Catching up

To dispel any rumors that I've disappeared yet again, here's another post!  What happened this weeks is simply that I was never at home and at leisure long enough to sit down at the computer to write anything.  Here's how my evenings went down:

Tuesday: ballet class
Wednesday: spent with friends up in San Francisco
Thursday: folk band practice in Oakland
Friday: salsa conditioning class, then cocktails with girlfriends in Palo Alto

I take dance classes over at the Peninsula Ballet Theatre.  They have a good selection of adult dance and fitness classes in a variety of styles.  After taking only jazz dance last year, I've decided to branch out a little.

The ballet class on Tuesday was all right in terms of technical execution, but it appeared that no one in the class was having any fun.  The teacher was a substitute, so I will be trying the class again just to see if the regular teacher is any better.  If that fails again, I think I'll just go back to jazz.  Ballet offers such a great opportunity for muscular isolation and control, and provides a basis for all the other dance forms, that I thought it would be good to spend some hours doing it again.  Brushing up on first principles and all that.

Salsa Conditioning, on the other hand, was everything I wanted it to be.  With the amazing Norberto teaching the class, I knew it was going to be high in energy and, frankly, fabulousness.  Norberto is a dynamo of a Latin man, an amazing dancer, and a very capable teacher.  (He also teaches the jazz dance class, plus Mexican folk dance.)  He's incredibly physically fit: able to teach intense dance classes for 2, 3 hours at a stretch without showing any signs of slowing down.  Salsa Conditioning involved salsa moves in an aerobics atmosphere--basically an hour of moving one's body.  I will be waiting to see if the soreness kicks in.

If the San Mateo area is convenient to you, I really recommend Peninsula Ballet Theatre for your dancing needs.  The classes are very reasonably priced.  After dropping in to try out a class, you can purchase a punch card to get a bulk class discount.  I think they have also had specials on Groupon.