Dancing

I love and I enjoy dancing. It is my means of exercise. I easily sway with music and move with rhythm. I hate to boast, although I am not the best but I do dance pretty well.

When I was in my early 20's, I enrolled in Hawaiian dancing with Mrs. Carmen Hoffer. I was one of her early students. I learned easily. In no time at all, I could shake my hips and swayed my grass skirt correctly and gracefully. During my first dance recital at Tocao residence, proudly, I was able to clinch a solo act and some important numbers. Regretfully though, for the grander and much acclaimed second recital that was shown at Cotabato Theater, I was unable to join because I was already married and pregnant with my first child. But up until now, I can say, I still know my Hawaiian and Tahitian steps.

My love affair with dance had not diminished. I continued to dance even after marriage. With disco dancing, I got myself immersed at discotheque with friends and relatives. It had to be a good, classy, reputable place though for I tend to be paranoid in crowded area. When I danced among a good crowd of people, I got entranced moving fluidly (but not scandalously). Loving those dizzy dazzling crazy lights and the very loud music, I could dance nonstop for hours unending in one spot.

My husband, knowing that I love dancing, began to take lessons. Together with his friend James Yap, he would practice with his friend and instructor Mr. Pete Capocao weekly on Saturday night at Mr. Yap's residence. The missis Siolan and I acted as dance aides. It took my husband Lucas two years to learn cha cha and master the pivotal turning of the steps. He persisted though and now both of us can dance in full style. hahaha.

When ballroom dancing became a craze, the Saturday night session that used to be done in the Yap residence was transferred to my home for want of a bigger space. This time the crowd of enthusiasts grew bigger, composed mostly of older girls and a few gentlemen. I learned the swing, boogie, tango, reggae, rumba, samba from all those Saturday dance sessions at home. I got to love dancing with those skillful dance instructors too (they were mostly gays) who challenged my dancing ability to certain heights.

As a teacher, I taught students to dance and perform for convocations and school presentations. I sought help from younger teachers, I learned new hiphop movements, I further improvised and created dance routines suitable to school children's age and theme. In so doing, I made myself physically flexible despite my size and age too.

And even now that I am retired from teaching, I haven't retired myself from dancing. Upon request, once a week, our store young lady employees come to my house to teach me two popular dance moves: the gangnam style and the Wakawaka (correct spelling?) by Shakira. Hahaha. I am now able to perform with memorization the gangnam craze, and I am also almost finished with Wakawaka. A few more days of practice and most likely, I can do all of them on my own, and teach others as well.

By the way, I also do Tai Chi every Sunday with my husband which we learned from Bobby Ang. For me, doing Tai Chi is like doing a slow-motion martial art dance. I am not the perfect dancer as you might imagine me to be. No, I am not. I just simply love to sway with good rhythmic music. No hard work for me there. Hehehe. It keeps me fit and young at heart :)