Timothy McSweeney's Header Image

- - - -

Now available for preorder:
The San Francisco Panorama
.

- - - -

T H E   D A N C E
L E S S O N .


BY TIM CARVELL

- - - -

1. Listen to the beat of the music.

2. Oh, for God's sake. Then turn some music on, will you? You were going to try to dance without any music playing? What's wrong with you?

3. I don't know. Something lively. Something with a beat to it. No, not that. Not that either. Fine, that'll do.

4. Okay, now listen to the beat of the music. Clap along to it. No, that's not it - you're going too fast. No, now you're going too slowly. That's it, you've got-no, you've lost it again.

5. How about this: Instead of clapping, just try to move your feet a bit to the music. Just shuffle them at a pace that seems right to you. Good, good, you've got it. That looks nice.

6. Let's take this up a notch now. Start moving your arms around to the music.

7. OH MY GOD. STOP MOVING YOUR ARMS THIS INSTANT. What was that? What were you doing? What the fuck was that supposed to be? I told you to move your arms, not flap them. You looked like a total dork.

8. First things first: When you move your arms, bend your elbows a bit. You don't have to hold them perfectly straight when you move them. Just bend your elbows a little. Bend them. You can bend your elbows, can't you? There.

9. No, you're not supposed to lock your elbows at a perfect right angle, either. You look like an organ grinder's monkey. Just relax a bit. Relax. RELAX!

10. So it's my fault that you can't relax? I don't think I've been "screaming at" you. I think I may have gotten a little agitated. I may have raised my voice a bit. But that doesn't constitute screaming.

11. Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're right. I was wrong, you were right. I know that teaching you to dance was my idea, and you've been a really good sport. I'm a jerk. I admit it. But I only yell at you because I want so badly to see you succeed - you know that. C'mon. Let's start over. Let's go back to where you were just shuffling your feet to the music.

12. Good, good, good. You're doing great. Just great. You look terrific. Now, let's try moving your arms a little to the music - just sway them back and forth a bit.

13. Um, okay, okay, that's... nice. That's really nice. But, you know, like I said before, you're allowed to bend your elbows just a bit.

14. That's super. Just super. You keep this up, and you'll be dancing great in no time. Now, try and vary your movements just a bit. Just go with the flow of the music. Improvise a little. You know, do what feels natural.

15. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that, when I told you do what felt natural, I had no idea that what felt natural to you would be looking like... this.

16. Why are you crying? Oh, for Christ's sake, it's always like this with you, isn't it? I try and do something nice for you, and all of a sudden, you're all in tears because it hasn't turned out the way you planned. This is the thanks I get? Look: I'm trying to help you. I knew you'd have more fun if you knew how to dance, and so I agreed to take the time to teach you - time that I could have spent somewhere else, somewhere fun, hanging out with people who don't burst into tears for no reason. People who know how to take a fucking joke. I had other plans for today, but instead, here I am, being guilt-tripped by you for, like, the millionth time. You know I don't need this. You know I've got trust issues I've been working through. But don't let that stop you. No - you go right on ahead. Keep on crying, making me feel like a heel for trying to help you.

17. You're damn right, you're sorry.

18. Because I don't want to teach you, that's why.

19. Now you're going to dance? Without any input from me? Go ahead. Dance. I don't care.

20. I'm not watching you.

21. Okay, one quick pointer: You're still not bending your arms. Just a little. Just bend them a little. No, that's a jig. You're doing a jig. Oh, for God's sake...

 

 

OTHER McSWEENEY'S STORIES:
- - - -


32 1/2 Things We Learned on a Blind Date with the Writer Todd Zuniga By Amie Barrodale and Paul Maliszewski
Three More Uses for That Bundt Cake, as Seen in "Martha Stewart Living" in an Alternate Reality By Genanne Walsh
Three Uses for a Bundt Cake, as Seen in "Martha Stewart Living" in an Alternate Reality By Genanne Walsh
Selling Seashells, Part 2: The Circus Worker and the Clown By Matt Ware
Selling Seashells, Part 1: The Seashell Seller and the Bear By Matt Ware

- - - -

MAIN PAGE | ARCHIVES



Memories of Amanda Davis




Red dot denotes content that is new today.

Black dot denotes newish content.

McSWEENEY'S STORE

SUBSCRIBE TO:
McSWEENEY'S
THE BELIEVER
WHOLPHIN

FUTURE McSWEENEY'S BOOKS

THE AMANDA DAVIS HIGHWIRE FICTION AWARD

INVITE A McSWEENEY'S AUTHOR TO SPEAK IN YOUR TOWN OR COLLEGE

THE BEST AMERICAN NONREQUIRED READING

McSWEENEY'S MONTHLY MAILING LIST

BOOKSTORES WITH A McSWEENEY'S DISPLAY

McSWEENEY'S-RELATED EVENTS AND VARIOUS TOUR DATES

ORDER INQUIRIES AND ADDRESS CHANGES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
FOR BOOKS
FOR THE QUARTERLY
FOR THE WEBSITE
FOR WHOLPHIN

McSWEENEY'S INTERNSHIPS

CONTACT US

- - - -

LETTERS TO McSWEENEY'S

LISTS

McSWEENEY'S RECOMMENDS

REVIEWS OF NEW FOOD

NEW WHOLPHIN FILM

DAN LIEBERT, VERBAL CARTOONIST

TEDDY WAYNE'S UNPOPULAR PROVERBS

NON-ESSENTIAL MNEMONICS

BITCHSLAP: A COLUMN ABOUT WOMEN AND FIGHTING

DISPATCHES FROM A GUY TRYING UNSUCCESSFULLY
TO SELL A SONG IN NASHVILLE


GLOBAL WAR ON BEDBUGS: LETTERS FROM BEDBUG CITY

THE CONFLICTED EXISTENCE OF A FEMALE PORN WRITER

OH MY GAWD: A COLUMN ABOUT A TEENAGER NAVIGATING RELIGION

DISPATCHES FROM MANILA

DISPATCHES FROM AN INDIAN CASINO

THE CONVERGENCES CONTEST

CHRIS WHITE ANSWERS PROFOUND
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS


REPORTS FROM THE PINBALL SCENE

LETTERS FROM THE HELLBOX

NOTES FROM AN AMATEUR SPECTATOR
AT AMATEUR MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTS


B.R. COHEN'S DAYS AT THE MUSEUM

CONVERSATIONS AT A WARTIME CAFÉ

AND HERE'S THE KICKER:
MIKE SACKS'S CONVERSATIONS WITH HUMOR WRITERS


GRANT MUNROE'S CORPORATE FOLKTALES

SARAH WALKER SHOWS YOU HOW

DISPATCHES FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER
WHO IS TRYING TO GROW A MUSTACHE


DISPATCHES FROM A HANGDOG BANKRUPT

DISPATCHES FROM THE CAPITAL

DISPATCHES FROM INDIA

THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH ERIC FEEZELL

SEAN MICHAELS LISTENS TO MUSIC IN MONTREAL

SHORT IMAGINED MONOLOGUES

KIDS' LETTERS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

STAINED TEETH: A COLUMN ABOUT WINE

YOUR MONEY, YOUR JOB ... YOUR LIFE, WITH ALISON ROSEN

KEVIN DOLGIN TELLS YOU ABOUT PLACES YOU SHOULD GO IN EUROPE

ABOUT THE WILD THINGS

ABOUT THE CONVALESCENT

ABOUT FEVER CHART

ABOUT GOD SAYS NO

ABOUT ZEITOUN

LETTERS FROM AN EARTH BALL
TO, OR CONCERNING, SEAN HANNITY


E-MAILS SENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FLAG-FOOTBALL TEAM


TRAVELING EUROPE IN STYLE WITH AUCKLAND DINGIROO,
DARK-AGE TOURIST AND CRITIC OF FOOD AND DRINK


JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES

INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL JOBS

FLIP: A COLUMN ABOUT SKATEBOARDING

OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND

DISPATCHES FROM A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN

MICHAEL IAN BLACK IS A VERY FAMOUS CELEBRITY

DAN KENNEDY SOLVES YOUR PROBLEMS WITH PAPER

STEPHEN ELLIOTT'S POKER REPORT

- - - -

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL