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Dancing To His Own Beat

He was wearing a bright green t-shirt, a marine blue baseball cap, black shorts, sneakers with neon green accents and a goofy grin. Flailing his arms wildly above his head and then to the side, he was doing his best to keep up with the rest of us in Zumba class.

It wasn’t the speed that was a problem. He was able to move quickly, even though his motions were more choppy than smooth.

The problem was the variety of combinations. His brain clearly couldn’t process the mixtures of arm and leg movements, or the mishmash of turning one way and then the other in four-count sets. And the hips? Forget about it.

His smile never faded, and during the breaks, he analyzed his movements, still trying to “get” a routine that was already over and wouldn’t be repeated until the next time. The woman next to him–his wife and a class regular–helped him figure it all out. For much of the hour they caught each other’s eye and laughed together hysterically as he tried to follow along. (They were truly charming.) I might have even heard a “yesssss!” once or twice as his steps matched ours, but I’m not sure.

He stood out like a sore thumb in many ways, but he worked harder than practically anyone I’ve ever seen to fit in. In the end, in his own way, he DID. I hope he’s back on Friday.

(It was such a pleasure to have a guy in Zumba class. The last time a guy got near our class, he stayed close but didn’t come in, and I wasn’t happy. Remember? Click here.)

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • lisa July 27, 2011, 11:16 pm

    Aw!! I love him! I really hope he exclaimed yes! So.cute.

    • Melisa July 28, 2011, 7:26 am

      I know! He was really awesome. It was so fun to watch HIM having fun! 🙂

  • lceel July 28, 2011, 7:45 am

    Whoever you are – Well Done, Sir! Go for it!!

  • Tara R. July 28, 2011, 10:48 am

    That is awesome. I hope he keeps coming back and ‘dancing like no one is watching.’ Good for him!

  • Heather July 28, 2011, 3:00 pm

    That is cool. It’s always stuff like that, that makes you so glad you go to a class with a group of people, right? I hope he comes back!

    • Melisa August 1, 2011, 3:05 pm

      Yep, it’s one of the reasons I love group classes. 🙂

  • SurprisedMom July 28, 2011, 9:25 pm

    Good for him! It seems like he had a wonderful time! I hope he comes back. I wish I had the nerve to dance like no one was watching.

    • Melisa August 1, 2011, 3:04 pm

      He wasn’t back Friday…hopefully next week!

  • Michelle July 29, 2011, 3:58 pm

    Oh how fun. I love that he didn’t give up and kept working and working. Gotta love it 🙂 I know I’m not quite so brave when I don’t move that way!

    PS I had comments to make on your book post, but you closed them. Sheesh.

    • Melisa August 1, 2011, 3:04 pm

      I know! I thought he was really brave just for trying it!

  • As Cape Cod Turns July 30, 2011, 6:47 am

    So cute! I love that they did it together and instead of being mad at him for not getting it, they laughed.

    • Melisa August 1, 2011, 3:04 pm

      Oh gosh, she would have to be a horrid woman to get mad at him for not getting it! But yeah, they were so cute together.

  • Mrs4444 July 31, 2011, 7:26 pm

    I’m sure he did better than I would have.

    • Melisa August 1, 2011, 3:03 pm

      He was ADORABLE.