Deadly dancesteps

You might remember that my sweet Bruno gave me a gift certificate for dance lessons for my birthday this year.

Last week the day arrived - finally - for our first dancelesson. We pulled out our dancing shoes and took off for LB dans right here in Fredericia.

This was a tough debut for Bruno. He came directly from 2 days in Germany - had flown from Frankfurt to Hamburg and driven to Fredericia, eaten a slice of bread, and then off to dance...

Actually, we weren't really very good. Fortunately I had just enough extra energy to look a bit at the other dancers and see that we weren't the only ones. We started out for the basic steps for jive. Not too hard. Until the teacher got the idea that I had to go spinning out under Brunos arm - whew!

When we finally had some control of the steps, she added MUSIC - and then we had to dance fast, and in the beat of the music! That was some challenge.

I mean - nothing is really wrong with my rhytmics. Ask anyone. Our choir director will confirm that I find it relatively easy to catch a beat and clap - even if it is slightly more complicated. No - my problem is motoric in its nature. I can handle moving my legs in time to the rhytm - but if I have to do something with my arms at the same time, my brain melts. For that reason I have carefully avoided aerobics and step, as these exercise forms have way too much choreography for a spastic like myself. No, spinning, weights and that kind of stuff - that's my game.

Back to the dancing - we managed to get a grip on th jive-steps - but just as that happened, naturally we had to learn a new dance. "Allready?" moaned Bruno, who was working at least as hard as me.

English waltz. Looks easy. You glide over the floor, spinning every now and then, gracefully. Piece of cake.

Certainly for those that know how, and who knows left from right. I unavoidably mucked up our waltz by going back on the wrong leg - and that was before we even started to learn the turning thing. Bruno was pretty good at it - but it's not easy dancing with a lady who keeps moving the wrong leg...
Finally we did the cha-cha-cha. I say nothing except that it was a disaster. There was some fore-back-fore thingy, that passed way over our heads.

That was the first lesson. Yesterday we were at it again, and fortunately we felt it going easier. Bruno was nearly at the quitting point last wednesday ("I'll NEVER learn") - he thought it grossly unfair that we didn't get to exercise the steps more before adding music.
Anyway, we felt nearly pro yesterday. It went pretty well! Except for that f***ing stinking english waltz .. I wonder if I ever get the turning around Bruno right - and still start with the right leg afterward?

A fun thing is, that one of the other couples are young colleagues of me - they danced last year too, just for the fun of it. Not a couple like that, just having fun dancing. We tease each other in a friendly way. And they muck up too some times, I noticed!

Will we eventually learn the waltz turn? Will Bruno learn the steps for jive well enough to not get myosis in his neck from it? Will I figure out a way to know left from right? Will we picked out for the danish championship in standard dances?

This ... and much more ... you will know by following the next episode of ... DEADLY DANCESTEPS!