dance fever
february 21, 2005
after dance class, i sometimes like to sit down to watch the people dance. some nights it's busy, other nights it's kind of quiet. tonight happened to be one of those super busy evenings where many professional dancers came to train and top level amateurs were practicing for competition. their movements are dazzling. their choreography to the novice eye seems truly breathtaking. and in those moments, i wished i started learning how to dance much earlier.
can you believe i'm into my 6th week of dance lessons? aside from my weekly 1 hour private lesson, i've also joined some group classes as well. i can now say how important both types of classes are to learning. private lessons are great for learning the techniques and fine tuning the movements - arms, legs, head position, executing those minute details that makes all the difference to the onlooker. group lessons on the other hand sometimes feel like i'm being thrown alive to the sharks. the pace is excruciatingly fast and you learn one move after another - whether or not you've picked it up. there have been moments in group classes where i've thrown up my hands and wanted to walk out. but there i am, back at the same class every week. maybe i just like the mental abuse. but in group class, you tend to learn a lot more moves and it's definitely challenging.
i am by far, one of the younger people in group class. yeah, that sounds weird considering i'm in my mid-thirties. many a times when we have to rotate partners, i end up with guys who must be nearly twice my age. there are others who are younger - say, in their 50's but i always wonder what they must think when i am dancing with them. they are probably wondering why this chunky asian chick with funny blue hair and the tattoo on her back is learning how to cha cha.
i don't have any qualms dancing with strange men now. :p the only thing is that everyone gets quite sweaty and when you put your hand on their shoulder/back, you can feel some moisture seeping through. oi! then again, i shouldn't talk because i'm sure they don't appreciate my armpit stains. haha. kidding.
so yeah, i'm 6 weeks into training and how much have i really learned? i've learned briefly the foxtrot, as that wasn't one of the more important ones for me to learn. i've learned about 4 moves in cha cha. 4 moves in rumba. the very basics of hustle and about 5 moves in salsa. doesn't sound like a lot huh? but it's all in the details i tell you. no sloppy dancing from this aiyah chick. no siree. when i learn things, it has to be perfect. part of that wacky perfectionist trait in me i guess.
the one thing i have found though is that dancing is very similar to martial arts. there's footwork, there's hand movements, there's exact positioning of the body and there's timing. of course dancing seems easier than a 3 hour kung fu class, but it's a very tough workout nonetheless. now that i'm pursuing both interests at the same time, i find that they actually benefit one another in the sense that they train similar parts of the body without having the do the same type of workout. and it's not just physical discipline but the mental discipline is the same as well. unfortunately in dance class, i can't kick or punch the shit out of people so i tend to (for obvious reasons) like martial arts a bit better.
my workouts at the gym are probably the easiest of the 3 activites now. :p
