What to wear; what to wear.......

Still browsing those old photo albums, I find some shots of the various costumes I wore when dancing at a younger age. My parents must have shelled out some bucks for some of these wonderful outfits (check out the fishnet hose with the black seams in the first one!). From the "Ohh la la" of the French black and pink tutu with black brimmed hat and feather for a toe class performance, to the "Bluebird of Happiness" bird costume (I kid you not - I remember this performance like it was yesterday - I had gum in my mouth before I went on stage and the lead male dancer took if from me so I didn't have to swallow it!), to the VERY cool, VERY hip jazz outfit in black, white and lime green with fringe, we were always decked out from head to toe.

The thing I love about this photo series the most? The photo "shoot" was taken in our living room - with curtains drawn to look like a stage - my mom art directing and my dad taking the photos. Guess I received some early training for my future career in advertising after all.......

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZumba......!

O.K., so now I was able to somewhat reverse-engineer it the way I should have in the first place - taking a Zumba 101 last week BEFORE my regular class, so I can get used to the basic moves and steps. Still a blast, and Mollie was very good and also patient as I learned to navigate through her prompts and demonstrations.

The next night, I took the other "advanced" class - back out on the Lutheran Campus. They promise me each time my hips will move better, my feet and arms will work in synergy, and my face will only be bright pink instead of red!

We're headed up to northern Wisconsin next week for some time with Dennis' sister and brother-in-law, and our two nephews, their wives and families (5 wonderful kids in all!) and also Dennis' mother and uncle. I was concerned about missing my "routine" so over the weekend, I searched the internet for a fix to this. Well, on You Tube, they have Zumba routines! No, it's not as wonderful as the classes, and no, you don't have the personal instruction, but it will be better than not zumbaing at all. I practiced in the kitchen (tile floor) on Saturday and was able to work up a sweat AND make my face red.........we'll see........

Ditch the Workout, Join the Party!

OMGosh! Remember, I said I needed to get busy and do something out of my routine to get the body moving? Well, at least two people have mentioned zumba to me - my friend, Cheryl, actually cancelled drinks on me after work one night not to miss her class (that says something) - and a woman at church also mentioned it.

So I searched online - first of all, the official zumba site is a blast just on the opening page (www.zumba.com) and makes you want to move your body. You can search and find a class near you anywhere in the country, and surprisingly to me, there are quite a few in Fort Wayne.

Then my sister-in-law, who works at the Heart Center, sent me a copy of a brochure she had from the Kachmann Mind Body Institute on the Lutheran Hospital campus. I was already familiar with Dr. Kachmann, the surgeon - he removed a tumor from my mother's spine when I was in grade school and we attended the opening reception for his gallery downtown, plus I had visited their website earlier in the year for other reasons . So I went to their site to look at the class offerings and zumba specifically (www.kachmannmindbody.com). They had a class on Wed. night, so I decided to try it.

Back to my opening comment - OMGosh! It is absolutely a blast! The time really does fly and the moves and music are so much fun! You can feel like you're a mass of un-coordinated arms and legs, but that's part of the fun of it. Our instructor, another "Dancing" Donna, was fabulous - I couldn't take my eyes off of her as she moved like a pro, hips in constant motion and arms and legs coordinated in perfect rhythm always. The studio at the Institute was very nice, and one wall in the room we danced in was floor-to-ceiling mirrors (another reason to not take my eyes off my instructor!). We did steps that included salsa, tango, and merengue. My face was BRIGHT red after the first two dances and stayed that way until the next morning!

The other good thing was getting back into the flow of dancing in general, and getting used to hearing another person's voice instruct me. I think that's good practice for what's to come.

Going back this next Wed......join the party!

Happy 4th of July!

More great old photos - so only fitting I would share an earlier Fourth of July with you on this patriotic day - this in 1967. You saw the great costume earlier - the gold one - here I am wearing it and walking in the parade in Marion, OH representing the Martha Douce Dance Studio. The second photo shows our instructor, Martha Douce Maniaci and her "dog gone" mascot, also in costume. Our signs wish you a safe Fourth of July - 42 years ago!

I love the access the internet sometimes affords us - and here's one of the reasons why. Last Christmas, I was reminiscing, looking through a photo album my mom had put together for me, and found some wonderful photos of us in Marion. One was of my dancing teacher, Martha Douce, and her husband, Joe — looking glamourous and fabulous in their "dancingly yours" poise. In this day and age it's easy to go back in time over 40 years via Google — so I googled "Martha and Joe" and "dancing" and "Marion, OH" and a website came up! Instantly I was transported back to a very happy time in my life — what little girl doesn't love to dress up and dance? I sent an email to the contact address, and to my delight received a response! According to her daugher, LuAnn, Martha is "77 years old and is teaching private ballroom classes — She is amazing!" All three daughters have studios in the Martha Douce Dance Studio name. Visit the website at www.DouceDanceStudios.com.

The photo with me and the giraffe halltree "Genevieve" is at a performance at Harding High School in Marion at a pancake program. That's Martha in the background with the "dance" sign - and in the shadows you can barely make out my mom and Joe Maniaci sitting at the sidelines.

Such good times and good memories............

Blessed Fourth to you and yours.

Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars

We've had questions about the specifics of the event, so here are the details:

“Dancing with the Ft. Wayne Stars” will be held on Thursday Nov. 12, 2009, at the Grand Wayne Center. Cocktail Buffet begins at 5:30 p.m., with “Dancing with the Ft. Wayne Stars” beginning at 7:00 p.m.. Local "celebrities" will dance with a professional provided by local dance studios. The celebrity is required to have had at least 8 weeks (2 – 45 minute classes/week) of dance instruction prior to performing. The audience will choose their favorite by ballot. Each person is entitled to one free vote. Additional votes are $10 each. A panel of 3 judges will be on hand to make comments.

Proceeds go to benefit The Carriage House. To learn more about The Carriage House, visit their website at www.FortWayneClubHouse.org or by contacting Andy Wilson at 260-423-4301 or awilson@fortwayneclubhouse.org.