Steppin' Out

Last night was the first time in 4 years that I've had the guts to step into a dance studio.

For those that don't know, I was actually a dance major in college. I was a student at the Modern Dance department at the University of Utah, which is actually a fairly prominent contemporary program amoung the public universities. I loved every minute of being in dance, and have really missed it!

But right after college I made a series of choices that lead me down a path that I really thought would never lead back to dancing. I started taking jobs that had nothing to do the arts. I convinced myself that it wasn't a "real" career path. I justified quitting by getting down on what talent I did have. I drank like a fish, played with a series of drugs, and lost/gained over 100 pounds. Needless to say, my lifestyle over the last four years hadn't been "dancer-friendly'...

I've often said that moving to New York City quite literally saved my life. And I stick to that statement even more tightly now. I've had lots of motivation here to change my life's course...

I've taken up a passion for cooking that has helped me lose all that excess weight. (Well, almost all. It's still a work in process.)

I keep an active gym membership and use it 5 times per week.

I've joined competitive sports leagues that additionally keep me active at least one night per week (not to mention the INCREDIBLE people I've met through said leagues)

I see world-class theatrical productions that have inspired me to rediscover that creative urge that's been buried so deep in insecurity that I nearly forgot it existed!

And last night, I added one more thing to the list. That's right ya'll, I went back into the dance studio!

I can't even explain how I felt about it... Trepidacious? Anxious? Self-Conscious? Excited? How about all of the above!

The class was a contemporary class at Broadway Dance Center by Brice Mousset. It took about 15 minutes into the warm-ups before my body realized what was happening... "What the f*#?! Oooh ya! I remember this now!"

The choreography we learned was hella fun, if not really hard on my ex-dancer body!

It was this...

To this...

Spin into this...

Fall and then jump right back up into this!

It was like CRAZY FUN! And today???

I'm like this...

But it's ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. Thanks, Brice! (If you want to see a little bit of what Brice is like, start this video at 3:45 -- it's a basic 16-count but you can get a general idea of how he moves :-)

And now I know that I can still do it, which is the best part of all. There's no more doubt or reason to be scared. I may not be as good as I was before, but I certainly can work back up to it! Am I going to jump back into it full-time like I was before? No.

Am I going to keep taking classes, if only for the sheer enjoyment of movement and a kick-ass workout?

Absolutely.