Giving in and moving on! I can not return to the past...


"Oh my" is all I can say after Wednesday night! I had been wavering on my idea to start dance again for a while and finally got up the nerve to make the drive to the studio on Wednesday night despite every bit of me wanting to stay home and relax. I had talked with the teacher during the day at O’s class and was reassured I would not be the oldest one there and given permission to try it out, which made me feel a little better.

This class was aimed at “young adults” and the other class at “adults 35+ well I guess I have now crossed to the second but aren’t we only as old as we feel? As I walked down the hall to the studio I was texting a friend who I used to dance with and I sent her this message “I’m old enough to be their mother!” and sure enough I walked in to class with girls just out of high school! One girl came up to tell me she felt out of place being out of dance for 3 years, ha! 3 years…try 15 years!

We warmed up which was great; a lot of stretching, core work and simple dance moves. Then these girls plopped down in to the splits! These runner legs have lost that ability, yikes! Now time for turns and leaps across the floor and luckily the terminology came back quickly as nothing was explained! This group had been dancing together for years, only a few of us were new. I managed this fine except that my ability to turn without dizziness is lacking! Then came the time to start learning combinations for the dance, first week already?! I had chosen not to buy shoes in case I chose not to continue and turning on bare feet sucks!

Lyrical came right back (although a little slow) and I was finally catching on. I love this form…I grew up doing ballet and jazz for many years and loved it, even took classes through college. I’m sure my form needed work but this is where I feel comfortable, your body just flows nothing is rough and static. Lyrical tells a story and is such great dance.

Next up tap and yep 15 years later (actually 20 years since tap) and I still do NOT enjoy tap! Ugh! But I survived the 30 minutes of tap, at least the song was decent and dance not terrible but once again back to “let’s do that combination from last year.” And minimal instruction. After 90 minutes I had survived, but barely at times! 

So while I love dance I have decided that it is impossible to return to your past life! This and the fact that the class ends about 1 hour past my bedtime make it tough. I haven’t completely ruled out the idea of dancing again, it just won’t be here. I am looking into just ballet/lyrical classes on a drop in basis and weekend afternoons when I am still functioning. I honestly have no desire to wear a costume, be in a recital and compete again which is part of this class. I need to get that side of an activity gone, I compete against myself enough when it comes to running!

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. - Martha Graham #BeEpic

So here I am waving the white wave…I surrender and accept the fact that I am no longer that 16 year old who could dance for hours, do the splits, double and triple turns and leap across the floor with ease. I am a mom, a runner and will have to relive my dance life through my daughter!

Comments

  1. Good for you for giving it a try! I used to dance in high school...there's no way I could do it now lol!

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    1. It is amazing how our bodies change and prevent us from doing things still!

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  2. Way to try it out, that took guts! Splits and runner legs do not mix;)

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  3. Good for you! I have been trying for the past year to find an adult ballet class to attend, after 10 years away. I can't seem to find anything in my area, but I am still looking. I would be really nervous about going into a class that was anything above a beginner, despite 15 years of dance experience. You are brave!

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    1. I loved ballet, I need to find a low key class in just that!

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  4. I'm pretty impressed you gave it a try! I used to love dancing as a child, but other than dancing around the house when no one is looking that is pretty much all I have done in my adult years:) Lasting 90 minutes is seriously impressive, great job!

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  5. I can understand your feelings around this perfectly.

    And just in case the bug strikes you again, Deanne's Dance Studio in Minnetonka offers classes for TRUE adults. I was very impressed by the multiple classes of them at the recital - many must have danced for years and years and then picked it up again in their 30s and 40s when their kids began dance. The women ranged in age from late 20s to 60s but it wasn't not beginner level dance. My friend Lindsey and I (who danced together in Junior High and High School and many a college bar - ha!) debated signing up, but this year it didn't work out. Anyway, might be something to check out if the bug strikes you again and you want something that fits better with your life now!

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    1. Thanks, I may check it out in the future once I am settled into working again!

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  6. I sometimes think I could dance again...haha. I would probably fall. Somewhere I lost my grace! (and rhythm)

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  7. I had a similar experience and came to the same conclusion :) Luckily, I asked my husband to take swing dancing lessons with me and he was game. After a couple of months, we have really improved. It is a little hard on my feet though so I try to schedule my lessons a couple of days out from my long runs.

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  8. WTG for trying Jen! I love the quote. Oh and I would love to find out more about your Ragnar teams for next year!!!

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  9. Way to keep going and trying it though!
    emma @ a mom runs this town . com

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  10. Congrats on having the courage to give it a go again and seeing how it felt! I have always said that as athletes we need to maintain a balance between flexibility and stability because have stable legs makes money easier and makes us more injury resistant. It is important for us runners to continue to try to stay flexible because of course getting too tight is a problem too.. but extreme flexibility tends to lend itself to be less stable so it is a balance.
    I have only taken a few actual dance classes in my life, but I love dancing but don't do it very often.. I think keeping the hips loose is good for all sports! :)

    Chris
    http://www.mavrocatstrength.com

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