Friday 26 March 2004

The Greatest Dancer

I was out last night with Eileen, Maebh and Kristi for some food and then a few drinks. We ended up the main Westerner hangout - Communes - which is always pretty quiet on weekdays. But the hardcore alcoholic Jesus-lookalike slow-deep-voiced Chris was there as always, plus a few others.

One of the other guys I'd met before but only in the passing. Criminally, I've forgotten his name but for ease of reading let's just call him Pneumatic. I can confidently say that Pneumatic is one of the best people I have ever met.

He doesn't drink, which doesn't favour him in my eyes, yet he is a Communes 6 days out of 7. He doesn't have much to say either, and to be honest, what he does say isn't of great worth. But all this is compensated for.

Because he is The Greatest Dancer.

About 1am, and I was a little drunk, and everyone else had headed off but for some reason we decided to go to Bubble Bar, my favourite bar/club in Daegu. Busy on weekends but dead on weekdays. There were about 12 Koreans there.

He's a regular there and all the staff knew him. I soon found out why.

As soon as the song "Hey Ya!" by Outkast came on, he was off that seat and dancing on an empty dancefloor. And not the useless foot shuffle that I've mastered, but full-on body bops. It was the most fantastic, crazy, physical, enthusiastic and genuinely bona fide insane dancing I've ever seen. He was on stage as myself and the Koreans watched on with awe and wonder, joyously uninhibited. Such energy and commitment to dancing I've never seen before.

When the song finished he sat back down, and I congratulated him. He seemed pleased, and quite proud of his dancing, and explained that there's a few songs that he always dances to, and the DJ in Bubble Bar now knows them well. While at first impression his dancing was plainly ridiculous, after speaking to him and seeing it for a while, it changed into something of real joy and innocence. He just loved dancing to some songs, hip hip mainly. What others thought of his dancing just wasn't a consideration. And I actually really admire the guy for that. For his uninhibited pleasure of dancing.

But I mainly admire him for the most mental bops I've ever seen a man do.

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