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dancerjodiThe Paula Abdul DVD workout that I bought a while back kicks major butt. One should have a good amount of dance experience though (they don't advertise this on Amazon, but it says that its "intermediate" level on the back of the box). I sweat a lot, I learned a neat Paula-esque routine (the last two little steps were really difficult for me to pick up that quickly, I can't imagine how a beginner to dance could do it). Its followed by a good stretching workout with lots of plies - all total its about an hour workout.
Man is she hot and in such amazing shape! She's small but she's healthy too, something I'm so glad people are appreciating nowadays (versus the aerobicized fake boobs image of the 80's). It really was inspiring doing the workout - today I'll head to the gym to use the weight machines and if its nice later tonight perhaps convince the hubby to go for a walk with me or something.
I miss having 'the dancer's body'. I never really had the ballet dancer's body, I was way too fat for that (read - I weighed more than 100 pounds). But though the scale hasn't changed much things aren't aligned as they used to be.
As much as I love bellydance and as much as its easier on the mind (no crazy memorization of routines, no push to perfect something for performance, no drilling over and over again of fast-paced choreography) I need to get back to tap or jazz, its where my heart is. I'll have to see if I can find a class in the fall on the same night that I'm at Umass so as to give myself full nights at home to do homework and see my B.
"Shut up and Dance" ;)
Man is she hot and in such amazing shape! She's small but she's healthy too, something I'm so glad people are appreciating nowadays (versus the aerobicized fake boobs image of the 80's). It really was inspiring doing the workout - today I'll head to the gym to use the weight machines and if its nice later tonight perhaps convince the hubby to go for a walk with me or something.
I miss having 'the dancer's body'. I never really had the ballet dancer's body, I was way too fat for that (read - I weighed more than 100 pounds). But though the scale hasn't changed much things aren't aligned as they used to be.
As much as I love bellydance and as much as its easier on the mind (no crazy memorization of routines, no push to perfect something for performance, no drilling over and over again of fast-paced choreography) I need to get back to tap or jazz, its where my heart is. I'll have to see if I can find a class in the fall on the same night that I'm at Umass so as to give myself full nights at home to do homework and see my B.
"Shut up and Dance" ;)
Re: Dancing
Date: 2003-06-18 08:56 am (UTC)Maybe I came across wrong. I think Goddess Dancing is wonderful, but the other day, Karen said to me that most people that take their classes have never moved before in their life. I have had a few different instructors now, and they all have different styles. I was merely suggesting that perhaps there is a teacher whose style better suits you. I don't get all the politics of middle-eastern dance, perhaps, but I wouldn't feel it was wrong to take a class with different instructors as each teacher has something different to bring to the class.
I guess I've heard you complain before about how belly-dancing isn't really a workout, thus my sweating comment. But I think the footwork and the faster movements that we did in the Seattle class I took were both a better workout (if one wanted that), but also more challenging from a dance perspective. I'm really glad I was exposed to it and I incorporate those movements when I practice at home. Since you're already a skilled dancer, a class like that with more moving and more complicated footwork would be more fun for you - and that's why I suggested that you might be able to find something more challenging.
You sounded like you weren't so sure that you wanted to go back to tap & jazz, but I think I read that wrong. I think you said that you needed some time away from that but now you're happy to go back to that because you have a new perspective. Is that right?
On Goddess Dancing...
I enjoyed the class because the instructors are great and I definitely learned a lot, but I still felt like it moved at an extraordinarily slow pace, and I was frustrated by some of the people in my class that didn't seem to 'get' it....ever.[1] So I think next time I am going to take the advanced beginner class - even if it will be a little challenging at first. One, I hope that I'll be more interested because it will be more new material and Two, it will avoid the people who skip weeks of classes at a time, only to come back to slow everyone else down with the stuff they haven't learned.
[1] One person in particular I felt was just not trying at all to even pay attention to what was being taught, but realistically, she could have the same problems with dance that I have with math and maybe she really is trying her heart out.