Yesterday was probably the coldest day we’ve had to date this winter… the predicted wind chills in the morning were below -20! But the cold temps made for clear night skies, allowing for a great view of the lunar eclipse… I wanted to stay home just to watch (and stay warm), but I trekked across town to dance class anyway…
Last night’s belly dance class was taught by the wonderful local dancer Geminia. Geminia has been on the scene for 30+ years and is a wonderful source for tips and stories… She’s tons of fun, but also believes in pushing people outside their comfort zone. She did this to me last night (and because she also picked on ML and I played along, ML was not about to watch my back!) We’ve been practicing with zils (the little finger cymbals) the past couple of sessions. Now, I own several pairs of zils (mostly cause I tend to lose them), but as practicing is not my strong suite, I’ve never quite gotten comfortable with them. Most teachers would give you a few pointers and let you go on your merry way, but Geminia not only refused to let me off the hook, she made me trade zils with her to prove that my problem wasn’t my set of cymbals, but the fact that I was totally not trying to play them right. Grrr…it was more than a little embarrassing, but I know that it was for my own good. Ugh. I guess I will start practicing on my own more… I really would like to get better, but playing zils involves being loud and being loud makes people look at you! I’ll get over it… J Geminia is hard not to like. You don’t want to like her – she’s outspoken and brutally honest, but what’s really frustrating is that she’s usually right! I don’t agree with all her opinions, but I respect her experience and wisdom. And she’s one hell of a dancer!
At the beginning of the Jr. League year, the Leadership Academy class spent an afternoon writing out our goals for our Best Year Yet. One of my goals was to work on 5 new solos, so that I’d have a few to pull out when needed. I guess I’ll amend that I include one solo with zils…while I feel that it’s still beyond my abilities, I know that I need to push myself to grow as a dancer. Argh…so much easier said than done!
