Public Speaking vs Ballroom Dancing

Toastmaster Kanai Rikuko of Kyoto Toastmaster Club and her husband invited me to join their biennial ballroom dancing gathering in Spring in Kyoto. What an alluring invitation to see men and women dressed up to dance elegantly on a spick-and-span oak floor. To be honest, being holden tight by a man to dance in one is not me at the moment. I need to take the initiative to hunt for a good coach as soon as possible.

I like dancing very much. I learn jazz dancing, tap dancing, clogging, Japanese dancing, folk dancing regularly. I find an enjoyable dancing is more or less like a successful prepared speech. If I dance to the tempo and sequence correctly and precisely, time flies. I feel great. But on the contrary, if I miss a few steps, I suffer the blackout, then Einstein's theory of relativity reveals, time simply stops at certain point.

Ballroom dancing is going to be a huge challenge for me. It's not something I can master by myself. I need to cooperate with another person. What if we end up having four left feet? In addition to many intricate and fancy steps, it is important to keep the posture right from the beginning till the end with the partner.

In order to deliver a successful prepared speech, it is important to know the audience and to internalize the speech, advocates one world champion speaker. For a enjoyable ballroom dancing, it is vital to know the partner and to internalize the music and the choreograph, I presume. Ballroom dacning is more intimidating than public speaking, for sure, because it takes two to tango.

When I look at the footprints of many successful speakers and leaders in District 67, quite a few of them are great ballroom dancers. Maybe it's time I acquired the vital skill of ballroom dancing to advance in Toastmasters. I shall learn to give and take, to be aggressive and submissive at the same time. From public speaking to ballroom dancing, I am on my way.