The Address is 221B Baker Street - November

[impulsereader]

Hugh Stewart in his excellent booklet “Elements of English Country Dance” says: “Give weight: This is a common (despairing) cry”. Some people never seem to come to terms with it. If you're in a square set and you circle left, the men's hands are underneath and the ladies' hands are on top. The men push upwards and the ladies push downwards, so

Comments

[pargoletta]

Hurray! I've been waiting for this story, as you probably know.

I love it. I wish there had been a tad bit more scenes of dancing, of course, but anything with Sarah showing up and being snarky will instantly win my heart. And I love the last paragraph. You and John really get it, what that kind of dancing is all about. Trust me, it's not always immediately obvious, but you've really grokked the spirit of it.

And oh my God, giving weight! Yes, yes, yes! You must give weight! Nothing ookier than a limp-fish dance partner. And then, when you actually do get confident enough to give weight, suddenly the world of things you can do opens up. You can do fancier spins, you can put twiddles and flourishes on a dance, you can have Little Moments with your partner . . . you can swing round each other for the entire repetition of a dance, to pick a Completely Random Example.

[impulsereader]

I wanted more dancing too! I was stuck forever, though, and I honestly have to finish this before I die so please accept the lovely Sarah as a bit of compensation. :-)

Ah, thank you, the activity is definitely something I'm still circling warily in my head.

[221b_hound]

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS FIC AND HOW I WANT TO HOLD IT AND HAVE ITS FIFTEEN CHILDREN AND HOW VERY VERY VERY MUCH I LOVE THAT LAST PARAGRAPH BUT I CAN'T SO I HAVE TO SHOUT AT YOU IN ALL CAPS JUST TO RELIEVE ALL MY FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELINGS ABOUT IT!!!!!!!

[impulsereader]

*smiles serenely* Now that's what I like to hear. :-)

[azriona]

I am not a dancer, so I've never heard the term before, but I absolutely love the idea of giving weight, and I really adore the last paragraph, because it's just so true of them. Can I take that last paragraph and cuddle it? It's possibly the best thing I've read all day. No, scratch that. It is the best thing I've read all day, and I'm counting yesterday too. It's the perfect assessment of their relationship and what they mean to each other, whether you ship them or bromance them, and the images you use (the hum of Sherlock, the tappety-tap of John) to create the music of them being together is perfect. It's lovely.

[impulsereader]

*gapes*

You leave the best comments. Thank you!

I wasn't aware of the concept of giving weight either until I began researching this chapter and ended up learning about it through youtube. I was told, and feedback seems to support, that Brits would be familiar with this sort of dancing so there was that Sherlockian balance which needed to be struck: Recount every detail. Don't be boring.

'Fabulous' thinks the writer to herself with rolled eyes and more than a hint of wild-eyed panic masked by a healthy dose of sarcasm, 'I'll just work all of that in perfectly naturally, no problem.' I'm sure you're familiar with the sensation. :-)

That fabulous quote to start it all off was a gift.

[f_m_r_l]

What everyone else said plus STEED! PEEL! ♥

[impulsereader]

Squee! You loved the Steed & Peel! Squee!

This seems to be a 1 in 4 sort of thing since I have exactly the same percentage of mention on ao3 as of just this moment.

Sigh. I wish more people watched older television...

[keerawa]

*sighs happily* This is a perfect short sequel. I adore the frenetic, out of control energy of the unexpected dance lesson coalescing around John and that final paragraph is PERFECT. Connection and trust. Always.

[impulsereader]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the dance lesson. :-) Once I stumbled upon the concept of giving weight I (myself) danced around it quite a lot in an attempt to do it justice - I'm not sure I accomplished it, but I did try! just the final costume fitting to go...