Tappity Tappity Tap Tap Tap

I've wanted to take a dance class for a while now. I had looked into it when I lived in Durham but nothing really worked out. I got in my head when a few weeks ago to look for a studio near where I lived. I found one. So I signed up. I hit the dance studio for the first time since my senior year in college when I took a musical theatre dance class. Oh how I've missed. For those who didn't know me when I was growing up, I was a dancer. Ballet, jazz, tap, I loved it. I initially shied away from taking tap class. Don't ask me why, since it ended up being my favorite of the three.

I started lessons when I was in first grade at Cheryl's School of Dance in North Providence. I still remember my first costume. It was a white leotard with balloons on it. One routine (Toyland) had me wearing a puffy white tutu over the leotard. The other (Mississippi Mud) had a fringe skirt with a feather in my hair. I was the tallest girl in the class. By a LOT. The story of my growing up years. It would have looked weird for me to be in line with the other girls and fortunately I knew what I was doing so my teacher (the aforementioned Cheryl) made me the "leader". You know, the dancer who stands in the very front so the others can watch her and follow along. This is very popular with very young dancers. While I wasn't too keen on being out in front all by myself, I loved every minute of my dancing years. I even started training to become a dance teacher and helped teach classes when I was in high school. But those of you who know me well know I am eminently practical and pragmatic and I knew I would never make it a career, so off to college I went. I didn't realize until I walked into class tonight how much I missed being in a studio - the barres, the mirror lined walls, the worn wooden floor.

The only thing that would have made my tap class better tonight would have been...tap shoes. I barefooted it tonight. My shoes should be arriving shortly. I could have sworn I had my old pair laying around somewhere. Apparently that was merely a figment of my imagination. I'm looking forward to next week when I can actually hear myself tap, instead of just feeling my feet strike the floor. The class isn't terribly difficult, but it's fun and I get to dance again, which in the long run, is the most important thing.