By stlake
Before I get into this post, I want to apologize for the amount of typos in last week’s post. I was so excited to tell y’all about my Barcelona adventures, I did not proofread as much as I normally do. I also want to correct one of my extremely witty pop culture references; the quote “the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain” is from My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn not Funny Girl with Barbara Streisand. Got two of my favorite divas mixed up, my sincerest apologized. Now onto this week’s post involving another one of celeb idols.
As many of you reading my blog know, I have been dancing my whole life. I did not think I would continue through college, but I have now started to study it through an academic and performance lens, and I couldn’t be happier. However, when looking for study abroad programs, I did not look for a program with dance. I thought I could use a semester off and did not think I would miss it as much as I do. But, I do feel like a part of my day is missing because I’m so used to rushing from class, work and rehearsal. Yes, I know jam packing my schedule is not sticking with my new “go with the flow” mindset, but something’s got to give. So when my friend Audrey found a dance class at a local gym, I jumped at the opportunity to join her. But hey, that was a YOLO moment right? So I am kind of sticking to my new mindset-cut me some slack ok?
Back to my story. Running late, I rush into the studio and see Audrey surrounded by a group of teenage girls wearing regular street clothes. I was wearing sneakers, leggings and my trusty Beyoncé concert t-shirt; ready to bust a move. They looked me up and down (something I have gotten so used to here in Spain, but that’s another blog post.) and the teacher laughs and asks me if I was ready for another class. At this point, Audrey and I are nervously laughing, wondering what to expect. The teacher then says he normally teaches “Dancehall hip hop”. The combination we learned was to “Shell it down” by T.O.K; I definitely recommend it for a prime dance party. So needless to say, there was a lot of poppin, lockin and twerkin. The girls in the class were so nice and we had a great time. Then at the end of class, after admiring my t-shirt, one of the girls ask me if I wanted to see a dance they learned a few weeks ago to a Beyoncé song. Of course, I was thrilled to see their combination to “Upgrade You” and wished that was the class I went to. Our mutual love for Queen B led us to having a conversation about what to do around Alicante and more information about their dance company.
The class wasn’t particularly challenging or unique. So at first, I couldn’t quite understand why it made me so happy. And then it dawned on me; during a week where I was feeling a little bit of homesickness and FOMO (fear of missing out), it was extremely comforting to realize that many things are universal. Dance is a language in and of itself. I could understand exactly what the teacher meant even though I did not understand all the Spanish vocabulary. Although I don’t think I will attend the class again, it did get me back in a dance state of mind. Now I am on the hunt for a challenging modern dance class either at the university or at another studio in Alicante.
Until next time, peace, love and Beyoncé.