It’s no secret that dancing has been one of my favorite
activities throughout my Cancer Journey. When I first began taking private
lessons at the Fred Astaire Studio in Webster eight months ago, I chose all the
fast dances for my repertoire: Cha-Cha, East Coast Swing, Salsa, and more. They
were great fun and, even better—great exercise!
I recently acquired a new instructor at the studio, Richard
Blachford (in the photo at left), who, like my previous instructor, is from the UK, and hails from a
long background of professional dancing competitions. He is also an excellent
and patient teacher.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that my energy
level has begun to fall. I can no longer dance those fast dances non-stop for
45 minutes. This realization has required quite an adjustment on my
part—mentally, physically, and most of all, emotionally.
But Richard has been my best advocate and
cheering squad during this difficult transition period. When I was no longer
able to do the triple-step Swing, he showed me how to modify it, so I could do
the single-step version instead. He offered slower versions of the Cha-Cha, and
taught me the most beautiful dance of all—the Viennese Waltz.
When my granddaughter, Ashley (age 7), who lives far away in
the Boston area, asked to see her Granny Go dance, I recorded the videos below.
(Click on the photos to watch them on my Facebook page.)
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| Cha-Cha Video |
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| Viennese Waltz Video |
I’m so glad that she inspired me to record them, because now I have those
memories preserved, for the time when I can no longer dance. But until that day
comes, I’ll keep dancing! Just a little bit slower!
Thank you, Richard, for giving me such a wonderful gift!
