Ready to Rumba?

I'm petrified.  My heart is missing the occassional beat as my mind plays out a million worst-case scenarios.  The cause of all of this madness?  One little word:  "rumba."  Or as some would spell it: "rhumba."  I mean, for crying out loud, even finding the correct spelling of the word is complicated!

When I signed on to compete in Dancing with Missouri Stars, I relished the chance of stepping out of my comfort zone and learning something new.  That, of course, was when I thought the something new would be a fun cha cha or elegant waltz.  If I'm honest with you and myself, I have to admit that performing either of those dances in public would still be well within my comfort zone.  So, when Corey said he'd like us to try a rumba for our rhythmic dance, I blanched.  I didn't see that one coming.  Don't misinterpret my reaction.  It's not that I dislike the rumba.  In fact, I find it to be the most emotionally evocative dance of all, which is probably why it's scaring me so much.  Being THAT emotionally vulnerable in front of a room full of voyeurs is intimidating.  Furthermore, J Lo's description of the Rumba in the 2004 film "Shall We Dance" keeps flashing through my mind, and I giggle thinking about playing this role with my adorable and much younger dance partner.  I'm probably going to have to wear a cougar print dress in order to pull it off.     

I think my main issue is that the rumba is a very sexy dance, and I am not a very sexy person.  

I'm the funny, mom-next door type.  I'm definitely not the sexy siren or vivacious vixen that would typically dance the rumba .                                            

                                    

In a way, I suppose this is a case of being careful what you wish for, because you might actually get it.  I said I wanted to try something new, and I now have an opportunity to do exactly that.  This May, I am going to be "putting myself out there" in a way that even I hadn't anticipated.  In doing this, I realize I'm opening myself up to ridicule and embarassment, but that knowledge will be useful in motivating me in the coming weeks of rehearsal.

My First Dance Lesson

            

This is my dance space. This is your dance space.

I don't go into yours. You don't go into mine.

You gotta hold the frame. ~ Dirty Dancing

Ok, so I was a little nervous about my first official dance lesson at Studio B.  All day long I was flashing back to when Russ and I worked with our friend Tammy Walker to learn our first dance for our wedding.  I went into that endeavor feeling overly confident, thinking no matter how bad I was, I would most definitely be better than Russ.  I don't mean that as a slam on Russ.  I just assumed that with my performance experience, I would have an easier time than my spotlight-avoiding fiance with size 13 feet.  Well, that experience taught me not to make assumptions, because Russ ended up being a very strong partner, and he actually remembered the choreography on the big day, which is more than I can say for myself.  So, I approach this experience with a more humble attitude about my abilities.

My partner/instructor Cory informed me that this first lesson would be a very easy-going one...more of a diagnostic than anything else.  I took that to mean he wanted to look under my hood to decide if I could be salvaged or if I just needed to be junked.  What we really did was walk (very slowly) through several styles of dance to see which ones fit best for us. 

I decided tonight that Cory is the perfect instructor for me, because he doesn't just address the technical aspects of the different dance styles.  He paints a vivid picture of the character of each dance.  I loved when he was explaining how the Foxtrot and Waltz are very "gentlemanly" dances.  If the lady goes somewhere, the gentleman follows.  (I visualized Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy stepping after me when I stomped off in a huff.)  Cory then described the tango as a more Latin lethario dance.  If the lady walks away, the man confidently awaits her inevitable return.  (You probably can guess that I was picturing Antonio Banderas as Zorro at this point.)

Above all, I was very pleased at Cory's approach to the dance partnership.  Tammy and Russ will confirm that I struggled with the concept of  the man leading and woman following while in rehearsal for our wedding dance.  Cory's approach to a dance partnership is more of a harmonious cooperation.  We did this neat exercise where we walked through some steps while palm to palm instead of in a dance hold, and it was decidedly easier to move together when we found the balance of giving and receiving equal amounts of pressure and energy.  (Yes, I was picturing Patrick Swayze.)  Cory explained that a man cannot turn a woman or move her in any way if she doesn't want to be moved.  He went on to say that the man can suggest the desired movement from the woman, and if she is receptive to his non-verbal communication and her goal is to match him, she will.    

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Studio B, and I found everyone to be very friendly and warm.  I also thought it was adorable that Dolce, the owner's adorable dog, matched the furniture (or vice versa).  I can't wait for lesson number two when I will hopefully get to break a sweat!  I know.  Be careful what you wish for, right?

Meeting Cory

I met my dance partner and instructor Cory Keck at the Dancing with Missouri Stars (DWMS) Kickoff party at Dr. Barbara Tellerman's house. I was excited when I learned that Barbara was hosting, because she was paired with Cory for last year's DWMS, and I was hoping to get her to dish some dirt about Cory's instruction style. She had only good things to say, of course, but she did issue a warning about the addictive nature of dance. After dancing with Cory for DWMS last year, Barbara fell in love with dancing and is still making time for it in her busy life.
I'll be completely honest and admit right now that I had already done some research on Cory after he sent me an introductory e-mail. I did what any self-respecting stalker-in-training would do... I googled him, and found his profile on Studio B's webpage, and I also discovered several youtube videos that featured him dancing. I watched the videos with high hopes, and my first reaction was one of delight. "Ooooh, he's really good! We're going to win," I thought. My second thought, however, was less hopeful. I worried that I would be a disappointment as a partner.
You see, I have been wanting to compete in DWMS since the first season, and wouldn't you just know it, my wish finally comes true when I am the most out of shape I've been in years. I had my second baby a little over a year ago, and I nursed for nine months, so I just haven't felt like my body has completely returned to being MY body yet. That said, I want to focus on the positive here, so even though I would have been in better shape to dance in previous seasons and probably would have been a more fearsome competitor, I think that this opportunity has come at the perfect time in my life. I really feel like it will provide the jumpstart I need to lose the rest of the baby weght and re-claim my body. So, tomorrow at my first lesson with Cory, I am going to try to show him that I am a hard worker, so he can look past my obvious flaws and hopefully see some potential.


Here's a video from one of Cory Keck and Dr. Barbara Tellerman's rehearsals from last year's competition. I can only hope I will get to this level in three months. Fingers crossed!

The Details of DWMS

(Taken from the DWMS Press Release)

The 7th annual “Dancing With Missouri Stars” will be May 4th at the Southwell Complex on the Columbia College campus. Each year esteemed members in the mid-Missouri area are selected and paired with a professional ballroom dance instructor from Studio B, have 3 month’s to take lessons and then compete for the prestigious DWMS trophy. The audience members vote with money which all goes to benefit the Missouri Contemporary Ballet professional dance company.
A Kickoff Party was held Sunday, January 27th at the home of Barbara Tellerman and Allyn Sher, to announce this year’s celebrity dancers: Dingani Beza, actor; Atiyyah Ellison, former NFL and MU football player; Betsy Odle, business owner; Joni See, RN; Monica Senecal, radio personality KPLA and KFRU; Jeff Thompson, The French Laundry; Travis Tucker, owner of Bleu restaurant; and Marti Waigandt, optometrist.
General Admission tickets are $20 adults/$15 students and available through the Columbia College box office or can be purchased at the door. To inquire about purchasing a table on the floor contact amypugh@mac.com. For more information about MCB and the DWMS fundraising event, go to www.missouricontemporaryballet.com or call 573-219-7134.

The Big News!

 I'm so excited to announce that I have been selected to be one of eight contestants for Dancing with Missouri Stars, a fundraiser for Missouri Contemporary Ballet!

   Here I am with my competition.  

From left to right we have Joni See, RN; Atiyyah Ellison, former NFL and MU football player; Jeff Thompson, The French Laundry; Dingani Beza, actor; Marti Waigandt, optometrist; ME; Travis Tucker, owner of Bleu restaurant; and Betsy Odle, business owner.