Not That Tap Dancing Has Anything to do With Anything

My first tap shoes
Originally uploaded by Freddy Newendyke.

This weekend, between roaming aimlessly around New Jersey and making the rounds at holiday parties, I also went to tap dancing class.

This is notable because those of you who follow this blog on a regular basis know that the herniated disc in my back has stopped me from running, jumping, and even wearing high heels on a regular basis. I can't even sleep more six hours at a stretch because it acts up, hense my 4:00 AM cleaning sessions in my apartment.

Anyway, over the past few days I've noticed that when I did start to ache, plain old Advil could fix it. For whatever reason I suddenly didn't need fancy painkillers or a back run. Just some ibuprofen, a little Diet Coke and I was good to go.

So Sunday morning I woke up early, had some chow and hopped the N train to Broadway Dance. I took Shea Sullivan's beginner tap class, which anyone at the Broadway Dance community knows is nowhere near beginner level.

I got right in front near the mirror and shuffled and flapped and worked on my riff walks while stealing sips of sugar-free Red Bull between drills. By the end of the class I was sweating and tired and a little unfocused, but so happy that I was back in the dance class.

Best part: Today I feel great. My legs don't feel weak and my back isn't knotted up. Maybe after this whole year of back problems and cortisone shots I might actually be recovering.

In the meantime, I'll be at Chuck Kelley's class on Wednesday night.