Now Voyager: My first dance success!

Well the fabled Cyclone Lusi, or her tail-end, has finally arrived and luckily I am at home after a very busy weekend, safe and dry and looking at the white caps on the bay, getting bigger and bigger every minute. However for once Wellington was lucky as it virtually bypassed this city and our weekend was free from disasters, unlike in poor Christchurch where yet again the storms brought down the electrics and many hundreds were left sans electricity.

Also last night saw the Same Sex Dance Comp take place on the Whitireira Campus on Vivian Street. It was a great venue on the top floor of a building dedicated to the Arts, to dance in particular.

We all arrived early on Saturday afternoon for a brief warm-up and to meet the international competitors, from OZ actually. They were all lovely and all dedicated ballroom dancers, some even doing the international Same Sex dance sports circuit. A lot do it at the Gay or Out Games, both of which are very popular, but on asking why there are two identical Games for Gay People, I am told there was a political dispute and the the Out games separated themselves to create an alternate games, although seemingly identical in substance, but perhaps not in idealogy. I really don't know, but it seems that whenever you get a large bunch of gays by themselves there arrive insuperable difficulties in some way. So I ask no questions and, as a good sixties boy, I just 'go with the flow'.

Anyway the evening of dance competition was admirably organised and I enjoyed it immensely, bringing home four certificates for competing. Actually as a 'newbie' I had no competition at all, but next year, it appears, I will. On the whole no-one walks away empty-handed which is a good note for an organisation like this to play on. I met some nice people with whom I had brunch at Karaka's this morning, and I felt that participating in the Out Games one year could be a distinct possibility, also even in the swimming component when I get my speed up a little.

The level of expertise at the dance comp was across the board and I didn't feel at all inferior being a beginner, although I did seriously muck up my first dance, a bit of first night nerves perhaps, which happily gave me crowd sympathy for the next three dances which I performed without a hitch. Btw there is an enormous vocal support from the very enthusiastic spectators and it is always good to have a higher level to aspire to. A bonus for me was to see H's friend K from Ti Whanawhana there who is very supportive of all gay political events, and I find out he has recently returned from Nepal doing some reconnaissance for a possible Out Games in 2020. Now that could be a goer, I would love to swim and dance in Gay Nepal, sounds good ay? Now for some homework in te Reo Maori...