Lesson this Week... Everything I Like To Do

Oh my goodness, first, I hope all my US readers had a very nice Thanksgiving! I can't believe the holiday season is upon us already!!

My holiday was good, but I was really looking forward to my lesson this week... I hadn't danced with either instructor last week and by the time my lesson had been rescheduled with Largo I was DYING for dancing! I had warned him earlier in the week that I wanted to DANCE during my lesson... I did NOT want a lesson full of technique. I don't get to just DANCE that often with my instructors, and it's one of my favorite things in this life to do... so after a few technique and theory filled lessons... I start demanding it.

I gotta say... Largo is really good to me... he remembered about my wanting to dance... we opened with some really fun Hustle... then worked on Rumba...where we did work on a few things...but it was mostly within the dancing, and that's my preferred way to learn anyway. Once we were relatively pleased with my Rumba and had the discussion about why I don't always have my feet turned out... (for me there is NOTHING natural about having my feet turned out) we moved on.

East Coast Swing... we worked on tweaking a few steps... we were doing a lot of single spins... which I love...and I think I'm pretty close to trying an independent double... There is one spin at the end of what is commonly referred to as the "back to back" step...that I usually just let rip with no control and it usually means that I kind of stumble my way through the last triple step at the end... Largo kept laughing at me, and telling me how to improve it. Then I ignored what he told me and just really whipped around... I bobbled and Largo got a scared look on his face as he reached out to stop me.
"Don't worry, I do that all the time, I never fall." I say with a huge smile on my face.

"Don't say you never fall, never say that." Largo responds

"Ok I gotcha...then I haven't fallen YET." He's being serious...but I'm still smiling over his trying to catch me.

"Ok...that's better." He states.

So then I decide to focus a little more and tell him "I can do it... I'm not taking control of that spin...lets do it again."

So we did... and I controlled the spin... and what do you know, I completed the step with out nearly falling!

"Ahh...good!!" Largo exclaims.

"Yeah, well I told you I could do it." I was just letting the spin rip before....because I like to do that... but I do have the ability to control it.

Largo just laughs... which I enjoy, it's pretty easy to make him laugh... Largo is a hard core competitor... he doesn't like it when dancing isn't at it's best... but then he's got me as a student... so I hope I'm reminding him of the lighter side of dancing...

Then we started doing Salsa... I was surprised... it's pretty rare that Largo leads me into Salsa during a lesson... which is too bad... because I really enjoy his Salsa. So we were having fun with a little Salsa...nothing too fancy... he walked me through this move where I have to duck under his arm then get spun one way followed immediately by spinning the other way. Hmmm... well I'm not a fan of the ducking under the arm thing...but I do like the spinning... and changing direction that fast is something I definitely need to work on!

We then went to the music machine and he asked me what I wanted to work on... we only had a few minutes left in the lesson...

"Well... lets see...to make it a perfect lesson... let's work on Cha Cha." I tell him.

"It's not a perfect lesson." Largo responds...

"No no...I'm not talking about my actual dancing! Silly, but we worked on all my other favorites... Cha Cha would make it perfect."

So he puts a Cha Cha on... and my following wasn't as good as it could have been but we went over some older steps.. and polished a few of the newer ones. I thought I got that spin at the end of a step we're constantly working on... then I was told it was "actually a little slow" Ack... so we did it again... and I am getting better at going straight back rather than landing that spin in a 5th position. So I was pleased.

We ended the lesson with a big hug and some laughing about my getting ready for the party later that night... Largo had me working so hard I had to wash my hair again! (the first place I show signs of sweating is under my hair)

That lesson was my perfect balance of learning/practicing and dancing!