West African Dancing - Portland Maine

What: West African Dancing - Portland Maine   (With LIVE drumming!)
Where: Portland New Church, Stevens Ave. Portland Maine
When: Tuesdays 6-7:30 p.m.
Cost: $16 drop in class
Parking: On Street (there is no church parking lot)
Note: Each month the instructor starts teaching a new dance.  If you show up every week during the month the dance will get easier... in theory!  Oh... no picture taking is allowed without express permission, so to see pics of tonight's adventure you will need to check out Shannon's post!  Or.. imagine me shaking my booty to African drumming! 

FMI: visit the website for the classes here:   embodytherhythm.com


I didn't even know that Portland had a West African Dance Class... but it does! How did I learn about it? FitMaine.com of course!***

I don't know what it is about African music and rhythm  ... it has always resonated with me... I remember years ago I went to some kind of festival in Portland and saw 'Inanna Sisters in Rhythm,' a drumming group.  After that I signed up to take a class from one of the women in the group... I went out and bought a djembe (I still have it!) I took a class, I think it was like 8 weeks long... and it was a lot of fun. 

I have taken other exercise classes that involve dancing... or what I consider dancing, specifically Zumba and step aerobics.  Both I really enjoy!  (Though I haven't done step in a long time!)  So.. the idea of combining live African drumming with dancing sounded FABULOUS!  So I went!  

I got there early... (I am usually early for things... I am my father's daughter after all!)  And went into the church.  I wasn't sure exactly where to go, but there was a sign that said 'Leave Wet Footwear Outside of the Chapel.' or something like that... basically take off your wet boots!  The dance class is held in the chapel, which is straight ahead once you walk into the church. 

The people here seemed very welcoming.  There were a handful of us who had never been to this class before.  I admit, there is power in numbers when going to something like this! I was happy to know that me and at least four other women were there for the first time.  It was all women... not sure if that is always the case... there were some male drummers, but all of the dancers for the class were women... wait... did I just call myself a dancer? huh... look at that!

As I went into the class I thought about a conversation I had with a student today.  The student shared with me that they want to participate in this year's musical, but they don't want to sing or dance because they 'can't'  do either of those things... I interrupted and said that wasn't true... that I am sure they could do both... perhaps not perfectly  but... they could in fact sing and dance!  I told them I can't sing well, but while in my truck.. I am a Broadway STAR!!  (Rent is my headliner by the way!)  The other mantra I kept in mind was one from Zumba... 'there are no mistakes in Zumba, just solos!'  I figured I would have plenty of solos tonight... and I was right!

So.. the class starts with everyone circling up and warming up... moving our bodies to get our muscles going and to stretch a little.  (Mental note... flexibility is something I continue to need to work on!)  After stretching the instructor showed us a few pieces of the dance... she told us the name of the dance that we would be learning... and I cannot remember it.  And then she began breaking down the dance...

I liked that as the class progressed the instructor tried to break it down into Level 1s (we beginners) and Level 2s.. those who have been taking the class more or those super confident natural dancers.  She broke the dance into small segments which we practiced...and then at the end we put it altogether.  The energy really escalated at the end.... and it was one of those times where you catch yourself smiling big and even doing one of those screams you do at sporting events when great things happen!  

I confessed to a couple of the women there that I have a competitive streak... (this would not be a shock to many in my life!)  I compete with  myself when doing things like this and I try to do it as good as or better than people around me...Once I let that go and just tried to enjoy it... I did!  I watched the people around me.. not to compare dance skills but to watch and learn from them.... learn how to move my body, how to be fierce, to be in the moment.. to FEEL the music, the drumming... It didn't matter that I didn't ace the choreography... I was there, participating, moving my body! 

I admit that I do these crazy things in my head sometimes... especially when exercising or dancing... because I have always been a bigger person ...and have always felt like everyone in the room is paying attention to my bigness...and not without judgment...  there are times when I move my body I think about my body on a micro level, thinking of all the parts and what they must look like as I move....usually I associate my body's movement with jello... especially my arm flabs  and my belly fat... my parts jiggle... Tonight... I was jiggling... and as I looked around that room... filled with women of all shapes and sizes... all of us had jiggling body parts... and it was beautiful!  The dance we were learning, the instructor told us, was a wedding/childbirth dance... which maybe sounded a little 'heavy' for me... but... I reframed it... (I do that a lot!) to be about women and our femininity.... our curves, our softness...our ability to move our bodies... and the only way to not jiggle is to not move!  And I refuse to not move.... so I suppose I insist on jiggling! 

I had a lot of fun doing this class.  I will think about going again sometime... But.. I think.. for me... I get a better workout at Zumba... and the cost of Zumba is a bit less... (That being said, the $16 for the class is used for good things... part of the cost goes to supporting local groups and to help build a school in Ghana for music and dance!)  But.. I am really excited that there is another option for moving my body and getting healthier!  I encourage you to check it out. 



***I should say here that I am a member of the FitMaine Social club... I do not get any compensation for spreading the word about this amazing website/social club/founder... but I will say that I love what Shannon is about and what she is doing!  So... may of my adventures will involve folks from Fitmaine.com Social Club and others who participate in some of the activities! ***