Friday, August 01, 2008


Dance on the beach! One of the misteres of life is: why Italians like so much group-dances? Just these formal, boring, social-control freaks, can get all loose and shake their bellies in swimmers en plein air on the beach, without a thought on what people may think of them.

In the picture you see the regular program of dances on the beach at our favourite hotel. Kids love it, grandma's too (you have no idea, all these old ladies of the Seniors' holidays organized by the social services of their village, elderly housewifes from the countryland, the whole bunch of them shaking their thing like teen-agers at a disco.

But woe, if the animation organizes a dancing evening of oldies goldies tangos, mazurkas etc. They stick at their chairs and don't dare to move a step. god forbid, what would the neigbour think of them?

I guess the great thing of group dances is that all you are required to do is to follow the directions of the dance-leaders. You are not accountable for your ability, or non-ability, to actually dance. It is a group thing, you do a little bit tongue-in-cheek, sort of "don't take me seriously, I am usually not like this" thing.

All the responsability is away, all the fun stays. You know what I mean: just the usual group feeling, for good and for bad.

Credits picture: Roberta