It’s telling isn’t it? My recent posts on the Cape Town SBK scene seem to have stirred the dance floor in both delightful and… uhh, less-than-delightful ways.  

Let’s start with the bad, shall we? Certain individuals have stopped greeting me altogether. Shocking, I know. 

But honestly, it’s no great losss. I wasn’t planning on dancing with that guy or that girl anytime soon. What amuses me, though, is the awkwardness of it all. 

The looks (or rather, the clumsy attempts to NOT look), the palpable energy shift… it’s like they’ve read something they disagree with but can’t muster the courage to actually say so, to me, that is. 

Instead, they’ll just keep up their little no look routine; towards me, at least.  

Do I mind? Not really. Their unwelcoming vibes won’t stop me from showing up to the next party. But it does make me wonder: how many others are on the receiving end of this kind of treatment? 

Based on comments and chats I’ve had recently, I’d bet it’s more than a dozen folk that experience this. And here’s the concerning part: it’s mostly women. Unverified stat, sure, but still worth thinking about.  

Now for the good news: they’re AWARE. The DJs, the teachers, their inner circle of favorite dancers, they know. And the ones who agree with me? Well, they’ve shared some good and bad experiences with me about the unfriendly state (their perception mos) of the SBK scene.  

So, how do we fix this? Simple. One write-up at a time, one open conversation at a time and one dance at a time I say.

Greet people you don’t know, welcome strangers to the scene, dance to a song you’ve never heard before, try a dance you are not familiar with. I know Gerhardus won’t agree with this but anyway… 

As for the irate gents and ladies snubbing me? If you see me retract from a handshake or a hug, it’s me, it’s not him/her. (No really it’s me)

I’ll focus on being engaging, approachable, and present for the rest of you because I’m not just here for Kizomba. I’m here for the connections, that smile and the shared joy of it all.  

Let’s dance our way to better days, and nights, in 2025. Shall we?