Little Dancing Buddhas

Above pics are of some of my favorite dancers: my girls, my niece and a friend.

What a day. I taught 5 hours worth of Zumba classes on Monday at 3 different locations around the city. At one point, I had 15 min between classes to drive from down town all the way to the University. But I did it! I had over 50 students in my last class. WOW. I was starting to feel a wee bit exhausted but I put on my smile and the show went on.

My first male (adult) student approached me after class to say he LOVED it J and would be coming back.  I told him to bring his friends.

Pippi and Tabs and my niece Nem are in my ZumbAtomics class at the Rec Centre and they are so adorable to teach. I love their smiling little faces. Mist helped me out by taking over the last dance game as I slipped out of class a little early to make it to my next class (this was a one time event as next week the classes are an hour apart thank G!). I love having my girls involved with my dance classes when I can. It is so good for them to work with Mom at something fun, I believe.

Teaching large groups of school children is the most difficult as some are reluctant dancers and other have emotional/ behavioral issues. In one of my elementary school classes a little girl burst out crying. I had prepared the kids for a line dance game: two lines face each other. The head of each line turns and dances down the middle with their partner while the line cheers them on clapping. Well, when the kids saw the person across from them that they would dance down the centre with, a few made faces, backed away, said rude comments—hence the tears.

I used my Buddhist philosophy to explain a little act of kindness to them. The next class, after my quick kindness talk, I asked the kids, “ Who is ready to show your classmates kindness from your heart? Because everyone needs a little kindness in their life.” They all put up their hands and everyone danced down the isle without insulting their partner J I felt good about that class, not only did they get a great dance class, they learned how to give a little kindness in order to not hurt another’s feelings.

I arrived home at about 7:30 p.m. too tired to eat much. Then I started to get really cold. Dancing for five hours keeps my body temp super high all day and then coming home and eating, my body starts to cool down.  This always happens after an entire day of dancing—I freeze afterward. I attempted a bath but we have yet to replace our hot water tank, as we have been so busy with other house renos. I had a 1-inch bath before it turned icy.  I grabbed a towel and bolted for the living room. I was so cold; my teeth were chattering uncontrollably and my body shaking. I lay down on the giant dog bed (strategically placed in front of the fire) and shook away.

My teeth chattered so loudly, my darling Pablo started to cry and lick my face.  A great way to end my crazy day—lying on the dog bed with my dog boys (Pablo and Fernando) in front of the fire.

BONUS: found out my UBC Zumba classes are open to everyone! One doesn’t have to be affiliated with the University in any way to attend. It’s a really good price too. $30 for unlimited classes on campus. And drop in is only $3. SO, anyone wanting to try my classes should  call campus rec and show up in the ballroom at the University Centre Building Mon, Wed evenings or Friday at noon—I’ll be there!