Vintage Me
This video is from a dance competition in 1992. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time...and so funky! OW!!! This routine was so exhausting, that I remember almost puking every time I did it. And on that note...enjoy!
DANCE: Glee’s Slave 4 U
The first Brittany/Britney dance sequence on Glee last night officially blew my mind. I [without exaggeration] watched it over 10 times. Heather Morris MURDERED it! It’s about time she got some recognition for her awesome dancing skills. Poor Brit Brit’s probably locked herself in the closet, wiping away her tears with money. I could’ve done without the elementary school backup dancers though. Awkward! No children should’ve been witness to that ho-ish-ness.
Also, did anybody notice SYTYCD’s Mark as one of the backup dancers? Love him!
DANCE: SHINee
God bless Patrice for posting this video of K-pop group SHINee during a dance rehearsal. I can’t keep my eyes off the girl boy in the stripped shirt. He’s amazing!
VIDEO: Savion Glover on The Colbert Report
This one’s for my momma - a fantastic tap dancer herself. She could totally be one of Savion Glover’s “friends.” You gotta watch this awesome performance! Click on the image to view on Comedy Central’s site.
I’m In Love…
...with my new favorite dance class!!! I got pretty ballsy last night and decided to take an Intermediate Street Jazz/Funk/Hip-Hop class at BDC. It ended up being the best...class...EVER!!! The teacher was amazing, and I loved this style of class much better than ones that focus solely on Hip-Hop. I didn’t have a problem with the level either, which is very encouraging. (Intermediate is the next to highest level! Booyah!!!) Even the warm-up was great, which included stretching, sit-ups, crunches, pushups, and even backbends!
Now to my dilemma. He was only able to teach half of the routine during this class, and is teaching the other half on Thursday - the same day as my office’s Holiday party*! *sigh* What to do? What to do?
* Yes, I realize that it’s the end of January and the holidays have long gone. However, the president of our company came down with pneumonia before our “real” holiday party, so we had to postpone it.
On A Roll
Last night I took another hip-hop class for the second night in a row! I had no problem moving up to the Advanced Beginner class (which is right in the middle in terms of difficulty levels) and again, this teacher was completely different than the other two.
The class started out like any other - with a warm up. Well, 30 minutes later I started wondering if I had accidentally stumbled into a hip-hop pilates class by mistake. Soon enough I found out why he was stalling...he didn’t have a routine to teach! He also didn’t explain the steps well, and kept revising the routine over and over again until he liked what he just choreographed. It was annoying, and a few times I debated asking for a refund.
But, let’s check out that silver lining. Although this wasn’t the best class I’ve been to, it was the best workout that I’ve had so far! It was the most physically exhausting routine that I’ve learned - which included getting down and doing moves on the floor! During one turn, I even felt sweat fling off my forehead and go flying across the room!
Apologies to the girl next to me...
Delta Force, Son!
Took my second hip-hop class last night - and this time I was prepared and looking like a seasoned vet in my Delta Force sneakers and baggy sweatpants. The teacher for this class was very different than the last. He was really into isolations and there were only a few parts where actual “dancing” came into play. (Not to say that isolations aren’t considered dancing...but you know what I mean.) As a result, this class wasn’t as much of a workout as the first. Therefore, I’m probably going to go again tonight and move up a level to Advanced Beginner. Hopefully the teacher tonight has more of the style I like and I’ll also get to sweat my balls off.
One thing I did like about this teacher though was that he kept lecturing the class about how important it is for a true dancer to take all different styles of dance...not just hip hop. Case in point: there was one part of this routine that was rediculously easy for me because I grew up tapping. For all you tappers out there, play this back in your head, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about: “Shuffle step, step, step. Shuffle step, step, step. Shuffle step. Shuffle step. Shuffle step, step, step.” Except instead of shuffling, we’d do a “heel”, so it was more akin to stepping. The broads in my immediate area were falling all over themselves, and never quite figured it out. I’ll go ahead and accept my “Best in Class” award now. K, thanks.
Now, let’s see how I do tonight...
LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers
I first saw LXD when they performed on an episode of So You Think You Can Dance. I absolutely loved their performance! It was brilliant how they were able to mix so many different styles of dance into one beautiful routine. Turns out they will be launching an original online series this year, or as they describe it, “The world’s first online dance adventure.” From what I’ve seen of LXD so far, it’s going to be incredible!
Go On, Tiny Dancer
2010 New Year’s Resolution? Take a dance class. Days until completion? 5.
On January 5th, 2010, I took my first hip-hop class in 15 years. 15 YEARS?!?! Are you kidding me?!? It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long - and if I think about it too long, it sends me into a pre-midlife panic. But, I digress...
I went to Broadway Dance Center, which is one of the studios in NY that we regularly frequented growing up. They’ve since changed locations and have a spankin’ new dance studio, but the nostalgia was still there. Overall, I think I did really well! I was a little scared to jump back in to the advanced classes, so I decided to take Beginner’s Hip-Hop. It turned out great, b/c the routine was at an Intermediate level, but they just taught it a little slower - good for somebody who’s been out of the game for so long. Plus, it wasn’t necessarily going to hurt my feelings if I ended up being the best in the class. :D
First thing I noticed was that every single person in the class was wearing baggy sweatpants and sneakers - neither of which I own a pair of - and here I am...9 months shy of 30...in my running shoes and pajama bottoms...trying my damnedest to reclaim my funkiness. I thought about slipping on the Vans I had worn that day, but I was afraid that my inability to tie them tight would result in a checkered shoe in the back of someone’s head.
After a couple minutes of stretching, we started learning the routine. Set to an Aaliyah song (perfect...my era!), it was a routine that would jump from smooth, gliding moves to quick, funky ones. The quick ones, I didn’t have a problem with. It was the slower, popping ones that I wasn’t used to. You see...I dance like I’m still the 90's. The teacher was so smooth with her movements, and I'm over here popping my shoulders like any minute I’m going to break out the Troop (alas, I couldn’t find a video reference for this). I’m a quick learner though, so by the end I started to get the hang of it. I had hopes of recording this whole experience for everybody to witness, but unfortunately BDC doesn’t allow recordings of any kind.
How was the aftermath? I’m pretty active already, so I wasn’t too sore except in my lower back. I guess I don’t use those muscles as much playing sports. I could tell that it was a good core workout though, and I definitely plan on going back. Now...I’m off to buy some sweatpants and sneakers.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to everybody out there! Hope you had a wonderful time over the holidays, and you’re ready to start fresh in 2010! Any special New Year’s resolutions out there?
My resolution is to take at least one dance class this year. Growing up, I danced competitively for around 10 years, and I’ve been contemplating doing this for a while. But, what sealed the deal was watching a DVD of my old routines when I went home for the holidays. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!
