Dancing and music

We had another dance lesson on Monday night!! We're starting to get good enough at the steps that we can actually listen to and stay on the beat of the music. We learned a few more steps and Chris is getting good at leading. We added a new step to the rumba, so he had three different steps to choose from and I had to pay attention to what he was doing to know what I needed to do. Our instructor told us that we would learn even more steps so that eventually Chris will have a lot of choices and I will really have no choice but to follow his lead. I won't be able to anticipate anything.

We also learned another move with the waltz, two actually. We took it out of the box step so that we can move up and down a room instead of just in a box or a rotating box. We also expanded our steps (I thought our steps were already big!). But now we know how to do the really big, sweeping waltz step. Chris' empty living room is no longer big enough for us to practice in.

We had so much fun last night!! Chris especially had a great time. He told me several times after we got home last night how much fun he had and how much he loves this. He especially likes having total control on the dance floor. Hmmm ... wonder what that says? LOL

We are getting so cultured. Not only are we learning social ballroom dancing, but we're looking at the summer opera season and next year's concert season. I got the Cincinnati Opera brochure in the mail the other day. The nice thing about Cincy is that they always do opera in the summer instead of during the normal concert season. They are planning four this year: Faust (Gounod), Cosi fan tutti (Mozart), Nixon in China (Adams), and Aida (Verdi). It's certainly a wide range of operas. Chris has never been to an opera, so I told him we needed to go see Cosi to introduce him to opera, plus it's just a fun opera and Mozart is always a sure bet for an opera newbie. The only other production I want to see is Aida. I've never seen it and have always wanted to. So I think we are definitely planning on that.

I also got the Cincinnati Symphony brochure in the mail and they have another great season planned. I/we can't afford to go too many concerts, but I usually like to pick one or two during the season. No clarinet soloists this season, but I did notice that Penderecki is coming in December and he'll be conducting a concert that will also feature two of his works. It's hard to pass up going to a concert with a well-known, living composer. So that's on my mind as a possibility for next year.

I guess we also need to look at the opera season at IU in Bloomington. I had promised a friend that while she was there I would come up for a performance. IU has a great opera program. I've actually been to two operas there in the past and I once got a private tour of their performing arts facility which was absolutely incredible. I had never seen a place like it before!!

We have a lot of music planned for the next year!! Very exciting!

In other music news, I went to a rehearsal tonight at church with the choir. I am going to play with them on one piece this coming Sunday and the organist and I are going to do two short clarinet/piano pieces as a prelude before Mass. We're going to revive two of the English folk songs we did at the concert in Italy in 2005. Its been a long time since I played in church, so this will be nice.

Lots of music and dancing in our lives right now. I wish everyone lots of music and dancing in your lives too!!