When I was growing up in San Antonio one of the things my mother thought one DID was to go to dancing school in the 6
Th grade.
This wasn't ballet or tap (which I did from the age of 5), it was ballroom. And it wasn't merely learning the fox trot and it certainly was NEVER some kind of prep for a competition! No. This could have been called 'social graces' because what we did was learn fox trot, waltz, samba AND we learned the rules of cutting in, escorting a girl back to her chair, what to wear, how to get punch from the punch table, what to eat and what not to eat: a way of being that has clearly disappeared.
And the place everyone went to learn these things was Amory Oliver's in Alamo Heights. Alamo Heights (even way back then we all called it 09 for its zip code, 78209) was where old money resided in San Antonio, and Miss Oliver's studio was there. It was dilapidated in a genteel way. We all got dressed up every week as if we were going to Cotillion or coming out. I think I even wore white gloves.
This was one of the things you did to become a decent and social human being.
I was thinking about this over the weekend. How I'd like to find a place for Emery and Wilbur to take the same kind of lessons. I wonder if it even exists. I thought, it's a faded life that kind of social grace. I won't give up on it though! After all, if I pass it down to my boys then there are two more souls in the world who know how to lightly tap on the shoulder of a boy when he'd like to dance with the girl that young man is waltzing.
And then that boy will punch Emery or Wilbur in the nose.
Well, we'll try anyway...