First Ballroom Dance
Jan. 9th, 2009 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qosFirst, thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
labelleizzy for offering the icon!
Second -- Wow. . . That was much easier, and much more fun, than I expected it to be. My teacher, Jeremy, was low-key, and explained things simply and with a sense of humor.
There's a scene in the movie Take the Lead in which Antonio Banderas' character has to defend teaching ballroom dance during detention. He gives a demonstration by inviting the school principal (Alfre Woodard) to "walk with me." They take a relaxed dance pose and he walks her slowly back, then forward again, then back and then forward. . . and simply and beautifully it's a dance.
That's what this evening was like. We started out by just "walking" -- but with his hand on the lower part of my shoulderblade, mine on his arm, our hands together, with just the right amount of framing tension, and it was easy and natural and comfortable and fun.
The merengue is just eight steps -- 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 -- but in only a few minutes I was doing spins and turns, and Wow! I'm dancing!
There was also a lovely woo moment. . . As I mentioned recently, Lohain (and Lee as well) used to dance with me in my tiny kitchen. As Jeremy was trying to explain the importance of keeping a certain amount of 'resistance' in my energy so we could stay in contact, he used the example of moving furniture: "You don't push the soft places, you push the hard places." Except that he first said, "It's like when you're moving furniture in your kitchen -" and he cut himself off. "Living room! I meant living room. I don't know why I said 'kitchen.'" I smiled and didn't say anything. I knew why he'd said kitchen.
In 45 minutes there's a one-hour merengue class followed by a dance party, all for $5. The shy introvert inertia says to stay home.
But I need to go back and dance some more. . .
My whole body feels light and energized, and I feel very happy.
labelleizzy for offering the icon!Second -- Wow. . . That was much easier, and much more fun, than I expected it to be. My teacher, Jeremy, was low-key, and explained things simply and with a sense of humor.
There's a scene in the movie Take the Lead in which Antonio Banderas' character has to defend teaching ballroom dance during detention. He gives a demonstration by inviting the school principal (Alfre Woodard) to "walk with me." They take a relaxed dance pose and he walks her slowly back, then forward again, then back and then forward. . . and simply and beautifully it's a dance.
That's what this evening was like. We started out by just "walking" -- but with his hand on the lower part of my shoulderblade, mine on his arm, our hands together, with just the right amount of framing tension, and it was easy and natural and comfortable and fun.
The merengue is just eight steps -- 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 -- but in only a few minutes I was doing spins and turns, and Wow! I'm dancing!
There was also a lovely woo moment. . . As I mentioned recently, Lohain (and Lee as well) used to dance with me in my tiny kitchen. As Jeremy was trying to explain the importance of keeping a certain amount of 'resistance' in my energy so we could stay in contact, he used the example of moving furniture: "You don't push the soft places, you push the hard places." Except that he first said, "It's like when you're moving furniture in your kitchen -" and he cut himself off. "Living room! I meant living room. I don't know why I said 'kitchen.'" I smiled and didn't say anything. I knew why he'd said kitchen.
In 45 minutes there's a one-hour merengue class followed by a dance party, all for $5. The shy introvert inertia says to stay home.
But I need to go back and dance some more. . .
My whole body feels light and energized, and I feel very happy.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-10 04:12 am (UTC)You GO, girl!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-10 04:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-11 04:40 am (UTC)(Not every dance is for every person, I know. I'm glad you found one that is good for YOU.)