Dance Classes

January 12 - 19, 2009

I wanted to start taking dance classes but by the time I asked the dance certificate director at CCSF my registration time had passed and the classes had filled and closed.

But I decided to show up in any case to see if I could Add the classes. I emailed the instructors of each class to see if I had a chance and they both suggested I come down and try for it. So I did.

And it looks like I got both when I went.

The first class for Beginning African-Haitian Dance was all talking. The teacher seems pretty serious about the class, requiring a small paper (4-6 pages) and a Mandala personal journey project. This is a one credit class. A paper for a one credit class? Errgg. I haven't written a paper in seven years. The instructor is an older African-American woman who has been training and teaching in dance and in this style of dance for decades. And she seems like she wants to really train dancers.

The Beginning Hip-Hop Dance class seems more like a PE class than a serious dance class. The teacher is a short white lady who teaches the ballroom classes as well as this one and states she picked this style up from street kids and has been teaching the class for three semesters. Uhm, okay. We started dancing the first class. At least it's decent warm ups and mostly just fun. Although I had some serious interest in Hip-Hop and really do want to learn the firm basics. But I'll stick with it unless I have to drop for a job.

That is a worry I have, having to drop these classes if I find a job even though I chose the night class times aiming for a day time job. But if I go for mental health again, it is likely I will have evening shifts. Bah.

On a strange note, one of the students in the Hip-Hop classes, a woman who looked slightly familiar even though I couldn't place her, came up to me after the end of class and said that she worked on videos for "a little band called Metallica" and they were looking for someone for a video and asked for my email and number, which I gave, hesitantly. I'm so suspicious these days. But nothing came of it, no contact (and next class, she was not present, although did show up the third class and said the project got droppped).