Hip Hop -- hip hop anonymous?

For a long time I have been interested in taking Hip Hop dance lessons. One of our friends who is a mother of two takes them, and she absolutely loves it. So, I figured I would give it a try. On Friday I called deLa Arts, a local dance studio and asked about Hip Hop lessons. They happen on Fridays at 5PM, so the lady told me to just come and try it. Upon entering the studio I talked to the owner. He assured me that I could catch up with the class, and that I should go watch. I walked up the ramp to the class. There was a 40 something year old woman there, a few girls who looked about 25, and three 15-18 year olds. I introduced myself to Byron, the hunky teacher who had a striking resemblance to Will Smith. He asked me to just participate, and that would be the best way to see if I liked it or not. I agreed to do that, and took my place on the back row.

After 10 minutes of stretching, Byron started teaching us a routine. I understood the steps, it just took my brain a while to remember them. 3 eight counts later, we were ready to test our skills to the music. The song started. I had never heard it before. The dancing started. What was happening????? Byron started dancing in fast forward mode. YIKES! The dance was much, much faster to the music. I was thankful that the rest of the class groaned. He did it for us again, and we learned to speed up our steps. This pattern repeated until we learned about 10 eight counts of the routine. Exhausting. My brain could barely remember it all, not to mention that it seemed like Byron's feet and hands could move in ways I had never thought of before. It was crazy. The class ended and I felt hot and sweaty, but didn't really know if I learned anything.

BUT, when I got home I realized that I could write down all of the steps, and I could remember the dance. Amazing. I saw the friend that I have who takes Hip Hop on Saturday. She said it takes a year for your brain to get used to learning the steps so quickly, but then it is really fun. Do I dare dive in for a year of being totally stretched? I did learn some sweet moves.