Saturday, August 18, 2007
Tangling with the Tango and Other Tales from the Dancefloor

This girl is smiling from ear to ear. I got my fill of dancing (not really) and had a great weekend so far. My body is so damn sore though! I need a massage.

The social was the best one we have attended so far. I made some new friends, danced with several of the instructors, avoided the really awful male student who makes up dances, drank lots of wine (Jadey drove us to the hotel afterward), and laughed a lot. My instructor, Nicky, cracked me up especially--we were dancing the Argentine Tango. This means the upper half of our bodies are touching and so my twin gals were smushed into his chest and he looked down at them and back up into my eyes and told me he didn't know if he could handle all that cushioning! Isn't that funny? Or maybe not...I was drinking a lot. I was also wearing a strapless bra--not a good idea when you are a G cup and dancing I found out--I kept popping out of my bra, but not out of my halter top thankfully. That would have been funny too! Since I was so tipsy we went to IHOP afterwards to sober me up a bit. I was stumbling and laughing and laughing and laughing. I am one happy drunk.

This morning I woke up fresh & perky and went off to have two 1-hour dance lessons. Nicky put me through my paces, but when we were done at 12:30 today, I was dancing better than ever. But I have to work on the body mechanics of the dances which means working muscles that have not been used in sooooo long. Yikes! Walking up my three flights of steps when I got home in platform shoes and dragging my luggage--I thought I was going to just tip over in a heap! Instead, I have been sitting on my couch for several hours and relaxing. I really should be studying or doing taxes, but no, sitting on my ass! Cruising the internet, reading blogs, answering emails, downloading virus protection, watching my cat act like she is on crack.

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Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Me Dance Pretty One Day


I had wanted to be a ballerina since I was a tot. I used to pore longingly over pictures of fairy princess ballet dresses and set my sights on a beautiful teal one with lots of tulle and sparkle. A dream that did not come true. Fast forward to adulthood and I would muse about meeting the man of my dreams and the both of us enrolling in Tango lessons. This notion was thwarted too, but I am grateful in a strange way.

I was dragged (yes, dragged!) to a salsa club one night. I had on the wrong shoes and I had only half-heartedly participated in a lesson beforehand. I felt like a fish out of water with all the skilled dancers at that club. I ended up being a wallflower for most of the evening until Javier came along. He had the sexy smoldering Latin look that sends tingles down my spine. He took pity on the lil ole white girl leaning against the wall gazing longingly at the dancers and asked me to dance. I went a bit reluctantly, but he was patient with me and coaxed me around the outdoor dance floor, which was less crowded. Then he kissed me! That is a story for another day, however.

I was hooked on salsa dancing and found a dance instructor close to home. I did not like his arrogant style, but I was determined. I also took private coachings and group classes whenever I could. Eventually, I decided to find a new dance teacher and I found Jay. Jay introduced me to the world of ballroom dance. I grew to love the sensuous Tango, the sexy Rumba, the flirty Cha-Cha-Cha, and the waltz, foxtrot, and bolero. My two left feet disappeared on the floor and I could dance reasonably well.

I am a perfectionist and reasonably well is just not good enough for me. So I moved on to an even better dance instructor and I have been working on more than the technical aspects of dance...I have been working on getting the graceful lines that characterize a beautiful dancer. I decided to expand into ballet and modern dance to achieve my aims with these core dance classes. Sammi is my instructor for these classes and she is phenomenal! I love the routines she puts together for me to learn, but most days I feel like an elephant lumbering around on the floor in the shadow of her graceful twirls and pirouettes across the floor. I just keep on plugging away though, because I know me dance pretty one day.

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