A fleeting moment

I heard the other day that an Aussie swing dancer had passed away. I was stunned to hear who it was - a young, pretty, vibrant girl from Melbourne called Marnie Oliver. I had met her only once, but that memory was so clear I had to write it down. Her parents have set up a memorial website where you can post remembrances of Marnie. I feel funny about posting this there, like somehow it's presumptuous to contribute to a record of her life when our contact was so fleeting. But I'll post it here, because I need to try to make some sense of such a huge tragedy.

Her memorial website is at www.marniemoo.net.

This is the story of how I met Marnie. She flitted in an out of my life in one night, but left an indelible impression that will never fade from my mind.

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I am working the door at the Downtown Stomp, Cat's Corner's Friday night social dance in Montreal, Canada. I've been away from home a long time, and Australia is far from my thoughts tonight. I stand behind the counter, chatting to friends, taking money, answering questions. The lighting is dim, the music is swinging and the dance floor is pulsing with the movement of a hundred feet.

The door swings open and a petite blonde girl pops her head over the top of the tall counter.

"Hi!" she says, giving me a dazzling white smile. "How much does it cost tonight?"

"C'est dix dollars ce soir," I reply, absently. She hands me the money with a grin and disappears into the crowd. It is only after she is gone that it registers that not only had she not spoken to me first in french, but that she had a soft Australian accent. I feel a wave of homesickness and resolve to track down our mysterious guest once I finish my shift.

Halfway through the night, the DJ announces that we have a visitor, Marnie from Australia, in the house. The penny drops. It must be Marnie from Melbourne - the girl who entered the Up and Comers at AJC with Skenny, the dancer doing big things with Swing Patrol, the 'Glitter Fairy Princess' I'd heard so much about. The dance floor clears and Marnie steps out into the circle. She's grinning and looks like she's about to jump out of her shoes - a big ball of energy in a tiny package. The first lead grabs her, the song starts pumping and they're away. The crowd claps in time, letting out whoops and cheers as Marnie flies around the floor. She shines.

After the jam, she barely has a chance to sit down. Every lead in the place has seen her dance, and they are lining up to take a turn with the gorgeous little Aussie firecracker who impressed them all.

Later in the night we meet in the hall and introduce ourselves. We spend ten minutes chatting about people we know, gossip from home and our plans for the future. She is moving on to her next destination, moving ahead to the next adventure. I say goodbye and watch her walk down the corridor, wishing I was off on an adventure, too.

Months later I hear on the grapevine that Marnie's swing dance career is skyrocketing and that she is making a name for herself all over the world. I always love hearing these stories, of people I have met succeeding in their passion. It makes me feel that no matter where we are, we are connected by our shared loves, the friends we know and all the amazing people in between.

I like to remember my brief meeting with Marnie, of her shining on the dance floor and then walking down the corridor on the way to her next adventure. It fills me with hope that we all can live an extraordinary life like she did, and leave everyone we meet with a little piece of us.

Watch Marnie dance -