I'd crack the whip and burn down this house of cards

[clevermanka]

Check out this amazing necklace.

Click the image to go to the Etsy store

msmitti and I went to our first West Coast Swing class last night. It was...okay.

This dance's basic footwork is more involved than anything else I've done before. I'm having a hard time not shifting into a rock step halfway through the footwork, and I have a difficult time remembering to step forward on the last count of the first triple step. Neither of these are things I do in basic swing, which I've been dancing for, um...fifteen years? Muscle memory is tough to overcome. I'm also not getting a feel for when to let go of the follow's hand. Intellectually, I know it happens on the four count, but I don't feel it, and I'm concentrating so hard on footwork I forget to let go. It'll come. I hope. It's just difficult right now.

There's also the little matter of the fact that the teacher is kind of a sexist dork. I'm fine with ballroom dance teachers referring to leads as guys and followers as girls (or ladies). When someone is trying to get across a lot of information in a short amount of time, I'm not going to get upset from being grouped with "guys" as someone who is learning to lead. I was more than a little peeved at his repeated statements that leading is tough, and he would be happy to let me take the follow position if I decided I couldn't handle learning lead. Jerk. I wanted to ask him if he ever offered that to any of the men who came for his classes, but I didn't get the opportunity. Also, he has a tendency to be chatty and I'm like YOU ARE EATING INTO MY PAID CLASS TIME ASSHOLE.

I want to find a way to incorporate occasional practices with msmitti outside of the class time. Scheduling, though. Tricky.

For the record, I finished everything on my to-do list for Saturday at some point this weekend, with the exception of the wardrobe switch. Because this week's temperatures. Really? Low eighties? I won't even need to pull out long socks until Thursday. Crazy. And a little annoying. I'm ready for boots-and-jackets weather.



ms_danson posted this song over the weekend and damn it's pretty awesome. I think this chick would make an amazing double-bill with The Late Night Callers.

Comments

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

I think once you get a feel for the lead's footwork, the hand stuff will come better. Since I am working less hard on the feet (nothing to overcome here!), I feel the hand thing a little better. I couldn't even tell you what count, it is when we push back (during the "sugarpush"--a word I kind of like if dorky, chatty teacher weren't saying it). I was also annoyed with the level of chat, particularly since I didn't find it very engaging.

Maybe I need a dance icon. hmmm. I shall think on this.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I've heard the term Sugar Push before (some friends of mine (http://www.reverbnation.com/therhythmbusters) titled their album that), but I never knew it was a term for a dance step!

If the chatting continues past the third week (when, I assume, we'll really start being able to dance), I'm going to say something. We could have squeezed in two more practice songs if he hadn't been flapping his gums.

[tessagratton.livejournal.com]

Sexy! Song! Is! Sexy!

Boo to that misogynistic instructor. I look forward to the story of your eventual ripping into him.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I look forward to the story of your eventual ripping into him.

Ha! I hope I don't have to, but I think I probably will.

PEOPLE. WHAT THE FUCK.

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

I'm also looking forward to it, even though I don't blame you for hoping he sorts himself out!

Ohhhh, those EYES! *fans self*

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

That necklace is pretty amazing!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I love it! And they're pretty cheap. I would consider ordering it, but where in the world would I wear that?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

TO WORK. DUH.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Good point.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

Boy, the comments he made about letting you take the follow position is REALLY offensive. I would have been pretty pissed off.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I was annoyed, but unsurprised. Ballroom dancing culture isn't terribly progressive.

[shrijani.livejournal.com]

I love that necklace!!!

Paid instructors and paid practitioners should not waste any paid time at all. It makes me go from zero to rage.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

If I thought I'd wear it, I would so buy it.

And yeah, really annoying. He's got two more classes and then I'm calling him on it. I don't care if it's a ridiculously cheap class. It's still wasting a small amount of money and my time.