Worldanz

I went to my first Zumba class on a whim. It was my sophomore year of college and I wanted to try something different. All of my roommates were on a dodgeball team, and since I hated dodgeball, but needed something physical to do, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try something new. Nervous and skeptical, I left my dorm room and walked across campus to the main gym. As I waited outside, I saw the instructor, (well into her thirties) pass by by wearing an uneven combination of colors and her hair tied in pigtails, not helping my skepticism.

What took place between the time of me entering that room to me returning back to my apartment was hard to describe. It was as if all my adulthood worries melted away and formed themselves into a perfect path for my future. I had the best time of my life in that room. It felt like it was doing exactly what it was meant to do. The initial bizarre impression of the instructor didn't even phase me anymore, and, to my surprise she ended up becoming my mentor.

This is me and my mentor, Gina many years later. You can see the truly
valuable effect Worldanz has on people's lives. 

As time passed, I soon realized that I didn't really like Zumba at all. It reminded me of a cult in some ways, and seemed super unoriginal. What I actually liked was the teacher's choreography, style, and energy. She could really bring out the best in people during class.

This was just made to prove my point. 

So, I did what anyone would naturally do and became her shadow, following her around everywhere she went. ( Just kidding, I don't think anyone would naturally do that. I'm just over-anxious and relentless). She ended up introducing me to her own dance fitness style called Worldanz, a perfect combination of psychotic cardio, twerking, air-humping, and a remarkable exploration of cultural dances and rhythms from all over the world. Perfect for anyone with ADD or enough of an exercise addiction to not make it through a technical dance class. Needless to say, it was a perfect fit. I started taking classes every day of the week and as much as I could. I had never felt so good in my body and genuinely happy. 

Pictured in order from left to right: Russian Susan, my teacher, Gina, me , I can't remember her name,
Naseem. Taken after one of my first Worldanz classes ever. 

I loved it so much that I did what anyone just starting something would naturally do; I asked my teacher if I could become an instructor. ( Just kidding, again, no one would naturally do that. Usually, someone would actually study something for many years before teaching it. I'm crazy.) I had my reasons for doing this. First of all I was leaving for Spain indefinitely, and I didn't know if I would be back or if I would ever get to take a class like this there. Second of all, I was really sure that this was something that I wanted to do, so I might as well start now. The most surprising part of all of it was that my teacher AGREED and took me on as a personal dance transformation project. 

After years of no dance experience, and only months of dance experience, and hours of training, I became an official Worldanz instructor and took my skills on the road to Spain. 

But this was only the beginning....

( For more info on my journey teaching Worldanz in Spain, check out my other blog called "Here I Go Again)

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For other blog posts related to my personal dance journey and Dancehall San Diego, visit my website at www.johannataylordance.com

Where My Journey Started

The truth is, when you start dancing as a child, it is much easier.

You don't have the same fears, the same aches and pains, the same pile of day to day stresses. You don't have to worry if you have enough money in your bank account to pay for training or if work will let you leave early to get ready for a performance. No one is judging you. YOU'RE not judging you. You're not comparing yourself to other people younger than you.

Starting dance as a kid means it is  actually a fresh start. You get to focus on what you're doing without the backlog of experiences and thoughts to add pressure. That means when you start dancing as an adult, you have at least 10 times the amount of difficulties as you would have had if you started as a child.

This is why most people do not start dancing as an adult. In fact, for most people, adulthood is where most creative pursuits end and where "practical" pursuits begin. Guaranteed, if you ask most adults in a room what their creative pursuits are, they will most likely say something along the lines of "that was something I used to do" or "I did that as a kid, but I quit." So, if you asked any other 22 year old with no dance background to take on a career in dance education and performance, they would think you were crazy.

I wasn't any other 22 year old.

As I have already thouroghly explained my short dance journey as a child, I won't start with that. I'll start at the place where most people leave and end their story.

I wish I could say that my reintroduction to dance was glamorous and awe-inspiring like an underdog scene from a movie, where the main character is struggling in life, but is taken under the wing of a master and becomes a star....but, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, my dance journey started in the last place you would think of......a Zumba class.