Thursday 28 October 2010

Day 4. "you did well for your first time"

So this is supposed to be my biggest day of dance. The climax of it all. Also…… the day I get to tap.
I was going to do back to back tap because my brochure said there were 2 level 2 tap classes (but I was told that the teacher tends to bring the level up to a 2/3. As it turns out the brochure lied and there was actually a level 1 followed by a level 2. I was going to go and do both classes anyway because I would like to do tap as much as possible but I didn't. Not through lack of trying either. I was just running late to begin with and then I had to meet up with Stace to give her her apartment key. When all is said and done I would have been about 15 minutes late for class. I'd rather not be a huge disturbance and I will still get to do the class I want to.
So I go to tap class now. and Sarah has decided to join me, which is nice because I have been in every class without anyone I know so it's just nice to have someone else around. It's tap class now, it's hard for me to describe just how anxious I am for this class. I'm mostly excited because I haven't been in a tap class as the student for sooo long but part of me is nervous because what if his style is different than my mine and he uses a different vocabulary? I have every hope that this Tap class is going to be the climax of my trip. So I do the class and instantly I'm intimidated as the teacher does a "warm-up" that is crazy fast and he doesn't really explain. Just starts tapping fast and expects you to catch on…. yikes. The strange thing is that I was able to. When hearing it and watching it I was able to pick up what was happening and proceed to do it. He used my language using riffs and scuffles… I was home. We do a combo that moves fast but is ridiculously fun. The teacher throughout the class gives me a few pointers here and there as well as the other guy in class. I think he is favoring us. I'm not complaining, I'm here to tap. After we do the combo once the teacher tells me that my tapping was good throughout the entire combo. He didn't say it too loud and was relatively close to me when he said it but for me that put the metaphorical cherry on top. When class ended I had to thank him for class and just talk to this guy. He's super friendly and this class was awesome, everything I wanted and more. It should be mentioned that the teacher is like 60 years old and amazing, I was told he was a big time dancer in LA back in the day.
Off to contemporary jazz. Even though it's contemporary I figure I should make the most of my experience again and its better to work on my weaknesses then only ever work on my strengths. We get this super cool bit of choreography where we are supposed to be swans, but not pretty swans, more like distorted swans. This should be right up my ally but again, I'm just not feeling it. The song is fairly good and the choreography is sweet but I'm just not feeling it. I just can't get into the combo. I do the class and that's that. As I write this I look at the word contemporary and I think for me it is appropriate as I break the word up as 'contempt temporarily'. You can't win 'em all.
Then it is hip hop 2/3 with a short dude named Jerome. I call him the short dude Jerome because that is what was told to me when I was asking another KDA'er about her brief harbour experience. This class has one of the SYTYCD canada kids in it. I thought he was a douche on the show and seeing him in class proved that 10 fold as towards the end he looked at himself in the mirror and hand combed his eyebrows. The choreography is most like Cat's style of hip hop. It's pretty hard hitting and aggressive. This combo is really fast but uber fun. I thank short Jerome at the end of class and he tells me that he hasn't seen me here. I explain I'm only here temporarily (without contempt for hip hop). He said I did well for my first time in his class. I felt I did well. one more class today though.
I actually have an hour in between classes so I just find a spot to sit and read. The thought crosses my mind to go buy some harbour merch as the front desk isn't busy right now. I tell myself not today, I know I will buy some stuff, but not today. I decide I will buy any and all harbour clothes at the end of my trip…. when I've earned it, when it's all done. The clothes will be my material proof of this trip and scholarship. The sweat pants I will buy will be my trophy. It's kind of laughable to think of sweat pants as a trophy but it is what they will be for me. Anyways, one more class.
House. This is another open level class, and this one wasn't taught by the usual teacher. the guy teaching us today apparently doesn't have a house class of his own. I could tell his teaching skills were just a bit rusty. he did fine though. I found the class moved slow. It was probably just as fast (or slow) moving as locking but I think because I expect house to be fast and because I have done house classes before that I found it a bit slow. once we were doing the choreography with music it was fun because the music was considerably faster then how it was being counted without music. Learned a few things. Another good day but my body is starting to ask for a stoppage in play.
In the first day or 2 I was bewildered and living on the high that was the trip. By about day 3 the body was slowing down but the mind was able to will it onwards. Now, at the end of day 4, the body is starting to win the argument. Because classes ended earlier today then other days I have some time to do more than flop on a couch. Part of me wants to go out and experience some vancouver night life, but then I remember that I'm here alone and that I'm exhausted. Stacey and I order pizza, buy some beer, and watch the oilers (get eaten alive by the sharks.) Bed time.

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