Friday, January 30, 2015

Hey guys! I can almost touch my toes!

A big part of achieving my goal to be cast as Velma (or Roxie) in Chicago is to take dance classes.  It has been about 10 years since I have taken formal dance classes and those classes weren't that formal (sorry Grace).  I've done sporatic dancing in many different styles, but I need pure jazz and I need to be awesome at it if I want to be able to do this:
Catherine Zeta Jones was pregnant will shooting this movie!

When I went to General auditions at Hillbarn, the audition attendant told me about Dance Art Center.  He said that they are very good for technique and they have lots of ties to local theater companies, especially Hillbarn.  So I sat on it, and sat, and I sat, but then, the announcement came and I took the plunge.  They offer Adult Jazz four times a week and other dance classes. Perfect!  Well, the four times a week is different levels, and I didn't listen to them and came on a Saturday and ended up taking the most advanced Jazz class.  I survived, barely, but I didn't feel like I could ask questions because I was the noob in the expert class.  Then I took the Wednesday class that was intermediate and it was better, but I still felt like a complete jackass that I wasn't picking up on the combination.  It was partially the terminology that I heard before but never actually knew what it was and the fact that my feet refused to move quick enough.  The Thursday class was beginning adult jazz and it was great because I finally got the terminology and the speed was acceptable and they gave me the warm up sequence.  It was funny in the more advanced classes, cause the instructors seemed to think I was going to leave in a huff and never come back, but I know my level and I am also very motivated to work on my skill level.  I have to say that I feel great after just three classes.  I can almost touch my toes, which is quite a feat considering I could barely reach my mid calf.

What I really love about dancing and martial arts is that you are working your body, but you are also getting in touch with how your muscles move and work.  A stretch that seems easy because crazy difficult when you really consciously keep your shoulders down.  This in-tuneness with your body is great when you are trying to lose weight, because although you might not look like the person you have in your head, you feel a little bit more like them.  By working on my core, I feel tighter and less flabby and I am feeling stronger, so I admit it shocks me when I look in the mirror and I see my round belly and floppy arms.  But I'm not going to let the mirror discourage me,  I think I'm awesome, I feel awesome and that is what is important!

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