Back in March, I hit a Limbo
Captivity
low point. This melancholy had begun with Jann's
disappearance in January. Without my only close friend
to keep me company, I went downhill (V-Ann had not yet
entered my life). One night at Texas I was
really depressed. People all around me were falling in
love. Meanwhile I was chained to my seat by
Victoria's shackles. To my surprise, I was suddenly
overwhelmed by the blinding insight that my ridiculous
Limbo ordeal might possibly have something to do
with Fate.
My realization went something like this.
It was almost like God reached out and spoke to me.
"Rick, pay
attention. Ever since you started your dance
career, I have sent one Lucky Break after
another flying your way. Do you think you would have
gotten this far without my help? Guess again. I
have given you a job to do, so quit feeling sorry yourself
and get to work!"
I was instantly full of
chagrin. Previously I had been
Leader of the Pack more or less by accident or default. In fact,
up to this point, everything to do with SSQQ
had happened more or less by accident, including getting its name
courtesy of Crazy Jane. In a flash, that changed.
Following my revelation that Limbo
was quite possibly a deliberate and necessary part of the Plan, I ditched
my bad attitude. I asked a young lady to
dance, then set about thanking various students for joining
us tonight.
From that point on, I
was no longer willing to let things happen. From here
on I was determined to MAKE things happen. This was
when I became the Leader of the Pack by choice. I took an active part in greeting my
students during our nightly visits to the Western dance
clubs. V-Ann showed up soon after my revelation to help.
Oddly enough, one of her nicknames for me was 'Leader of the Pack'.
Interesting coincidence. Together we took the studio's social program to the next
level.
Once upon a time, I was the shy boy who needed Victoria and
Jann to visit with students and do the schmoozing for me.
After my revelation, I grew up in a
hurry and began to interact with my students just like my
mentors Jann and Victoria had.
I posted schedules of social events,
planned dance parties at the studio, and made announcements
at the end of every class to emphasize what special things
to look forward to.
In a sense, I was running a
social program similar to what a dating service attempts to
do. But there was one major difference... I did it for
the fun
of it.
I never dreamed of charging money. Not only that, I was amazed at how good I was. It was almost as if a hidden talent was revealed
before my eyes. All I had to do was think of something
that sounded like fun and put it on calendar. The
studio was so big now that someone was bound to agree with
me and participate. Even the
simple things were popular. I like to ride bikes, so
in the Spring 30 of us rode our bikes through a
wealthy neighborhood during Azalea-blossom season.
Afterwards we hit a pizza place and voted on who belonged on
the Tour de France. We had a blast.
The members of the Nifty Fifty were
not just my
students anymore. These studio veterans had become my best
friends in the world. I did not want them to leave.
I wanted them to stay at the studio forever. I
prayed
the more fun they had, the more they would want to stick
around and keep me company.
In the process, many students
developed a sense of ownership. SSQQ
did not belong solely to Rick Archer, it belonged to them
too.
We had the same kind of loyalty typically reserved for
churches or schools. This explains why everyone was so willing to contribute
their energy. I think my friends sensed my goal was to
serve the community. That probably explains why they
were more than willing to donate their own time as well.
Wishing to see the program grow just as
much I did, people like Tom Easley offered to sponsor events of their own.
I was tickled when Tom
asked me to put his beach weekend on the schedule. It wasn't just
'me' any
more, it was 'us'. Through the efforts of
Jann, V-Ann, and a cast of thousands, SSQQ turned into a
Community, a family where everyone pitched in.
My personal transformation was
complete. I had endured an incredibly lonely childhood
where I was the invisible student at my school for nine
years. Growing up a loner with mediocre social skills,
I did not have a clue about the importance of interacting
with students when I began my dance career.
After studying Victoria and Jann for
the past four years, I had learned my lessons well.
Now that it was my turn, I came out of my childhood shell
and became an excellent host.
Whenever I got a Beginner class, I explained the sooner the
new students joined us after class for dancing, the sooner
they would get the hang of it. I added that V-Ann and I would be
there to welcome them, so come find us.
Here at Texas,
if I spotted
someone from my class, I made sure to go say hello. If
it was a lady, I would ask her to dance. If it was a
guy, I would
take him by the hand and connect him to a trusted
lady friend like Judy Price. Judy would smile
and make a few introductions, then insist he join her on the
dance floor. If Judy found a girl who was equally
lost, she would bring her over to me. Judy, V-Ann, and
I made quite a team.
I accepted that people wanted
me to organize events where the students could meet. Charades,
Volleyball, Beach Weekend, Sock Hop, Texas Renaissance Festival,
Labeling Party, Ski Trips, Halloween Party, Camping Trips,
tours of Hill Country Honky-Tonks, you name it. By
matching my dance classes with an equally dynamic social
program, I turned SSQQ into a legendary
romantic hot spot the likes of which had never been seen
before.
Wherever we went
dancing, our numbers approached 100, most of whom were
single. My careful attention to organizing social
events provided ample opportunity for students to meet,
greet and
mingle. A couple beers for courage and soon they were
out on the floor putting my 'Slow Dance leads to Romance'
theory to the test. Pleased to discover that
dancing did indeed blaze a direct path to an active love life,
many students turned around and encouraged their friends to beat a path to my door as
well.
I could see the pieces of the puzzle
falling into place. I felt like I had been preparing for
this role my entire life. I had always wanted to be a
social worker. Now for the first time, I realized I
had a found a way to put my social work instincts to good
use.
I
ran across a quote by Winston Churchill and got goosebumps.
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to
them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that
moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that
which could have been their finest hour."
Churchill went on to say that he felt like his unique life
experiences had prepared him to become the only man in the
U.K. capable of taking on Hitler. I
knew exactly what Churchill meant.
I was shocked to discover what I was
capable of. Despite my slow start in childhood as the shy
loner with few friends, I was unusually effective as leader
of this studio. In
fact, I was so outgoing I wasn't sure I even recognized myself anymore. I would
never completely match Victoria's gifted promotional
ability, but I had learned my lessons well.
If 1981 was the year my dance studio
came into its own, then 1982 was the year that I came into
my own. Now that I had competed my apprenticeship, my
time had come. Hitting my stride, I took careful
note at how naturally this role came to me. No one asked me
to do it. I organized these activities simply because it
made me happy to contribute.
