Hyperreal

So I went to JJ’s for a second time tonight.

Not quite so weird tonight compared to last week – I’m getting used to its different feel. Franck was back teaching it, so it was good to see him, and get the full Franck in JJ’s experience.

I’m beginning to think that all the teachers round Scotland read my notes for tips on what to point out the next night. This isn’t just Franck, I’ve noticed it a few times. What happens is I’m standing there thinking about all the things I’m meant to be practicing when the teacher just goes as says exactly what’s in my mind. Uncanny. It’s a bit of a give-away though when the teacher then acknowledges it!

Ever seen “Being John Malkovich”??

So tonight was the night to practice my footwork – off my heels and onto my toes. I didn’t do so badly. It’s a choice though of leading a dull dance as I’m busy concentrating elsewhere, or letting my feet do whatever they want and having an enjoyable dance. I think I struck a balance, and I did find that even when I wasn’t thinking about my feet, they were behaving better.

Definitely more work needed though.

I found the intermediate class tough tonight. The moves themselves were pretty straightforward. On their own I’d have no bother, but I had big problems putting them together. Maybe it’s because I’ve been spoilt by a couple of easy ones recently, perhaps the JJ’s crowd wants tougher moves, or maybe I just had too much other stuff to think about that I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do most of the time.

Now I think about it though, maybe it really wasn’t any worse than any other intermediate class I’ve had, and I have unrealistic expectations.

What were the moves??? Let’s see if I can remember any better now compared with during the class… First was a basket block walky-turny thing with a spin off for the lady at the end. This led straight into a double-handed yo-yo, which in turn went into a lady comb. Next up was a neck-break with hesitation into a shoulder-led spin. The last real move was a right-handed arm hook walk round, but after that we did a wee across thingy to get back onto the double handhold for the basket. How’s that? Maybe someone who was there can tidy up my naming or descriptions.

I think my favourite move was the neck-break one. I didn’t get to practice any of them in freestyle though. Partly due to lack of confidence in the moves, but also because I was dancing a lot with beginners.

And isn’t it funny how the things you don’t really believe when you’re told them first time come back around and bite you. It’s true – dancing with beginners is really good for people who want to learn more. You have to work so much harder in your lead. It’s good when it all works though. Dancing with all the more experienced dancers is also very necessary – you need to experience what the good work of people before you has done to give you the motivation to go back to dancing with novices.

So I danced with a few of “the usual suspects” again, I danced with a few people new to me. More people asked me to dance, I asked more people who were new to me to dance. Danced with at least three beginners. Maybe didn’t have as many dances though as last week, but I had way more energy last week, not being at work all day beforehand.

So that was it. Enjoyed myself. didn’t get to chat with everyone I’d have liked to, but there’s always next time…

Thanks again to all the dancers, to Franck, and to you for reading this.

Cheers guys, and remember to leave a comment! (Thanks to those who already have!)