Last night did me a world of good. I met Bridget after work and we went to Panera for pre-dancing dinner with Chris and Sarah. Out of pure luck, Rebecca, my first teacher, was subbing for Jessica when I dropped in on the Bellydance I class at Avalon, and it felt so good to me to get back to basics. Not complicated choreography, not endless glute squeezes, just the basics. Hip, hip hip. Chest. Shoulders. Posture. Focus. Lead and follow. Focus. I felt such a different energy than I did when I started. I know these moves now, but I have to refine. I'm looking at details-- the size of a maya, how much I contract different parts of my body, how one movement flows to the next. It's not going through the motions anymore. It's focused work. At any rate, I love everything about Rebecca-- how she puts such stress on technique, how she gives good critiques based on a dancer's skill level, how she encourages everyone to be leaders. I feel incredibly blessed to call her my first teacher, because I know it's her attention to detail that challenged me to dance.
After class, I changed and joined the Lindy dance. I'm picking up the eight-count step slowly but surely, and jumping right in seems to be the best way for me to learn. I also learned some new steps and got to adjust to a lot of different partners in a style I'm unfamiliar with. I think my favorite of the evening was a guy named Ben-- dancing felt natural by then, and he was very conscious to choose moves that would highlight my skill in East Coast swing while still maintaining my comfort level in Lindy. The floor there was nice, and I was able to turn with absolutely no effort-- I just let my body go and moved with my partner. He surprised me with an aerial-- lifting me with so little effort that I was completely up in the air before I even realized what was going on-- then firmly catching me so that I landed smoothly. Overall, the night went well. I was able to do several types of dips wherein I had to rely on my partner's strength to keep me from falling, and I was able to do them smoothly by simply letting the tension leave my body so that I was able to dip quickly and smoothly and with grace. It's an exercise in trust, and exercise in connection. I'll probably dance at the Avalon for a while, though it's certainly not the only social dance arena to which I have been invited. But I would like to hone and stretch my skills, and it seems like the perfect place to do it, especially as it means I get to see Bridget, Chris, and Sarah all the time there.
I also made a purchase last night. While reading The Indigo's Tribe some time ago, I came upon a thread where a girl talked about a devastating breakup completely draining her will to dance. None other than Rachel Brice responded to her, telling her about a book she read following her last break-up that was the main thing that got her through it. So last night, I picked up a copy of It's Called A Breakup Because It's Broken and a little brass bookmark that has the Emerson quote, "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." I am determined to get through this, work on myself, and find someone who is willing to be a real partner to me.
In other news, I've got a really great chicken salad sandwich for lunch, the kind with fresh organic white meat, green apple, and grapes. Yum.
After class, I changed and joined the Lindy dance. I'm picking up the eight-count step slowly but surely, and jumping right in seems to be the best way for me to learn. I also learned some new steps and got to adjust to a lot of different partners in a style I'm unfamiliar with. I think my favorite of the evening was a guy named Ben-- dancing felt natural by then, and he was very conscious to choose moves that would highlight my skill in East Coast swing while still maintaining my comfort level in Lindy. The floor there was nice, and I was able to turn with absolutely no effort-- I just let my body go and moved with my partner. He surprised me with an aerial-- lifting me with so little effort that I was completely up in the air before I even realized what was going on-- then firmly catching me so that I landed smoothly. Overall, the night went well. I was able to do several types of dips wherein I had to rely on my partner's strength to keep me from falling, and I was able to do them smoothly by simply letting the tension leave my body so that I was able to dip quickly and smoothly and with grace. It's an exercise in trust, and exercise in connection. I'll probably dance at the Avalon for a while, though it's certainly not the only social dance arena to which I have been invited. But I would like to hone and stretch my skills, and it seems like the perfect place to do it, especially as it means I get to see Bridget, Chris, and Sarah all the time there.
I also made a purchase last night. While reading The Indigo's Tribe some time ago, I came upon a thread where a girl talked about a devastating breakup completely draining her will to dance. None other than Rachel Brice responded to her, telling her about a book she read following her last break-up that was the main thing that got her through it. So last night, I picked up a copy of It's Called A Breakup Because It's Broken and a little brass bookmark that has the Emerson quote, "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." I am determined to get through this, work on myself, and find someone who is willing to be a real partner to me.
In other news, I've got a really great chicken salad sandwich for lunch, the kind with fresh organic white meat, green apple, and grapes. Yum.
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