Dancing the Night (Well, 45 Minutes) Away

I love dancing. It's a passion I didn't know I had until sometime in college probably, spurred on by my bestie who had a penchant for busting out choreographed moves while hanging out at our apartment. Some favorites were Lose Yourself ('the sprinkler' was key here) and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (which as everyone knows, is topped off by actually falling down by a door).

My love for dancing grew at the end of late nights out in bars when I moved to DC, spurred on by some sugary cocktails. After a few years of that nonsense - and meeting my husband, Justin - my public dancing was whittled down to mostly weddings (and some wedding-related events). But I've maintained my original joy of dancing around the house, getting the dogs all riled up and working up a sweat in the process.

Me and Justin, hot messes at a friend's wedding

I also love Dancing with the Stars. It's my one and only reality show obsession. It's got a benefit besides entertainment, too: whenever I watch, I get motivated by the dancers' incredible abs and glutes and ride my exercise bike while watching the stars twirl around the ballroom. It also really made me want to learn how to actually dance - as in a coordinated, more sophisticated-looking way than what has been described by a friend as 'interpretive dance moves' (but is really a bunch of flailing - albeit very fun flailing).

So I recently snatched up a Groupon for a series of dance classes at a local dance studio, which included two private lessons and a variety of four group lessons. We decided to start with the private lessons, the first of which we drove to on a cold Monday night, battling rush hour. Not the best circumstances to get my toes tappin'.

Nonetheless, we went into the stale looking waiting room, with obviously fake flowers and a general tan-ness. A friendly receptionist checked us in, and we waited for our instructor. A few minutes later, a suited-up man with sweat beads around his hairline and a plastered-on smile came and greeted us with a firm handshake. I was a little turned off by this whole first impression, obviously.

We went upstairs to a lofted practice area, and he started by asking a few questions about our goals. Then he started the music and it was go time. Over the next 45 minutes, we did a few steps each of four dances: foxtrot, waltz, and swing, and club step. The instructor would show the basic steps to Justin, then to me, then we would do them ourselves with the instructor guiding Justin's arm, and finally with him letting go and letting us try to keep up on our own for a bit. This had mixed results - neither of us have much have a sense of rhythm or coordination. However, Justin is a martial artist, and his control over his footwork was amazing - I got kind of annoyed by this. Wasn't I supposed to be more graceful and in control as the lady? It was not so.

Our instructor relaxed the fake smile and turned out to be nice enough, although the beads of sweat that were now running down his face were kind of bothering me. I noticed too that his suit was worn and faded, his shoes a few dances past their prime. The whole place started making me sad. Justin asked him how he got into teaching dance, and he said he's studied dance in college but basically couldn't find a job in it so he worked for a while at a video store and then found this dance studio. This did nothing to make me feel less sad at this place.

The end of the lesson was the weirdest part. We were taken into the 'education consultant's office' for a meeting about what 'program would best work for our goals.' What followed was a closed-door meeting in a small office with someone who would have been equally at home selling timeshares. It was a cold sales meeting, with him trying to pressure us to buy a $1,200 dance lesson package (and you weren't able to buy them in increments - it was the package or nothing). We expressed that we really just wanted to learn a few things, and didn't think we needed all that, which extended the meeting by another 10 minutes. We finally nodded and said we'd think about it, and were allowed to go on our way.

We went back just once more, for our other free private lesson. Things went similarly - I do feel like I learned just enough basic steps to feel a little more coordinated on a dance floor at a more formal event, but the experience wasn't worth paying that much or trying to make room in our schedule for a weekly commitment. We do want to try other less-salesy environments, though - stay tuned for that as we intend to explore a local community center's dance classes soon.

Anyone have recommendations for a good, casual, inexpensive dance experience in the Metro DC area? Or just a good dance class story to share? Post in the comments or send a message to theapprentess(at)gmail.com!

Learn more:

• Web: There are a variety of free dance lesson videos on YouTube - just search!
• In person: We haven't had a great experience thus far, so I have none to recommend. Check out your local Yelp or other review site!