On not dorking it up

Tuesday night in dance class, we reached a point in the Pharonic choreography where our teacher She'nez had the class members form groups of four. We all milled around for a moment, and I realized I was in a foursome with a former troupe member and two current troupe members! Eeep! My first reaction was "oh shit, I'm in over my head here; I've seen these three gals dance ::gulp::." So okay, time to step up my game, so to speak. I'm not going to be the one dorking things up, even though no one's grading us, no one's paying any attention to us (well, except for She'nez) because they're all trying to get their own act together. 

And I did. I did not embarrass myself. I focused, I concentrated, and I really worked on "getting it." Maybe my step-step-step camels with helicopter arms weren't as polished as Sabeen's & Mazneen's ::shrug::, but they've both been dancing a hell of a lot longer than I.  I couldn't really see Hadara because she was mostly behind me, but I think she's of Middle Eastern descent anyway (she looks maybe Iranian) and I know she's been bellydancing for years. Me, I've been taking bellydance classes twice a week for a mere year and a half, and essentially no dance background for the five decades before that. I don't count those college P.E. classes; they were just the least painful way to get through that requirement!

I did refuse to be the front of our line even though I was the shortest one, though. The front person had to drop down to a deep knee bend during part of the choreography, and I just flat said my knees won't take it, which is true. Those poor knees are twice as old, or at least close, than theirs, and they've a bit of wear & tear on them needless to say. I stayed back where I could stay upright and did my part in the ripples almost always at the right time, and if I wasn't perfect I was good enough.

It was a good dance night.