A number of years ago the dancing partners in the video above showed up at my yoga center. Eugene Katsevman and Maria Manusova are a stunning sight to behold when they are dancing. Eugene was having trouble with his back and was interested in my walking and yoga teaching. I knew he was a dancer and that he taught competitive dancing so at some point I mentioned that my wife and I would be interested in taking dancing lessons. He told me that he taught professionals and let it go at that.
But a couple of weeks later he offered to teach us—unbeknownst to him I had never set foot anywhere near a dance floor. It was clear from my yoga practice that I was strong and had some tricks under my belt but the first time he said “okay on two”, I had no idea what he was talking about. I really had no clue how to hear let alone keep a beat. Sad but true. I have a story from the third grade when they told me I was tone deaf and ruined whatever aspirations of musicianship I had but I won’t go into it. Or the story of Mr. Feinman who told me I shouldn’t try to draw because I had a hard time grasping perspective in the fourth grade. What, me bitter?
Anyway, Eugene was the nicest man, unbelievably gracious and generous with his time and teaching. And after six months I still couldn’t dance but I looked less oafish than when I began, though not by much. His patience was impressive. We eventually stopped dancing when my wife was about seven months pregnant with our second child and I miss it still.
I was terrible but we had so much fun. We could be arguing in the car as we parked but we would leave in love. It was really great stuff. I highly recommend it to couples and to anyone who wants to learn to move. We did Latin dance which is five dances for which I sadly remember none of the steps, but any type of dance would do when it comes to getting the body going.
All dance is about the core, and moving through center, and staying solid and strong. I know I can’t dance but it didn’t matter to me that I would never look like Eugene on the dance floor; I had way too much fun to care.
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