Everything Old Is New Again

I've embarked on a semi-new adventure for the next year, something I dabbled in 15 years ago and then did for a couple years in high school - tap dancing!

My first-ever performance as a dancer was when I was 9, and it was to the oh-so-appropriate tune "Everything Old is New Again." I can still remember some of those moves - shuffle, step, clap - and my cool top hat outfit (thankfully these precious moments are memorialized on a VHS from the dance studio and the lovely photo to the right).

The following year I took tap again, and that end-of-the-year recital video showcases just how much of a perfectionist I am. The girl tapping next to me consistently veered off course and blocked me, so I took matters into my own hands and gently pushed her back in place. Hey, my mom didn't pay good money to have my spotlight stolen by some clumsy kid with vertigo.

In high school, I tapped at a dance studio in Nevada and absolutely loved it - especially when my tapping won me a scholarship the following year! Sadly, my dance career came to an end when I was told that I "ruined" my studio's Christmas show that I missed due to a horrible bout of the stomach flu. Classy. I quit after that bullshit.

I got back in dancing mode as a cheerleader my senior year of high school. Then I signed up for ballet my first term in college. I loathed that damn class. There were no mirrors, and the moves were boring. I stopped going altogether because I hated it so much (well, a new boyfriend at the time might have had something to do with it too), not really understanding the whole concept of dropping classes or taking something Pass/No Pass. I now have a permanent "F" in ballet as the first grade on my college transcript. No joke.

Ever since then, the only dancing I do has been privately choreographing in my room to Britney or Lady Gaga, and backing my thang up at the club. I've been missing dance a lot, so I did some research and decided to join an adult competitive dance class.

Our first class was this week, and I had a blast! I was actually the youngest one there - and also the crappiest. I hadn't put on a pair of tap shoes in 7 years, but I did my best to hold my own. Back in the day, I felt like I was one of the best in class. The other night, I was a-strugglin'. The class was a lot more advanced than I had imagined - right off the bat, we practiced wings and pullbacks (which I know means nothing to most of you, but if you know tap, these aren't introductory moves by any means).

But I love a challenge. And I love to perform. So I'm not going to be a quitter this time around! Over the course of the next 10 months, we perform at a couple competitions, recitals, the state fair, Six Flags and even Disneyland. I'm super pumped! This old tapper is new again.