Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

Tonight...oh tonight is my very last dance class. For those of you who haven't heard me rave about dance class in person, my friend Jamie and I convinced our awesome and oh so open-minded male friends Hugh and Neil to take Latin Ballroom dance classes with us at SIUE's leisure learning center. Now, I'll be honest...I can shake my stuff on a crowded dance floor after a few cocktails, but I have never in my life attempted choreographed dancing. This has not stopped me from being obssessed with dance and watching many an hour of cheezy dance flick wondering if I'll ever get the chance to do a flying lift at the end of season talent show at a 50's family resort (Dirty Dancing reference, kids, come on).

So at first I sucked it up. Fortunately my partner has all the style and grace of Diego Luna (only less Latin), and together we counted out our quick, quick, slows (or hmhm, hmhm, hmhm, as he usually says) and have become quite the performers. We can do the box step (and the rhumba) like nobody's business.

Our teacher is another story...Ms. Magenta we call her b/c she almost always wears a magenta pants suit. And yes, this is because she is also approximately 80; I swear that's not an exaggeration. But the lady can move, let me tell you. She also watches like a hawk and corrects mistaken steps incessantly. I thought we were gone-ers when by the end of the first class she had informed my partner that he should put a R and a L on his shoes to help him keep things straight and told me, "What's the matter with you? Can't you think backwards?" when I couldn't quite get the step.

I usually quit things I suck at: basketball, journalism, martial arts...some relationships probably even fall into this category...but even though I'm sure I looked like a fool most of the six weeks, I've kept going, and my very indulgent partner has tried to make me look as elegant as is possible. I'd have to say I'm pretty proud of all four of us. Our "professional" debut will be at Viva in a couple of weeks.

I'm so sad that it's all ending though...how many groups of friends get together every week at the same time without a reason like dance class? I'm definitely going to miss making up our own dance moves when we couldn't keep up, analyzing everything on the car ride home with Jamie, and the ocassional after party at Chewy's or Blue Hill. The next enstallment of self-improvement--Belly dancing....maybe.

12/05/05