Anyone who follows me on Facebook as probably seen me post a comment or two about taking Ballroom Dancing classes through the Dublin Recreation Center. I decided to post this to my blog to give a little insight in to how this came about, how it's going and to give a little advertisement to the class.
My interest in learning a little bit about ballroom dancing really started a while back. I was never something I ever really thought about seriously, just more of a "gee, it'd be fun to learn how to do that" sort of thing. But I've got a friend who I work with that kind of inspired me to take the next step. A girl that I work with makes a point of seeking out and taking interesting classes and always trying out new and different experiences. So when I saw that the Dublin Recreation Center offered a Ballroom Dancing Class at a pretty reasonable rate, I decided to give it a try.
Fortunately for me, the first time through, that same friend agreed to take the classes with me. So, although I was outside my comfort zone, having someone taking the class with me who I was comfortable with made it a bit easier. I will be honest and say that, had she not joined me for the class I might not have taken that first step, or wouldn't have continued after that. What probably helped me though, was that my friend (we'll call her "Caitlynn"....well, that's because her name is Caitlynn) had to miss a couple of the classes. Because of that, I was paired up with the instructor for those couple of classes. Gaining a little bit of a comfort level with the instructor ending up working out well for me, as it gave me the courage to go ahead and sign up again without being accompanied by Caitlynn and knowing that I would either be doing a lot of dancing with the instructor, or possibly be paired up with someone I don't know if another student signed up as a single instead of part of a couple.
I've really come to enjoy the classes...I must, because I just started my third round of the beginner's class and as well as my first round through the intermediate class. Some of what I've been learning is what I thought I'd be learning, and some of what I'm learning is nothing like I thought it would be. The dancing will definitely have you breaking a sweat. I may never use any of what I learn outside of the class, but that's ok.
I'm having fun. I really look forward to the classes on Thursday evenings.
I'm meeting new people. Dancing is obviously a social event. I probably won't become life long friends with anyone I meet in these classes, but it's always good to get out and socialize.
I'm exercising. Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love running. Running is a big part of my life. But it's been great finding another physical activity that I like as much as I like running.
One of my former high school classmates and a facebook friend mentioned to me that she and her husband had tried taking ballroom dancing, but got disenchanted because the instructor was too critical. I will say that the instructor for this class (Emily Mertens) is not that way. While she is working to teach the right way to dance, she also works to make sure the classes are fun and social.
As I said, I may never use any of what I learn outside of the classes. But I'm having fun and enjoying myself..
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