by Mary Serico
Well, now that I am back in person taking dance lessons for six months at Dance A Lot Ballroom Studio, I can say the first few weeks transitioning back were not as easy as I expected. It was quite an adjustment to dance with a partner after being a lone ranger for over a year. I was grumbling more than once that my dance teacher Georgi was in my way, that’s not how I danced it at home, and that is not what my notes say. I felt frustrated that I could not just slip back into in-person lessons after all the practicing and virtual classes. I was also feeling a little restricted because I now had to follow Georgi after being untethered during my virtual lessons. Patience is not one of my strong points, and I know I tried Georgi’s patience during the transition back to the studio.
After the first few weeks of in-person lessons, things got back to normal, and we were able to use the Swing routine from my virtual lessons for our June “Dancing Stars 2021” dance showcase. I guess the virtual classes did help my dance muscle memory. My husband Joe, the musical guru and the voice of Dance A Lot, found the perfect song, Adi (Georgi’s wife) tweaked the routine to match the music, and I found a comfortable dress that wasn’t on backorder. We had only five weeks between returning to in-studio lessons and recording the June showcase, so the lessons were intense with lots of practice. While I missed dancing in June in front of a live audience, sharing the virtual showcase premier with friends, pizza, and chocolate at home made up for it. There was lots of clapping, cheering, and good food with great encouraging friends.
After the June showcase premier, it was time to start planning for the Holiday Ball 2021. To some people, it may seem too early to start the planning, but I am not a natural dancer, so I need more practice and concentration on all the elements of the dance steps. I decided to dance the “Music In Me” Cha Cha showcase from last year. It was fun to dance alone last year. But the choreography was specially designed for two dancers, and I was missing it. I had to unlearn and relearn some steps from the original choreography to perform this dance with Georgi.
Adi also helped smooth out the rough spots and made the partnership better, and of course, a little more complicated. I have a few more weeks until we film the Holiday Ball showcase, so it is time for me to practice.
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your Thanksgiving table is full of your favorite food and surrounded by your favorite people.
About Mary: Mary has been dancing since 2006. She loves dancing Cha Cha, Rumba, and Swing, but her favorite thing is to do showcases. With her husband Joe, they spend their time enjoying the retired life at the Jersey shore, golfing, traveling, and attending rock concerts.
