Fun and hard work pays off Ta da!

This weekend was the end of long semester of hard work at Sahara Dance. UDM 8! How to describe a show such as this; It's a lot of women running around putting on makeup, costumes, doing their hair, talking about everything under the sun and waiting ( a lot of waiting). I know to the guys that sounds frightening. Two days of rehearsals and two full days of show (2 shows each day). It can be very exhausting! This year I was in two companies and three numbers (a couple of challenging numbers, can you say shamadan?) This isn't new for me though as when I was dancing a few years ago, I could be in at least four numbers ( jazz, tap, hip hop, African). Funny how with every UDM, I am in another number, 2008 (1), 2009 (2), 2010 (3), hmm what does that mean for 2011? The scene at a show like this is hard to describe to people who haven't experienced it. It can be stressful, dancers get worried about their pieces or props (understandably), and then there is the nervousness of performing. Through it all however it is FUN! In the end it's all about having a good time. How can you not laugh, there are women running around with curlers in there hair, crazy makeup, costumes half on and just plain silliness. Giggles become the norm. That is the important thing and the camaraderie is indescribable. You learn more about your fellow dancers in four days than you might have the whole semester (16 weeks). Granted you may get that feeling at some point of ugh, I don't want to do this again, wear this costume again or hear that song again, but once over you are oh boy, can't wait until the next show! And there is a next show. Fortunately I don't have to wait but about a week for new classes and choreography to gear up and do it all over again.

Now I usually talk about fitness and food in these blogs. Fitness, how can that not be covered under dance, what a fun way to get in some needed cardio. Food, well I ate salad (possibly not the most healthy with the cheese and bacon bits, and other healthy snacks as well as those not so much, but how can you possibly go wrong with chocolate, really?

So after todays one day of rest it will be back to the gym for the next three days to work on weights, cardio and anything else Jillian Michaels can throw at me.

Final word: TA DA!