Dance Numbers
I teach a dance class in Westport. It is exuberant and ENDURING. Recently, some of us were chatting after class and one mused aloud: I wonder how many classes I’ve done through the years? So, we began to calculate. Twice a week times, let’s say 48 weeks a year, for …. 15 years? Rough math suggests 1400+ classes for her. Pretty incredible, and for some that number is higher.
I have been teaching this class since 1997. (That’s 2 different centuries!) Before that I was taking classes with Sue Benton, who has been teaching her classes since 1995. I vividly remember when she approached me in Garelick & Herb to ask if I’d be interested in teaching for her. It was one of those pivotal moments where your path shifts dramatically but you don’t know it yet.
Since then, Sue and I have taught together in 6 different spaces under 6 different names. We’ve switched ownership from her to others, back to her then to me. We’ve danced to 100s of songs. My current playlist is at 165, and there are many that have slipped away through the years.
Countless times we’ve been asked: what kind of dance is it? Countless times we’ve struggled to capture its essence in a word, a sentence. It is a joyful, soulful, follow-the-leader style adult dance fitness class. But so much more.
Together, Sue and I have had one broken foot, one broken ankle, one broken toe, and a pair of hip replacements. Through it all we’ve danced. Subbing for each other, relying on our clients to help lead, fully committed to keeping the dance going.
As we tally the numbers, the most remarkable aggregate of all is the community these classes have created. For any of us who have shared in the dance the past 27 + years, the connection is pure. If you have taken 5 or 500 classes with us, you are always a part of the equation.
Our dance community has seen each other through loss, births, marriages, divorces, career changes, retirement, illness, and injury. We zoomed our way through the pandemic and even picked up some new and returning clients from far away. We sometimes stop and shake our heads at each other, marveling at just how special this group is.
Our class has spurned a book club, theater field trips, happy hours, coffee dates, and beach dancing. This community is formed by individuals who have found a haven with other individuals. One by one it has become a close group, yet a wholly welcoming one – always eager to count you in. It is endlessly heartening how new clients are embraced and encouraged by their classmates.
Self-expression, soul satisfaction, and movement are the goal. Dancing perfection is not. Some come for the exercise, some to connect to the dancer within, some for the intellectual challenge, some for reasons they can’t quite state. We all stay for that unquantifiable, collective joy.
The sum of these numbers is a wondrous dance class that extends beyond the perimeters of any calculation. It is a crystalline container, steady and safe and transformative. The class is the thing. All are welcome to bask in its glow.
2 Responses to “Dance Numbers”
The best dance class and community I have ever encountered!
I’ve been regularly dancing with Luisa Tanno for the past 16 years and can honestly say that I am an addict who experiences real withdrawals when my dance routine is at times interrupted. Luisa is a multifaceted individual who not only choreographs the gorgeous dance routines but also teaches yoga, is a singer/song writer and has her own band. Her talent extends to being a playwright, blogger, movie and broadway shows critic and a massage therapist. I can only say that finding Luisa, brightened and positively impacted my life in the suburbs. Thank you Luisa for continuing to share your gifts!