It is fun to dance, oh yes, it definitely is:) (and you burn calories too!)
I love to read, for myself and to my kids. That was one of my first loves. But another one of my early passions has been dancing. My mom always remembers that I used to dance down the road as I walked back from school and she would know it was me from really far away as she looked out the window even with a quick glance and even in a group of friends because I would be the one dancing home. Since I grew up in a neighborhood where I could walk with my friends safely in the streets at night, I did so with my very best friend P during the summer holidays. Again, even in the dimming streetlights and away from them, people would know it was us walking – why? – they saw one pair of hands that were gesturing in dance movements – me! We learned classical Indian dance forms at school but I realized as I grew up that we were not learning it the traditional way, we were being taught so we could perform at school functions and much of the meaning/background of the dance was lost in translation. What mattered for me was that I had fun, I loved dancing. One of my friend’s mom taught us Indian folk dances that we performed at neighborhood gatherings held annually – these folk dances were fun and energetic and the songs we danced to for these, well, folksy!
As I grew out of school and into college, I stopped dancing (but not at home!) and as I started working, got married, had kids, I was no longer dancing actively – sure, I would sway my body when a song played somewhere but that was it. Then I discovered Bollywood aerobics classes at work – wasn’t I glad to work in a company that offered these?! These classes helped me get into a fitness routine, even if it was only because I wanted to feel closer to dance – I loved it.
Then came a chance for me to actually dance on stage! Should I grab it? I pondered over it, well, for a minute and there I was, going to practices at seven in the morning on Saturdays 30 miles away and back before the kids woke up, practicing at lunch hour twice a week and enjoying every minute of it. D-Day arrived and I loved being part of the enthusiastic, committed group of participants who do this every year and have been doing this for sometime. The energy and joy of the group flowed over everyone as we danced and just had fun. That was earlier this year (in October on the occasion of the Indian festival of lights – Diwali) and now I am looking forward to next year.
 

Friday Memes:
Book Beginnings: This is a weekly meme hosted by ‘A Few More Pages’.
How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the
book you are currently reading on your blog or in the
comments. Include the title and the author so we know what
you’re reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your
first impressions were based on that first
line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the
sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

“As the carriage pulled away from Union Station, Caroline Jamison almost panicked and called out to the driver, “Wait! Don’t go! I’ve changed my mind! Take me home!””

Whitson, Stephanie (2010-03-17). Sixteen Brides (p. 9). Bethany House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme
sponsored by Freda’s Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just
grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs
you and post it.

“In the seconds he was out of sight, Caroline read Mr. Drake’s telegram. Sixteen brides arrive 8 P.M. Southern belle. General’s wife. Farm women. All lovely. Sixteen dance cards confirmed. First dance guaranteed. Cash due by noon Friday.”Whitson, Stephanie (2010-03-17). Sixteen Brides (p. 56). Bethany House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Both excerpts are from the book ‘Sixteen Brides’ which I picked as a free Kindle book a few months ago. I liked this book for the strength of its characters and the portrayal of the times it was set in (I have to yet review this one though).
Linking to: