They make movies about people fighting for what they believe in. There’s usually some battle anthem with an emotional score and actors playing out well defined parts. Maybe someone dies or suffers a personal injury. And you often to get watch it from the comfort of your home and feel inspired to do something…anything. And have that thing be something that brings out a new beginning.

But then you sneeze and the feeling goes away.

I’ve sneezed many times, but this time I held my nose and the feeling lingered. I’ve found that the swing dancers of Dallas are begging for something new. Something outside of the same musical rotation which has been played for the past few years. A challenge.

I decided to present to the Dallas Swing Dance Society board a proposition of creating a new dance opportunity. I had hoped to write a piece of paper and then present it to the Board and see what happens. Instead, I got a phone call from one of the leading figures of the dance scene telling me that the Board would not accept my idea, telling me that I associate with people who they do not respect as human beings, that if I “Fuck this up” (i.e. bring a bad reputation to Dallas), then they “won’t know me anymore”, and that DSDS would not have anything to do with me anymore.

Needless to say, I was quite hurt by the attack. To the point that I planned on withdrawing my proposal. However, with the support of other dancers, they helped me get back on track and take the presentation to the board.

A proposal which was very well received and had a lot of support. Nothing is finalized, but words cannot express how much of a personal victory this has been for me. In spite of the verbal beating I took, I was able to say, “Fuck it. This is something I believe in. Something the community will directly benefit from. I’m not going to let someone tear me down from it.”

To those who supported me: Thanks, from me and everyone who will benefit from this in the future.