I just got back to my hotel after 3 hours of dancing at Gigi's in Detroit. It wasn't something I'd expected to do, but I promised myself this Halloween wasn't going to go by without me taking my alter ego out in public.
As it turned out, the schedule at home kept me busy right up until today - the day after Halloween. But, I knew there would be at least a few people still in costume at Gigi's (I was right), so I figured "what the heck?".
I brought two options, I figured I would drive by and see if folks were in costume or not, then go back to the hotel and change.
The first was a sort-of "Seven of Nine" outfit, complete with silver face paint and a black Fedora for flair.
The other was somewhat more traditional: black pantyhose, a high-collar top, sheer skirt and corset.
I drove by at around 11:30p and asked the parking attendant if people were showing up in costume. He said no, so I went back to the hotel and changed into the black skirt outfit. I fussed over the makeup for nearly half an hour, flashing glimpses of it to three different CDs on one of the cam sites. Finally, I was ready to go. I wasn't passable and never will be, but I gave it a pretty good try.
The drive was an education in itself. I sped up and slowed down to avoid driving next to any cars for fear of someone looking over at me. Red lights were excruciating, inching forward to keep out of the line of sight of the surrounding cars. Luckily, traffic was light and I only had someone beside me twice.
At Gigi's, I did my best to appear casual. The place makes it easy. This is the friendliest bunch of people I have been around in a long time. I met up with Matt, who I know from one of the cam sites. He's friendly and easygoing and it was nice to have someone there that I knew.
Over the next 3 hours, I danced with one guy and three different CDs. It was quite amazing. There was lots of slow moving and grinding and even a little bottom-touching but mostly I enjoyed dancing. It was another step in my education. I was there for a little over three hours and I didn't get a hard-on all night. I think that drove home to me exactly how much I do consider this a performance.
Not that it wasn't sexual at all. It was. Quiet. I loved dancing with the girls, I loved that the guy was stiff and enjoyed the lap dance I gave him, but I really found that what I loved most was the dancing itself. The opportunity to be sexy, to move and be uninhibited, to enjoy the fact that I am incarnate in a body and alive and breathing and healthy.
Now I know why dance is so powerful. Why it scares some people. Why it has survived as a force through all of human history. It's one of the few places where everything comes together - mind, body, spirit, inside and outside, me and other, etc.
I'm worried right not, as I turn in for sleep, that I am going to want to go out and do this every weekend. That would be very, very hard to do. But it would be a lot of fun!
Dancing With Strangers
