Dancing with the Stars, Part 1

What I'm about to write about is still somewhat surreal to me, however, it's about to get real, and in only 6 days! Last fall I was asked by the chairperson of my son's school auction to consider being one of the "stars" in our "Dancing with the Stars" themed evening. My son attends an all-boys school and the "auction" is our major fundraiser of the year, sometimes bringing in upwards of $500,000! Each year the chairperson determines the theme and attempts to increase funds raised over previous years' events. You get the drift....

So, when asked, I actually jumped at the opportunity. Always a "Dancing with the Stars" fan, the thought of getting professional lessons (they comped eight 45-minute lessons), dancing with a pro, wearing a cute outfit and helping to raise money for my son's school was so appealing.  I have zero dance background, other than shaking it with the girls on a girls' night out. Oh, that's right, I took ballet when I was three, and during my recital, dressed as a lion, I urinated all over myself and the stage...(let's pray that doesn't happen this time!).

I've always thought that stepping out of your comfort zone was important in life.  I love trying new hobbies, some I stick with (yoga), and some I'm glad I did, but will never do again (half-marathon), and some are on the back-burner for now (needlepointing). Dancing was something I always thought I could learn fairly easily, but boy I was wrong. Eight 45-minute lessons equates to eight runs down a ski-slope and then performing in the Olympics. Seriously! So, I've handed lots of cash over to the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in hopes of honing my cha-cha skills. In six days, the 500 person, standing room only crowd will see the results of my efforts.

The "show" segment of the evening will run just as a "Dancing with the Stars" competition. There are eight "school" dancers (faculty, staff, 2 parents) and eight "pros". Each amateur will take the stage with their pro for a long one and a half minute routine and then the voting begins. We have three judges that will comment on our performances, and the entire audience votes with some type of electronic gadget. A big, mirrored disco ball trophy goes to the winner, but believe me, that's not my focus. Cha-cha'ing for 90 seconds without falling is my goal.

School Auction Logo

provided by "A Different Perspective" graphic design

Throughout this journey, I've realized that I'm much too hard on myself, I'm too serious, and I need to focus on the real fun dancing has brought to my life. My hopes are that I can carry these feelings over into other aspects of my being...it will be difficult, but I know I just need to lighten up!  Look for "Dancing with the Stars, Part 2" sometime next week...and I'll let you know if I got my cha-cha on or not.