In a Jam

Yesterday I hosted a Nia jam at my YMCA. I taught with three other teachers, Sue, Meredythe and Lisa, which is a good thing because a jam lasts for two hours. Several people whom I told about the jam said "TWO HOURS?!?" and that was their only response. But we do pace ourselves, and Lisa did the most amazing meditation at the end where we lay in the dark and imagined we were an animal. (I was a deer. I don't know why. She said to pick the first one you thought of and I didn't want to cheat.)

Because I'm a masochist, or maybe because I'm only motivated by extreme fear of failure, I decided to debut all-new choreography for the jam. That's right, never before seen in public. I'm not ambivalent about tempting failure. I chose six songs, just because I liked them and they fit the category "Has a beat. You can dance to it." Here they are:

"Fever" by Peggy Lee
"Hit The Road, Jack" by Ray Charles (this was a cover by Shirley Horn)
"Whatever Lola Wants" by Verve (re-mix from Damn Yankees)
"Hip Hip Chin Chin" by Club des Belugas
"Boom! (She's Hot)" by Flight of the Conchords
"Slippery People" by The Talking Heads

I chose these songs a while back, and David made me a CD about a week ago, but I decided to do the bulk of my choreographing the day of the jam. Why? Because I'm just that kind of idiot. Saturday morning I sent David and Jarrah off to the Children's Museum and I danced from 10:00 to 1:00. When they got home with lunch, I moaned, "I think I might have made a mistake." The mistake in question was dancing for three hours in bare feet on a hardwood floor when you then have to dance two more hours and make it count. Whoops.

We had about 20 people in the room--I would have liked more but 2:30 is a weird time--and everyone seemed to be having fun. I was stoked because my friend Mary came down from Encinitas, and my friend Jill from Jarrah's preschool was trying it out for the first time. I think she's a little smitten now, which makes me happy, because often after my friends try Nia they say in a high-pitched voice: "That was interesting!"

I was surprised and pleased that I hardly forgot any of my choreography, and I covered pretty damn well when I did. The one place I felt it flagging a little was on "Hip Hip Chin Chin," but that sucker is long and I was getting burnt out practicing it, so it might have been a bit repetitive. I got some delighted laughs on "Lola" because it's a tango and I had them doing all this passionate mock-tango stuff like covering their eyes with their elbows.

And I enjoyed myself when I wasn't teaching. The other gals brought some great music and I couldn't resist dancing right through despite my overly-dancey day.

Afterwards, I had to hurry home and make myself pretty for a girls night out, and I told David that my feet felt like meat. I'm surprised they have already bounced back today. I had a wicked headache this morning (despite only one glass of wine last night) so I think I'll be replacing a lot of electrolytes today.

And here's an unrelated question: Just found out that July's NaBloPoMo theme is "Food." I'm sorely tempted. Should I do it???