The FastDay Forum

I can't believe that this is my thread but here goes.

Some time in Dec my lovely wife pipes up while we are visiting friends with "let's learn to dance" between sips of my beer I say, sure as long as Trish and Andy join us ... you should have seen his face.

Any way all is forgotten until Monday evening when she informs me that the first lesson is Tuesday.

So last night was my first dance class, and what a fun time. It was actually quite a work out, one hour of box steps and always having your back straight and arms up really works some muscles that normally aren't that active. I can feel it today.

The teacher is an ex professional dancer from Russia who emigrated to SA a few years back, and she is quite strict.
Picture me ... a study of concentration, kinda exhausted, sweat in my eye and she comes over and lets me know that I am not in time with the music. Honestly at that point I wasn't even aware of the music.

Worst of all our friends couldn't make it, but next week they promised to be there, actually looking forward to it .

Well done Brian!! I started with box rumba too! Your teacher's not exactly the touchy-feely sort is she? These days I mostly dance contemporary, which is more expressive & freer, but also more technical than the ballroom styles.

Good luck with your dancing career!!

Enjoy!

We have friends who took up ballroom dancing a few years ago and love it. They holiday every year with both sets of parents and other family, and stay in an old fashioned hotel where there is dancing going on over Christmas, and they love eating out there and showing off. They are both extremely large and have proved that size is no obstacle They will actively choose a cruise holiday now, to incorporate some dancing. It's been good for their marriage too, even if they do blame each other for every mistake

Well done Brian!! I started with box rumba too! You're teacher's not exactly the touchy-feely sort is she? These days I mostly dance contemporary, which is more expressive & freer, but also more technical than the ballroom styles.

Good luck with your dancing career!!

Hahahaha, touchy feely would be some of the last words I would choose, but very nice none the less.

As for career, survival first

I've been thinking of joining swing classes at work now that my arm has more or less healed. Evidently they are short of females, the opposite problem as usual (I work at a predominantly male research institute).

Oh that sounds as though it was great fun Brian!! I used to go to Ceroc classes and I remember dancing with a professional who made me feel as if I could dance!! It was a wonderful feeling!

Looking forward to hearing your progress report

Bean

[Tracieknits]

That sounds awesome!! I just bought a groupon for two private dance lessons, two group lessons and one group practice session. Hubby is interested in dancing on the quais by the Seine (it's free every night in the summer) so we wanted to learn a bit of dancing before our trip to Paris in August.

Glad to hear it's an enjoyable workout

So yesterday was leson 2, I think I am getting pretty good, if I may say so myself.
Next week I am travelling so lovely wife will be there alone and she will have to teach me over the weekend.

That's great!! It'll be fun to be able to show-off at weddings and stuff.

Someday I'd love to take a swing dancing class!

Now that sounds like a load of fun and something I would love to do with The DH. But - the man is as agile as a wardrobe even though he went to dancing school as a kid and - took dancing classes (rumba, foxtrot etc) with one of his former girl friends... Guess we aren't compatible - that way

What fun, Brian! We're attending the second annual Intergenerational Prom at a local college in a couple of weeks and are practicing our waltz, swing, foxtrot and rumba.

We took beginners' ballroom 4 times starting 18 years ago and never did dare to try intermediate. But we have fun dancing occasionally and giggle together later after people come up to us to say what great dancers we are--not hard (and not true) when you're the only couple there who know any steps! Everyone else is doing "clutch and sway".

We still count out loud and talk to each other about what steps to do next--not cool, I know, but we don't care. But dancing and talking at the same time makes us a little out of breath, so yes, it's a good workout.

Hope you continue having fun with it.

[janeg]

Ah, dancing, brings back not so fond memories of school. Every year, PE included Scottish country dancing. Boys and girls together to Gay Gordon, Dashing White Sergeant, Scottische, Strip the Willow and generally stand on each others toes and band into each other. Great fun actually and a good workout. Shetland dancing is much more staid and lacking energy even the Quadrilles and Lancers.
Non Diving Daughter got married in Cuba and the relatives and friends travelled over. As an ice breaker before the wedding she arranged for a dance lesson to be held on the roof of the hotel overlooking the busy square. Beautiful spot.
Enter the dance teachers- a gorgeous Latino gent and a rather sturdy female, neither of whom could speak particularly good English.
However, a few mojitos later, males separated from females, much hilarity and shouts of 'punta' we were put together with our partners.
Only to find that we had been taught different dances ! :O
It was great fun and we still use, dos, trees, PUNTA quite regularly.

Only to find that we had been taught different dances ! :O

Wahahaha, I can imagine the havoc that would cause.
Our instructor's husband also helps her and if he taught us different steps to the girls it would be hilarious.

I'd love to dance, but hub flatly refuses, citing 2 left feet!
His sister and her hub are very good dancers and, whilst on holiday in France a few years ago, they followed sounds of music to a 'live' dance in the village square (this was our first evening in the gite). They were soon on their own, while the French looked on and applauded.
They were known for the rest of the holiday as the dancing English!

The 5 week course is complete and now we have learned a slow waltz and a basic mambo, Last night was a social evening with all students from all classes and levels getting together for a bit of fun.

Hmmmm I realised that I still suck at dancing. Some of the advanced students are really good. Our teachers husband was put through his paces a bit, it seems that as skills improve the ladies definitely outnumber the guys so he was constantly on the floor, I think he was quite exhausted.

I asked one of the other ladies to dance and soon realised my mistake, she was way out of my league.

Anyway fun was had by all, next week is off due to 2 bank holidays and lots of people being on vacation but on 6 May we start with the SALSA.