Sunday, June 7, 2009

Dance classes...no, really.

A couple friends invited me to an open house at a dance studio yesterday. I must have been half conscious when I agreed because I quickly realized I had no work out pants except for my pajamas and I don't really dance. At all. I have no training and I really don't even watch other people dance much. I have the dance to "Thriller" down pretty well, but that's as far as I go. So I opted to just wear jeans and watch, but my friends talked me into joining in within five minutes of being there. We went to two classes: ballet and jazz. Ballet was easy enough. I struggled on some of the moves because after years of figure skating, my legs wanted to bend and push sideways. This does nothing productive when you're barefoot except make you look like an idiot.

At lunch we stopped at Target and I got some pants which made the day much better. As we walked through the skyway, my friend asked what I thought. I explained the skating thing and then talked about the similarities and differences I noticed between ballet and yoga.

Now, I'll be honest here: I love yoga. I said it was an interesting contrast because in yoga you are constantly described as plants or the air: "You are a tree growing tall in a field," "Feel the air move through you as your chest opens," "You are a blade of grass growing and swaying in the breeze." But in ballet they compare you to active things and machinery: "Imagine you are a plane, soaring through the air," "Imagine throwing your heavy bag in the air as you jump."

While we were learning the jazz routine, I quickly realized that I focused too much on stationary moves rather than moving from one to the next. After doing the routine in its entirety, I got up walked to the corner and mumbled, "Trees should not be jazz dancers."

3 comments:

  1. I really really really want to see a video of this :)

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  2. Maggie,

    Sorry for creeping but this is the only way I know to contact you.
    I'm interning at the Guthrie and am working on The Importance of Being Earnest, so I naturally thought of you. The show opens (I think) in September, and if you're interested and are available on any of the dates I can get comp tickets, I would be happy to supply you with some (because you are pretty much the biggest Wilde fan I know, and need to be there).
    Hope you're well!
    -Kayla (Skarbakka)

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  3. Kayla! I'm doing well, thank you! How are you?

    That's so sweet of you to think of me! It actually made me tear up a little bit. I'd be honored to see the play on your invitation. Let me know what I need to do!

    Hope your summer is going well (it sounds like it is)!

    Maggie

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