Dancing the Night Away!

Last night was certainly a dance extravaganza for my roommates and me. The son of our host parents, Mathieu, offered to take the three of us out for a night of dancing. We began our night at 11:00 p.m. by going to a special “West Coast Swing” soirée thrown by a dance company here. All of the dancers assumed that we knew this dance since it originated in the U.S., but boy were they mistaken! I hate to say that the three of us did not do well in representing Americans at this particular dance-off! I was quite surprised by the version of swing that everyone was dancing. I expected peppy fifties music with fast and happy footwork but I was quite wrong. The French dance “swing” much slower and in a much more sensual and seductive manner. To top off my surprise, they were all dancing to modern American songs like “Bleeding Love” or “With You”. WHAT?! I was utterly confused by how this type of dance had managed to change so much between its origins in the U.S. and what I saw here in France! It was absolutely bizarre.
At 1:00 am, Mathieu told us we were leaving and thus I mentally prepared myself for our arrival back home. Oh, was I wrong—the night was yet young in the eyes of the French! Next we found ourselves at a discotheque just outside of the city. While it would normally cost twelve euros for an entrance fee, we got in free thanks to Mathieu’s friendship with the bouncer guy. As we entered, I was plunged into darkness and strobe lights, loud techno music, and intense heat. I was surrounded by young people ranging in age from 16 to 25ish. Everyone was permitted to drink and it was strange for me to be around high-schoolers with beers in their hands, completely legal. The city of Montpellier provides a cheap and popular bus service at night, with service all night, to all of the discotheques, attempting to protect against drunk drivers. We stayed at the discotheque for over an hour and then Mathieu agreed to call it an “early night” and brought us home. My head didn’t hit the pillow until around 3:30 a.m., early huh? The truth is that here in France, most young people, from high school age up until late twenties, stay out until five or six in the morning. Personally, I like to be asleep BEFORE the sun starts to rise but, to each his own. The French sure do have stamina!