Hey y’all! This Saturday is the first Saturday of the month, which means it’s time for First Saturday Dance! Once a month, we get together at 9am at The Dancehouse and I teach a simple dance combo related to a theme such as hip hop, musical theatre, 80s, Madonna, disco, and so much more. This month we’re dancing to hip hop, which is probably my favorite style overall.

Ever wonder how First Saturday Dance came to be?

I was pigeon-toed as a kid (still kinda am, to be honest) which meant ballet only lasted one year when I was eight. This was a huge disappointment for me, but I just didn’t fit in with the dance kids. I started doing theatre not long after, and the remainder of my youth “dance training” was through doing shows and dancing my ass off in my bedroom on a daily basis. I danced to everything; musicals, pop, R&B, all of it. I choreographed entire shows from start to finish and zillions of music videos right there in my bedroom.

When I went to college for my degree in Musical Theatre, I had to take ballet again. Again, it was a nightmare; I remember the instructor physically wrenching my left foot while I hung onto the barre, desperate to get some kind of turnout while everyone else stared. Again, my feet wouldn’t budge. It was so demoralizing and placed me firmly in the category of “not a dancer.” Not only was I not skinny, not only was I taller than everyone, but I can’t even turn out my feet.

After college I left music for a time and began a law career, but in my late 20s I became quite sick. I was very fortunate to have excellent care and a supportive family, and as part of my long recovery I had been gifted a gym membership. I remember wandering into the gym, somewhat frail and unable to work at the time, and slipping into the back of whatever exercise class happened to be going on at the time. It turned out to be a dance class and I breathed a sigh of relief – this was something I could handle. The class was fun, it had great pop and hip hop music and the moves were very familiar; they were the sort of generic dance moves I had naturally come up with as a child. I now had a place to go every Friday.

With each week, my confidence grew and I slowly inched my way towards the front to better see myself in the mirror. The instructor had taken notice of me, and after class one day she asked me if I would like to be trained to teach the class! I was still recovering, but my soul lit up at being asked to participate. I completed the training and went on to teach the class for about five years. I really loved creating a safe space where everyone could dance and not care whether the moves were perfect; I was never, ever going to make anyone feel bad for what their body couldn’t do. I estimate over that time I taught over 200 different dance routines, and the hip hop routines were my favorites. Those routines were often my participants’ favorites as well – there’s something so fun about getting deep in your legs and push/pull with your movements and the music is fantastic.

After I moved to San Diego, I approached several gyms with my class yet had no takers. I realized I needed to let go of trying to recreate my New York life in California, and let my California path develop naturally, and so my class (and dance in general) went on the shelf in 2012. But of course, I never stopped dancing in my bedroom.

Fast forward to 2022. I’ve left my law firm job and have decided to focus on music and new paths. But, I’m stressed. I’m REALLY stressed and I need to let it out. I need to pound a dance floor; dancing in my apartment just isn’t cutting it. And just as it tends to happen in my life, the universe answered. A dance space fell into my lap the very next day. I now had a space, plenty of rage, and choreography ideas coming out my ears. I was so excited to have that space, but I also felt like I wanted to share that space with people. I reached out to some folks and invited them to join me if they wanted to learn a dance combo. Fortunately, they were willing to come see what the hell I was up to (I’m pretty sure hardly anyone knew that I had taught dance beforehand, LOL).

We had a blast, and that wonderful feeling of dancing with others came flooding back. It had been so long that I had forgotten what a big part of me needed this, needed to dance with others in a safe space, free from judgment. And even though I’m still figuring out some things, the overwhelming joy I felt that day meant I needed to get teaching dance back into my life, pronto. And so, here we are over a year later!

I can’t wait to see everyone on Saturday – let’s dance!