Nine weeks down...

... and I have no idea where to go from here.


The dance school that I've been going to lately offers a multitude of adult dance classes. They have ballet of all levels, modern dance, jazz, pointe, and, of course, tap. They are one of the only schools in town that offers adult tap classes. It's kind of perfect, actually, because they hold a series of Basics Beginner Workshops which each last 8 weeks (we convinced them to extend ours one week, though, giving us 9 classes). As someone who never tap danced before in her life, this setup was ideal because I definitely needed the basics.

We started each class with warm ups on the barre, where the instructor would teach us some new step or technique to practice. Next, we would learn a routine (that was choreographed on the spot by our instructor, which I think is pretty darn impressive) that would reinforce what we had been working on. While the workshop started with about 10-12 people, by the end it was down to 4-5, giving us each more individual attention and instruction. The classes progressed pretty quickly, but not overwhelmingly so, and I learned much more than I thought I would in 8 (or 9) weeks. By the 6th week, our instructor was saying that we were hardly beginners anymore. She taught us pull backs and draw backs, 5 beat riffs and syncopated shuffles; moves she claims are unheard of in beginners classes (granted, I still almost fall over every time I draw a pull back... but at least it sounds alright). All in all, it was a successful workshop that progressed us past beginner status.

There's only one issue: now what? Sure, they have another Basics Beginners workshop starting up in a couple weeks, but the instructors have all agreed that we're way past learning the definition of a shuffle for another two months (a move involving two beats, a brush forward and a brush backwards, where your foot ends in the air). And even though we learned a lot more than we bargained for, we're by no means ready for the Intermediate/Advanced class that uses the studio after us (my classmate Song and I were watching them warm up when we were changing our shoes after class last night and it was terrifying). So what do we do?

Currently, we're lobbying for them to add a Beginner/Intermediate course to the schedule that would act as a stepping stone between the Basics workshop and the Intermediate/Advanced class. Apparently, they have a studio open on Wednesday nights, so that's promising (although, it would mean that I would have to quit my kickball team). In the meantime, Song and I plan on trying out the Intermediate/Advanced course for the next couple weeks so that we can make complete fools of ourselves while we try to pick some things up. Wish us luck!


What would be the potential downsides of trying out a class that is way out of my range? Is it weird that I think draw backs are hilariously similar to a moon walk? Why would Brian even suggest that I attempt to learn a routine from Holiday Inn that is entirely Fred Astaire showing off his tap dancing? He doesn't even have any accompaniment; it's just his fantastic tap dancing with some fireworks peppered in!