--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing is that ordinarily when I…" description: "\"The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with [women] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. All ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/gene-kelly-11878_anticipation_the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i_44100.jpg" --- # The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with… ![“The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with [women] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. All I want to do is one-two, one-two-three - a simple fox trot. But they're shaking with anticipation at the thought that I'm about to whip them around…” quote by Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/gene-kelly-11878_anticipation_the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i_44100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/gene-kelly-11878_anticipation_the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i_44100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/gene-kelly-11878_anticipation_the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i_44100.jpg) > “The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. All I want to do is one-two, one-two-three - a simple fox trot. But they're shaking with anticipation at the thought that I'm about to whip them around and then toss them on the roof.” [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker highlights the mismatch between expectations of excitement and his desire for a modest, traditional dance, revealing how perception can distort intent. **In simple terms:** Misconstrued intentions in dance. Key Takeaway Perception shapes expectations. Themes miscommunication dance culture gender dynamics expectation vs reality social perception Mood playful ironic lighthearted Type anecdotal observational When to use this quote - social events - dance lessons - first dates - performance settings Key Concepts dance social expectations misinterpretation Practical Applications - clarify intentions before dancing - use clear signals to align expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do expectations influence our behavior in social settings? - What can be done to align perceived and actual intentions? A Different Perspective Some may argue that the anticipation itself is part of the dance's allure, not a misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [We dance with women in groups, but it is very rare that you have a partner that is a woman. The dance world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanca-li/we-dance-with-women-in-groups-but-it-is-very-rare-that-you-have-a/) [Blanca Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanca-li/) > [Feminism has changed the way women think, and it has changed the way men think, but the trouble is, it hasn't changed the attitudes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/feminism-has-changed-the-way-women-think-and-it-has-changed-the-way/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [I have so much admiration for women who are mothers, who balance family and work. I see them and I have this word in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-have-so-much-admiration-for-women-who-are-mothers-who-balance/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [I've been lucky to work consistently on women who I think are interesting, fleshed out, and strong and active participants in their destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-davis/i-ve-been-lucky-to-work-consistently-on-women-who-i-think-are/) [Mackenzie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-davis/) > [“The trouble is that so many people, most of them women, think they have to have a perfect body to be loved. But all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/the-trouble-is-that-so-many-people-most-of-them-women-think-they-have/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [I'm trying to change how women think about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-graham/i-m-trying-to-change-how-women-think-about-themselves/) [Ashley Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-graham/) > [Research clearly shows us that the earlier women think about maintaining their bone mass and take the steps to do so, the better their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-capps/research-clearly-shows-us-that-the-earlier-women-think-about/) [Lois Capps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-capps/) > [If women think all men are the same, then why do they worry so much about picking the right one :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/if-women-think-all-men-are-the-same-then-why-do-they-worry-so-much/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [Women think that smaller brows will open up their eyes, but that's wrong and it affects your entire face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-soare/women-think-that-smaller-brows-will-open-up-their-eyes-but-that-s/) [Anastasia Soare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-soare/) > [Women think with their whole bodies and they see things as a whole more than men do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/women-think-with-their-whole-bodies-and-they-see-things-as-a-whole/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [ \[Demystifying lesbian sex for an interviewer\] In a way, the sex isn't really that different... From what I can tell, no, not really. All… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/demystifying-lesbian-sex-for-an-interviewer-in-a-way-the-sex-isn-t/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [Here's how men think. Sex, work - and those are reversible, depending on age - sex, work, food, sports and lastly, begrudgingly, relationships. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/here-s-how-men-think-sex-work-and-those-are-reversible-depending-on/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction of costliness of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women-beautiful-or-otherwise-nor/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“I think men think about their penises as much as women think about molestation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/i-think-men-think-about-their-penises-as-much-as-women-think-about/) [Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/) ## More by Gene Kelly > [In fact, I wasn't going to dance in Xanadu, but several journalists told me that Olivia Newton-John kept saying how sad she was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/in-fact-i-wasn-t-going-to-dance-in-xanadu-but-several-journalists/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I miss the romance. I keep saying this over and over again, but dance follows music. And if the accent today is percussion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-miss-the-romance-i-keep-saying-this-over-and-over-again-but-dance/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I didn't want to move or act like a rich man. I wanted to dance in a pair of jeans. I wanted to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-didn-t-want-to-move-or-act-like-a-rich-man-i-wanted-to-dance-in-a/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Things danced on the screen do not look the way they do on the stage. On the stage, dancing is three-dimensional, but a motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/things-danced-on-the-screen-do-not-look-the-way-they-do-on-the-stage/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/if-fred-astaire-is-the-cary-grant-of-dance-i-m-the-marlon-brando/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [It fit into my scheme of things for many reasons. At the time it was true that male dancers were looked down upon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/it-fit-into-my-scheme-of-things-for-many-reasons-at-the-time-it-was/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I don't understand the whole concept of doubles. They used to do that in the early sound films in Hollywood, but I thought we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-concept-of-doubles-they-used-to-do-that/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I'll never starve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-ll-never-starve/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [When I would create a dance, I wouldn't have the luxury that ballet people do when they take a piece of music and impose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/when-i-would-create-a-dance-i-wouldn-t-have-the-luxury-that-ballet/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [When Ginger Rogers danced with Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/when-ginger-rogers-danced-with-astaire-it-was-the-only-time-in-the/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I wanted to do new things with dance, adapt it to the motion picture medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-wanted-to-do-new-things-with-dance-adapt-it-to-the-motion-picture/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams-and-i-know-if-i/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Kids talk to me and say they want to do musicals again because they've studied the tapes of the old films. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/kids-talk-to-me-and-say-they-want-to-do-musicals-again-because-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [If I played a tough kid on the street I couldn't go out there and get into fifth position. I had to dance like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/if-i-played-a-tough-kid-on-the-street-i-couldn-t-go-out-there-and-get/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) [Explore all 57 Gene Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) ## More Anticipation quotes > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) Paul Boateng > [“I can handle Evil, but I cannot handle Anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/i-can-handle-evil-but-i-cannot-handle-anticipation/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [Hope is itself a species of happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-is-itself-a-species-of-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) Browse all 758 Anticipation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with [women] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. 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