From: larryc@netcom.com (Larry Ching)


 I guess I should start with me and dancing. From what I remember about
my childhood attempts at dancing, I was a hyperactive stepper. I would
do what would be described now as pogoing, with a reve'd up version of
twisting ( I was born in 1955 ) . I knew when to stop dancing, when my
nose started bleeding.

 So, from my earliest years, I valued sensation over style in dancing.
When I entered my teenage years, the sexuality & sensuality that I
became capable of added some spice to the equation, but it was still
mostly an adrenaline/trance thing. This was at odds with social dancing,
especially in the shy, conservative environment of 1970's teen Hawaii.
And, since I didn't like drinking all that much, rock concerts were the
only way I could dance the way I wanted to. ( At that time, rock
concerts in Hawaii were almost totally attended by white audiences ).

 The sensuality and trance components of my dancing increased with
experience over time,  but in a mellow fashion - not to the point of 
speaking in tongues or being able to skewer myself painlessly.

 I screwed up my back a few years ago, so a lot of my dancing now is
done with my upper body, as opposed to doing fancy dance moves with my
feet. ( My back is much better now ... although I usually say that just 
before I screw it up again! )

 I like to do a lot of dancefloor roaming, as walking/jogging/running is
easier for my legs to do than up-and-down/leg-lifts/in-place dancing. 
I don't usually like compacted crowds and uneven dancefloors at raves, 
because they both interfere with my zooming around. My usual strategy
then is to get to a rave EARLY - you find better parking too!

 The main reason I like raves is that I can dance the way I've always
wanted to. Other reasons are:

- Meeting people who are kind and patient; being with my friends.
  At one big warehouse rave in Hayward, I accidently stepped on
someone's hand, but he was graciously forgiving. And, of course, I've
met all you good SFRavers! Good people are hard to find.

- Not so much macho "I/we can booze/do drugs/dance/fight better 
   than you and your gang can" attitude. 

- People watching.

- Being in a crowd that's there to DANCE !