hurts so good.

i've lived in nyc for a little over a year and a half now and i finally found my ideal african dance class last night. YAY!! besides my friends, the main thing i miss about LA is my african dance class... the famous nigerian dance and drum ensemble taught by omowali with drums lead by her husband, francis awe. i always looked forward to wednesday nights... heading down to pico and la brea to "move that back" and sweat to the drums. it was always a spiritually uplifting experience and since i've been in ny, i've really missed it.

i honestly didn't make a huge effort to find an equivalent class in ny just because i knew there could never be a replacement for omowali and awe's class. i had heard about djoniba dance and drum center but i was wasn't convinced. i did actually take a class there when i first got here. it was something like haitan and was really really really hard, thus detering me from going back. i kind of gave up on finding the perfect class.

well, it just so turned out that one of my friend's had been taking djoniba's class all winter long. when i got back last weekend i had an email telling me that she was going to be in a performance for the center. so i went, hoping that i'd be inspired to go back. that was just what the doctor ordered. those drums! those hotties playing the drums! the dance moves! the energy! and the widely diverse group of men and women performing made me want to check it out for sure.

so i went to djoniba's class last night and it was GREAT!!!! granted, it's no nigerian talking drum ensemble, but it was damn close. the warm-up was super intense. i haven't done that many crunches and leg lifts in years (and man, do i feel the pain today. ouch!!). then was the break-down of a routine which i actually amazingly caught on to. next the drummers came in and wailed on those skins. the energy in the room was buzzing. and then we did the routine, ten times faster then we had learned it of course.i couldn't quite keep up but with a little more practice, i think i'll be just fine. so excited... i can already visualize my new hard bod. HA!