From High Tech to High Touch

STweeting. Texting. Talking on the cell. High tech has its place but some things about the human experience don't change. You can post your pic online in search of romance, but rhythm trumps wired. According to a British study released last month, men who dance well attract more women.

Psychologists at the Northumbria University in England showed videotapes of dancers to women and asked them to choose which males they were most attracted to. Men whose movements were large and expansive, and yes, who had more swagger, got the highest ratings. Specifically, women liked moves with more twisting and bending of a guy's knee and larger head and torso movements.  

Researchers believe that these moves indicate vigor and strength in a way that showcases a man's better overall health. The research only reflects what my girlfriends had always told me: a good dancer is likely to be a good lover. Although there's more to love than a few fancy dance steps, it's worth it to know how. I'm an avid hand dancer and for those of you who don't know, hand dancing is the DC term for swing dancing - you know, dancing where the partners actually touch and interact with each other.
Partnered dancing has been described as "the vertical expression of a horizontal desire." It's desire without the danger and sex without the sin. I'm here to tell you, nothing in cyberspace is cooler than hand dancing - swinging out in a rapid turn, being drawn into a close embrace, and tuning into all the nonverbal cues that reveal whether or not the two of you truly click. A virtual connection just can't compare to the visceral, physical, primal communication of dance. 

Dance beats digital.

So what do you think - do good dancers make good partners?