A few months ago, I wrote a guest post on Lacey's blog about hip hop dance classes and the things you can expect to find in them. I also briefly mentioned the fact that I have no flava. This is a topic worth exploring in more depth since, during my wonderful NYC winter break, Lacey and I went back to our old stomping grounds, Broadway Dance Center, for a hip hop class.
Let me first clarify something. I am NOT a white girl who can't dance. I can dance. I fully admit that I am not, by any stretch, the most awesomest dancer who ever lived, but I am definitely coordinated and I possess at least some measure of rhythm.
The thing is, I do not look cool doing hip hop. I'm pretty sure this would stay the same even if I dressed like the other people in the class. Which is to say I would wear baggy sweatpants with one leg rolled up, hair down, huge earrings, an off-the-shoulder top, and boots that are definitely not sneakers.
During my senior year at Tufts, one of my sorority sisters joined the all-female a cappella group on campus that sang songs "from the African diaspora." I use quotes to show their phrasing, not to make fun of the African diaspora, obviously. You have probably already realized that the bulk of the people in this group were (and probably still are) black. My sorority sister, on the other hand, was decidedly not black. She was, in fact, very white and very from Missouri. Though she definitely had a great singing voice, she lacked the soul necessary to really pull off a lot of the songs the group sang.
I am the white girl in the black a cappella group. I lack soul.
At one point in the recent hip hop class, the instructor told us to put some "stank" into it. Seeing as the majority of my dance background comes from being in competitive gymnastics which is on par with ballet as far as prim-and-properness is concerned, I did not have any stank to put into the move. Not even a tiny bit. I am stankless. Which is unfortunate, because I really enjoy hip hop.
I wonder if I can somehow gain some stank. What do I need to do? Can I buy it? Do I need to start listening to even more rap music? Tell me WHERE OH WHERE CAN A WHITE JEWISH GIRL FROM THE SUBURBS GET SOME STANK?
Suggestions welcome.
5 comments:
That class was hilarious. I also think our psuedo instructor was wearing a bikini top under her plaid shirt.
I'm taking a hip hop class pretty soon and I will look like Elaine dancing. I have zero flava in that kind of dance too. It will look like the string man dancing.
David L. at the Beacon Hill athletic club - Cardio Funk class. There are frequently Groupons for that gym. It is such an awesome class.
He also wants to get his flag football team on Ellen so he made this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNB56xfWukc
I wish I could tell you were to get some "stank" but sadly I'm an Italian. Italians can't dance. Proof: The Jersey Shore.
I can dance with the best of them.
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