Finding the Rhythm, Feeling the Beat

Last night was Ballroom Lesson #5. The past weeks have gone by so fast! One more week to go and I am not sure I want it to come to an end. We almost didn't go tonight because of the cost of gas. We were talking on the phone about it and Adrienne came home from work, got out of her car, and handed me $16.00. Maybe it wasn't exactly the Powerball, but it was like an answer to prayer.

The decision was made; we went to dance class!

At first we were the only couple there, then two more showed up. It was a small class this week and we had lots of room to move around. We didn't crash into anybody, not even once! Unless you count each other...then it was numerous times.

But we didn't mind.

We worked on Swing and the teacher said "that dance is your dance". I don't know about that, but it sure is fun. I like adding the twists and turns, and the music is lively. I thought I had on enough deodorant, but I still sweated. Like a pig. Oh, wait, pigs don't sweat. Regardless, it was a workout!

We moved next to Salsa and a little Cha Cha. I hope I can remember all the rhythms for all these different dances in my head. The Salsa required you to always keep one foot "in the flowerpot", and this kept you with the correct steps and motion. I'm not sure it helped with the hip motion though.

Salsa required A LOT of hip action. The teacher makes it look so smooth and effortless. I just look like I need to use the bathroom. I'll just keep on practicing while I am here cleaning. I'll just put the music on and...LOOK OUT! I figure since I am "blessed" with hips and a bum, I may as well learn to salsa with them. Ba-dum-bum.

I am learning manners too through all of this. Week One, I was wiping my sweaty palms on Leo. He was a gentleman and let me. Now, I am very aware of how rude this is. I mean, what if he did that to me? I'd be like, "Excuse me!", in my most sarcastic voice. Last night, I didn't do it, not even once. And believe me, my hands were sweaty.

This could almost be Leo and me:

Or maybe this:

But, I think this is the most like us: 

Having fun, laughing, getting to know each other even more...it doesn't get much better than this!

Love, 

Ba Dum Bum,

Dianne

Interview with Leo about Ballroom Lesson #4

Dianne: "So, Leo, what was your impression of dance class tonight?"

Leo: "Uh, I wondered if I had coal dust dirt on my lower neck, because I washed my hair in the sink at the coal plant before meeting you at the Studio." He laughs. "That's why I wore long sleeves too."

Dianne: "But what about the dance class?"


Dianne: "By the way, I thought you looked handsome. You smelled good too."

Leo: (coughs) "Learning new things together is fun."

Dianne: "Details. I need details."

Leo: "Teamwork. Umm, husband and wife are a team and in dancing, even though it is assumed that the man takes the lead, I think we need to work as a team. I think it's more fun that way. I think God likes teamwork. "

Dianne: "I think so too. Jenni (our instructor) said that the man needs to lead, but the woman needs to choose to follow. In doing that, they work as a team. Tonight we counted steps together better and I felt like we were more "together" as a whole."

Leo: "Dancing is not just "butt-bumping" but it is getting in time with the music and rhythm, and each other."

Dianne: "Did you just say "butt-bumping? Seriously?"

Leo: (he just laughs) "And you took me out to eat afterwards for my birthday and I had a very nice evening. It was fun showing you where I work too on our way home."

Dianne: "I had fun too. Even if we looked like we were stupid at the restaurant. I am asking the waiter what my choices were for vegetables and potatoes and he looks at me like I am completely odd because it is right there on the menu. How was I to know that was what the side dishes were? And then, you did the same thing after he'd explained it to me!"

Leo: "Now that's teamwork!"


Tonight at ballroom lesson #4, we focused mainly on Swing, with a little Rumba at the end. Swing is energetic and FUN! We learned the basic step with a 6 count, an under-arch turn (for her), a "she-goes", a   "he-goes", a waist-slide, and something else I can't remember. I thought we actually had this one down really well, until we came home and showed Heather.

We blamed it on the music.

If Leo is the boy, does that make me the monkey?

Love,

Dianne

Spring into Spring

Heather (in red), dancing with Studio 7 at the Meyersdale Maple Festival today. 
I'd say that was a good spring...

INTO SPRING!

Doesn't it look like it is kissing?

New Sprouts are EVERYWHERE!

Crabapple...needs a different name...

The first year it bloomed! I am sooo excited!

Even the first sprouts of a hosta are beautiful.

\

In case you hadn't noticed, I love spring.  Everything gets green, overnight it seems, and it all smells so fresh. I think "green" should be a scent. Is it any wonder that everybody gets twitter-patted this time of year?

Love,
Dianne

Ballroom Lesson #3...Let the Dance Continue...

The Foxtrot continues to trot, the Rumba continues to...rumba, and the Swing is starting to swing...

Leo and I finished Lesson #3 last evening and it is becoming a little like a game of Memory. We reviewed the steps we are starting to become comfortable with, and then we added a few more step...uh-oh...

 Oh man, and just when we were starting to look good too! All it takes is a something new, even just one new step, to throw us off out timing,

 Was that "slow-slow, quick-quick" or "quick-quick-slow", or maybe it was "the Rumba rectangle with 9 counts" or was that "6 counts with an under-arm turn."

Yep, this is the look we sometimes have, mostly at each other, but sometimes at the other couples who we've tried to avoid running into, but couldn't help it. Sometimes I think they should just promenade out of our way, instead of us always trying to get out of the jam we've all tangled ourselves in. It would be easy for each of us to just look out for ourselves and not care where anyone else is, but imagine the pile of tangled arms and legs as we would all end up on the floor.

Dancing is teaching me patience (something I apparently have a hard time learning!) I need to be patient with my ability, I need to be patient with how Leo learns, I need to be patient with others on the dance floor who are also learning.

How do I respond to what I take as an insult, whether real or imagined? Not just on the dance floor, but in everyday life? I hope I can respond with grace and elegance, regardless of where I am or what I am doing.

Grace and Elegance. Sounds so nice, but neither happens without effort and practice. So, I'll keep practicing the dance, in the ballroom and in everyday life. Maybe someday I'll get it right most of the time, but in the meantime, I'll celebrate the moments that I do.

Love,
Dianne

Foxtrotting Down the Railroad Trail

This afternoon, Leo and I went for a stroll on the Meyersdale Rails To Trails. Amy and Ryan came along and rode their bikes.

We walked...
       ...we rode...
           ...we danced...

           ......and we danced in the rain.

We Foxtrotted, we Rumba'd, we promenaded and we even threw in a few New Yorkers. And all without running into a single person. Look out Dancing With The Stars...you'd don't have a thing on us! Except for maybe the sequins...which I am still working on!

Love,
Dianne

Ballroom Lesson #2

Tonight we continued with the Foxtrot and Rumba. After reviewing the basic Foxtrot step (which I am happy to say that we remembered pretty well), we added and reviewed the Rock Left Turn (which I keep calling The Ball Chain)

Now that makes you pause...why "the Ball Chain" for Rock Left Turn? I think it is because you rock back off the ball of your foot onto the heel before turning and changing direction. Or is it because some people refer to their marriage partner as "the old ball and chain"? Is there a subconscious thought going on that is making me think of "ball and chain" while dancing in partnership with Leo? Yikes, I hope not.

However, dance does make you think about your relationship with the other person, and about the give and take that occurs, both on and off the dance floor.

The man's role in dance is to lead and the lady's obvious role is to follow. Now he could try and make her  follow by pushing and pulling, shoving and shouting, but I don't think he is going to have much success. She may go along with this for the sake of the dance, but it isn't going to look or feel nice, for either person. For her to follow, the man needs to make her want to follow. In doing so, he also needs to allow her the choice to follow.

Of course, it is not all up to the man to make this whole dance relationship work; the woman needs to do her part. We want our man to be a leader; we want him to be strong, but how can he be if we don't allow him to have that role? Are we giving him the choice to lead?

As for me, I need to be in tune to where Leo is taking me. It may be a wild ride with lots of stepping on toes, running into each other (and everyone else in the room!) and saying "I'm sorry", but in the end, the dance will look like an actual dance. Actually, tonight our Foxtrot looked rather like it was supposed to.

Until the teacher threw in a Promenade. (Oh man, and here we thought we had it down!)

Here, the gentleman leads the lady down a different path in the same dance. He does this by giving her a subtle cue with his body language as to what he is going to do next. I think the goal is to be able to dance all the right steps without actually talking about it. Amazing really when you think about it.

So, in two lessons, what is really sticking out to me is:
1.) Your frame must be strong; not just for the man, but for the woman too.
2.) Who is doing the leading? (This concept needs pounded into my head!)
3.) Can you communicate through body language only?

The Rumba review was next with the Basic Rumba Box review first. Then we learned the start of "The New Yorker" For just a brief moment tonight, I was, in my imagination, wearing sequins, high heels, and fringe that moved when I did. Then we stepped on each other's toes, crashed into each other and said "I'm sorry."

We'll keep practicing (our kitchen makes a grand ballroom), and we'll keep learning about each other along the way. I wouldn't want to experience this wild ride with anyone else.

Love,
Twinkle Toes

Ballroom Lesson #1

Slow...Slow...Quick Quick
Slow...Slow...Quick Turn (I think)
Oops, sorry...excuse us...oh no, we lost the timing...again.

Last night was the first Ballroom Lesson for Leo and I.
We learned the basic first steps of Foxtrot and Rumba.
There were 6 couples including us on the dance floor at Balanced Body Studio. We only ran into one or two of them.  Once or twice.

I was a little nervous when we got there; I didn't think I was, but my hands were freezing cold and then sweaty and that is always a good indicator of nervousness for me.  All the other couples, save one who had done this before, looked about as apprehensive as we did, and that actually made me feel better.

Now, the one thing you always hear when couples talk about learning to dance is that "the man must lead".  The next thing you hear is how it is hard for the woman to let the man lead. As much as I hate to admit it, it is rather true. Not that I feel the need to be the leader, I think it is more that I just think I am right and he is wrong sometimes. I want Leo to lead; I just want him to lead with how I think he should lead instead of trusting that he is going to take us in the right direction. That being said, I think dancing is going to teach me something about keeping my mouth shut and letting Leo take the lead. Because, really, he is usually right on with how he leads, he just comes at it from a different angle than me. Maybe it is time for me to add a new dimension.

We learned that "a strong frame is the most important" when it comes to leading. It also makes you look good even when your feet are doing everything wrong.  Without the frame, you feel awkward and you realize how bad your posture is. Remember how Fred and Wilma would dance with their bums sticking out and their foreheads touching? Not a good frame. I tried finding a picture, but could only find this one:

On this one, their frame is not too bad!

I figure if Fred and Wilma can dance, so can Leo and Dianne! And if you look real close, Wilma's  taller than Fred too.

Back to frame...it is important because it allows the man to lead. With a gentle touch or change in pressure with his hand, it makes the woman go where he needs her to go, with grace and seeming effortless.

 Don't you just love it when a man makes you look good? 

When I allow Leo to lead, I am not giving up control, I am working with him and in the end, we make a team that looks good. We had moments last night where I would just look at him while we were doing the steps, and I'd think "We are actually dancing! Not just moving to music, but dancing. And it feels right." 

Then I'd lose my steps because I'd be thinking about my man and what he'd do if I'd kiss him right that moment. 

Next week, we'll build on what we've learned so far and I am excited. I don't think I'll be nervous next week. I may even wear sequins. 

Love,

Dianne

"May I have this dance?"

I have the sweetest husband ever!

No, really, I do.

Something I have wanted to learn to do (for a very long time) is learn to ballroom dance. Not the "shake your booty kind of dancing along with all the other parts that shake" dancing, but elegant, classy dancing. Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Like Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara.
Like George and Mary in "It's A Wonderful Life" (I know, that was The Charleston, but it sure looked fun!)
Like Leonard and Dianne next Spring after some Ballroom Dancing Classes.

Oh yes, you read that correctly; your eyes did not deceive you.
For my Christmas gift, Leonard signed us up for lessons at The Balanced Body Studio and Wellness Center. ( http://balancedbodystudio.com/) It is WAY out of his comfort zone and certainly has never been on his list of life goals.

But he knows it is on mine. He gave me a gift, but not just a gift. It was a sacrifice on his part to give up time and probably some pride to do this with me.

He said I am not to embarrass him by writing about this. So, shhhh....
My intent is not to embarrass him, but to tell the world how much I love the man I am married to.

And next Christmas, we can dance under the mistletoe.