This summer my big goal was to join a group of women who perform hip hop. They're called
Platinum - fabulous women from all walks of life aged between 38 and 60 (I'm 51 so somewhere in the middle) - and are part of the
New Style Motherlode dance studio in Oakland.
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| Our Director, Teela Shine, Danita and me |
We performed Friday and Saturday night at
Mission in the Mix in San Francisco and my stomach was churning for five hours beforehand. Once we were onstage it was the most fun I've had without tequila being involved (our shirts lit up!)
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| Photo courtesy of Amy Larson. Platinum at Mission in the Mix |
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| Making new friends at Mission in the Mix |
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| Danita does Amy's lashes |
Joining Platinum has been something I've been wanting to do since it started five years ago - they seemed like such a fun, dynamic group of women, but I've been way too chicken. ( I've been going to hip hop classes for 10 years and I love people's reactions when I tell them. "Awesome" most say "I want to come too!" and sometimes the stunned "Wait..
.You do hip hop?")
Learning the dance was much harder than I thought - I just don't have that dance intelligence gene and I put in many, many extra hours and days trying to get it right. Truthfully, even at the end, my
"J-12 gas pedal" was way too similar to my Tin Man when I was 12 years old in Mrs Shirley Dibble's Ballet School reprisal of Wizard of Oz...
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| My Tin Man at age 12 |
But before our first performance someone said: "Making mistakes onstage is all part of it. The audience doesn't know how the dance goes. Smile and gloss over it." Best advice ever - I made three mistakes but did a sort-of wiggle in place and smiled wider. Who knows what I looked like... I'm still a bit scared to watch the video. But isn't that also brilliant advice for life?
Keep smiling; noone else knows how your dance goes.
You go hip hop girl!!! Wow-this sounds like such a blast! I love the quote too. No one really does know how our song goes. Loved your blue green toes and pj pants in the last post. I'm thinking Essie turks and Caicos for my toes on vacay.
ReplyDeleteHappy Summer!
xx, Heather @ Stylemindchic
Sounds like so much fun. Looks it too by the look of your beaming smiles!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun thing to do! I'm impressed that you got out there and did it. My philosophy is that people like you better when you're not perfect, so just enjoy yourself. That picture of you as The Tin Man just cracks me up!
ReplyDeleteI look so gawky!
DeleteYou said it, not me!
DeleteOh you are my heroine!!! I sent out three query letters to literary agents today and wanted to vomit each time! I just need to tell myself "no one else knows how my dance goes!" You are amazing! I have 1 dance move, called appropriately enough "the move", involves a lot of liquor first and then basically sees me throwing myself on the floor like in swan lake. Without the elegance. with a bang. Yup - you are my heroine!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you WMM!!! Three query letters to lit agents is awesome! You are so far beyond where I am at the moment - basically 60,000 words shy of a book. I am at the extended pamphlet stage... In my course the other day they told us only 5% acceptances and I haven't even had a return email on the stuff I've sent out. Like you I do find a decent tipples makes me dance - and sing - much better! I can see your Swan Lake move taking off, you need to post a Youtube vid!
DeleteWow! My daughter did hip hop for a few years and for a while I threatened to take classes too - she was utterly appalled at the idea! But I love that you did that .. and that quote is truly perfect as a life lesson. I'm going to adopt it!
ReplyDeleteMy goal this year is also to do everything I can to embarrass my kids - think I'm on the right track (mind you everything I do at the moment does the trick!)
DeleteLove it! How fantastic to do something fun, and also outside your comfort zone. I often think back to all the things we are encouraged to do as kids as part of our broader education - performance is a constant theme... but for what? Most of us don't end up on stage... but it is something that can give you great confidence in your general life. Such a shame it all finishes when you're around 17. I did go back and look at your post about "the dance that cannot be named" due to the spam issue, and now am completely intrigued. I just can't imagine what sort of dance Mrs Shirley Dibble thought up? But your tin man looks spectacular!
ReplyDeleteOh now I can tell you - it was the Sailor's Hornpipe - but those were just the words in the piece and not in the title --- I got hundreds of spammers.
Deletehaha nice advice indeed
ReplyDeleteAs many won't know how it is to go at your feed
Just do a little wiggle
and throw in a jiggle lol
this tickled me so! i can just imagine you jody! hehe
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you're getting up and doing this. You've got more courage than I do and you're having fun. :-)
ReplyDeleteWait ... you do hip hop? Man, wish I could join you, that's so cool.
ReplyDeleteKeep smiling; no one else knows how your dance goes. That is brilliant.
You look fab Jody and so young also...I bet you busted those moves!
ReplyDelete~Anne
Dancing is such good fun. I've been doing zumba this year and joined in with the end of year galas which was scary but ultimately excellent fun.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of adults who do hip hop here.
Oh come on you're not 51!!
ReplyDeleteRemember I've posted instagram photos - they whisk away the wrinkles and are instant face-lift!
DeleteGo for it Jody! Dancing is so good for you (loosens things up, right?!) I take a little hip hop and zumba every now and then and love it. Have fun and can't wait to see the first video!!
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th!
xxL
Are you on Instagram Jody? I'd love to follow along!
ReplyDeleteThat last sentence is brilliant. It's going to be my new motto.
My instagram is rubbish, I have only four followers, Tallulah, 12 and her three friends. You don't want to follow me...I'll follow you though
DeletePlus Jenn - your surfer girl dress with Pradas today is your very own awesome dance...
DeleteYou looks so happy, it makes your life meaningful, thanks to share this for us!
ReplyDeletehttp://cpbay.com
How great is this!!! I am wildly inspired. Not that I want to join a hip hop troop (I don't have the dance gene!), but there are other things similar that I find myself making excuses about doing while deep down I would REALLY like to....
ReplyDelete(PS- I have been reading! But you changed your commenting set up, so now I have to go through signing into google to comment and can't always be signed in....)
~Alexis Grace of North On Harper
What a great idea and such fun the closet I have got is ballroom dancing years ago and Zumba recently. Definitely brings out your inner child
ReplyDeleteThat all sounds so scary to me, well done to you for joining them. You look fantastic too!
ReplyDeleteI love that you do hip hop. I tried. And tried. And tried. But I'd love to go back to it someday. You'll have to show us the video!!!
ReplyDeleteI am in awe.
ReplyDeleteYou look fantastic! I am missing that gene too but i always wanted to dance. A friend was telling me revently about Argentinian tango and i was intrigued but too scared. Now you are my inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! Jody you are my idol! Wish I could do this. You must post the video. You are an inspiration. Must be the kiwi in you!
ReplyDeletexxKim
How did I miss this post? Yay you! And I agree about the good advice...I'll just keep dancing!
ReplyDelete