Let it be released from the mind

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

dancing in Africa

Determined to find an outlet of exercise which removed me from the oppressive DC conditions, I consulted one World Wide Web for inspirational dance classes. I've tried to spread out my interests over the last few years, taking first a Beginner II salsa class at Joy of Motion, then a Beginner Flamenco class, but both fell short of my expectations. It's all about bonding with the teacher and feeling like you are their number one priority for a full hour. At Joy of Motion the teacher was nice and could shake her hips just fine, but the class was not at a fast enough level. I might end up giving them another chance in the future because they have such a well-rounded curriculum. The Flamenco class had a nice enough room at the teacher's home, and she was a nice person, but not that great of a teacher. The class moved too slowly for me, and I wanted to learn more and at a faster pace. It became frustrating and I realized that the dance had lost its joy. I very much enjoyed learning these new techniques, but didn't really have a good time doing it.
So last night I branched out big time from my roots of tap, jazz and ballet. I took a Beginner African dance class from Dance Place. It was a blast! It was high energy, emotive, and heart-pumping. Five drummers sat on one side of the room, including a young boy about the age of 4. As they played the infectious rhythms we learned pieces of the Guinea Fare (said Far-ay) and worked across the floor in a few moves the teacher lead us in. And with the temperatures at about 100 yesterday, it was literally like I was dancing in Africa. Having soaked my brand new workout clothes completely through, I left with a smile and sore toes. I can't wait to go back next week. I do have a feeling that in at least one of the classes I'm going to get smacked, hard, in the face. The movements are just too strong and thrown to escape it.

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