SHAKE. DANCE. ZUMBA.
Last night at 8:23pm I was on the dance floor. There were about 20 of us with one brave guy in the front row. We were all shakin' our hips. Some shook like they were Rihanna's backup dancers, some pretended they were Rihanna's backup dancers and some just jiggled. I was somewhere between a wiggle and a shake. We were following our instructor Dawn, with her aqua sports bra and matching feather in her hair. She even had one pant leg rolled halfway up her calf. I looked around to make sure we weren't being filmed for her debut on Americas Got Talent. They call it Zumba. Dance with a Latin twist. The exercise class has gotten lots of press lately, even Kathie Lee and Hoda Zumba'd on national television in Rockefeller Plaza. So last night, I left my self-conscious at the door and to the back of the room I went. My cousin took a place next to me, she was a first-timer too. We looked at each other as the music began, shrugged our shoulders, gave a little high-five, shared a quiet burst of laughter and began our 60 minutes of groove. I looked in the mirror at myself and I looked ridiculous. But, not half bad either. After a day that was heading south quickly, something changed when the music started. My day ended as though I had just come in from dancing all night - I was sweaty and full of happy energy. I am going to go every week. You should go. Bring a friend. Don't worry about what you look like because you look pretty darn good to everyone else who is just looking at themselves anyway. Happy shakin'!Note: they recommend you wear something else other than a running sneaker because the treads get stuck on the gym floor (I can attest). So perhaps Tretorns or a tennis sneaker, unless you have a pair of dance shoes in the closet?
