Step by Step

I was most concerned about how well I would fare in freestyle Step. For one, I was worried that you really needed to be more keras in a step class compared to Jam. After hundreds of hours of shimmie-ing, sashaying, hip rolls, body rolls, chest pumps and all those drama queen poses, my body has become accustomed to being rather lembut. Hands flailing around gracefully into a dramatic pose is definitely not needed in a step class. And spinning on one leg in one count is certainly not expected. In a dance class, you need to feel light and move lightly at most instances to execute the moves (except maybe for hiphop music and a few other exceptions). Instead, in step, you needed to ensure every step is firm so that you are stable on the board and you get a good workout of your thighs, calves and butts. Hand movements are fairly boring, and limited to the ocassional waving motions and light punches into the air to stabilise your whole body.

And I was just so afraid I would just trip and fall off the board (it happened to me once in a BodyStep class - so malu la) as I maneuvre on, over and around it. Again, your legs and feet had better move firmly for balance, so you can't really use your jazzy leg spins and shift your body weight here and there as you like.

The other concern was that I'm so afraid I'll get confused which direction and which leg to move around and over the board. Plus for every routine, you do the mirror image alternately. So imagine switching from member's side to instructor's side everytime you complete a set!!! Even I can't do that in Jam!!!

But after attending only two Basic Step classes, I promoted myself to Intermediate Step class. It appears that I was keras enough to execute the steps.... except for the occasional instances when I felt that perhaps I could incorporate Jam's moves and grace into Step. So, I muka tebal also lah, doing a bit of the lembut and drama dance moves. Quite salah actually.

Then there's HiLo - short for High Impact Low Impact - which I still don't understand what is high and what is low. It's actually something like step, but without the board. You get to move around more and you're not quite confined to the immediate area around the step board. So plenty of grapevines, L-shape moves, and even sashay!! Which is good... you don't have to worry about tripping over the board.

But for me, as an old man with failing memory, remembering the movements proved to be the most difficult. The instructor keeps adding new moves every few minutes!!! It's like "Huh?? Which direction??? Left leg first or right leg first? What do you do after you place your right foot on the front left corner of the board? Spin left and face right or left?"

And just as you get comfortable doing it, you have to switch to do the mirror image!!! So what's left becomes right, and vice versa. And the instructor spends very little time revising this. So it appears that you needed to focus and have complete concentration to get your directions and legwork right as quickly as you can, and remember them by heart. Very stressful indeed for an old man!!!

Someone said don't think too much about which leg and which direction, it comes quite naturally, it seems. Haha! What comes naturally to me is to do a graceful spin followed by a leap with outstretched arms in a dramatic pose! Can?!