There were 25 people at Josh's West Coast Swing dance Wednesday night, almost all from Gainesville. That is really saying something.

Congratulations to all of you for hanging in there, dancers, teachers and organizers. It is not easy to learn to dance. Look at the number of people that drop out. You have accomplished something special, acquiring a unique skill to actively express yourself in our world that is mostly for spectators.

When I moved to Gainesville, there were no community swing dances like that. The only social dancing was at Maria Alvarez' Imperial Dance Studio.

My parents went to Maria's dance classes back in the day. I am not sure how long Maria has had her studio, but I guess a few decades.

It takes a long time to train a new dancer. Looking around the room, a lot of the people there, me included, have come through Maria's studio. If not for Maria's years of devotion to teaching us social dancing, I doubt if we would have had a swing dance this week.

I say devotion, because that is what it takes to do what Maria has done for all of us. All this time she has been teaching us to dance, she has had a full time job.

We have social dancing in Gainesville, because Maria laid and maintained the foundation on which we now enjoy the benefits.

Thank her and give her some love.