I'm not 18 anymore

And really, I haven't been 18 in over decade. You'd think that I'd have gotten used to it by now, but maybe not.

In an effort to restart my workouts for 2009, I attended a couple of dance classes last week. There is a small, local studio in my new 'hood that is supposed to be pretty good. I trotted down there Thursday night to take a Jazz Funk class that was labeled an "adult" class. Fine. However, once the class started, I realized by "adult" they meant "can legally drive a car". I'm gonna guess the average age of the class was maybe 20. And I think I'm being generous.

The age thing and the little clique of teens I found waiting for class to start really threw me for a loop. My initial reaction was to respond negatively. I was kind of intimidated and kept thinking "wow, look at how they think they're all that, etc, etc". But I stopped when I realized that I used to be them. I was one of the top girls in my little hometown dance studio in high school, one of the queen bees, if you will. And we walked around like we were the shit because that studio was our home. We had grown up there and were comfortable there. I still have so many fond memories of being with my other dance girls, going to competitions, performing in shows. It was one of the hardest things for me to leave when I moved to LA for school. I miss it even today. So who was I to judge these girls? They were only acting the way I had so many years ago.

Class started and I went through the warm up with no problems. The instructor said she doesn't usually repeat combos, but since she loved this one sooo much and because of the break and whatnot, she wanted to continue the one they learned before Christmas. She then proceeded to teach 7 eight-counts (e.g. 56 steps, not including half counts) in approximately 10 minutes.

HOLY CRAP!

I usually pick up choreography really quickly, not that I can do it perfectly, but I know it well enough to not look like an idiot after once or two go-rounds. Oh, but not this time. I was totally "that girl", the one who is in the back of the class, bumbling around like a fool who has no idea what she is doing. I've never been "that girl". Ever. Frustration does not begin to describe how I felt.

About midway through class, one of the youngins' complained that no wonder she was so lost, she never learned the combination in the first place. To which the instructor replied "Well, how do you think she [pointing at me] feels?" To which I responded, "I feel old." This seemed to break the ice with the young clique. The girls protested no, you're not old, the instructor said I was doing fine, that she normally teaches fast, but not this fast and we continued on with the combination.

Some of the girls continued to encourage me and some even introduced themselves. They seem like a sweet bunch overall. One girl is the spitting image of one of my good friends, which is odd and vaguely comforting at the same time. I never mastered the combination, but by the end, I could do it without looking like a total dweeb.

I haven't danced with teenagers since I was their age. And while it was really intimidating at first, I realized that I enjoy it. It brings me back to my own dance studio days, when I ran the place and it was as much a part of me as breathing. I'm going back this week. Even if my almost 30-year old bum can't quite pick up the steps as fast as I could when I was 18. Even if it means I have to swallow a little bit of my pride and be "that girl" for a few more weeks. I'm okay with that. In the end, it kinda makes me feel young again.

Routine

Those of you who know me, know that I tend to be a creature of habit. I like having my week and weekends planned out in advance and changes to those plans can sometimes leave me feeling unsettled. I've recently realized that while my daily activities are somewhat regimented, my Monday routine is practically set in stone and really helps get my week off to a great start.

It looks something like this:
* Alarm goes off at 5:10am, hit snooze a couple times, finally get up, get ready and out the door by 6:30am
* At the office by 7:00am, stay til 4:30pm
* Hit the grocery store right after work; shop for ingredients for the week's dinners from a list made either the night before or at lunch
* Drop off/pick up the dry cleaning (if necessary)
* Back home to get changed, unpack the groceries and cook dinner
* Eat dinner while catching up on TV from the DVR
* Head to hip hop class just as hubs is coming home from the office; point him in the direction of food, quick kiss and off I go
* Hip Hop class for an hour at the gym; leave feeling tired, but accomplished
* Back home to shower and clean up the kitchen
* To bed by 9:45pm, read a bit and then lights out around 10ish

This schedule leaves me feeling like I've started the week off on the right foot and seems to get me mentally set for a good rest of the week. My last couple weeks have not started off like this due to extenuating circumstances, but last night I was back on my game and it felt great.

And the icing on the cake: Hip Hop class last night consisted of the instructor T, 2 guys and me. The routine was heavy on the cardio, but a lot of fun. At the end of class, she usually splits up the group into guys and girls to perform separately. The guys went first. And then it was the "girls" turn. Since I was the only one though, T danced with me. She is a total diva on the dance floor and dancing with her made me totally up my energy and really give it all I had. We did the routine twice together and I was on cloud 9 by the end. A perfect end to an already awesome day!

Gym Tales

• It's almost 2 weeks into the new year and I still don't feel like there has been an onslaught of new year resolutioners at the gym. Sure, I've noticed a small uptick in the number of folks there on a given night, but nothing close to what I was expecting. Yay for that.
• After 2 weeks away, the hip hop class at my gym resumed Monday night. There was a new girl in the class that looked very much like she was trying to be in a hip hop music video -- midriff top, bell-button ring, baggy pants, tons of make-up, quirky hairdo -- but the girl could dance! Having someone like that in a class usually filled with folks who haven't danced before is a lot of fun and really inspires me to step it up. Add to that the fact that almost all the music played was from Mr JT and it made for one kickass class!
• Trainer workouts are still in killer mode. If you ever want to have your gluts say hello whenever you move, I highly recommend front lunges with the addition of touching your front toe on each one. 15 on each side, 3 sets. If you want to shred your quads, squat thrusts with the addition of a push-up in the middle and a jump at the end will do the trick![insert evil grin]
• I really need to start doing the stair climber at the gym, but it intimidates me like no other. Sigh. I just need to suck it up and try it already.

All it takes is a Spark

As some of you know, I love to dance. I started taking lessons at a small studio in Northern CA when I was 6 and stayed with it til I left for college at 18. I was definitely a big fish in a small pond though, so when I got to college I took a couple of classes, but for the most part I didn't keep it up. Great dancers are a dime a dozen in LA and competition is fierce, even in small laid back classes. Fast-forward several years and I was missing the fact that I wasn't dancing regularly anymore. I started taking the odd class here and there and have been dancing somewhat consistently ever since. I've lucked out in finding instructors and classes that are challenging, but also welcoming to newcomers and those that aren't professional dancers, but who are just there to have fun.

Three years ago, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) debuted over the summer and I couldn't have been more excited! Being able to watch great dancers and choreographers each week was such a treat and it's been the highlight of my summer TV watching for the past 3 seasons. Shane Sparks has been one of my favorite choreographers from the get go and I always look forward to seeing what he comes up with each week. Late last month, I stumbled across an announcement that he was teaching hip hop twice a week in LA at a large, well-known studio and started toying with the idea of taking one of his classes. Crazy, right? I mean, this is a man that draws upwards of 100 folks per class he teaches and is so good that celebs like JT and Missy Elliot will just drop in to work on their moves. After much hemming and hawing and a good pep talk from another dance instructor, last night I finally made the drive out to Millenium to take his class. Eeek!

I was really nervous yesterday leading up to the class, but once I actually got there I was suprisingly calm. I paid and signed in and then watched the 17 and under class Shane was teaching to scope out the choreography and judge how in over my head I was going to be. About 20 minutes later, the kids were finished and it was a mad dash by the adults to get into the room and get a good spot on the floor. To say it was a packed class would be an understatement. If there was one person, there had to be 80, easy. But instead of being nervous, I started to get excited. This was going to be fun!

His assistant put us through a quick 5 minute warm-up and then it was time to start dancing. The rules were laid down quickly: this is an adult class, it's going to move fast, so keep up. We learned the first 4-eight counts of choreography (to a remix of Ciara's 'Get Up'), drilled it a couple times and then were asked to assemble ourselves into groups of 5. I thankfully found myself paired with 2 talented young guys and girls (yes, I was the old married hag of the group) and we were then taught the opening 6-eight counts that included formation changes and a lot of freestyling. So far so good.

From there, 2 groups at a time were asked to come to the middle of the floor to perform. I was shocked at how supportive the group was --- hootin' and hollerin' for each other, totally into watching each other dance. It was amazing that a group this size could feel so intimate, but it did. And then it was our turn. I think we did well and went full out and overall I was pleased with our performance.

After everyone had a turn, Shane announced that it was getting late and that we couldn't get through everyone again, so he was going to ask 2 groups to come back and perform one more time and then he was going to call it a night. The first group called back was spectacular the first time around and everyone was excited to see them again. Talk about totally playing with the choreography and making it their own. Awesome!

Then there was a pause, he looked around and next thing I know... my group is headed back to the dance floor!!! No freaking way!!! I only had a second for it to register and my first thought was "O. M. G! I am going to be dancing in front of f'ing Shane Sparks with only 4 other people on the floor with me!!!" And instead of getting nervous, my next thought was "Okay, let's do this!"

That 1 minute on the dance floor was so beyond exhilirating, I can't even try to describe it. I think it is basically what people would describe as a natural high. After we finished, he thanked everyone for coming and then the class disbursed. A lot of the students had come in from all over the US for a dance intensive workshop with Millenium, so a line of girls was forming around him to take a picture with him before they left. I, on the other hand, just wanted to go say thank you. I managed to get up to him before the line of girls started getting antsy and was able to make eye contact.

I think I had a grin on my face from ear to ear as I thanked him for an amazing class and told him that I had an awesome time. He must have said thanks or maybe good job or something... my mind is a little fuzzy on that part because at the same time he leaned in and gave me a big hug! [thud] O. M. G. Even just remembering it puts that silly grin back on my face! My feet were literally not touching the floor as I walked out of the studio and back to my car. The whole experience could not have been more perfect if I had planned it all out myself.

It took me over 25 years to get to a point where I would go and try something new without wondering what people would think of me; of being so fearful of doing it poorly that I wouldn't try it in the first place. That stops here though. The whole class was fun, but beyond that, it was such a boost to my self-confidence. I might now have been the best in the class, but I was definitely able to keep up. I can't wait til I can go back and take his class again. And who knows, I might just start sampling other classes there as well!