30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #3 – Take a hip-hop dance class/workshop

2014 11-29 The Dance Complex OutsideFourth one this week and I’m down to six on my 30×30 list! I’ll cross off another one on Monday (YAY NaNoWriMo being over) and maybe the bike ride too as the weather is supposed to be decent.

If there was one on my list I thought I might skip out on (aside from the tattoo), it was this one. I did some research and found The Dance Complex which wasn’t too far from where I live and wasn’t too expensive for a drop in class, but MOST importantly they had a Hip Hop Beginner Basic class. I clung to that basic because I was like okay so it’s even easier than Beginner right?

A few weeks ago my friend Caitrin and I tried to go to the class, but they were very strict about no street-shoes in the studios, so we went for breakfast instead. This time I showed up and no one said anything about shoes of any type! Maybe they just assumed I had shoes in my backpack or something, but not a word!

2014 11-29 The Dance Complex Studio 2I walked in and was super awkward like, “Uh I want to do the hip-hop class at 9:30” and they were really nice about it. I had to sign a form and sign in and that was it. I then went upstairs to Studio Two (right) and waited for the instructor.

I was TERRIFIED I was going to be the only person there, but thankfully there were about 12 of us. I was the only guy, apart from the instructor, until the last 15 minutes or so when another guy, I’m assuming for the next class showed up. Now don’t get me wrong, I know how to dance and have decent rhythm, but HOLY HELL! Throw choreography at me and any rhythm I have goes right out the window and I’m flapping around like a baby bird trying not to trip on my own feet! I can either do my upper body or my lower body, not both. It’s the same thing when it comes to weightlifting maneuvers! If a movement requires too much coordination I’m struck.

It was a little strange that you just jump right in. There’s no this is what we’re going to do, it’s just sink or swim and that makes sense with only an hour to get through as much as you can. Fortunately, there was only one instance where I thought, “Oh HELL no!” and that was when the instructor had us circle up so people could dance in the middle if they wanted. Thankfully, he was like, you don’t have to if you don’t want to and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief that I’m pretty sure everyone heard 😀 I loved the music though and was super happy when it was a song I knew as I could just focus on the movement and not finding the rhythm and that made sense.

2014 11-29 The Dance Complex InsideWhat I was most shocked about was how much of a work out it was! I mean I knew dancing was exhausting, but this was even more so. Seriously, it gave Friday’s CrossFit class a run for its money when it came to calisthenics. It was a combination of trying to concentrate on the movements, keep the rhythm and not make a total ass of myself. I did NOT like seeing myself in the mirror, but it was helpful to see the instructor in the mirror even though I didn’t realize that until at least halfway through (my neck has a crick from watching him to the right of me the entire time! I’m not sure if I’ll go back to another class, I might to drag friends, but I’m definitely glad I gave it a go.

The building itself was pretty cool and you can read about why The Dance Complex is there here. I took the last photo on my way out as it caught the sunlight perfectly and loved all the oranges and reds.

8 thoughts on “30 x 30: #3 – Take a hip-hop dance class/workshop”

  1. I’m so glad you did this! I would have loved to have joined you. I was a dancer for lots of years, but never took a hip hop dance class. I would have SO MUCH FUN.

    1. It really was a lot of fun! I was so sweaty after, but felt accomplished even if I forgot most of the “moves” within an hour 😀

      1. Yes, any kind of dancing is a major workout. And you’re right–you don’t realize that until you’ve done it because good dancers make it look so easy.

  2. That’s awesome that you stepped out of your comfort zone to do this! You’re also pretty brave for trying all of these things on your own! I’m been thinking about who can join me for some of the things on my list because I’m a little nervous to go on my own. Maybe I’ll take a page out of your book and step it up to do things on my own!

    1. They’ve been the most rewarding. I’d originally planned to do everything with friends, but schedules didn’t work out for a lot more than I expected (We got busy. I waited too long, etc.). But I’m glad I did the potentially super embarrassing ones alone, I almost randomly went and got my tattoo last week but I’m still balking at the cost – which they say is a sign you shouldn’t get one, but I think it’s that I’m too damn cheap.

      1. Hmm that’s good to know. Re: the tattoo – sometimes it depends on the place/artist. Some charge by the hour, some charge by the size of the piece. Script/text can cost more, or color vs. black and white. Lots of different factors come I to play.

        1. Definitely – thankfully it’s black ink and small. Most I’ve looked at just charge a solid base price which is like WHOA (not really but my cheapness :-D)

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