Remembering Names

You are at a dance and music is bold and energetic, there are people all around, someone extends their hand and you in- stinctively extend yours and you are on the floor. You return to the side lines and your friend asks, “Who was that?” You pause…’I don’t know but he has great rhythm’ you respond.

Most of us dance for a variety of reasons but one of the most common reasons is because we enjoy the social atmosphere. Dancing is one way for us to meet new people. What do you do when you meet someone new? Do you introduce yourself?

The sweetest sound is your name coming off of someone else's lips. When someone knows your name after meeting you only once, you feel important and worthy of respect. When someone forgets your name, you feel unimportant. But worse- when someone doesn’t even care enough to ask your name? Don’t you feel disrespected?

So when asking someone to dance, please introduce yourself and try to remember their name so at the end of the dance you can look them in the eye and smile, “Thank you, Taylor.”

There will always be new people entering our dance community, which means even more people to dance with! I guarantee that the more people who know your name, the more dances you will get, the more often you will come dancing, and the more fun you will have!

Source: Portland Swing Club July-August, 2012 Newsletter