She's 92...He's 29!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Of the many passions I have, dancing ranks in my top three. It all started when I was 17 years old and attended a teen night at a local disco. It was a hot summer night and I was filled with anticipation, as I had heard so many stories of all the craziness that went on inside a nightclub, yet I was still a few months shy of being legally able to go to one; so this was a sneak peek.

I'll never forget walking into the dark, cool disco with all the colored lights moving in synchronization to the rhythmic, pulsing, driving beat of the music. A drummer since I was 10 years old, the music talked to me on a soul level; made me want to get up move, but at that moment I didn't know how to express that desire...yet.

As I looked around the cavernous club, I was dumfounded to realize that it was me, maybe 10 other guys and FIVE HUNDRED GIRLS...Holy Sh*t!! And what I quickly realized in that moment was that the one and ONLY guy who could actually dance had the attention of ALL the girls ALL night long!

Learning to dance became my new passion, and every Saturday morning I got out a full length mirror and would practice all of the latest dance moves on the then-popular music and dance TV shows, American Bandstand and Soul-Train, then put them to the test at the next dance.

Well, all these years later I'm still going strong, dancing with the only girl that I care about impressing these days (my beautiful wife, Melissa) and tearing up the dance floor every weekend club dancing.

But as fun as that is, the "real" dancing that I am passionate about is swing dancing; east coast, west coast, lindy hop and jive. These are dances that require time, patience, practice, a partner and a lot of desire to be able to learn and perform well.

But the payoff is huge.

Great music + great atmosphere + you and a loved one moving in sync, constantly physically connected and each expressing your own artistic expression of what you're feeling at that moment...it truly is amazing ; )

So why have I decided to talk about dancing today on my hardcore workout blog?
Why not? Dancing is a sport and a great workout, and if you choose to swing dance like I do, you're going to want to be in great shape, because it IS a very physical dance.

Lastly, it gave me the opportunity to showcase this video. It shows how keeping yourself fit and doing things your passionate about can allow your golden years to be truly golden. Please watch the whole thing, as there are a few "suprises" along the way. The woman is 92 and she is dancing with her great grandson who is 29. 

http://artofarts.vox.com/library/video/6a00e398c63855000401240b8460b2860e.html
(please cut and paste this link into your address bar manually...I wasn't able to "link it" for you, sorry)

Live With Passion,

Roy

    "Hands up, lady...keep the Kettlebells where we can them!"

WOD
WHAM BAM
Run a mile For time
rest 5 Minutes
Max reps deadlifts in 5 Minutes
10 Minute Break
30-20-10
Pullups
Squats
Ring Dips