I had looked forward eagerly to my very first hosted hour of dancing with Wade Branham on February 24, 2019 on a huge dance floor. I had hoped to do
several smooth dances including Waltz, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Samba and Tango. I am thrilled to be dancing with Wade as he is a dance instructor and I would finally have the opportunity to try some of the advanced steps I had learned a few years ago from Lance Sexton.
The hour didn't turn out as expected and I experienced mixed feelings. I felt elated at how I danced my Cha Cha and neutral about Rumba as it isn't
one of my favorite dances. I was dismayed at how much my skills have deteriorated since 3 years ago when I stopped taking private lessons. I was
also disappointed that I didn't get a chance to dance Quickstep, Samba and Tango.
Cha Cha - Margaret Hicks with Wade Branham This was the 2nd dance we did and I was very pleased with how it looked. I had danced Cha Cha with Wade before and it showed. I enjoyed in particular, dancing the windmills. Tom and I do Cha Cha every time we go to our weekly dances. Viennese Waltz - Margaret Hicks with Wade Branham What makes dancing Viennese Waltz a challenge is its fast tempo. It is difficult to maintain frame as you try to dance quickly and smoothly across the room. It takes practice and it shows that I am out of form. Precious Video Moments Dance & Social Club held its 1st shared private and Chip joined us for an hour of instruction from Wade Branham. Samba - Margaret Hicks with Wade Branham Rumba - Chip Phelps with Mary McGarvey Chip and Mary dancing the Rumba box and Underarm Turn towards the end of their 30-minute private lesson. Looking good after just one session !! | Rumba - Margaret Hicks with Wade Branham We started off with a Rumba to warm up. This was the first time I had danced Rumba with Wade. It is tough to look great dancing with a new partner, even an instructor, if you are not well versed yourself. I didn't look smooth at all. Waltz - Margaret Hicks with Wade Branham I may pass off as an adequate social dancer but certainly didn't make the grade with the Dance Instructor, Wade. He insisted that I regressed back to Bronze Waltz to focus on my technique on frame and rise & fall. lesson at our home studio on February 18, 2019. Our church friends, Mary Hosted below are video snippets from the evening. This was my 1st private lesson with Wade as the previous 2 lessons (Cha Cha windmill and Lindy Swing) were for Tom. It had been more than 3 years since I had taken 4 Samba group lessons from Lance Sexton and I had danced Samba very infrequently since then. It felt great to finally have the opportunity to dance Samba with an instructor again !! Mary learning how to dance the Rumba box and Underarm Turn from Wade Branham. Looks like she was having fun learning !! |