[08/26/2014] – Landings and Take-offs

Those who know me well, know that I am a sucker for a good chance at shock value. It’s one of the many reasons that I don’t talk about my voice to passengers before the chance I get to use it among other things. Amras knows this all too well, and it usually makes him laugh…one of the reasons he calls me a sniper…

Anyway, every week we have a 50s/60s Sock Hop upstairs in the main dance lounge, but only every other week do we get the chance to host it with the live band, which trust me makes all the difference. So, like most theme nights, the whole thing involves various contests and such, oldest married couple, youngest married couple, best at the twist, best at the hoola hoop, all sorts of things…

One of those, is the champagne walk. Since I go all out for the theme wear on that particular night, I always am the one who walks the walk for the champagne give away. It’s a simple thing, the Cruise Director stands with his back to the dance floor, and gives me directions: take two steps left, three steps back, spin 180, moonwalk four times….and then he always makes the same joke

Okay Shaughnessy, give me a backflip into the full splits….

And usually I flash him a sarcastic eye-roll and make some snappy comeback about wearing the wrong shoes. But for weeks now, I’ve been telling him that while I may never manage a backflip (never been a gymnasist after all) I am a dancer, I can drop to splits….now granted I hadn’t done it in a very long time but…the idea solidified in my head last cruise while I was sitting at late night with Amras

So, I’m gonna work to get my splits back

And he pauses with his pasta fork half way to his mouth

Oh?

Yeah, I figure it might be time to spring a surprise on White

Oh, that would be. So. Awesome.

So, fast forward to this week, and I’m standing in the middle of the dance floor, in my polka dot dress with my curled pigtails and my bottle of champagne…and no one has noticed that instead of wearing my normal sky-high “Dorothy special” red shoes, I’m wearing little black flexible flats. And while, I didn’t hear him do so, Amras nudges every single band member and tells them to watch. And the cruise director does the same line….and I give him the same look over my shoulder….

Well, I can give you half of that request…

And I set the champagne bottle down next to me…

And I drop….first time in about three years I’ve dropped to full splits…

And the crowd just breaks into applause

Did she do it? She DID it didn’t she? And I missed it!

Like I said, I’m a sucker for a good chance at shock value. But as it turns out, that’s not the only chance I got that night. Much to my surprise – which just goes to prove you never really know your co-workers – our computer expert, who regularly slaughters me at Call of Duty – can lead, as in swing dance lead. I knew this sort of, but I didn’t realize exactly the extent of it…until the band kicked into Johnny B. Goode and half way through the dance? All I hear in my ear is:

Are you ready?

The follow part of my brain thankfully knew what that meant, because I only had a split second to plant my feet together and jump before he flew me. Which was, I admit, totally against traditional social dance rules because the floor was full and that usually exnay’s aerials but…at the same time, I just can’t complain when someone flies me…

So, if my reputation as the quiet little librarian wasn’t already blown for this cruise? Pretty sure it’s well on its way to being so now…