I’ve spent more of my life kicking and hitting things on sports fields than doing anything remotely close to dancing. “Graceful” has never been a word that I’ve used to describe myself.

I’ve also always envied people who can just move to music and whip out sick moves on a whim. I’ve been saying for a long time that I want to try an adult dance class, but have also been really good at thinking of excuses not to do it. I didn’t have time, it didn’t work with my schedule, I couldn’t afford it – but the real excuse was that I was worried I wouldn’t be good at it.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

So, when I finally signed up to try the Street Diva class at LUKI Dance Productions here in Kelowna, I had my reservations. I was nervous, but I didn’t have any excuses left. I had the time, it worked perfectly with my schedule and the first class is free so there was no hurt in trying, right?

Well, I was about to find out! Here are some of the thoughts that went through my mind throughout the experience.

'Okay, this won’t be too bad'

I walked into the studio to be greeted by the friendly smile of Lucy, the owner of the studio, and picked up on the welcoming vibes right away.

“We’re an open-arms community where everyone will make you feel welcome and included,” said Lucy. “Even if you venture out on your lonesome, you’ll leave with a family!”

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It’s clear that LUKI Dance is fostering a “no-judgement” culture and really focuses on encouraging its guests to feel confident in themselves, no matter their physical ability, dance experience or body type. Thank goodness!

'So, this is the kind of thing you take a shower after'

The class started with a 15-20 minute warm up, which was a decent workout. Having not exercised for the past month (oops), it was just what I needed.

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I’m also one of those people who starts sweating the second my heart rate goes up, so yes, the post-class shower was well-deserved. The warm up was a combination of typical exercises like crunches and push-ups, yoga flows and stretching, which brings me to my next thought…

'I really need to stretch more'

This was the first time that I felt a bit self-conscious. While many of the other girls in the class were practically doing the splits and resting their foreheads on their knees (it’s witchcraft, I tell you), I can barely touch my toes. Okay fine, I can’t touch them at all. Whatever.

The good news, though, is that this was also the last time that I felt self-conscious because it was the only moment that I had time to worry about what anyone else was doing.  

Photo Credit: KelownaNowI know, I make it look easy

Looking back, I am also sure that my embarrassment was totally unwarranted as all the girls seemed really nice. Plus, who in their right mind would ever give a dang about the stretchiness of my hamstrings? No one, that’s who.

'Okay, I’m totally going to get it the next time'

…or maybe the next time. Okay, next time for sure.

The instructor would show us a section of the dance, then have us practice it a few times in slow motion, then a few times with music. It probably took me at least 10 rounds of practicing each move to feel like I was getting it right. And when I finally did, it felt pretty awesome.

Photo Credit: KelownaNowI think I may have missed the mark on this one

There were a lot of different things all going on at once – doing the moves right, remembering what comes next, and trying not to look like a total flail while you’re at it. While I think I rarely achieved all three of these things at once, I achieved some of them some of the time, and I’m okay with that.

'Am I in a dance class or at a comedy show?'

One of the things that really made the class for me was the instructor, Larissa. One of the tricks to trying something new is not taking yourself too seriously and, honestly, faking it until you make it. Larissa made this easy by making us laugh throughout the entire class.

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She was constantly reminding us that we were there to have fun and that it was okay to make mistakes. She also encouraged us to embrace our inner sexiness, and used tequila shot analogies to explain how “into it” we should be during certain moves (to which I could relate).

'I am Beyonce, always'

Our dance routine was to the song Mi Gente feat. Beyonce, so I spent a lot of the class focused on unleashing my inner Bey.

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Although I was by no means the best dancer there, nor was I able to master the routine by the end of the class, I left with a boost of confidence and the desire to keep working at it.

There will come a time for everyone when they must make a choice to embrace their inner Beyonce, whether that means taking a hop-hop class, applying for a new job or learning how to rock climb. She’s in there, people – sometimes you just have to put in a little work to find her.

Photo Credit: KelownaNowI woke up like this

In the end, I was so glad that I finally gathered my courage and tried the class. I also chose the perfect place to do it, as everyone at LUKI Dance Productions made the process easy and fun. I’ve even practiced the routine in my kitchen a couple times, and am thinking I might be ready to go back for round two.

Have you ever broken out of your comfort zone to try something new? If yes, were you glad you did it? If not, what are you waiting for?