On the street

You can dance if you want to

When I was a little girl – and well into my early high school years – I was one of those girls who spent two nights a week and most Saturdays taking dance lessons. Not practical dance, like ballroom or jazz or country or Latin or anything I could use now, but the classes that taught you one routine to one song per costume. If you were in an advanced class you got to learn two or three routines (and your parents got to purchase two or three insanely expensive costumes because heaven forbid you wear the same one for multiple routines).

I still remember some of the movements to our routine to “Funkytown,” and the costume. Rather than donning the traditional spandex/glitter/frills costumes, this one was simple: a pair of disco jeans, a plain bright-colored t-shirt with rainbow suspenders and our names spelled out in rainbow iron-on letters that you could get at one of those shops in the mall.

Now, more than 25 years later, I can’t ballroom dance, I don’t know the paso doble and if it weren’t for the directions to the cha-cha slide being sung for that dance, I probably couldn’t do that, either. I did take line dancing lessons once upon a time, but unless the club is playing “Achy Breaky Heart” I’m out of luck there, too. I’m more the “hear the music and get up and move somehow” kind of dancer.

So it goes without saying that I am impressed both by and with people who dance for a living, or for a very fun hobby. To those who take the time to learn a dance – like swing – and actually put it to practical use, I tip my hat in admiration. (Actually I look horrid in hats, but you get the idea.)

Whether we can give full credit to “Dancing with the Stars” or not, a dance craze has definitely been sweeping the nation. I find I know more and more people – adults – who are taking or have taken dance lessons, anything from country and jazz to ballroom and Latin. Watching celebrities give it their all has really inspired a lot of people to learn, and has spawned some spin-offs such as the “Ballroom with the Cedar Rapids Celebrities” competition next weekend at the Cedar Rapids Marriott.

I have to admit I’m a little envious of all the moves they’re learning. Maybe that will inspire me to finally take some lessons.

Or maybe I’ll just keep moving on my own.

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