5,6,7,8

Oh man…. I’m rusty. It’s been 5 whole years since I took a dance class… Sad coming from a dancer of 17 years. The last time I attempted attitude turns, pirouettes, etc. was when I lived in Dallas. I did a weekly lyrical jazz class at Texas Women’s University, which is by the way an amazing school for dance.
I can warm up with the best of em’. I’m not lacking in flexibility these days… I’m just not so used to the floor anymore. I recall always being a bit dizzy doing turns, but yesterday at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, I was brought to the brink of near certain vomit. Still, I think I made a valiant attempt to hold my own with the 17, 18 year olds in the class. The Met was just as I remembered it (I danced there as a kid).

The studio has this charming urban feel to it, ornamented by brick walls, high ceilings, chipping paint, and missing ceiling tiles with insulation falling out. The same dance posters still hang in the dressing and break rooms. This one being one of my favorites.



It has been more than ten years since I have been there. I wonder how many times I danced through the ghost of my former self. I am definitely out of practice and rusty, but it felt great to glide around on the floor again. With all the high flying I have been doing, I wanted to try my feet at sacheing at bit. Actual floor contact!
The instructor was kick ass. He had a cool choreographic style and impeccable taste in music. Back in the day(circa 1994-1999), every jazz class had to feature Janet Jackson in the warm-up and of course some Amber or some Paula. Seemed every class was required to play that housey techno crap and 90’s hip hop/ jazz featuring trumpets (for the record I loved it). So glad to see we have moved on from fog machines and rhinestones and big hair… Oh wait… yes… studs, French bobs, boobs emanating sparks (and fog) are much better!



Who remembers this tune?
Or this one

Jazz anthems of the 90’s.