Every time I hear Arthur Conley's Sweet Soul Music it makes me want to jump up and dance, and so I find myself constantly questioning why there is such an absence of good 50s and 60s nights in my life. That hope to be transported back in time and immersed in feel good music, that will undoubtedly wash away any signs of stress, remains hopelessly unfulfilled. That is until I discovered the miraculous world of Itchy Feet.
After a Friday that was spent under a pile of books and pretty much chained to a library desk it was a welcome relief to put on my dancing shoes and escape the shackles of academia. The evening appropriately begun with a swing dance lesson. After enviously admiring every swing dancer I laid eyes on I decided it was time to learn some moves myself, and after my first class I am certainly glad to have finally taken the plunge. It seems there is no better cure for a long day than dancing it away.
Following the lesson, it was time to get dressed up and head down to The Haunt to put our steps into practice. Usually the home of student nights, it was a pleasant surprise to find ourselves met with an array of braces and rockabilly dresses. Even better was the lovely member of the Itchy Feet crew who took to the stage to teach us some moves - that is until the stage got far too packed with eager dancers to allow her to do so.
A night ensued that involved spinning around the dance floor in my full skirt and feeling like I had been transported into the high school dance in Grease. It is not a common fate for me to feel comfortable enough that I will lose all my inhibitions but here I found myself jumping around without a care in the world, until I was reluctantly told it was time to leave. From The Rolling Stones, to Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin - the whole night was like music to my ears. Plus you can imagine my elation when Conley began to resonate on the speakers, both stealing my heart and causing me to make a solemn vow to remain lost in the 60s forever.
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