One of the hardest things that Snake and I have dealt with during lockdown has been the pause on our dance lessons. They have been a Monday night break where we can focus on each other and just have fun for almost 6 years.
While we definitely do not look like this, we have a great time learning new styles of dance and new moves. We’ve dabbled in country, ballroom and Latin over the years and enjoy pieces of each one.
They are each unique in how you move even when the steps actually have the same name. Some are more floaty while others are much more grounded. And apparently polka doesn’t actually have to look like the wedding dances from my childhood!
We have competed doing routines and actually won a trophy. We ended up not continuing that piece because we discovered that our love is actually doing solos. We pick a song that we like and our instructor choreographs a dance for us to perform. It rarely contains only one style and we get to play with lifts and other tricks that are challenging and fun.
I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
We had started working on a solo in February to perform in April to the Addams’ Family theme. It was quirky and silly and we were really looking forward to doing something so different from anything else we had done. And then March 9th was our last lesson. Things quickly moved to complete lockdown. No lessons and no show.
We knew this obviously wasn’t the biggest issue in the world right then and it was easy to assume that it was going to be a short pause. Which turned into a 7 month pause.
BUT…we started lessons again on the 5th. It isn’t the same, masks are worn and there isn’t the usual hugging and such. That said, we danced. Not the Addams’ Family routine, but an older one that we had been working on before the show inspiration had hit. It’s a Viennese waltzy kind of dance to a country rock kind of song that is almost completely choreographed to the words.
The next show for us will hopefully be sometime in the spring. That is our goal and hope. In the meantime, we are loving being back to our lessons and the ability to dance and laugh and connect.
Oh, I love this! Dancing is such a skill and being able to do a viennese walt to a country rock tune sounds so much fun. Really turning convention on its head.
Congratulations on getting back to lessons. They may be different but change is OK. I am grinning for you.
It is so much fun! And thank you for this meme. It makes me smile 😊
I remember when i found out you guys danced. It was for the sports prompt on 4thoguhts and u said something about wondering what to write about and then thinking about dancing. I was and am so impressed u dance. The mask thing must be a bit off putting but still the movement – I wish i could dance lol and I loved Mikhail Baryshnikov
May xx
The world is definitely different and the mask is difficult but it is movement and still fun. ❤️
I miss ballroom dancing. My wife and I danced before we broke up and it was partly why I knew we were through. She no longer looked at me when we danced.
It became rite instead of the living interaction it had been when we first started.
Dance
Use the dialog of the dance to keep communicating.
Be well and thanks for posting. You brought back good memories.
Our instructor always gushes that we look so in love when we dance.
I hope you find someone new to dance with
Dance and win the main prize in the spring, in spite of the virus!
Will do our best!
It’s so lovely that you are back to dancing again! Sad that it’s different, without the hugging and with the masks, but at least you are dancing 🙂
~ Marie
I agree. And eventually the world will get this under control and things will go back to the old way a bit more.