Usually, the order of dance class is begin before class is supposed to start, do a dance you already know or learn a specific step you've gone over a bunch of times in the past, learn a new dance, repeat almost every dance you know, repeat the new dance you learned this class and already forgot, and end before class is actually over. This week, Jean changed things up and taught four new dances with some repeats in between.
We began with a lesson in a dance we did only once before. It seemed familiar and we did it to music, but still couldn't place it. Then Jean turned on Rod Stewart's Motown Song and I was ecstatic! Yes, this was the Motown Song Dance! If ever Jean were to pick a repeat, this is the one she should always pick. I love it love it love it. Sometimes she teaches us a dance one week and then never does it again. I thought that's what happened with this one and I'm happy to say I'm wrong.
We did not do Walking In The Rain this week, though, because we learned it last week and what's the point of repeating something new when you can repeat something old like Hello Dolly (yes, that's coming).
We first learned The Bossanova. It's the line dance version. It involves some spinning. I looked at S and was like, I told the doctor at the ER that we didn't spin a lot. I think I lied. She was like, We spin all the time. The Bossanova involves not only a half spin in one direction, but also a full spin the other way, right afterwards. I still don't know how to do it exactly, but I'm really good at faking it.
We did not have hats. We should look into getting hats.
Then Jean wanted to teach us the dance that's number one. She says this every week. We don't know who keeps track of line dance popularity or to which chart she's referring, but every week, we do a new number one dance. I suppose things move pretty quickly in the line dance world. What's number one this week is long forgotten the next until Jean says it's number one again.
The number one song is Burlesque, the Cher song from the Cher and Christina Aguilera movie. Jean was teaching Sherri's version, Sherri from Jones Beach. It also involves spinning, but not fast spinning. It has flicks! We like the flick.
So we learn the dance, which is 64 counts, which is a lot, which means people are going to mess up. And we did. But then the music came on and we were all doing pretty well. Then we get to the back wall and S and I just stop, confused. Then we turn and see that the entire class has stopped. Jean's walking over to the stereo to stop the music and one of the Clique says, Those two stopped and when those two stop you know something's wrong.
Those two of course meant me and S. So we've gone from "the girls" to "those two." Fantastic.
Jean explained that when we get to the back wall, we start from the beginning, so we don't do all the counts on the second wall the first time around. We were supposed to simply know this. Duh!
All those arm movements? We don't do those. We so should.
Jean then wanted to teach us Chachanella. We did it last session but haven't done it yet and I was hoping she'd forgotten about it, but she was deadset on doing it. I sat out the instruction part and drank some water instead to ward off any kind of dizzy spell. Eddie had given me strict instructions to "stop and come home" if I got dizzy. Right. His idea is a lot different from my "breathe through it and drink water" plan. Thankfully, no dizzy spells during class despite the spinning.
Anyway, we all did Chachanella and even those learning it for the first time were pretty good at it. It ends with a quick toe point to one side and a toe point to the other, which Jean doesn't tell you when she teaches until she shows you with the music on. S had forgotten about it but I did it and told her, It's not an option! Because that's what Jean told us last session when no one was doing it. Because no one knew we were supposed to in the first place.
We repeated a lot of dances we already know. We did S's favorite dance this session, Black Magic Woman. She said she doesn't like it because there are no words. Then when the guy started singing, I pointed out, see? words! There aren't many and the ones that are there--well, if you know the song, you know they aren't the greatest lyrics.
We did Brazil! S and I know it. The Clique knows it. No one else knew it. Jean taught it pretty quickly and then turned the music on right away and we danced it and when it was over, everyone looked kind of miserable because the dance is so fast. This is how we make friends.
Then Jean put on the music for Dizzy and I was like, I cannot dance that dance. Then she stopped and asked what song everyone wanted. S said Toes because she always asks for Toes by pointing at her toes but the Clique requested Hello Dolly so we all did Hello Dolly. I did so half-heartedly because I'm kind of sick of Hello Dolly.
With about eight minutes left of class, Jean decided to teach one more dance. The other Irish dance! The one she promised to do two weeks ago! It involves clapping. I do not like clapping. S was like, why aren't you clapping? I was like, I want to get my feet first. Which is true. I was concentrating on the steps first and that took up most of my focus. I could remember each eight count, but I couldn't remember them consecutively, which is a problem when you're dancing to an entire song and not one 8-count at a time. I can clap next time if we do it again, and there's only a slim chance of that happening. I like the other Irish dance better, but this was fun.
Irish music makes me happy.
On American Idol, the blonde sang Any Man Of Mine by Shania Twain and I was like, Hey there's a line dance to that! I looked it up and sure enough, it's one that I loved doing at the beach so I'm hoping that somehow Jean decides to teach that one, too, now that she's on a roll with teaching lots of new dances all at once.
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