Shall we dance?

It’s been the age-long fetish of learning some form of dance. Even though I tell everyone that I have not one but 2 left feet, I can’t, but from inside, deny the fact that I love dancing and am not terribly pathetic at it either. I enjoy the steps (even though I take like hours to get one turn right), I enjoy the music, and I enjoy the energy that's released!


Just when I regretted for having joined the company I work for, just when I thought my life was going garb, just when the world threatened to flip 180, EVERYTHING decided against it all those bloody feelings! The thing I silently prayed for played the magic! And, call it all but destiny! I was scheduled for my regular gymming, but, yesterday was supposed to have been a 70% sale day at Levi's so, Tulu and I planned an after work shopping session on a week-day (there is first time for everything!) BUT, I think Levi's got petrified about our plan, and changed their mind. They canceled the sale. So, I was left infuriated with no scope for gymming (as I was not equipped with my accessories), and, then, Shuba comes with the offer of Salsa, which Sandyp planned to join, and I thought WHY NOT?? It's been there, at some part of my heart and brain to learn different forms of dancing. I think it all started when Kamalanna, long long ago, inspired me to dance for Hindi music. Just go along with whatever step that comes in your mind. I used to do that for years together, and I think it’s my dreadful years of college, that turned me to the couch potato when I lost it all! And, it’s all coming back to me now! (Oh, I love Celine too!).My gymming, my much-longed-for weekends, my clothes, my reading (ok, that still has scope for improvement), my writing (to some extent), and now Salsa.

I went in the recreation room at our office,(which I thought until 5:30 P.M yesterday was used only for guys to play TT ), and there in front of me stood about 20 odd people, ready to dance in formals! Should have been a laughable situation but no! Even I was in one, so, I’m not the cynic here. Ok, so the twenty odd people and in the centre was Mrudula (the instructor). She had a great posture, she was well balanced and well framed, stood tall, and had the air of a pro-dancer. (Looked like one too!). I was mesmerized by her flow and by her foot work. Gaaaah! Will I ever get that poise and assertiveness at the same time? Let’s wait! She started off revising the previous classes Salsa, (I was hopeless for a while), and made us do that for a while, and yeah it kicked off not bad. Salsa, at least what I did yesterday was simple. It was basically just 4 steps, repeating 4 times each. One was a step forward and a step backward, then turn 70 deg. right and similarly left, then sides and then back to forward. Not bad at all! BUT, then she made us get those steps with our partners! Terrible terrible mistake! For one, my first partner was quite a pro, and for two, when he would try forward, I would try forward as well, so, we ended up hitting each others feet, and when he tried side left, I would go side right, mistake again! But, yeah, being the gentleman, he put me at ease, and gave me the time to adjust, (but yes, definitely could have cursed his stars for getting him a terrible dancer!).Then, after when she thought that we were comfortable with Salsa, she got into teaching Jive. Oh lala! That’s tougher! WHY?? Because, it’s got only turns turns and more of turns. And there are inner turns and outer turns. And it’s the guys positioning of hands that would make the lady understand which side she had to! For a while I didn’t get the understanding, but yes, Sandyp got it right, just with one mistake. To make me understand he threw in force, so invariably I’ll know it’s an outer turn! But, when I had to switch the dance partner, it ended up right; just that, I ended up pulling him outside! He was not holding me strong enough! Ok, in a while I learnt how to dance with a normal person as well! In the end, not bad at all! I was swishing, though still lacking that grace, with pride! HURRAAHH!! And then, my dream song, I have to find out who’s the singer, which movie, the lyrics, ah! all of it. It’s just a fragment that always runs in my mind and goes like this “Stay with me, take my hand, move in….” Tulu says it comes in the movie “Dance with me”, let’s see! That song came and my heart leaped with joy. I danced for the song as well. Bliss in the form of dance!

I have 8/9 more sessions to go, and, needless to say, am super-excited! Maybe it’ll be Tango and Cha-Cha which will be next. And, after it all, I plan to ask Banderas, “Shall we Dance?”