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I grew up as a very poor child in the city of Haverhill. My dad worked 100 hour work weeks and slept very little. My brother, sister, and I really cherished small amount of time that we had each week with him. To his credit he would use this time to teach us how to play sports. The lesson I remember most is the one on riding a bike.
The bike was a 1970’s Shwin passed down from his younger sister.,and the lesson started with how to change a flat (it came with 2), progressed to proper braking and road safety, and ended with a complex description of how centrifugal and gyroscopic force worked together to keep a 2 wheeled bicycle upright.
At the ripe old age of 5, I understood why we needed to change the flats because I had attempted to ride on both flats with the training wheels in the grass with little success. Although breaking and road safety was very boring dad had a way of describing what happens to a little boy’s body when it comes in contact with a semi tractor trailer, that really got my attention and kept me focused. The one thing I could not understand was how or why he kept referencing “The Force” from Star Wars or how it would help me to ride a bike.
I did not see dad for 3 full days after that lesson. Not sure when I would see him again, I so badly wanted to learn how to ride that bike before our next bonding because I just couldn’t take “the force” conversation for one more second. It happened on day 3!
Through trial and error it occurred to me that if i ran beside my bike and jumped on to the spring loaded seat I could ride for twice as long before wiping out. Many pedals to the shin and skinned knees later I felt “The Force”. Not unlike the Wright brothers I rode for a full 30 seconds, forgot how to brake in my excitement, and hit my very first tree. “The Force” really existed! It held me up! All of dad’s bloviation finally made sense. As long as I was moving my bike would stay upright.
Everyone reading this knows the expression “Like Riding a Bike”. True swing connection is the same. Once your body does connection, once you experience the stretch, once your every step is mapped by an equal and exact response from your partner, you never forget…It becomes an addiction…you stop worrying if you are doing it right…and you get high every single time you feel it…its worth the journey! Unlike Bike riding you need a partner that does connection…
Lets Do Connection Friday, April 19th, 2013!
DNE School of Dance
78 Princeton St. N. Chelmsford, Ma
Connection Lesson and Pizza Party!
7:30-8:15 Basics w/connection drills lesson
8:15-? Dancing
Mr. Jonathan
www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com
603 475 1391
Dance on!
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