Dance Misses You Too: Dancers' COVID Diaries, part 3

This month our Dancers’ COVID Diaries series continues with words from Joel Torgeson, originally written in August 2020.

If you would like to share your story, we’d love to print it! Email us at: storiesilovedanceshoes@gmail.com

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As you’re probably aware, there’s not much going on in the dance world these days. It's a bummer, to say the least.

I don't know about you, but I’ve been on my own journey trying to figure out what partner dancing will mean to me going forward. It’s been several interesting months. When your life is dancing with others, how do you function when that's not allowed?

So, do I have any pithy bits of dance cleverness will I try to bring you today?

I’m sorry to say I have none, at least not for the situation we find ourselves in. It's a tough nut to crack.

However, I do want you to know that people miss dancing with you.

Yes, you, the one reading this.

Your partners miss the way your eyes crinkle up when you laugh about a missed hand change and your coaches miss the way you ask questions and get just a little frustrated in lessons. The audience misses your ability to fill empty space with movement and beauty and your DJs miss seeing you groove to a song they picked because they knew it was a favorite. The dance muggles (am I the only one who calls them this...?) in your life miss seeing the way dance lights you up and relaxes you at the same time, even though they may not fully understand it.

What I'm trying to say is: Dance misses you too.

Someday in the near (or distant) future, the world will rise again, and dance will come back, perhaps in a form we don’t know or won’t expect.

Until then, Feather Three will continue to keep its doors open with the hopes that when dance returns, so too will you, the dancer. If nothing else, perhaps a design or two will make you remember what you loved about this community and the movement we do. They've been good reminders for me at important points over the past 6 months.

Here's hoping you and yours are safe, and I hope we can all get back to dancing someday.

Joel Torgeson
Founder and Lead Designer of Feather Three

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Joel Torgeson is the founder and Lead Designer of Feather Three, a dance clothing brand for the modern, dedicated, interesting ballroom dancer. He is also a professional dancer, choreographer, creator, and world traveler.

You can shop his dancewear collection here (the "I SWEAT RHINESTONES" hoodie is my official comp attire, heh): Feather Three

Or follow him on his blog here: https://joeltorgeson.com/