There have been more than a few moments when we’ve thought, “THIS is why we opened this place.” When the fuzzy visions in our minds over the years play themselves out. Or rather, when real moments supplant the visions.

Small things. Like, young people flocking to the chess table in the café (who knew?). The man who took our guitar and went out to the porch to serenade his new wife (both having survived spouses lost from cancer). The girl who comes to do her term papers on Saturdays in the gallery. The knitting circle. The improv hiphop night that had 20-somethings dancing next to 70-somethings. Or just a table of “strangers” chatting it up.

Here’s another. Last Friday, the talented Megan Reisel offered a free tango lesson in the gallery in preparation for a series of Milongas we’ll do in May. An elegant gentleman in his 50s or 60s walks into the cafe. Assuming he came for the lesson, I told him they were just starting and to hurry and join the others. An hour and a half later, this same gentleman came back into the café and said archly, “Now can I order dinner?” He’d come alone, not knowing we had tango lessons, never having tangoed in his life, and felt welcome enough--thank you, Megan--to join in with strangers and spontaneously give it a whirl. 

Watching this dance lesson, it was extraordinary how no one is unhappy learning to dance, dancing with strangers, trying something new—even if we feel we’re “bad dancers.” At one point, Megan pulled me in to dance with her. A mass of self-consciousness, I begged off saying I’d never tangoed. Not taking no for an answer, she expertly guided me and somehow I was, well kind of, “doing it.” With a smile.

And so… putting this out there as a small remedy for a much maligned season in the Berkshires: mud season. March and April, we’ll be doing a lot of dancing. DJ Dance party on March 21^st, dancing to a live 5-piece band on March 28^th, re-scheduled the The Session (improv hiphop) for a series, and checking out a young, high school, hiphop dance teacher to show us some moves. Hope you come on out. We should be dancing.

See our event photo page for more photos of the lesson and past events.