Well, sure, I danced when I was a kid. My dad taught dancing for Arthur Murray when he was younger. He was a great ballroom dancer. Mom sent me to one of those tap and ballet classes for a couple of years when I was a kid....but we didn't have a lot of money and I didn't get to stay with it. Dad made up for it by dancing ballroom with me at home...I danced with my feet on top of his. It is a sustaining memory for me. Even now, I get teared up at the thought.
Every once in awhile, my folks would surprise me when they'd spontaneously start to dance together. I published a short piece on this on Pearlsoup and Epinions; you can visit it here:
In college, I took ballroom dancing for a couple of years, and ended up teaching in a studio that our teacher owned in town. I specialized in swing and cha cha. It sounds funny to say that now!
No pictures survive from this era...just memories.
I married someone who didn't like to dance. Oh, he'd do so from time to time, but we didn't go out dancing and he remained opposed to taking any dance lessons. So I lived vicariously...
Andrea, my daughter was in ballet, jazz and tap for two years and pulled out of ballet and tap when it bored her. She loved the one year of jazz dance and acrobatics, and gave up dance to go to gymnastics lessons. (I have a good pic of her at recital, and will try to digitalize it and post, of course, if I do, she'll kill me).
And so I began the next phase of my dance fix.... I haunted the movie and TV show, "Fame" (soon to be released in a new version!) and just about any movie that came out that featured dance. Favorites were "Chicago", and Richard Gere redux "Shall We Dance":
I've laughed at myself for being a reality TV dance show fanatic with "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance"(SYTYCD). Most of my men friends poke fun at me. Secretly, though, I recently discovered that three of the five women who work for me are all nuts about the shows, too. Whew! I feel better.
It's funny, but I tend to walk a rode I've traveled with music, and only bring new music into my life from artists and genres I'm comfortable with SYTYCD has expanded my horizons. The last 5 songs on my playlist below are from the show.....
It's funny, but I tend to walk a rode I've traveled with music, and only bring new music into my life from artists and genres I'm comfortable with SYTYCD has expanded my horizons. The last 5 songs on my playlist below are from the show.....
SYTYCD wrapped up this week, not nearly as memorable as last year, but with a great 18 year old winner from Miami, Jeanine Mason. Her winning pictures are featured above. Mason scores $250,000 and the starring role in the dance tour of 40 cities, something that may derail her college plans for this fall. Pleased with the result, I nevertheless had another favorite...Janette Manara, a salsa dancer, also from Miami. The finale featured some top dances of the year, but not one of this year's best, which starred Janette and runner up Brandon, and was choreographed by multi-talented Wade Robson. Enjoy "Ruby Blue":
With the season now over, and new shows not starting again to September, I'll probably need to revert over to football.
My vicarious life of almost dancing!!!
