everyone's talent obviously didn't stop at the dance floor. I wish I could adequately describe the feeling of a whole room singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" - in harmony - or the triumph of Joel Plys' 10-Armpit-Farts-In-a-Row, or the sheer genius of a song devoted to Japanese food, or hearing Mark's "Bellybutton" song for the first time, or seeing the 6'4" Colonel in a Tigger costume. You just had to be there.

So I didn't go through all this just to make you jealous and rub it in about how great a time I had. I did it to let you know that if you are interested in swing dancing, whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned professional, you should seriously consider spending next Labor Day weekend at Swing Out New Hampshire. You will get quality instruction, you'll have a bed to sleep in, you'll be feed 3 meals a day, you'll meet great people, you'll hang out with gorillas, and you will dance 'til you limp.

This weekend I've been enjoying the rapidly diminishing warmth of the sun at Blues & Brews, marveling at the fresh dusting of snow on the mountains every morning, and looking forward to off-season starting on Monday. And although I still have all these great memories & ideas & dance steps from SONH stirring around in my brain, what comes through loudest is, 

"Dang, that was fun!"