Dance
I began dancing ballet when I was about 5 years old, right outside the town of Sonoma, where I grew up. I must have caught the bug, because I continued to dance ballet through high school.
I always loved it. I loved the practice, the art, my teachers, and the performances. We had at least 2 performances a year, always one at the Sebastiani Theater. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it, and you can learn more about the theater itself here.
Elementary through middle school we even got to perform annually at the Oakland Nutcracker at The Fox Theatre. I still remember the routine by heart, and of course can hum and/or sing to majority of the Nutcracker songs. They’re true comfort to me.
In the Oakland Nutcracker, we were the Bonbons as a visiting dance company for 1 or 2 weekends. And even though one might assume that dance routine is simple, for the Oakland Nutcracker, it definitely was not. That being said, it was a huge highlight for me during the holiday season.
In high school, I continued on – with pointe shoes. I alternated ballet days with horse days after school, and danced ballet until I left for undergraduate school at Pitzer College in 2007.
I didn’t expect to, but continued dancing in college. This time it was the equivalent to an elective, and I took modern dance and Afro-fusion classes. Very different from ballet, but I absolutely loved them. I didn’t perform at Pitzer, but loved the classes and learning the different styles of dance.
The dance bug never left, because even though I essentially stopped dancing for 11 years, a few months after after my brain surgery, I started dancing again.
My therapist recommended a local studio here in Oakland, Hipline where I could take classes in studio, or virtually. I’m absolutely hooked. The classes are fun, wild, sexy, inclusive, and for anyone who identifies as a woman (pronouns can be she/he/they). Did I mention the amazing teachers and music?! And there’s a TON of classes – different types & styles every day. I currently take a class about once a week and am still finding my favorite classes and teachers. So far I haven’t gone wrong though. 🙃
And I can feel my strength building! Classes are either 45 minutes or 1 hour. Initially, I would only be able to get through about 15-20 minutes before needing to lay down or take a break (also encouraged as needed at Hipline). Today however, about 3 months into taking classes, I did the entire 45 minute class and loved every minute of it!
So thank you Hipline for helping to build my physical strength, bringing back my groove & grace, and putting my neurocognition back together. Turns out combining dance moves not only takes physical strength and coordination, but brain power too!
Next stop/step: taking one of their dance classes that incorporates weights!
xx ❣️
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