Poshdeluxe

missy elliot: shake yr pom pom

as you guys may recall, i was a *tad* bit excited about the EXTREME dancing i witnessed in the masterpiece known as “step up 2: the streets.” in fact, i was SO inspired that i made erica g. watch it, and then one night, over a bottle of wine, we had a conversation that went something like this:

* * *

erica: so i finally saw “step up 2″!

sarah (waving her arms frantically): OMGGG WHAT DID YOU THINK? WASN’T IT AMAZING?!!!!

erica (waving her arms frantically): IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! I TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!!!

sarah (face flushing with excitement): like, can you believe people can MOVE THAT WAY?!! I CANNOT HANDLE THAT.

erica: no, i can’t. it was amazing. and that lead guy?

sarah: SOOO HOT. GAH. dude, i wish we could dance like that, you know?

erica: yeah then we could form our own team and do street battles! in the rain!

sarah: YES. we would so keep it real. hmm. maybe we should take a hip hop dance class? like, to really learn some moves!

erica: i would sooo do that.

sarah: SERIOUSLY. let’s look up dance classes and see what’s going on! RIGHT NOW!

* * *

now, usually this type of conversation falls under the category of “ideas that seem great late at night, after a bottle of wine, that will quietly fade away with the rise of the morning sun.” topics in this category include “WE TOTALLY HAVE TO DRIVE TO DOLLYLAND! THIS WEEKEND!” and “you know, it would be really easy to make our own art car.”

but there is something about the Spirit of the Dance that lingered with erica and me. whether it was the allure of the streets, the hotness of the lead dancer guy or the rain-soaked finale, we suddenly felt *committed* to this idea.

especially cos we found an intro to hip hop class at the DANCE ZONE.

first of all, it’s called the dance zone.

second, it’s located on the first floor of a UT dorm.

third, just look at the website. seriously. look.

fourth, here is the description of this class:

Wanna dance like Usher and Ciara but can’t figure out how? Learn how to isolate, roll and gyrate! Start with basics & finish with a combination that will bring out your inner Hip-hopper.

IT WAS PERFECT!!!!!!! isolate! roll! gyrate! YES! my inner hip-hopper was doing headspins at the mere thought of it all.

so, yesterday, erica and i met up in front of THE DANCE ZONE for our v. first class.

and yeah, um, we were pretty nervous. even though i’m a five year veteran of jazzercise, i haven’t taken a dance class since i was four. and back then, the pinnacle of my career was sashaying my hips to “the good ship lollipop” (ya’ll, my sailor costume was KILLER). so i was pretty worried, and erica felt the same away.

our instructor didn’t do much to assuage our fears, cos girlfriend is FIERCE. gorgeous face, shaved head, professional street dancer shoes… i was in awe. in fact, i’m *pretty* sure she grew up break dancing in the subways of new york, even though she was wearing a “mcallum high school student council” shirt.

fortunately, by the time class started, a lot of other people had arrived, and they all looked pretty normal, i.e. not from the streets.

we started class with some warm-ups and then did this thing where we had to strut across the floor, three at at time, and just “do our own thing.” i have never felt so white in my entire life. this exercise was followed by a few moves that our instructor, k.d., assured us would be v. necessary “in a battle.”

you guys. this class is totally preparing erica and me for REAL DANCE BATTLES. ON THE  STREETS.

unfortunately, i only got down half of the battle moves before i had to “take on” erica (we got to pick our own partners, thank you sweet fancy moses). she totally beat me, which in the real world would mean the loss of my street cred and the derision of all of my (former) homegirls.

THEN… we learned a break dancing move. you guys. i have DREAMED of learning how to break dance ever since i was a kid and saw “breakin’ 2.” and now, finally, IT WAS BECOMING A REALITY.

well, kind of. the move is supposed to look like this:

but, uh… the floor is hard and it scares me! so i could never really get my legs up, but erica did. i think erica secretly spent a year on the streets without telling me.

the class then moved on to the choreography of a dance we’re going to learn over the course of the month. i actually don’t know the name of the song we’re dancing to, but i’ve heard it before… something about wind. and a backstroke.

hey i just googled those words and found the song!! THANK YOU INTERNET. it’s called “backstroke” and it’s performed by teedra moses.

erica and i got really excited about the prospect of learning a dance for an ENTIRE SONG. i mean, trying to learn n’sync moves from videos is one thing, but having Her Fierceness teach us all of the moves, step by step? OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME. esp. cos i’m pretty sure we could do this dance to basically any hip hop song, which means there are gonna be a LOT of dance solos at the beauty bar this summer. FYI.

so we signed up for the rest of the month! and at the end of the month, we’re gonna perform our dance! and maybe even have it video recorded! so i can put it on this blog and feel really, really embarrassed!

but yeah, i’m pretty excited. and also, i’m proud of erica and me, for pursuing our dream with no reservation, in spite of potential embarrassment, white people genes, broken wrists, lack of arm muscle… just, you know, the obstacles of the streets.

my only hope is that we don’t turn out like this:

LINKS

erin sent me this link of, seriously, the CUTEST KITTEN I HAVE EVER SEEN IN THIS LIFETIME OMGGG.

whoah. fish with human faces? as if henri didn’t have enough to worry about.

dude, kanye has been posting all kinds of CRAZY info about his upcoming tour… I CANNOT WAIT. thank goodness i’m taking this hip hop class so i can represent at his show.