The James Taylor thread made me realize, Mary Anna and I have never posted that we are taking ballroom dancing lessons. Three times a week! (Most weeks.)

In December 2018, Mary Anna told me that she wanted to take dance lessons as her birthday present. So, dutiful husband that I am (!), we signed up immediately.

And we've both been enjoying it, a lot. The bonus is that it's good exercise.

So far, we can do single swing, double swing, triple swing, cha cha, hustle, two step, rumba, waltz (I'm pushing for Viennese waltz), foxtrot, slow style, hustle, and a little bit of tango. We're even past the very basic patterns on most of that.

We haven't danced in public yet, but we have a wedding coming up ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDXUKYzxDyQ

You forgot to mention that our sweet young teacher recently said that we were no longer beginners. We are intermediates, an exalted sphere that I suppose we will inhabit for the rest of our natural lives.

It's really a lot of fun, and it's a form of exercise that I actually look forward to doing. There aren't many of those.

When I asked for the birthday lesson, I thought we'd do the three-lesson beginner package and that would be the end of it. I'm very happy that it turned out to be something that we both enjoyed.

Funny that the last time I took ballroom dancing lessons was also because the wife wanted them, and there was also a relative’s wedding coming up.

Of course said relative’s wedding ended up hiring a DJ who played only pop rock and dance mixes totally unsuitable for ballroom dancing.

I'm so jealous!

and...

quote:

You forgot to mention that our sweet young teacher recently said that we were no longer beginners. We are intermediates, an exalted sphere that I suppose we will inhabit for the rest of our natural lives.

How wonderful!!!

Ok, I need to ask the really important questions here: MA, what do you wear when you go to lessons? A skirt or slacks? What kind of shoes to you wear?

Have you found a group that has dance parties?
My parents would drive for two hours and sometimes more. Their group would meet at different places for dances.
Mary Anna will have to expand her wardrobe.

I have tried to talk My Favorite Redhead into this because it would be great exercise and fun to boot. She steadfastly refuses.

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:

quote:

You forgot to mention that our sweet young teacher recently said that we were no longer beginners. We are intermediates, an exalted sphere that I suppose we will inhabit for the rest of our natural lives.

How wonderful!!!

Ok, I need to ask the really important questions here: MA, what do you wear when you go to lessons? A skirt or slacks? What kind of shoes to you wear?

I don't wear anything special, usually jeans and a sleeveless top. Every now and then, I'll wear a dress and leggings, but I don't really have a comfortable dress that screams, "Dance in me!"

I did buy dance shoes. My main physical limitation is a bit of arthritis in my feet. For the first few lessons, I wore dress heels and my feet would hurt for a week. I would never be able to do three lessons a week in those.

My first pair was what they call "character shoes," mid-height heels and closed toes with a Mary Jane strap and leather soles. They work fine, but they're still a little hard on my feet after an hour.

Recently, I bought shoes meant for ballroom dancing, lace-up shoes with slightly lower heels and some much appreciated padding. The soles are felt, but I honestly don't notice a lot of difference.