Back before KY Taste Buds, my life consisted of pretty much work, home and kids. Oh, and TV watching. Lots of TV. One of my favorite shows was Dancing with the Stars on ABC. When this show first aired in 2005, I was hooked from the beginning. The premise of the show was this: take six celebrities, pair them with professional dancers, and then have a panel of judges give their opinions on how they danced. Oh, and they did this live on the air! Seeing people being pushed out of their comfort zones into the white-hot spotlight and doing so clothed in gorgeous costumes was bedazzling, to say the least. It was an escape from my daily grind and seemed like something fun to try...one day.
Fast forward a few years and feeling the urge to do something wild and crazy myself, I went over to our local Arthur Murray dance studio and signed up for ballroom dance lessons. I can remember being so excited and nervous about that first lesson. I had fretted for hours over what to wear. I mean, it's called "ballroom" and the people on TV look so glamorous, so it didn't feel right to show up in regular old jeans! I went with dressy black slacks and a blouse. And, of course, I had to purchase special shoes with the suede bottoms so I could glide like a swan across the floor. After having the perfect outfit, I was ready to meet my partner.
Showing up for that first lesson, I was a bundle of nerves, almost like the first day of school. There I was, on time, in new clothes, and with my new shoes in their fancy little bag, ready to meet my instructor. He greeted me warmly and I must say, it didn't hurt that he was tall, dark and handsome. I immediately felt comfortable with him and he talked me through what to expect in our first lesson. We would start with the rhumba, the slowest of the ballroom dances, which normally consist of the pasodoble, samba, cha-cha-cha, and jive. My partner showed me the steps and walked me through it very, very slowly until I got the hang of it. And guess what? I caught on pretty quickly! Of course, I had to look at my feet, couldn't talk and might have had a furrowed brow as I counted in my head each count, but, hey, I was doing it!
I ended up taking a few months of lessons and these are my five top things I loved about my experience:
1. It was fun!
2. It was great exercise! (I sweated through my clothes every session, and apologized profusely to my instructor.)
3. I met lots of really nice people!
4. It tapped into my creative side!
5. It gave me really good posture!
Taking ballroom is definitely one of the most fun experiences of my life and I would love to do it again! That's why I was so excited to see that Immanuel Baptist Church here in Lexington is going to offer lessons beginning June 7th at the low, low cost of $25/couple or $15/individual. You can sign up here: https://roclex.org/portfolio-item/classes/
If your life consists of lots and lots of TV, I highly recommend you get off that couch and get registered today! Meet new people, get some exercise, and always remember to dance like nobody's watching!