CARLY TWADDLE
Every week Perdeby sends its journalists to experience something out of their comfort zones. This week Carly Twaddle attended a dance class at Beverly Acquisto School of Dance.
On 29 September I attended a contemporary dance class at the Beverly Acquisto School of Dance. Contemporary dance is a style which uses elements from jazz, ballet, and modern. Although I did contemporary for three years, I was rather apprehensive. I did not know what to expect from the class and from the instructor, Melissa Fourie. This apprehension grew as Melissa walked in (with each muscle in her legs visible through her tights) and started stretching, her leg flying up with ease to her ear. Luckily, she was incredibly helpful and she made sure that I was alright throughout the lesson. This made the ease back into the tough lifestyle a lot easier.
The class began with a thorough warmup, which instantly put my mind back into the rhythm. After this, we were taught common (yet complex for those out of practice) sequences. This snippet of a routine involved rolls, kicks, and split leaps which resulted in numerous bruises. The routine was set at a slow pace, so it was easy to follow once I finally got the hang of the steps. Getting used to them was tricky, though. It took a while to wrap my head around the quick jumps which used both legs. However, once I grasped the steps, it felt so natural to me to be sliding across the floor. My apprehension had dissolved and was replaced by pure bliss.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the class. Melissa was enthusiastic, professional, and helpful. She made me fall in love with dancing again. She made me realise I can do a lot more with my body than I thought. She reminded me of the power of dance. Her words will always stick with me, “You need to keep working through it. Keep pushing, then you’ll succeed.” I am so glad I got to experience this dance class at a wonderful studio where everyone is welcome. I recommend everyone tries it at least once in their lives.
