Thursday, learning to dance

Lingering dusk: no clouds to block it.  A crystal clear sunset: no clouds to hold it, but it reflected off of the water.  No clouds in the sky at all.  Moon almost full, in opposition to the sun, rising to dominate the sky as the latter dropped over the hill.

Biffed my ankle while trying to learn the dance steps from class, in the park.  Had the heels on again.  Was doing fine until I was getting the swing of things and then stepped sideways into a crack, ankle turning in multiple directions before righting itself, sunglasses flying off, but shoe staying on.  A woman who had just passed by with her toddler and husband made them stop, she waited to see if I was okay; not saying anything to me, but watching me.  Sweet and embarrassing.  Eh, it's uncomfortable, but I can walk on it and it doesn't appear swollen.  I didn't take them off because there were little pointy rocks everywhere. (Though I did then end up walking half-way home barefoot, but that was in the grass.  When I first got there, there were games going on everywhere, so I didn't practice the dance barefoot, on the grass.)

We learned this waltz step.  So, like a waltz, but without a partner, moving straight forward, and moving forward on beats two and three (which is difficult...my muscle memory wants beats two and three to be tiny re-positioning steps.)  Also, there is a backward arm movement for six counts.  So, basically it's: lunge-toe-toe, lunge-toe-toe (switch arms), lunge-toe-toe, lunge-toe-toe (repeat, to cross the floor.)  I really couldn't do it in class.  Had to break it down to just counting steps, just counting arm beats, just doing lunge-toe-toe, lunge-toe-toe, and then trying to move the latter forward in the park.

What's interesting about learning it, is feeling the battle between my body and my brain, as well as becoming aware of the wiring that is currently set for me: I can do alright when I'm using my right arm for six counts, but am completely thrown off when I switch to my left arm, I'll do it for three counts only and then try to finish it on the right side.  Practice. Practice. Practice. Need to set new pathways, give myself the choice in how I get to move.

I decided to take this class because I'm fairly uncoordinated.  I'm not being cruel to myself by saying this (I have a lot of good qualities, alas, coordination is not one of them.)  Anyway, I'd like to be less so.  Also, I've been in theatre classes for almost two years straight now, to suddenly not be is a bit of a shock, and I don't want to fall back into a older set pattern and lose what I've gained through disuse.  I feel like dance is a way to take a break without completely taking a break...and it isn't stressful: I don't have to prove anything to anyone.  So in that sense, it's just for fun.