shall we dance?
january 19, 2005
^ le dance classroom
tonight i started my very first ballroom dance class. i cannot even begin to tell you how long i've been dying to try ballroom dancing. i've been fascinated by those ballroom dancing contests shown on PBS since...forever now but never thought i could really do what they do. and then there are movies like "shall we dance" (japanese version please) and "that's the way i like it" (my fave movie!) that makes me really want to go out and try it.
but.... i've always felt like i have an oversized body and never thought that i could stand in a room full of mirrors while consciously moving to the music. sure, i go to the gym and do all that other stuff in front of mirrors but it's different with dancing. i always think that you either "have it" or you "don't" when it comes to having that dancing gene. and when you have a few drinks at a club just gyrating, that's different too.
there's just something about the sexiness & fluidity of ballroom dancing that is simply hot. i think ballroom dancing really makes a woman feel like a woman since the man leads and guides the woman into the movement.
tonight's class was a free session for beginners. i was surprised to see the number of people show up. a good 16+ people came in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages. after a brief introduction by the guest instructor, ron montez (some of you may know him as the cohost of the pbs ballroom dance championship show in addition to being a world reknowned ballroom/latin dance champion), he had us all get in a large circle and with the help of various instructors taught us 4 different dances.
although you may see dancing on tv and in the movies and you think you can mimic the motion, it's different when you're in class with an instructor. for each new dance taught to us, we had to hold hands with the person next to us and do the basic dance moves before turning to the person next to us as a partner. there were quite a bit of girl on girl action tonight. :p
since this was a beginner's class, they only taught us the very basic steps. the first dance they taught was the american waltz. next came the rumba. then the cha cha. and finally the merengue. i personally enjoyed the rumba and the cha cha the most since you feel a bit more relaxed into the move and can sway your hips more.
i have always been one of those people who can pick up things pretty quickly from visually watching people's motions, expressions, speech etc. so the dance steps came pretty easy to me. BUT the partner i got hooked up with was awful. he stepped on my toes a number of times and he kept on looking down at his feet to make sure he was doing the steps right. one of the instructors saw that i was nearly going to let out a godzilla scream and came over to take him away to teach him. a female instructor came in to be my partner and commented on how well i danced. it was very nervous dancing with a professional. they are quite forceful, quite firm and it's pretty damn intimidating.
^ other side of the dance studio where a social was happening.
after an hour of dancing, i realized that next time, i need to wear something light & airy, more body hugging and perhaps something that makes you feel sexy. now that i'm in the role of a ballroom dance student, i might as well get into the mindset and get out the leg warmers, flashdancy tops, and stuff made from lycra. :p all i can say is that dancing is a big workout. i was sweating by the end of class and my legs are somewhat feeling weird.
so i finally did something about ballroom dancing. i've always been in awe of people who can dance well and who can express so much in the movement of the body and the beauty of a male & a female joined in pure synchronicity on the dancefloor. not only is it another skill i'd like to pursue but it puts a nice break in my workweek to look forward to something. i also like to think of it as an alternative to the typical exercise routine. but the biggest thing i want to get out of it is to be comfortable in my own body, my own skin and be more accepting of this shell i was born with. i have a feeling that dancing is one of those things that can arm you with the confidence to accept your own body.
i'm looking forward to my first private lesson next week in addition to the group session as well. it's just hard to narrow down which dance i want to learn. part of me wants to focus on the rumba but i like to learn the hustle, jive and cha cha as well. then there's the jitterbug, waltz, tango.....any ideas?
i hope i have a lot of weddings to attend to this year so i can try out the dancefloors. :p
