me v. Zumba, take one.

I may or may not fancy myself a good dancer. 

Let's explore that statement a little bit:
[1] did I take dance classes as a child? check!
[2] did I take dance classes in college? check!
[3] did I take any opportunity to dance at Club Tango each and every Thursday night during my freshmen year of college despite my roommate's best attempts to convince me otherwise? CHECK!
[4] did I try to look like a back up dancer at the Janet Jackson concert this past summer? duh.
I rest my case.

With the aforementioned proof of my dancing skillzzzz, I often seek out aerobic activities that could be considered dancing.  Cardio hip hop? been there.  Jazzercise? done that.  So when I heard about Zumba, I knew that this was something I needed to try.  I found a class that was close to me and convenient and I tried it out. My blatant nerdiness as a student applies in all types of coursework, including fitness classes.  I nestled myself in a spot in the back of the room and I subtly checked out my competition.  I got this.  One of the Zumba regulars asked me if I've done Zumba before. "No," I answered "But I've taken dance classes before."  "Well, don't worry if you can't get it the first time, it sometimes takes a while."  Challenge accepted.

It was only at this point that I got a little concerned.  Though I admitted to taking dance classes before and while I may have been wearing my very best dance attire I was beginning to think that maybe I wouldn't be able to get the hang of it.  I should probably note at this point that we realized very early on that I wasn't destined to be a career dancer, something about being graceful and coordinated just didn't suit me.  And, my dance classes in college were more like one credit hour courses in the final semester of my senior year.

Rest assured, I survived.  Various body parts were quite sore in the days following, but I kept up.  And, fellow Zumba enthusiast lady in my class, I got it the first time,* thank you.  Oh, I will be back.  And I may even move up to the middle row.

*by "getting it the first time" I mean, my legs kept up.  I held the rhythm.  My arms, however, were a complete different story.  I will blame that on my being left handed, rather than lack of exposure to the material.