Tuesday, June 7, 2011

My Lifelong Love of Dance

This weekend I danced in my first recital in 10 years, and it felt great!  I started a tap class last fall at a new dancing school after having been on a dancing hiatus for over four years.  I was a little nervous at first, not knowing whether or not I was still going to be able to keep up in an advanced tap class, but the ladies in my class were very welcoming.  I definitely felt a little "rusty" at first.  However, over the first few weeks, things slowly started to come back.  I realized that I still have difficulty sometimes remembering the names of certain steps, but not the steps themselves.

We did this tap dance to a song called "Work Me Down" with an 80's workout theme.  I'm sure you can tell by my brightly colored costume there!  There were times throughout the fall and winter when I was unsure whether or not I really wanted to go through with the stage performance.  I mean, dancing in class is one thing -- dancing on stage in front of an audience is another.  Now, after this weekend, and how great I felt after the three performances, I can't believe I even doubted for a minute whether or not to be in the show!  I am so glad I decided to go ahead and do it!

I first began dancing when I was four years old -- a full year before I even began regular school.  My mother enrolled my sister and me in what she believed was the best dance studio within driving distance.  Still, the studio was 30 minute drive from our home which is further than I think most parents would be willing to drive on a regular basis.  It was also located in the same city as where my grandparents and great-grandmother lived.at the time, which made it a little more convenient, I suppose.