Kim & Ian - A wedding intertwined in the fabric of dance
On Saturday, October 22, Anna and I attended the beautiful wedding of Kim Brolet and Ian Spatz. It was a very important wedding to me because of the friendship that I have shared with Kim on and off the dance floor. Through dance, I met Kim; Kim met her husband, Ian and her maid of honor, Charity. Dance might be one of threads that joins Kim & Ian and many of the people who hold them dear.
Kim & Ian - A wedding intertwined in the fabric of dance
On Saturday, October 22, Anna and I attended the beautiful wedding of Kim Brolet and Ian Spatz. It was a very important wedding to me because of the friendship that I have shared with Kim on and off the dance floor. Through dance, I met Kim; Kim met her husband, Ian and her maid of honor, Charity. Dance might be one of threads that joins Kim & Ian and many of the people who hold them dear.
A friendship is formed
Kim and I met in 2007 while I was teaching West Coast Swing at a restaurant named The Field in Fairfield, CT. She was short, spunky country dancer who had most of her experience dancing at places like The Cadillac Ranch in Southington, CT. She knew enough social West Coast Swing to get by and she was talented from the start.
Within a year, Kim was dancing up a storm. She started attending some of the regional West Coast Swing Events and placing in some of the Jack & Jill divisions. She was also attending every West Coast Swing and Hustle class in the Connecticut area and was beginning to help me with my business.
For almost 3 years, Kim has been the happy face that helps me greet every dancer that arrives to Hustle and West Coast Swing dancing nights. She has been my main assistant instructor and even meets me prior to class at Stop & Shop to purchase food and other necessities. And, she has been a great friend.
A new guy
It was no surprise that Kim told me that she had met a nice guy during the Halloween party at the The Cadillac Ranch in October of 2008. During the following year, which led up to my own wedding to my wife, Anna, I kept checking with Kim to see that she was happy with the new guy in her life. The reviews were always positive.
The engagement
When Anna and I were invited to Kim & Ian's holiday party in January 2010, we had no idea that it was going to be the moment that Ian proposed. We were at the right place at the right time. I was thrilled to see Kim so surprised and so happy.
Preparing to Wed
Kim had almost a year to plan her wedding. She maintained a full time job during the worst job market ever, continued assisting me Hustle and West Coast Swing weekly classes in Norwalk, CT and even moonlighted with Pampered Chef. Kim was a busy person. All the while, Kim maintained her joy of life and her bubbly laughter.
What I realized as Kim's big day approached was that she had met her fiance, Ian, at the The Cadillac Ranch – her regular country dance venue and that her maid-of-honor was Charity, also a West Coast Swing dancer. All these threads were interwoven with dance. One thing was yet to be weaved into the wedding plans – the first dance.
Ian the dancer
I was so excited to be involved in helping Kim and Ian with their first dance. I knew that Ian was going to come to the first lesson kicking and screaming. Almost every guy does. Dancing in front of a bunch of friends and family on one of the most momentous days of one's life is a tall order. Even a professional dancer gets nervous thinking about such an occasion.
Ian was a self-professed “non dancer” but he knew that he was marrying an avid, die-hard, dance-till-she-drops type of girl. There was no way out of it. It was literally the rite of passage that he would have to undertake if he wanted to marry one of the best women around.
During their rehearsals with me in Night Club Two-Step, I truly got to know Ian. Up until that first two-hour session, Ian and I had only known each other on the periphery. It was during those first challenging moments – when a new leader starts sweating and usually wants to quit – that I saw what I needed to see. Ian would do anything for Kim, even dance.
By the second rehearsal, Ian was starting to push past his fears. He began to realize that he couldn't hide behind his former line: “I'm not a dancer”. He was dancing, he was leading.
During our last rehearsal, the entire wedding dance took its final form. Ian had conquered yet another mountain, but not the type that this accomplished hiker had done before. This was new, steep, uncharted territory for Ian. As the music faded out, Ian led a dip on Kim. He was proud, she was in love.
These rehearsals said more about their relationship than any words could have said. Our society throws around the word “love” as if it were candy. Ian's commitment to his first dance on his wedding day and Kim's commitment to follow Ian in his new accomplishment meant that they would succeed. Not just on their wedding day, but for their lives together.
The first dance
Words might never be able to express what happened when Ian and Kim took the floor for their first dance. I had my camera in hand, Anna had the video. I was excited for them both.
The dance was....perfect! It was the culmination of what happens when everything is right in the Universe for an instant. For a split second, the world slipped away and Ian and Kim were together in a timeless moment.
As for me, I cried at the greatness of their accomplishment. Congratulations to Kim and Ian on their special day!
