The Body Roll Recurrence

This spring I was at a group dance class where we were learning the bachata. The instructor - let's call him Mr. Big - was demoing with a good friend of mine. Some background on Mr. Big: he has a tendency to say things without really thinking about what he's saying. This is one of his more charming traits, and results in some absolutely hilarious moments, including "Gentlemen, pretend you hand is your lady." and "That's what happens when you go both ways." - both in ballroom dance classes.

Anyway, that particular class, we were learning a rolling dip move - body rolls. With this particular step, the lady rolls into a back-arch and back up, going down on the counts of 1-2, up on 3-4, down on 5-6, and up on 7-8. Mr. Big demoed this with my friend and then the class tried it with limited success (i.e. we all sucked). After our failed attempt, Mr. Big went back to demonstrating the proper motion of the step, repeatedly. Now, those of us in the class were spread around the room in a circle and I happened to be standing behind Mr. Big while he was doing this. I could also see my friend's face every time she was in the "down" position, which was looking increasingly scared every time she was there. With this particular movement, the man's body moves in something of an undulation, in time with the woman rolling up and down. When done for the standard 8 counts, there is nothing wrong with this. When done repeatedly, well, let's just say it was starting to move from PG to R rated. And when viewed from the back, even more so.

But this is not the end of the scene. While he was going through the motions, Mr. Big's comment was "You have to find the right rhythm". Well, needless to say, at that moment I lost it.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. Early this fall, I got the bright idea to take a pole dancing class (which is a story in and of itself). During the second lesson, the instructor announced that we were going to be learning body rolls. One guess what the first thing that popped into my head was. Naturally, I burst out laughing, remembering "You have to find the right rhythm" and the petrified look on my friend's face.

Life Lesson: The past can and will come back to haunt you; its best to make sure your life is something you want to relive.