A recent article in the Washington Post called “Some day, we’ll hit the dance floor again. And it will be glorious.” summed up the current state of social dancing. The takeaway: We will dance again, just not yet. Here are a few excerpts.

Of all the once-harmless human behaviors that are now potentially deadly, social dancing is surely near the top of the list. It’s easily one of the most dangerous activities we can do for the very reasons that it’s also one of the most glorious. The coronavirus preys on our humanity, and dancing brings that out in crazy plumes of joy. You really can’t beat dancing for pulling us tightly together to share — in big, breathless ways — a host of emotional, physical and spiritual sensations…

We crave those bonds, especially the face-to-face, physical and even wordless human connections that happen so easily on the dance floor. That’s where we’re challenged to create a good experience for a new friend. The way she holds your hand or copies your bounce, the way you slow your shoulder roll to match hers: These become signals of trust and compatibility. They’re corporeal signs that we’re being seen, appreciated…

As to when that will feel safe again, there’s a hopeful precedent in what happened a few years after the 1918 flu pandemic.