Shall we dance?
I’ve recently become hooked to the show So You Think You Can Dance. I don’t really like reality-type shows all that much, with the exception of Bathroom Divas on Bravo. I was quite put off with dance after watching Dancing With the Stars — no offence to those who like that show — but believe me, So You Think You Can Danceis 1,000 times better! My favourite dancers on the show are: Katee, Joshua, Twitch and Kherington.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I am interested in learning how to dance; I need all the help I can get. I will be enrolling for classes next month — learning various dance genres — in an effort to stay in shape and yes, learn to move. I will trying out ballet, hip hop, jazz, salsa and whatever else suits my fancy. When I was a kid, I used to dream about being a dancer, but never really pursued it. I took tap during my early teen years, but stopped since the dance school had shut down.
I have always been enraptured with great dancers and dance movies. I have seen Saturday Night Fevertoo many times to remember, just to watch John Travolta strut his stuff, albeit to disco. I also love Flashdance, but was sort of disappointed when I heard that Jennifer Beal did not dance her famous dance audition scene. I’ve also loved the dance moves of Fred Astaire, Gregory Hines, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson and Madonna – I don’t know a lot of the new dancers, but will be keeping track of them now.
My father is a great dancer, so was my grandfather - he won many competitions as an amateur ballroom dancer, particularly in waltz and the foxtrot. My dad still jitterbugs to jive - a form of swing - and also ballroom. My parents used to try to get me to dance, but I just never had the moves. Well, I am going to try this time! My mum is a good dancer as well, so I hope some of their swinging hips rub off on me.
So, looking to take dance class, check out these links below:
www.torontodance.com
www.torontodance.ca
www.torontodancesalsa.ca
www.schooloftdt.org
www.dance-classes.ca
www.afrolatinodc.com
www.shawnbyfield.com
www.rhythmandmotion.ca
www.masmambo.com
www.discoverbellydance.com/about.htm
www.arabesquedance.ca
www.arteflamenco.com/about.shtml
www.streetdanceacademy.com
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Anyway, just thought I would add this tidbit as well. A Montreal-raised woman who was at the John Lennon-Yoko Ono “bed-in for peace” received $840,000 (Cdn.) last Friday, for handwritten lyrics to Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance. The auction was held at Christie’s in London, England.
Gail Renard, who was 16-years-old at the time, had obtained the memento from Lennon himself during the peace demonstration at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel in May 1969. She had sneaked into the room with her classmate by the fire escape, under the nose of a security guard. Lennon jotted down the lyrics on a piece on cardboard with a black marker and then recorded the tune during the eight-day demonstration for peace.
Although, I wouldn’t have sold such a memento, I can understand why she did. Something like that should belong in a museum or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Beatles will never lose their grip on the music scene - their influence in music and history still resonates today.
If you’re ever in NYC, stop by Strawberry Fields in Central Park - where a tribute to Lennon exists every day. The site is adorned with roses, fans strumming guitars and singing, meditating, etc. Too bad Café la Fortuna, the coffee place that Lennon-Ono used to frequent, near their Dakota home closed this year - it was a great place to hang out and feel the Lennon vibe. I had the chance to have cheesecake and a root-beer float there two years ago — and even though I was too busy inhaling them, I did feel the vibe.