One Down
When I retired in 1990, I retired completely. Although I did other things for exercise, I never took another dance class. Pride, I suppose, got the best of me. Who wants to be out-danced by younger professionals or fight to keep up where they once excelled?
I suppose I had to make it past the middle years. Those were the ones where if I'd lost the weight I'd gained, it was still conceivable someone might've mistaken me for a dancer and expected more of me. Since I'm from the "no pain, no gain" generation, I knew myself well enough to know I'd have probably killed myself trying to compete.
So here I am, having crossed the middle years and reached the other end of the spectrum - way too old to pose a threat to anyone on a dance floor and not likely to see anyone I know in a class. The pressure's off. Now I can simply recapture the joy of dance, the kinesthetic reverberation up and down the spine, heating up the blood and nudging the creative right brain into high gear.
Then I ran across Amber Sorgato, a talented dancer in one of Las Vegas' most prestigious shows, Celine Dion's "A New Day." She was opening a new studio and described her vision as a place where anyone who was interested in dance could take a class and have fun. No pressure to live up to, compete against or even work toward - just pure dance. And age didn't matter, she said. No one should be excluded. I think that was the moment the scale tipped past the "maybe" mark.
Even so, I procrastinated a little longer. I absent-mindedly tested my flexibility. I hopped on the treadmill to gauge my stamina. I tried a few pliés to see what the long-dormant thigh muscles could handle. I even ventured a peek at the dreaded rear view.
No, nothing would deter me now. I chose a jazz class, mid-evening when I figured anyone else my age (and in their right mind) would be embedded on the couch in front of the television. Driving to the studio, I found my list of worries had kicked up a notch. What if I couldn't pick up the combinations or keep up with the pace? What if I tried too hard and ended up slouched against the barre, purple-cheeked, dripping sweat, struggling to suck in air, all the while protesting to concerned classmates that I was fine...no, really.
I was surprised to find that the warm-up was just right - not too simple, not too strenuous. I wondered how bored Amber must be. It was, however, revelatory to discover that the muscles I'd worried about most responded fine, while the ones that hadn't occurred to me, in fact, ones I hardly remembered were there, were woefully deficient. For instance, my back hung in there with nary a twinge but my ankles plagued me for days, reminding me of how much time had passed.
Then we hit the floor exercises. I was thrilled I'd made it that far and still felt good, but that's when my insecurities came roaring back. There was a moment of panic when we were asked to do a simple combination with chené turns. I gamely zigzagged my way from corner to corner. Even at the height of my professional career, I couldn't spot without getting dizzy. Sure, my head whipped around at the speed of light but my eyes always focused about two seconds later. Nothing had changed.
Overall, I was pleased - pleased that I kept up; pleased that I hadn't dropped dead of exhaustion; pleased that I managed to look graceful now and again. Best of all, I discovered that my "corporate conformist" exterior was a façade and that the carefree artist still lurked within. I highly recommend the experience.
I'd also encourage more studio owners to rethink their classes. A good number of my co-workers (some dancers, some not) lighted up when I told them I'd taken a dance class. They're at points in their lives where they could be convinced to take such a risk. They haven't done so because they felt they wouldn't fit in. But think about it: many of my peers are looking for heart-healthy, bone-healthy things to do and have always wanted to dance.
So, for 17 years, I traveled a diametrically opposite path from the one that gives me the most pleasure. Now, one class down and I'm already eyeing the stage. However, I've got a lot of work to do and until then, take note: No photo attached!