Last night, we started warm-ups not with a routine, but with .... miles and figure 8's. *dies* My back hadn't recovered from the previous week's drills, and starting right off with that was... singularly painful. After that, we went through the normal warm-up routine, stretching, isolations, etc. The instructor had been mugged by a sushi bar on her way to class, so every time we did ab exercises, she got this adorably pained look on her face and quit after just a few repetitions. It was terribly cute. XD
Since we had a new person in class, we did introductions again. When we got to the new person, she drew a breath, and very calmly stated that her name was "----". I blinked, parsed, and was happy, but the instructor had this hilarious blank look of astonishment. After staring at the new person for a few heartbeats, she very tentatively asked the new person how to spell the name. How is it that every face she makes is so darned cute? It's driving me to distraction.
When introductions were done, we drilled tiny hip circles. As the instructor put it, the difference between this and other dance styles is that in other dance styles, you want people to look at your hip circles, whereas in this style, you want to pretend to be shy, hide behind your hands, and be all like "Oh noes! Please don't look at my hip circles! *circle circle circle*". >.>;;;; Well, at least it was adorable when she demonstrated. ^_^
After drills, we moved on to choreography, by which I mean, we did shimmies for-fucking-ever, and then the instructor forgot about 4 measures of choreography in the middle of the dance. Tonight I think we'll "relearn" that part of the dance. Maybe we'll even get to move on. We're really close to the end, so I'm pretty excited for that. :)
All in all, I'm finding that doing the moves superficially is not too hard, but looking good while doing it is damnably challenging. I am having a fabulous time with this. :D
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Dance Blog
Phew! Tonight was a hard night. In the first class, we did a really tiring arm drill, and a really challenging choreography. I felt like an uncoordinated and gawky kid again, which I haven't felt like in a few years. The moves are difficult, and need to be quick and precise to look good. I can do quick XOR precise, not both. :p Oh well, I hope in time I'll improve. :)
In the second class, we did the other kind of figure 8's (which are actually just called figure 8's, as opposed to the kind we did last night, which are called miles). Man. This stuff is really hard. I'm starting to appreciate its difficulty more after seeing some new girls really struggling to get the hang of the movements. I'm also extremely thankful that I seem to have some innate muscle control abilities to help me through. :D
The instructor ran off in a hurry at the end of the night to go perform at a 1-year-old's birthday party. I don't get the point of showing a beautiful dancer to a baby, but whatever. I guess the parents are super bored. XD Her costume, which she put on before she dashed away, was very pretty. <3
In the second class, we did the other kind of figure 8's (which are actually just called figure 8's, as opposed to the kind we did last night, which are called miles). Man. This stuff is really hard. I'm starting to appreciate its difficulty more after seeing some new girls really struggling to get the hang of the movements. I'm also extremely thankful that I seem to have some innate muscle control abilities to help me through. :D
The instructor ran off in a hurry at the end of the night to go perform at a 1-year-old's birthday party. I don't get the point of showing a beautiful dancer to a baby, but whatever. I guess the parents are super bored. XD Her costume, which she put on before she dashed away, was very pretty. <3
Dance Blog
<3 Squee! Warm-ups are a reliable source of sexiness and endless amusement. Also torment, pain, and difficulty isolating muscles, but that's a small matter.
Last night we drilled vertical figure 8's (miles). My lower back feels like a solid mass of anguish right now. I'm not very good at it yet, especially with the whole keeping-upper-body-still part. Walking and doing 8's at the same time is hilarious. There's a trick to it, where you figure out the optimal timing to move your feet, between doing parts of the 8. I think I got that part okay, but the 8 itself is still taking a lot of thought and concentration.
Choreography was really hard last night. I'm not sure if it was because I'm possibly getting sick again, or if I was just tired, or what. The spins made me really dizzy, and I lost my balance in places where I've basically never lost my balance. It's disconcerting. I also felt slower and clumsier than usual.
Amusing discoveries of the day include learning that the instructor is afraid of cockroaches, and is concerned that the roaches will sneak into her car and attack her. XD
Last night we drilled vertical figure 8's (miles). My lower back feels like a solid mass of anguish right now. I'm not very good at it yet, especially with the whole keeping-upper-body-still part. Walking and doing 8's at the same time is hilarious. There's a trick to it, where you figure out the optimal timing to move your feet, between doing parts of the 8. I think I got that part okay, but the 8 itself is still taking a lot of thought and concentration.
Choreography was really hard last night. I'm not sure if it was because I'm possibly getting sick again, or if I was just tired, or what. The spins made me really dizzy, and I lost my balance in places where I've basically never lost my balance. It's disconcerting. I also felt slower and clumsier than usual.
Amusing discoveries of the day include learning that the instructor is afraid of cockroaches, and is concerned that the roaches will sneak into her car and attack her. XD
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Dance Blog
Added another dance class to my schedule. It's also very different from anything else I've done. Now I have two classes that are almost but not entirely unlike each other!
New instructor is short, fuzzy (his hair is cropped at about 1 inch, and stands straight up), and cute in a silly sort of way. After doing some basic exercises, he showed us a bunch of videos of people dancing in this style so that we could get a feel for how it looks in all its glorious variations.
First instructor is still sexy as all get-out. I don't think I'll ever get over that one exercise. It's so cute. :3 She also made us drill shimmies for five minutes straight. Gawd, that was painful. Towards the end, I stopped being able to really feel my legs. :< But! I got better at shimmies. I think. :D
Today, I can't really lift my arms. If I keep up this schedule, it ought to give me some nice muscle definition. :D
New instructor is short, fuzzy (his hair is cropped at about 1 inch, and stands straight up), and cute in a silly sort of way. After doing some basic exercises, he showed us a bunch of videos of people dancing in this style so that we could get a feel for how it looks in all its glorious variations.
First instructor is still sexy as all get-out. I don't think I'll ever get over that one exercise. It's so cute. :3 She also made us drill shimmies for five minutes straight. Gawd, that was painful. Towards the end, I stopped being able to really feel my legs. :< But! I got better at shimmies. I think. :D
Today, I can't really lift my arms. If I keep up this schedule, it ought to give me some nice muscle definition. :D
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Dance Blog
Wee! <3 <3 <3
Tonight we did basic exercises again, including the adorable butt-jiggle exercise, the everlastingly frustrating rolls exercise, and the strangely exhausting chest- and hip-isolation exercises.
Then we did choreography forever. Forever. I now have that song stuck in my head on permanent loop, and my hips keep twitching in time to it. Hee!
The instructor continues to be adorable. I want to snuggle her.
Tonight we did basic exercises again, including the adorable butt-jiggle exercise, the everlastingly frustrating rolls exercise, and the strangely exhausting chest- and hip-isolation exercises.
Then we did choreography forever. Forever. I now have that song stuck in my head on permanent loop, and my hips keep twitching in time to it. Hee!
The instructor continues to be adorable. I want to snuggle her.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Dance Blog
I went to a free trial dance class last night. This style is very different from the other styles of dance I've studied in the past. There were things the instructor did as a matter of course that had me dropping my jaw time and time again.
It took me a few minutes to get into it. The class started out with a warm-up dance routine, by which I mean the instructor queued up a song, started dancing, and everyone stumbled in her wake, some of us stumbling rather more than others.
After warm-ups, we did stretches and basic isolation exercises. The torso work had me completely baffled. Upper abs? Lower abs? It's all flab to me*! But eventually, I started to get it, and it started feeling really good.
We worked on rolls and "downs" when we had finished stretching, practicing each technique by walking in place, forward and backward, left and right, and finally in a big circle, again forward and backward.
At the end, the instructor taught us the first few pieces of a routine, and we all stumbled along behind her inimitable grace. Someone asked her to show us the whole routine, partly out of curiosity, and partly due to laziness, I think. The instructor obliged, a vision of loveliness and feminine allure.
To cool down after the class, we did a little dance-stuff, and a little stretchy stuff. In the glow of a good workout, I didn't notice at first, but when I sat down in the car to go home, I realized the extent to which my muscles were sore. I figured if I stuck with it, maybe in time I could look that good.
* Of course, you know that I have remarkably little flab. But well. It doesn't help with the feeling of bewilderment.
It took me a few minutes to get into it. The class started out with a warm-up dance routine, by which I mean the instructor queued up a song, started dancing, and everyone stumbled in her wake, some of us stumbling rather more than others.
After warm-ups, we did stretches and basic isolation exercises. The torso work had me completely baffled. Upper abs? Lower abs? It's all flab to me*! But eventually, I started to get it, and it started feeling really good.
We worked on rolls and "downs" when we had finished stretching, practicing each technique by walking in place, forward and backward, left and right, and finally in a big circle, again forward and backward.
At the end, the instructor taught us the first few pieces of a routine, and we all stumbled along behind her inimitable grace. Someone asked her to show us the whole routine, partly out of curiosity, and partly due to laziness, I think. The instructor obliged, a vision of loveliness and feminine allure.
To cool down after the class, we did a little dance-stuff, and a little stretchy stuff. In the glow of a good workout, I didn't notice at first, but when I sat down in the car to go home, I realized the extent to which my muscles were sore. I figured if I stuck with it, maybe in time I could look that good.
* Of course, you know that I have remarkably little flab. But well. It doesn't help with the feeling of bewilderment.
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