> After Jane Austen’s death in 1817, the country dance was gradually succeeded by the waltz and other “closed couple” dances like the quadrille and the polka an

> After Jane Austen’s death in 1817, the country dance was gradually succeeded by the waltz and other “closed couple” dances like the quadrille and the polka and—later—the foxtrot and the Charleston. A century on, we are rarely offered any such lifeline. At parties and weddings, we dance like cups of Jell-o, ever-unsure with what to do with our puckered lips and T-Rexified hands. Every so often, a DJ may throw us a bone in the form of the “Macarena” or the “Cha-Cha-Slide.” Yet these dances feel curiously disembodied, with each person moving in his or her own little bubble, never to interact. I am happy to say I've recently discovered salsa and am dancing several times a week. Latin dance and West Coast Swing have much younger demographics than country dances, are danced worldwide, and in both quite sophisticated and in street styles. They fit precisely the embodied, highly social, and subtly sensual (or not so subtly in the case of bachata) functions the author misses. Can highly recommend.