dance class – The Actorvist

I know that the auditions for West Valley Light Opera’s production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying are coming up, so I’ve been doing my homework. The first time that I heard the Matthew Broderick version of the show, I thought, meh.

I recently watched the movie version and was mostly creeped out rather than impressed with it. Because of this, I have to say I wasn’t really looking forward to these auditions.

So today, I reluctantly put in the newest version featuring the guy who plays Harry Potter. What’s his name again? Kidding, he’s brilliant in the show. I actually enjoyed listened to the whole show while I was doing the laundry. While I was folding away and I found that I felt lighter in foot than normal when doing such mundane chores as this.

Now don’t get me wrong, the staff that West Valley has assembled is a trio of positivity and fun. Of course that makes for some happy times to be had. When I first heard that this show was going to kick off next season, I was so happy. Then I found out the staff and I was over the moon.

So I went back to dance class, not only to work on my technique and remind myself of things, but to get my mind set ready for the audition. Can I just say that playing catch up for three different routines is not as fun as I thought the challenge of it would be. I guess I over romanticized it to myself. Don’t get me wrong as I am having a crazy good time. Seriously. My body is sore as hell and I’ve got some bruised areas, but it’s so fun, I wish I was able to have never stopped dancing.

Relearning the different weight changes for the different styles is frackin’ nuts. It took nearly half the class for me to get my hip hop swagger (yeah, right. Like I really have some.) from walking around working on my posture for the modern class.

We’ll just have to see what happens. Still can’t figure out what to sing though.

Got any suggestions for a song? Feel free to leave them in the comments section!!

With the latest season of So You Think You Can Dance underway, I find that sensation and urge of wanting to get back into a dance class. I miss the structure of working on a step with someone with experience to tell you “Dude, you are totally screwing that up.” Of course, the teacher doesn’t say that, but I happily accept their help as a response to that message, whether verbally communicated or not.

On the way to the kitchen one day, as I was listening to music, I got the bright idea to bust out a double pirouette. It was on my good side, so I landed it, yeah, it was a wee bit wobbly, but I got a little jazzed and tried to do the other side just to even things out. HA!!

I got one rotation and soon I was hugging my coat rack and trying to keep from smacking my face against the wall.

Have you ever watched America’s Funniest Videos and seen a clip where someone for no reason whatsoever falls? Like they have NO sense of balance. I have that as a…hmmm, not really a fear….and it’s not a pet peeve, so I don’t know what to call it. I just know that I don’t want to be that sad sack that loses their balance just because I get looked at the wrong way.

Dancing has been a love of mine that I sadly admit that I don’t do nearly enough. There’s something about the beat of music that makes my soul jump and groove and glow with a happiness that I can’t get anywhere else. Some say that Latin people have a rhythm in their souls. In 2005, Tina Ramirez, founder of Ballet Hispanico, was quoted in the Washington Post saying that “In Hispanic culture, you are born dancing.”

One of the many books that I am currently juggling is about the women of New Mexico which features stories that were written during the Roosevelt Era. Many of the stories talk about all the celebrations and dancing from the time the sun goes down and carries on throughout the night.

With that in mind, I am researching which school would be best for me. I know Lee Ann Payne’s Musical Theatre Class at Zohar is a ton of fun, but I didn’t see it on the summer session schedule. I really want to take a hip hop class. I love the style of the dance, but I am the least likely candidate for the culture. I’ve also always wanted to try my hand at contemporary. I just don’t knowwwwww!! So many choices! I wish someone just had a flat rate for unlimited classes so I could give them all a test drive and see which one fit me the best. We’ll just have to wait and see exactly how that plays out. I’ll keep ya posted.

Do you take dance classes somewhere? What school are you attending? What’s your focus?