I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop

Last night, Stephanie and I stepped out to bring it on at Hip Hop at Westlake Dance Center. It was the first time we’d been back to our favorite class (that we had attended religiously for months) in over a year! Before the class started, all of these people in their baggy sweat pants and the Reeboks with the straps were showing up and congregating outside. Here we were in our simple running shoes, yoga pants and quarter zip pullovers – not quite the portrait of your typical hip hop dancer. We started sweatin’ because they all looked like they were going to “kill it,” as they say in hardcore hip hop. Had things changed that much since we last took class?!

The doors open and we all head in to the classroom. Then our instructor, Mark, comes in acting all cool – Visualize this, but with a fedora... and Asian.

The “cool and careless” front immediately vanished when he saw us – “YOU GUYS ARE BACK!” I’d seriously compare his excitement level to at least winning a Lottery scratch ticket, if not the full on MegaMillions lottery! Please remember, it’s been over a year since we last took this class. We both smiled and then Steph was like, “Wow, we must be very memorable.”

We jumped right into learning a dance to “Me and My Girlfriend” and quickly realized how you should never jump to conclusions – the peeps in the ghetto, hip hop attire were dressed like that to make up for their shortfalls in dancing. Not that I’m one to judge, but seriously. Steph and I killed that dance! And we noticed that we are the only ones that make jokes with Mark and aren’t really concerned with what other people are thinking – probably why Mark loves us. At the end of the class, we got another call out – something along the lines of how he’s excited to have some people (as he stared, wide-eyes at us) return. Don’t worry, we’re planning on returning in less than a year this time.

It was awesome. I keep going through it in my head today and just want to bust a move, but unfortunately I have a window where everyone can see in my office. I guess I can take my chances…

Here's the song, in case you want to envision me groovin' at my desk.