Taken first couple of steps to learning to dance; taken first class and have begun practicing.
Why dance? First, I’m out of shape, and this is one of several steps I’m taking to rectify this. I’ve been in great shape before, and it improves just about everything, including the clarity of my thinking, my ability to tolerance sleep deprivation, and my ability to power through illness. (I used to be able to jog with the flu. Now I have trouble getting out of bed when I get a cold.) Second, it should improve my proprioception/kinesthesia, which is pretty terrible at the moment, and maybe I’ll stop knocking things down when I think I’m walking past them. Third, I regard it as an essential life skill which I have neglected at this point for too long.
First goal is to learn Lindy Hop/swing dancing, which I’m told is relatively easy for logical/mathematical people to learn and master; the instructors where I attended the lesson are, in support of this proposition, both mathematicians, and I think almost everybody in the class is involved in the sciences in some fashion. Second goal, once I’m comfortable there, is to move into blues and/or salsa dancing. (I previously tried ballroom dancing and found it too rigid; it didn’t get me out of my comfort zone at all, as I could implement it on conscious thought without needing to work on muscle memory. That is, I wasn’t -failing-. I’m failing pretty regularly as I try to do Lindy Hop, which suggests it is a good target for me.)
Taken first couple of steps to learning to dance; taken first class and have begun practicing.
Why dance? First, I’m out of shape, and this is one of several steps I’m taking to rectify this. I’ve been in great shape before, and it improves just about everything, including the clarity of my thinking, my ability to tolerance sleep deprivation, and my ability to power through illness. (I used to be able to jog with the flu. Now I have trouble getting out of bed when I get a cold.) Second, it should improve my proprioception/kinesthesia, which is pretty terrible at the moment, and maybe I’ll stop knocking things down when I think I’m walking past them. Third, I regard it as an essential life skill which I have neglected at this point for too long.
First goal is to learn Lindy Hop/swing dancing, which I’m told is relatively easy for logical/mathematical people to learn and master; the instructors where I attended the lesson are, in support of this proposition, both mathematicians, and I think almost everybody in the class is involved in the sciences in some fashion. Second goal, once I’m comfortable there, is to move into blues and/or salsa dancing. (I previously tried ballroom dancing and found it too rigid; it didn’t get me out of my comfort zone at all, as I could implement it on conscious thought without needing to work on muscle memory. That is, I wasn’t -failing-. I’m failing pretty regularly as I try to do Lindy Hop, which suggests it is a good target for me.)