my evolution of dance

The first thing I divulged in this a blog was: 1. I dance, all the time, everywhere.

It is true. This girlfriend digs dancing. I love to tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, meringue, fist pump, head bang…you name it, I groove to it.

My formal dancing profession peeked in high school, but my dancing career had just started. Take me back to St. Lawrence University, home to Delta, Dance Team, and the Tick Tock. Dance Team was where I started my informal formal dancing career; a team known for their notorious ground hump at matriculation of Fall 2004…obviously, they had this eager freshman drooling at the mouth for more (oh, and by the way, the aforementioned ground hump was called a “parallel body roll,” thank you very much). I also found my love for dance followed me to the old Delta House, where my friends branded me as “Delta Donce Ponts” because of my talented, yet slightly offensive dance moves, and my favorite dance pants a la Victoria’s Secret. Lastly, I found my calling as a sweaty, care-free, table dancer at the Tick Tock Inn, a bar that by senior year, my other back bending, butt shaking girlfriends and I were at a minimum of 4 times a week. The Tick Tock Inn was the hub of the St. Lawrence University dance culture, and also the birthplace of my two signature dance moves: the air leg guitar, and the dishwasher. Needless to say, I could dwell on these bar memories forever, but graduation came and went, and I left with a cum laude diploma, a Tick Tock minor, and my dance fever, still pumping.

Being a devoted, life long dancer, I am always looking for ways to expand my dance knowledge and experience, a continuing education of sorts. Zumba class? Yes, please! Tap class with a coworker? Naturally! Dancing in the street at completely awkward times? Obviously! Taking on bar dance-offs with (usually short and latino) randos? Duh.

My clearly wide variety of extracurricular dance activities leads me to a very important question: what happened to jazzercise classes, and why have they disappeared? Is there a world of spandex, sweatbands, and bright leotards that I have been missing out on? I certainly hope not since I am already in complete and total bliss when wearing one of those pieces alone; I can’t even fathom the heaven I would be in if able to wear all three at one time.

I have a fever and the only prescription is more Jazzercise.

Really, who wouldn’t want Jazzercise to make a comeback? It combines all core elements that make you sweat: dumbbells, 80’s dance music, those fun little gym steps, plus a cracked out instructor, usually geared up with a headset. Hello, this is a gold mine and no one is capitalizing on it!

Don’t even try to tell me that Zumba is the Jazzercise of the future. Richard Simmons would roll over in his not-yet-dug grave. Yes, I appreciate a good Zumba class, but it will never get my heart and soul pumping like good old Jazzercise would!

This country is gearing up for a revolution. You can smell it in the air. First comes the election of Scott Brown (Go Scott or Go Home!), then what? I say we listen to the energy of the beat and bring back Jazzercise!