When: September 30th, 2012
What Was It: CT "celebrities" compete with Arthur Murray Dance Studio professionals to benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Here is a blog outlining my experience getting ready for the big night!
Click here to watch me dance!
July 7th-Week 1
Sure, I took a tap class in first grade. The teacher once told my Mom I would dance long after the music stopped, lost in my own little world.
Years later (and no I’m not telling you how many), I’m back in dance class. But this time I’m not a carefree child spinning in circles dancing to “Yellow Submarine”. Now I find myself self conscious in a large dance studio surrounded by professionals who could hypnotize you just by moving their hips.
I’m participating in a dance competition against other local (cough) celebrities. It’s called MADD about Dancing and the event is at Mohegan Sun on September 30th. Each person is paired up with an instructor from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. We have 20 lessons to learn two dances of their choosing.
I am assigned the Waltz and the Cha Cha. If Kirstie Alley can do it, so can I, right?
My instructor Josh is the sweetest. He may have more energy than I do, impressive. The first lesson is all about learning the basics of the waltz. It’s supposed to be a graceful dance fit for a king and queen. “So what are your hobbies,” Josh asked as my stiff nervous body counted all the steps.
“Ummm….I….What was the question?” I couldn’t hear his voice over the one in my head telling me I looked ridiculous.
“What do you do for fun?”
“I like…weather. And…” I could feel my face contorting as I answered. I’m pretty sure I resemble Jim Carrey at this point. Obviously talking and dancing is too much for me to handle. “I’m sorry I can’t talk now. My brain is about to explode.” But Josh didn’t stop talking. His goal was to make the waltz natural for me, like breathing.
“Don’t think,” Josh kept saying. “Just keep dancing.”
July 21st- Week 3
Female dancers have it easy. In ballroom dancing, the man leads, no matter what. Every time I forget a step or miss a beat, my dance instructor Josh just throws me back into place. No joke. While dancing, your arms are firmly pressed up against your partner. If he moves forward, I get pushed back. If Josh wants to spin me, his arm goes up and I find myself twirling before I even know what hit me. Today I feel more confident. But can Josh push me all the way through an entire dance? Right now I look like a rag doll. I need to step up my game.
July 28th-Week 4
Today’s dance lesson was reminiscent of my brief experience golfing. During the first lesson I hit the ball every time. I was a natural! On lesson two, the teacher worked on my swing and the way I gripped the club. I swung….and missed, over and over again. The more I learned, the more pathetic I became. I’m not proud of this, but I never went back for lesson number three.
The last two weeks we have been learning the cha cha. It’s a really fun! Finding a waltz song to dance to is nearly impossible. But you can cha cha to almost any song you hear on the radio. Thank you Britney Spears. But now I have the steps down and it’s time to work on my form. And here’s where the cha cha went from fun to frustrating. You also have to shift your weight properly, swivel your hips in a precise way, make sure you’re bending and straightening your legs, keep your feet close together, point your feet point out and bend your knees in. I feel like a duck learning to walk and I’m pretty sure I look like one too. Now I’m forgetting the steps because I’m focused on all these other details. I’m annoyed. I feel like a failure. But unlike my experience golfing, I will come back for another lesson.
August 11- Week 6
Today’s dance lesson was not about the way I hold my arms or bend my knees. Even though I know it must’ve killed my instructor not to yell at me for spinning on the wrong foot.
Today we got down to business and learned our waltz routine from start to finish! First let me say we are only halfway done with our cha cha. But the waltz is much slower so there are fewer steps to learn. Josh says it’s a dance for kings and queens. He wants to do an intro before our dance: “Now may I announce the prom king and queen, Josh and Rachel!” He envisions a romantic dance among high school seniors. But who likes the prom queen? I was always jealous of her.
So I want to take the idea a little more literally. Picture a really commanding voice: “Now bow down ye minions….for your King and Queen. Watch the performance in silence or heads will roll!” Josh is hesitant.
Josh included some really amazing choreography. I feel like a princess…well, a princess in training. I don’t want to give any of the moves away, but I know it will be amazing once I relax. Who wants to see a robot doing the waltz?
Johnny, another dance instructor who is working with my co-worker/friend Jennifer Bosworth, watched our performance today. “Good start.” He said, nodding his head. Then walking away Johnny added, “if you don’t look at the form.” Really Johnny? I just started dancing a month ago.
“Want me to slap him for you?” Josh asked, playfully.
“No,” I replied. “I’ll just slap him on the dancefloor.”
August 25-Week 8
I came to practice cranky, stressed, worried about Hurricane Irene.
"So when do you want our next practice session, Rach? Monday?" Josh had the calendar out.
"Ummm....we may not have electricity back yet."
"Really? It's going to be that bad?"
"Yeah."
I forgot half of the dance moves, I was analyzing computer model data in my head instead of doing the cha cha. But somewhere between almost falling on my face and shaking my hips, I started forgeting about Irene. I left the class happy, energetic and ready to face whatever wrath Irene would throw at us. That's why I love dancing. No matter what you mood is going into class, you always leave smiling.
The Competition:
I can hear my heart thumping. Breathe, you can do this. You have been practicing for three months.
I should feel more confident than this. But the last two weeks were tricky! My partner Josh Kassoy from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio got sick and spent three days in the ICU with stomach problems. The good news? He can still dance. The bad news? We would change all our dips and lifts to limit tension on his stomach. I was just happy he was feeling better and could compete. But this meant learning new moves and in turn causing my confidence to crash. The night before the competition we couldn’t even get through three perfect practice runs. I’m a perfectionist.
My sister and her best friend came to watch me perform at Mohegan Sun. Tickets were sold out. I was nervous as hell. I know this is a competition for charity. And I know no one expects us “celebrities” to be professional dancers. But I am competitive. Really competitive.
Time for the waltz. We walked on stage in the dark while a little video montage played behind us. I was freaking out. The judges were really harsh on the other dancers! If Miss Connecticut can’t get a 10, I was doomed. “Spoons on my shoulder for the waltz tonight, don’t forget. No forks.” Josh mentioned as we took our places. What the hell did that mean? Too late now.
Once the music started, we were smooth. My mind was in a million different places but my feet knew what to do. I felt like a princess in the long, flowing dress loaned to me. When it was over, I could hear my sister screaming over the crowd. We got two 10s and a 9 from the judges who said they were impressed I had never danced before! I almost cried. The judge that gave me a 9 said I needed to “breathe more”. Breathing is so overrated.
We were the top rated couple in the first round. Great. No where to go but down. Other dancers were picking up major points in the second round. “Be sexy. Don’t forget the new ending. Look at the audience and flirt with them. Don’t lead me. We don’t want to get off time.” Josh and his little reminders! Normally I would be annoyed by this, but Josh has a way of keeping me sane.
The cha cha was off to a rocky start. I messed up the footwork on a move I perfected two months ago. Nerves. From there I could feel our timing was off. Next I forgot a body roll. I just forgot it! That even never happened during practice, what was wrong with me? Now I was flustered, doubting my every step and faking confidence in the final pose. I wanted to cry. But this time they weren’t tears of joy. The judges were nice. They said they noticed “a few hiccups” but overall it was entertaining. All the judges said they enjoyed my waltz more. This round: two 9s and an 8.
Backstage waiting for the results, I was hard on myself. Josh said he thought we won because our first round was so good. I didn’t believe him.
And the female winner for the 2011 MADD About Dancing competition is…..RACHEL FRANK! What?! I squeezed Josh and I ran up to claim my prize, a glass leaf! But I already had my prize. I learned to dance in three months. Watching myself, I’m shocked and proud by how far I’ve come! I actually look like I know what I’m doing. Is that me?
Anyone can dance with help the right partner/teacher. I hope other people watched me that night or read this story and get inspired to dance.