Second day of classes, first day of African Dance.

(African Dance? Example here,
minus the getting thrown into the air.)

I really had no idea of what the class “African Dance” would entail. I had seen the African Dance performance at one of the Dance Program’s spring showcases and thought it AMAZING — the energy, the music, the movements! I thought it would be something completely outside of my comfort zone, which is why I decided to take it during my last semester at UW–Madison.

The women in the class have to wear wraps around their hips/pelvis,
as a sign of respect. This is the fabric I got at Goodwill today
(actually a ginormous skirt) to make into a DIY wrap.

And guess what? It is completely outside of my comfort zone! I have only taken two dance classes here at Madison, Ballroom I & II. I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing the first day of class (today), so I decided not to worry about my attire (jeans and a shirt). Wrong choice. We danced the entire period, and let me tell you — it was quite a workout. I’m not one to exercise much or regularly, so any high-energy activity is quite a workout, but the whole class was sweating (”glowing”) and rosey-cheeked along with me. The studio also smelled like a hockey locker room, faintly.

I’m not a dancer, so my coordination and rhythm have a ways to go. The class sounds like a lot of work for one credit (projects, performances, readings, outside events, journals), but it all seems like a good time. I love the music — the real drums, the musicians being at the center of the event. I know I am not good at all (yet), but I also noticed that much of the class wasn’t either. So at least there’s that. At one point, the professor split the class down the middle and had each side dance facing the other. It was very freeing to dance with/against/facing the others. It made me realize that many people are in the same boat (the what-did-I-get-myself-into boat) and that the skill/experience level of everyone varied greatly. We were told that the tempo we danced to today was slow, even though it felt crazy fast, and that we will get used to it as the semester goes on. I believe it and can’t wait to see my improvement over the semester.

All I know for sure is that my back is sore and those squats really got me.

Tags: African dance, dance

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