Thursday, May 31, 2007

forgetfoot

I've been doing salsa classes with my wife Moira for the last 18 months or so. She started going to lessons and when I told people I was thinking of joining her, they laughed so hard that it sealed the deal. I trundle around the Claddagh hall for an hour every thursday evening for an hour as graceful and attractive as the latest SUV in the hands of Jeremy Clarkson. I've been in the intermediate class for a year now and have discovered that I have the dancing equivalent of a goldfish memory. Steps go in one gill and out the other. It's great. Every week is a voyage of discovery as I don the slidey shoes and venture out to the strains of very strange Spanishy versions of Beatles songs. This amnesia seems to be foot specific. I coach rugby to teenagers, and can name all 40+ players on the squad(after only two years). I play guitar and can remember the names of all the songs that I used to know how to play. I remember most of the digits of my pin numbers most of the time and only call my daughters by each other's names about half the time. What is it with dance?

5 comments:

Kav said...

I've got a wedding back in Galway in August, and Linzi and I are starting lessons next week. I'm shiting myself - I'm the classic two-left-footed, please just let me stand over here and drink my pint, kind of person.

It'll be worse if I don't do it though. I'm best man.

galwaywegian said...

just learn the first few steps really well and keep switching partners, thereby giving the impression that you're a gifted dancer and a great host.

Mairéad said...

I come from a family of great dancers, but I'm not in their league at all. I can dance, but I feel very inferior in their company. Fair play to you for persevering! How'd you get on for the first dance of the bride and groom at your own wedding? (Sorry, that's me being presumptive maybe?)

Bock the Robber said...

I can't dance.

I can't talk.

The only thing about me is the way I walk.

Which isn't great either.

galwaywegian said...

no problem, it was a waltz, I was 23 and the hips weren't even creaky!