Leaving my comfort zone
By Staff
Kim West
Humor columnist Dave Barry wrote, "Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance."
I hope that's really true because dancing is completely outside of my comfort zone, and I'm about to give ballroom dancing a whirl this spring after local dance instructor Brenda Morissette offered me the chance to take beginner lessons and then write about the experience.
It's going to be a challenge to squeeze the lessons and practice time in with my work and school schedule, but I'm going to do my best. I thought the hardest part would be convincing my friend Brian to be my dance partner, but he agreed right away so I had no excuse to pass on the opportunity to embarrass myself in front of a dozen or so couples for about an hour each week.
I think to dance well a person should have grace, light feet and rhythm. But all I can offer to this particular activity is that I hate giving up and I'm a fan of "Dancing with the Stars."
I'm one of those people you hold your breath for when they bound down stairs, and I would rather run a 5K then attempt to dance sober in front of people.
For several years Mrs. Morissette taught ballroom dancing at a local high school after classes let out to prepare the students for their prom, and she would be interested in doing this again if any of the local schools are interested.
In my high school P.E. class, we played a lot of whiffle ball and pickup basketball, but I think it would have been much more useful if the school had offered dance lessons as part of the curriculum or provided an affordable way for students to take lessons after school.
I'm hoping the benefits of dancing – exercise, camaraderie and learning a useful life skill – will outweigh the cons – testing my friendship with a naturally good dancer who will have to put up with my two left feet, dealing with the frustration of doing something completely foreign and trying to resist the temptation to flee when the music strikes up.
I think dancing is something that's hard to enjoy if you don't feel comfortable, and it's difficult to enjoy it if you've never acquired the basic steps or patterns. My younger sister is getting married in June, so that should give me enough time to learn some rhythm, or least learn how to dance a basic waltz the correct way.
