99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE
Addicted to Dance
The date had been circled on the calendar for days. He knew when he’d first danced with her he would not be happy until they partnered again. Smitten with her long legs and brown eyes, he remembered her tiny shiver when he caressed her neck with his hand. And now, here they were…She stood still waiting for him to position himself so their dance could start. With perfect timing, the performance began, spurring, legs kicking high, symmetry in motion. Their eight-second dance ends. They’ll partner again when the next luck of the draw is in their favour.
Bud Edall - Green Lake B.C. Stampede - circa 1938
Until We Dance Again
It is the last night of dancing in this town. The partners they’ve assigned me over the past week have been mediocre, to say the least. They’ve had lots of try, but only basic steps over and over. Tonight will be different. I’ve heard about this partner. Professional and not afraid to take a chance. Willing to move with the kicks, dips and dives. The window is short for us to dance classy and sassy. When the eight-second buzzer sounds we will see what kind of a partner he is. Money or mud? Until we dance again, cowboy.
Every story had two sides to it, and after watching ten rounds of the National Finals Rodeo, I was drawn to the dance partners that participated night after night.
In the story Addicted to Dance, tells about the adrenalin addiction cowboys experience riding bucking horses. The want and need to get on bronc, especially one that has bucked them off. They make it their business to know about a horse they have been parked with at a rodeo. Unfortunately it all comes down to the luck of the draw.
On the other side of the fence, rodeo horses are one of the many cherished and well looked after athletes going. Until We Dance Again is the horse’s perspective of being the assigned draw date at the rodeo. They have been known to show off big time when they are partnered with a rider who has done his homework and rides to make them both look good. That’s where the money is. If the horse bucks them off, well that’s where the mud is, so to speak.
The saddle bronc event, is often referred to the Classic Event in rodeo. To watch a ride from the spur out, meaning the riders feet must be ahead of the horse’s shoulders when the horses front feet touch the ground on the first jump, through the athleticism of the repetitive movements of horse and rider to the sound of the buzzer at the eight-second mark, is a vision worth watching.
The strength in the horse dipping its head toward the ground while the rider holds the rein a.k.a. a shank or halter rope, in one hand; lifting up with the rein as his feet come to the horse’s shoulder, and dropping while he brings his feet back, almost touching the saddle when the horse’s hind legs touch the ground. It has been said it’s like being in a rocking chair if the horse and rider are in sync. A dance like no other.
Not everyone who watches rodeo can see the dance partners. They see horse or bull bucking in the arena and a cowboy trying to stay on for eight-seconds. The rough stock events, saddle bronc, bareback bronc, and bull riding is a pairing of some of the finest athletes in the world. Each event is a dance showcasing moves by both partners to outdo each other, while they show off the athletic moves the other can make. Truly it is poetry in motion.
Our dad rode saddle broncs and the picture on this page is of him at the Green Lake Stampede (B.C.) circa 1938. I still have the chaps (pronounced shaps), his cowboy boots, and the saddle.
In the story Addicted to Dance, tells about the adrenalin addiction cowboys experience riding bucking horses. The want and need to get on bronc, especially one that has bucked them off. They make it their business to know about a horse they have been parked with at a rodeo. Unfortunately it all comes down to the luck of the draw.
On the other side of the fence, rodeo horses are one of the many cherished and well looked after athletes going. Until We Dance Again is the horse’s perspective of being the assigned draw date at the rodeo. They have been known to show off big time when they are partnered with a rider who has done his homework and rides to make them both look good. That’s where the money is. If the horse bucks them off, well that’s where the mud is, so to speak.
The saddle bronc event, is often referred to the Classic Event in rodeo. To watch a ride from the spur out, meaning the riders feet must be ahead of the horse’s shoulders when the horses front feet touch the ground on the first jump, through the athleticism of the repetitive movements of horse and rider to the sound of the buzzer at the eight-second mark, is a vision worth watching.
The strength in the horse dipping its head toward the ground while the rider holds the rein a.k.a. a shank or halter rope, in one hand; lifting up with the rein as his feet come to the horse’s shoulder, and dropping while he brings his feet back, almost touching the saddle when the horse’s hind legs touch the ground. It has been said it’s like being in a rocking chair if the horse and rider are in sync. A dance like no other.
Not everyone who watches rodeo can see the dance partners. They see horse or bull bucking in the arena and a cowboy trying to stay on for eight-seconds. The rough stock events, saddle bronc, bareback bronc, and bull riding is a pairing of some of the finest athletes in the world. Each event is a dance showcasing moves by both partners to outdo each other, while they show off the athletic moves the other can make. Truly it is poetry in motion.
Our dad rode saddle broncs and the picture on this page is of him at the Green Lake Stampede (B.C.) circa 1938. I still have the chaps (pronounced shaps), his cowboy boots, and the saddle.
| Ann Edall-Robson Author, Photographer, Lover of Life "Capturing moments others may never get to experience.” |
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December 12, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a dance-off. Who has come together in dance for what purpose? What are dancers wearing? What kind of music? Bring some unity to people through the act of coming together, each getting to step to their own groove. Go where the prompt leads!
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