Necessary 12 Year Olds

The last dance class this session began with a lot of unnecessary attention. S and I arrived at a minute to 8 and already, the class was dancing. We stepped into the hallway, and as soon as the class spotted us, they yelled, Hurry up we need you in the back! We're lost! Then the outspoken one in the clique added, Yeah we were wondering where the 12 year olds were! We need the 12 year olds!

That's us. Now we're 12.

So we put our stuff down, all the while I'm muttering We're here we're here and S smiling awkwardly and not making eye contact. We took up our spot in the back, and on came the music.

It was Black Magic. S hates Black Magic. I don't mind it but I like it more because S does not like it and she shows it in her lack of effort going through the motions of the choreography, which is even funnier when the entire class is depending on her when we all turn around. So there we were, holding down the fort for Black Magic on the back wall, me giving it my all and S almost not moving.

We were even when Jean put on Sweet Too Slow Song and S danced her heart out.

We went through as many dances as possible. We couldn't possibly dance all the dances she'd taught us, especially since that one class where she taught like ten dances in an hour. We did relearn the Bossa Nova and we did some others that we know pretty well. And some that we know pretty well but forgot in the moment so that we messed up but only when the class was turned in our direction and we screwed everyone up. That's always fun.

Then we had a happy ending when Jean put on Wonderland Waltz. The clique hates the waltz. We like the waltz. Wonderland Waltz is kind of long and rather challenging and I wound up slightly out of breath, which is a good way to end a dance class and the spring session: breathless.

But of course it didn't end there on that last lovely note. It ended with the outspoken clique member asking, You going to dance at the library this summer? We said we weren't sure. She said, Well I don't know where you live but it's at the library and it's 15 for three classes. I mindlessly said, good deal; five dollars a class. She kind of agreed but then moved on to do what usually happens--ignore me. Now that's much more like it.