Dancing under the "Neon Moon"

One of my favorite games to play, when visiting my local dive bar, is to curate my jukebox selections based on who is in the bar. I will pinpoint my target and guess the song that will get their body moving. It is a test of my own musical knowledge as well as my ability to read the room. Proudly, I am pretty darn good at getting my victims to shimmy and shake, even if it seems out of their control.

However, taking control of the jukebox is no light matter and the DJ for the next couple of quarters should try and please the whole room. And, this song right here, "Neon Moon '' will get absolutely everyone grooving. It does not matter your age, sex, ethnicity, or musical background....everyone loves this song. 

I think it's because of its easy melody that is both haunting and calming. The man bemoans his loneliness and heartbreak while singing under the neon moon (which can either be interpreted as the neon lights of the bar or the actual moon that lets off its neon light under the magic of full moon). 

This sadness is a universal reality we all share, but instead of leaving us downcast, this song seems to comfort us and unite us in that all too common feeling of the loneliness of lost love. 

This song is lovely and it is even more lovely to dance to. It is a song you dance to with your eyes closed as someone whisks you around the horn of the dancefloor; but, it is also a fun song to line dance to.

I first learned this line dance at the Grizzly’s Rose’s lessons on Wednesday night. The first time I took a lesson,  I learned how to do the “solo line dance”. This is one of the most popular line dances that exists and it is not only because of the popularity of the song, but also because of how beautiful and graceful the step pattern is. It took me several weeks to nail this step pattern, but now dancing the line dance to “Neon Moon” is almost meditative as I am able to enter into the flow of my body and the emotions that rise from this song. 

Being one of my favorite songs to dance to, I decided it was time to take the “Partner LIne Dance” lesson. This lesson also happens on Wednesday nights at “The Rose” and you do not need to come with a partner to be included. So, last night I rolled up to the lesson and was paired up with an alternating roster of cowboys and we attempted to learn the dizzying steps of the line dance.

I danced with about five different cowboys and I'd say that about two of them had it down. And I, towards the end, felt that same meditative flow begin as my body memorized the pattern. The difficult part about partner dancing is that it is often difficult to dip into that meditative flow unless you and that partner are in perfect sync. But, when you are in sync...it's magical. It is magical because you are seeing two people enter into that flow state together while such a profound song plays. And when this happens, it almost seems as if a vortex opens around them. It's glorious....and again, it's magic.

If you wanna see that magic, come to the Grizzly Rose on Wednesdays. There are so many couples that you can tell have been dancing and loving together for years. You see it in their flow, in the way they hold, and in the way they dip into that magic.

Below is a video of the partner line dance and the magic between two dance partners. 

P.S. Take this as an open invitation to dance today. I promise, it always makes you feel better, even when you're lonely under the "Neon Moon".
P.S.S. Can you guess what my favorite part of the dance is? If you guessed the partnered "body roll" while they both face forward...you know me too well! :)