Monday July 14th, 2008: Disco Summer

"Disco Will Heal The World"

-Doriana Sanchez- 

 If you haven't been to Dance 101 on Thursday nights and now Saturdays late afternoon, you may want to rethink your schedule.  In it's fourth week, Disco Summer Nights has become a blockbuster class.  There is not a single thing missing in this class: great music, great choreography, major caloric burn (900 to 1000 per class), and a smile on your face for a solid hour.  Feeling a bit in the dumps last Saturday, I decided to throw my dance clothes back on at the end of my day and take Bubba's class.  For 60 minutes I was 20 again, my former disco queen self, moving my body in ways I never thought I would ever again.  I remembered steps I had forgotten that I'd forgotten from 30 years back when every Friday and Saturday night I'd be dancing on the speakers at the Limelight.  If you remember Limelight, you HAVE to take this class.  It was Atlanta's Studio 54 - at one time they had sharks swimming in a water tank underneath the glass dance floor.  It was the coolest place to be - and everybody was there.  Nobody lived in Atlanta in the late 70's without going to the Limelight. Nobody. Yes I am dating myself, but everybody already knows how old I am.  Disco was an era I was glad to have experienced as a young woman. And even gladder still to experience it again and STILL be able to move like I used to - if not better.  For an hour on Saturday I beat the clock and reclaimed a period in my life when things were simple, when every spare dollar I had was spent on a new 100% polyester halter dress with side slits or sequined tube top and stilleto pumps; all I needed was the $5 cover to get in and $1.75 for a cocktail and I was cooking.  My hair styled in a Farrah Fawcett do - I was one hot little chiquita.  It's amazing the power of music and how it can transport you to another time.  My mood lifted, I felt energized and a lot younger.  It just doesn't get any better than that.  Thank you Bubba for this amazing class.  

Sunday morning I rolled out of bed and into my dance clothes yet again; sprinted over to the studio just in time for Helen's yoga class at 10am.  I honestly must say I have never taken a yoga class like Helen's.  I felt like I was in a spiritual place - not in a dance studio and certainly not "exercising" - although that's exactly where I was and what I was doing.  In studio 2, the room is dark except for a half dozen candles burning, the music is soft and soothing and the sound of Helen's voice carried me through each stretch - it was surreal.  During the last 10 minutes, while laying in Sevasana, Helen read to us a passage she had written about new beginnings.  Guiding us across a bridge, up a mountain side and to a hot air balloon....  we boarded a glass elevator where the choices were one year, 5 years, 10 years.... and the opportunity to step off the elevator to look around to see what's there.  I cried!  I had heard amazing things about Helen's class, but in my own pre-conceived idea of what a yoga class is - of the yoga classes I used to take - I was not prepared for this experience.  The stretches were simple and not painful - doable.  And even though I was completely relaxed, my internal temperature was up and I was sweating.  Don't anybody try to reach me from 10 to 11:15am on Sundays.  I'm with Helen from now on.

Next week we debut a new class, and a new workshop AND a Master Class with Rhett George of The Color Purple. 

The new class is "Stylized" with Montez Cobb, a solid, traditional, straight up technical level 2/3 jazz class, 12:30-2pm on Saturdays.  We expect great things from this class.

The workshop is "The 2-4-8" for couples: 2 people, 4 genres, 8 classes: Swing, Waltz, Salsa and Tango.  Get your husband/boyfriend off the couch and into dance class!  This is Discover level, so no prior experience needed! Make Fridays your date night for the next 8 weeks.... 7:30-8:30pm with Cassandra Garcia.

Rhett George is a principal performer with the touring company of "The Color Purple" which will be at the Fabulous Fox Theater July 15th through August 3rd.  In his master class you will learn choreography from the show!  Not only is this a wonderful experience, but the fact that you've learned this choreography will add depth to the experience of watching it being performed on stage!!!  Take the master class, see the show!

Lot's of great things going on at Dance 101. Can't complain. Ofelia