Gotta Dance!

By Sheryl Kraft

Do you like to dance? If you do, when is the last time you danced?

Dance was a childhood passion that came to a pause long ago. As a young child, I was passionate about ballet dancing. The more lessons I took, the more I loved it and the more I excelled until my local teacher, Judy, recommended that I pursue more serious dancing at a more serious-type dance studio in New York City.

I guess I was that good. That’s not to say I had the chops to become a professional dancer; though I suppose I’ll never know, will I? That’s kind of where my ballerina dreams ended. My mother worked full time and wasn’t able to accompany me into the city for lessons. And I was way too young (I think I was about 10 or 11 by that time) – and timid – to take the trip myself. Defeated and disappointed, I stubbornly quit my local lessons and instead chose to do nothing but dance in my head. Yes, in retrospect that might not have been the right choice, but try telling a brooding adolescent that they’re making the wrong decision. And besides, parents were less hands-on back then, or at least, that’s how I experienced my childhood. But that story is best left for another time.

I never did quite stop thinking about dance, though. It’s tough to watch professional dancers spin and leap across a stage without thoughts like “Could that have been me?” rushing through my head. And each time I watch a live performance, my arms break out into goose bumps and my eyes well up as I’m awed by the beauty of a dancer’s amazingly athletic, graceful body and the dedication and hard work it takes to make it onto that stage.

But enough about me. That story spins round and round, like an endless pirouette.

Let’s return to my original question:

Do you like to dance? If you do, when is the last time you danced?

I just returned from a wonderful visit to the all-inclusive destination spa, Rancho La Puerta aka “The Ranch,” a beautiful and tranquil 3,000-acre health and fitness resort located in Tecate, Mexico, near San Diego, California. I hiked. I meditated. I met fun, interesting women, feasted on organic foods grown in The Ranch’s very own breathtakingly beautiful gardens (which we visited one day in a breakfast hike). I attended stimulating and interesting lectures (including a fascinating look behind reporting for the New York Times by writer Robin Pogrebin), walked a labyrinth, learned how to use a foam roller and beat drums made from upside-down garbage cans in a fun, energetic Cardio Drum Dance class.

I rejoiced in the treasure trove of dancing. Zumba one day. Step aerobics the next, with cardio hip hop after that. The best and most unexpected? Strip Tease with Manuel. I was hesitant at first (I have a feeling I wasn’t exactly alone in that!), but with everyone raving about it – and him – I had to see what it was all about. Between the dance moves, the howling laughter and pure delight of watching and joining in on Manuel’s enthusiasm and incredible routine, I didn’t regret the hour, which passed by in a flash. And in case you’re wondering: we didn’t take off our clothes. It was all in good fun.

My dance immersion extended into the final night at The Ranch, with a special celebration to cap off the week. We toasted the end of an amazing visit with some delicious Mexican wine, traded stories about our stay, and were treated to a special show by the renowned choreographer Yuichi, whose dance lessons are legendary (I first met Yuichi during my visit to Golden Door Spa years ago, when I took one of his popular Broadway dance classes. There I was on Broadway! Or so it felt).

As Yuichi completed his routine to the music of a fabulous live band, his dazzling smile still igniting his face, we could resist no longer. We set down our wine glasses and stormed the stage, started a conga line around the perimeter of the dining room, then jumped back onto the dance floor and danced like nobody was watching. Minutes passed – or was it hours? – and I was conscious of nothing more than my feet moving, my heart pounding and a return to the joys of my childhood passion.

Oh, how we danced!

“Live like you’ll die tomorrow, work like you don’t need the money, and dance like nobody’s watching.”

— Bob Fosse

Sheryl Kraft is a freelance journalist, essayist and writer of non-fiction based in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Her writing covers all areas, with a concentration in health, wellness and fitness. With the exception of quantum physics, just about everything interests her; in fact, one of the greatest things Sheryl finds about writing is the opportunity it gives her to delve into subjects and discover something new.

Sheryl’s work has appeared in Prevention, Woman’s Day, Everyday Health, Grandparents.com, Family Circle magazine, Boomeon, Westchester (NY) Magazine, WebMD, Senior Planet, Brain Child, MoreTimeToTravel, JAMA, AARP, Weight Watchers, Bottom Line/Health, Bottom Line/Women’s Health, Caring Today and assorted Connecticut regional publications. Please visit http://www.sherylkraft.com/ and Sheryl’s blog, http://mysocalledmidlife.net/, where this post originally appeared.