Dancing is Related to... Marriage?

 Yes, you read that right. There are so many different ways that dancing is related to marriage. Just look at the general dynamics of how the dance is set up; The guy leads, supports, and balances with the woman while they are dancing. The woman's role is to follow, be in a position where the man can support her, and give balance back to the man.

When a guy leads the woman, he is taking her by the hand, (sometimes literally), and he is saying, "Alright, I am you protector. We are going to be doing this together, but I am leading this dance through life. You know the dance, it is your responsibility to know where to be, so be there for me so that you can help me out." And I really like that perspective.

When a woman follows, I don't mean that they sit back and be abused and mistreated because their husband is "in charge and what he says goes." No, that is not the case. However, according to The Family: A Proclamation to the World  the "fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

The key phrase that I would like to point out would have to be the last line of what I cited for this article: "fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners". When you are dancing with a cute guy or girl, and only one of you is putting forth the effort with leading, or following, or just not knowing the dance in general, then it is going to cause some difficulties down the road.

So how can someone work through those difficulties that are going to arise in the dance? Maybe there is a sudden change in tempo, and you are not sure how to dance to this new and "improved" song. Maybe neither partner is sure what to do when the DJ decides to throw a curve ball, (or unexpected trial), during our dance. Just think about that for a moment.

Another thing that the man is responsible for doing, is supporting. At the end of a dance, most girls really like it when the guy spins them around and dips them. It makes the women feel like they are in a fairy tale, and that they are special, important, and even cherished by the man they are dancing with. It makes them feel safe, and ultimately, that is what a girl is looking for. (So tip guys: if you really like a girl, randomly have a dance with her pretty much anywhere and do the spin and dip, and she will be very interested back as well. [Keep in mind however, that some girls don't like to dance.]) Women's roles for support, is to allow her man to help her. If she doesn't let him, then he can in no way support her and her needs.

And that leads me to my last point: balance. Balance is crucial for both of these roles in a dance. There are going to be times where a man won't be able to lead, and he won't be able to support, and his woman is going to have to step up to the plate so that they can get through whatever their circumstances may be. There needs to be a balance of support, and it is going to be important and crucial to their relationship that both man and woman know how to support each other in everything that they do.

Marriage is a dance through life. There may be times where neither of you know the steps, the song, or are even confusion about why the song is speeding up or slowing down. But if you have your man or woman by your side, then you will be able to laugh at the mistakes, enjoy the sloppy steps, and overall, relish in all of the effort that you have put into this now, perfect for your marriage, dance.