This question seems to be my ultimate conversation starter at the moment. Whenever I find myself talking to somebody I haven’t met before, this question inevitably comes up. I’m always on the lookout for new dance friends to grow my little Bollywood dance community. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned! There is just nothing like dancing, laughing and sweating with a group of dance lovers and then heading out afterwards for a coffee together. I have taken many, many dance classes in my life (I’m now in my 40s) and there seems to be the same spark everywhere. All dancers connect with each other so easily.
© Copyright 2021 Artwork by Cordi Neckermann
All eyes on Broadway
When I first moved to America, going to dance class was the perfect doorway to making new friends. It was my first time living abroad, so everything was new and scary, most of all speaking a different language. I remember walking down Broadway to the Broadway Dance Centre, a multistorey dance studio right in the heart of New York City, feeling really quite nervous. I wasn’t there as a pro, just dancing for fun but crikey, this was Broadway in New York City!! These dancers surely must be very different from the dancers in the small town I came from in Germany... or so I thought.
But to my surprise, on arriving at the reception dest, I already had the feeling I was coming home. The bubbly receptionist immediately started asking where I was from and telling me how awesome it was that I was there. She handed me a schedule and the 10 class card I had purchased previously and sent me off to my class with the biggest smile and a cheerful “Welcome to the Broadway Dance Centre”. On my way to the changing rooms, I walked past all the open studio doors and windows, getting a sneek peek at all the different dancers and classes. There was everything from Tap to Flamenco and the dancers, as I learned after taking more classes, came from all over the world.
I felt like I fitted into this place from the moment I stepped foot into it, a bit like Cinderella and the Glass Slipper; which was reconfirmed when I walked through the door into my first class, put down my bag and fished out my water bottle. Immediately, I was engaged in conversation with a fellow dancer, asking me where I got my leotard from. This conversation was the first step in becoming part of the Broadway Dance Centre family and I think on reflection, it may possibly be the reason for my love for leotards! Even though I was miles and miles away from home and a stranger in this new country and city, I felt like I had a home at the Broadway Dance Center.
I took many, many different classes during my time there and I had the privilege of meeting some amazing dancers from all over the world, who had come to New York to audition or who had already secured a part in a musical or a dance show. But no matter what level or dance style they were into, there was always this spark of familiarity that made it so easy to connect. This was the very first experience of feeling at home in a foreign county for me and I was only 20 years old then. It was quite a profound experience for me which is why New York City and the Broadway Dance Centre will always have a special place in my heart.
Fast forward to today, 24 years later
Well here we are and I'm still dancing, feeling most at home in a community with others who love dancing and music. When I trained to be a dance fitness instructor, I made it my mission to create a community of dance lovers, maybe not as big and professional as the Broadway Dance Centre, but to create a space in my London neighbourhood for dance lovers to come together to dance, sweat and meet others who love dancing. I never wanted my class to be a weight-loss training or an alternative for the bored gym-goer. If you want to make dance your workout, it is a conscious decision you make with your heart. It doesn’t matter if you feel like you have two left feet or you are always the first on the dance floor at every party. If you love music and your body starts moving whichever way when you hear it, then dancing is your 'thing' and it will make you happy when you spend time doing it. Whether it's a workout or just for fun, it doesn’t really matter.
You know when you want to dance
In this sense, dancing is like yoga and meditation. You have to want to let go and give yourself over to the process, otherwise it just won’t work. Dance fitness fills the space between simply dancing on your own in a club and being in a real dance class. In a dance fitness class, there is enough freedom to do your own thing, but you also get to try out new, simple moves under safe instruction, to stay inspired. The learning happens without you realising it.
Let’s create a world with more happy people by starting with a community of happy dancers!
Book a FREE trial class here!
Let’s dance soon, all the best!
Cordi
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