Forbes List: The Sequel

Last week in QC After Dark …

I challenged the validity of the research presented by Forbes.com, which gave Charlotte 25th place among the top 40 cities for singles. I mean, come on, Raleigh–Durham was placed sixth, above New York City. That rating system makes as much sense to me as the college football rating system.

QC After Dark did its own research. I called it “Operation find the single life in nightlife” and, like Columbus, I found a whole new world. I learned that if you stay in a nightlife routine — always occupy the same places with the same people — you’ll keep going on bad dates, and remaining single will be routine as well.

Change your routine by changing your setting, and thus characters. Go somewhere where you can have a decent conversation, such as a spot with an outdoor patio or a low-key neighborhood like SouthEnd or NoDA. And for some new faces, try some new places, like Belle’s BBQ, Soulstice in NoDA, Joker’s Piano Bar in Lake Norman, or Daddy’s (which Twist is about to become). Or … try something new all together — like ballroom dancing. It’s basically going out dancing, but opposed to getting humped like a dog at a sweaty, crowded club, you’re actually dancing.

Ballroom dancing is also a new form of meeting singles; it’s a covert operation for speed dating. Instead of sitting at a table with a stranger for eight minutes of mindless banter, you have a few eight counts to dance with a stranger while making small talk. Think speed dating — while waltzing.

I learned to waltz and accidentally sped date at Dance Sport Carolina. Like most other ballroom dancing studios, Dance Sport Carolina has swinging and shagging parties, making ballroom dancing, well, a ball. At a ballroom ball, the instructors teach you some sweet dance moves then open the floor and put the social in social dancing. At Dance Sport Carolina, we also played Pictionary and the Play Station 2 dance pod. There were little old ladies trying to get their groove back, old men on hand to help them, cultured and well-groomed young men, and tons of women, including a Miss North Carolina contender. But unlike the imbalance at most uptown bars, the ratio was in favor of the men.

Sure anyone can grind up on someone and sway their hips back and forth, but you can’t dance unless you can tango, too. So get a new spin on nightlife (pun intended) and check out www.dancesportcarolina.com. You can also work on your swing with the Swing Cat Society, or learn to line dance at Southern Star Ballroom. Charlotte even has an Israeli Folk Dance class.

You can always purchase a date …

Speaking of ratings: apparently, according to Uptown Magazine, I rate as one of uptown’s sexiest people, along with Morgan Fogarty of FOX news and some other sexy Charlotteans. We are being auctioned off on Oct. 26 at the Forum for Uptown Magazine’s 1st anniversary auction to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. RSVP to buy a date for charity at www.uptownclt.com/rsvp.htm.

And if all else fails, I hear Harris Teeter is a jumping spot for singles. If they’re hanging out in the frozen food section sans grocery list, then chances are they’re single.

For some, changing single status to married status is as hard as becoming a country music star. Trust me, I know — not only am I single, but I also went to the Nashville Star auditions at Midtown Sundries. My little sister Diana hit the high notes in front of the hundred upon hundreds of other contestants, trying to prove that the Carolinas breed country stars in addition to American Idols. Some contestants should’ve stuck with karaoke, while others should already have a record deal. I just hope the competition’s rating system is more valid than that of Forbes dot com.

Psssstttt … If you have any dirt or inside scoop on nightlife, shoot me an e-mail at brittney.cason@creativeloafing.com.

This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2006.