First of all--this video has autoplay, so scroll down and pause it (after the ad). It won't make sense til I get to that part of the story. Sorry about that!
I went to hip hop tonight. I was super excited about going back, and super ready to get in there and dance. I had a brief moment of self doubt earlier this afternoon, but I pushed through it and went. I love my teacher and feel comfortable in the class and had nothing to lose. My focus for the evening was going to be letting go in the routine and letting the music take over and just feeling it.
I show up at the studio and chit chat with David, the desk guy (who is so sweet) and before I go in, he says, "Well, just to let you know, Will isn't teaching Wednesday's anymore. It's Billy from Monday's class." EEK! If you remember from my first class at Joel Hall, his was the first class I took and it kicked my ass. Really badly. It was WAY over my head. I mention this to David and he says not to worry, that the class will be intermediate. Plus, I have come a looooong way since I started in August of 2009.
I get to the room and there is only one other girl in the room stretching. This isn't odd for JHDC, as people often come rushing in from other classes or at the last minute. Finally, I strike up a conversation with her and learn that this is HER first class back after several years and that she was nervous. We chit chatted and talked about how we hoped it wasn't just the 2 of us in class cause that would be scary and a lot of one on one attention and pressure. (sidenote: this happened to me in ballet a few weeks ago, and it was an awesome workshop experience.) Then at 6:45 (class starts at 6:30) David came in and said that Billy was just getting out of rehearsal and will be starting class soon. Hmmm....still only 2 people. Then Joel Hall himself comes in and says "Dancers, we are going to be filming you tonight for YouTube."
WHAT?!
Yeah. Ok. Um.
When Billy comes in, he says that normally he cancels class for less than 5 people, but since it was his first Wednesday teaching, he would still hold it.
Other than the freestyle section where he made us dance solo freestyle over and over to see what level we were at (awkward) the class wasn't too difficult and I felt like a bad ass in it. Success! I am nervous to see that YouTube video, cause there is nowhere to hide, but I can only hope they will make us look good. I'll post it here when I find it.
I would love to end the story here. However...
The other girl in class killed it. Killed everything. She had some issues picking up the choreography, but she had soul and vibe and swagger and could sell it. Remember when I said that that was going to be my focus? Well, I thought I was.
Nope.
This teacher was supportive and encouraging, but if you did something wrong or didn't do the routine to his liking, he would stop the music and say "No." and make you do it again. He said "I'm the kind of teacher that will let you know when I don't like it." So at the end of the class, when I was getting the routine down pat, he told me that I wasn't doing it good enough, I wasn't feeling it, I wasn't selling it, and that the other girl was selling it way better than I was and had something special and fierce about her and that I needed to get her. Suddenly it was a competition.
I know that he was just trying to push me, but it was frustrating. I felt just like Kherington when Laurieann Gibson told her she didn't have soul in The Dance Scene.
I tell my dancers to put more into it, too and to vibe vibe vibe feel it, so I know that this will only make me stronger and help my dance career more. But I would be lying if I said I didn't call my brother and cry on the phone to him on the walk home.
The good news is, I am excited about more classes. Maybe I will try his again, or maybe I will switch to Will's Thursday class. As long as I am dancing, it doesn't matter, right?
