Ballroom Dancing Week 4: Smooth Is Overrated

We missed our Ballroom Dancing Lesson, Week 3 last Tuesday due to the Lacrosse Banquet, so it was off to Week 4 last night. After having such a nice little pre-class review on Week 2 with our instructor’s assistant, we made sure to arrive on time for the review of what we missed last week, which was the Rumba.

Not this one:

It was the Rumba, not the Roomba. The Rumba is one of the Latin dances that actually works alot like the waltz, with its “slow-quick-quick” steps. We actually picked it right up in the first 15 minutes of the 30-minute review. It was really fun. We were feeling really good about our mad skillz with the Rumba (we were even able to quickly pick up the turn that she showed us!)…and then class began.

This week we learned the Foxtrot, which is one of the “Smooth Ballroom Dances”. Unlike the Latin dances, the Waltz and the Foxtrot do not use hips. Maybe that’s why I don’t like them: my hips will not be ignored. And they don’t lie.

The Foxtrot was very deceiving to us. In the first few minutes of learning that most music is “Foxtrot-able” because it’s 4 counts, and learning that the steps of the Foxtrot are the very simple “slow-slow-quick-quick”, we were high-fiving each other and definitely feeling that we were the Masters of the Foxtrot. Look how easy it is:

Then we had to start dancing and MOVING around the room. There were crushed feet, missed steps, embarrassed apologies, frustrated sighs, and annoyed glances.

I don’t know what everyone else was doing, but that sums us up.

Finally, after what seemed like an entire evening gone by, the hour was over. Because we will miss the last lesson next week for a reason I will share later (this is the lesson I knew we’d miss when we signed up), I signed us up for our free 30-minute private lesson. I wish we could do it with the instructor’s assistant because although the way she counts and starts us on the wrong beat is annoying, we learn better from her than the instructor/owner. I don’t know if we will learn the Tango during our private lesson (that’s what the group will learn next Tuesday), or if we’ll get our choice to go back and practice something else. I’ll let you know how it goes!

7 Comments

  • Melissa

    I don’t know what everyone else was doing, but that sums us up.

    LOL! Ok, that line was priceless!!

  • Andie

    The foxtrot was the first one we learned. I thought it was incredibly easy. Hubby couldn’t get it. LOL

  • Don Mills Diva

    We took ballroom dancing for quite a long time and prepared a bronze level Foxtrot routine. I personally love the cha-cha the best…

  • Michelle

    The dancing lessons definitely sound so fun. I’m completely stumped on what to get my husband for his birthday (our anniversary May 31, Father’s Day June 15, his birthday July 31), but maybe I’ll do dance lessons. Hmm…

    So with hips that can’t be ignored, have you ever tried belly dancing? It isn’t really a couples thing, but still!

  • Melisa

    Melissa: Definitely a rare moment for us! Seriously!

    Andie: Must be something in the testosterone. 🙂

    Momo: I was seriously going to ask if our private lesson could be with her! (But chickened out)

    Michelle: I’ve thought about belly dancing classes when my health clubs have offered them, but just can’t bring myself to let my hips get THAT loose. LOL