Dancing Under the Stars

My girls love to dance. They dance in the kitchen, they dance across the family room carpet, they dance in the rain whenever they get the chance. When August comes around, we sign them up for their favorite form of dance, buy little leotards, jazz pants and a variety of shoes as they anticipate another year of dancing and performing.

The other night, as the sun was going down, the little princess was practicing her ballet on the back deck in the cool night air. She was singing to herself, doing arabesques, leaps and whatever felt right. I joined her. The moves came easily to me. Like riding a bike, I suppose one never forgets ballet.

Then I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the kitchen windows. Interesting.

I checked my form again.

I was shocked. I wasn't upset with what I saw. "Hey that's not bad," I thought. "I think I may still have it."  I may. Along with the steps I knew so well came a feeling long forgotten, that I didn't even notice I was missing.

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.
-Agnes De Mille

I began to wonder how we get along, after we let go and move on from the things we loved in the glory days of high school and the college years.  It became clear that dance is a love I lost in the business of life when for me, for so long, dance was life.

What love have you lost? What made you feel so alive in your youth that you haven't worked into your adult existence?

I think I'd like to get it back, just a little. So I had a look around at the schedules for Brookfield's dance studios, to see what they have to offer a mom who thinks she can dance.

Here's the problem, I'm not looking for jazzercise. I want a more serious class. I want to feel like a real dancer again. I want ballet, maybe modern. Now, I was not, to my disappointment, able to find the perfect class for me like "Ballet for the Mid Life Crisis" or "Contemporary Dance for the Out of Shape." What I did find was a fairly decent selection of classes for any adult looking to explore the dancer within.

Brookfield School of Performing Arts is a favorite of mine. My girls always enjoy their classes there, so it was my first stop.  At the moment, they are offering adult tap and an exercise class.  I am sure if a small group requested a different form of dance, owner and director Deanne Petriccione would be happy to accommodate them.

Positive Energy Dance for Women offers a wide array of classes that are energizing and fun including belly dancing, Zumba and Flirty Girl Bootie Beat, among other things.

Fred Astaire Dance Studio is offering Zumba as well as Tango, ChaCha, Swing, Slow Waltz and many other fun dances for partners.

The Academy of the Dance Arts is offering a full schedule this fall with several adult classes. Jazz, Ballet and Pointe (beginner and advanced), tap, ballroom, Dance to be Fit and Yochi, a combination of Yoga and Tai Chi.

Maybe this year I will sign myself up for ballet, along with my girls and get a piece of that life back that slipped away quietly. Or maybe I'll just dance barefoot under the stars amid the chaos of my life, with my little women by my side. Either way, I know it will make me smile.

When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. 
-Wayne Dyer