SpanishFitnessBootCamp

Cuba: Where All Men Can Dance!!!

The most astonishing discovery I made in Cuba, was that all Cuban men can dance! Their sense of rhythm must be passed on to them at birth. Everywhere you go you see men of all ages and occupations, dancing, and not just dancing, but dancing extremely well!

www.casa-cuba.com/courses.htm

Well, if I hadn't already decided on Spain for my Spanish Fitness Bootcamp, I'd seriously consider moving to Cuba!

Why is it that the vast majority of English men just can't dance. Has the stiff upper lip transferred to their hips.  It reminds me of the film with Woody Harrelson about basketball 'White Men Can't Jump'. And then just today a friend of mine lamented the fact that he has 'white man's hips!'

My reply to that was try Ceroc! Anyone who has been following my blog knows how crazy I am about Ceroc. It's so much easier than Salsa or Jive. Ideally suited for anyone suffering from white man's hips. I've seen even seriously rhythmically challenged men (and women) come to grips with Ceroc.

But back to Cuba...

If You Think You Can't Dance - Try Ceroc!

I love Ceroc!

You can dance it to any kind of music and it's so easy anyone can do it! (Well, almost anybody).  All you need is to want to dance, although a sense of rhythm definitely helps.

I went to a Ceroc Beginners workshop on Sunday and by the end of the 4 hour session even the most dance challenged of men were able to do the moves (with a greater or lesser level of expertise!).

And I only mention the men because they are the ones that need to know the moves. Us females have it even easier as we just have to follow! You don't even have to remember which foot to use, as there is only one beginners move where it matters.

And, don't think you have to remember a huge number of moves, as you can literally make do with repeating the same three over and over again. If your partner gets bored with those, you just ask someone else to dance!

I have to say, I went along expecting to polish up my technique and learn the beginners moves (I had been a few times before) but I got a lot more than I bargained for! The teacher had a fantastic sense of humour and sense of comic timing that kept us laughing throughout the 4 hour session! I can't wait for the next workshop.

If you'd like to give Ceroc a go, log onto their website www.ceroc.co.uk and find a class near you. You literally just type in your postcode and a list of venues in your area pops up.

Happy Feet!

The Sound Of Music - Childhood Memories

Happy Christmas Everyone!

I celebrated Christmas Eve Polish style last night with my Dad and his wife and all the childhood memories came rushing back.

It was the Polish carols that took me straight back in time. Music is just so powerful in evoking the past. My mum loved singing and I was always badgering her to sing me my favourite again and again.

And not just carols either, there was one Polish song that was so sad it used to make me sob, but through the sobs I would ask her to sing it again! What's all that about? But luckily it wasn't all doom and gloom, I also liked some happier songs as well. My mum was a fan of Doris Day and I'd get her to sing Que Sera Sera 3 or 4 times in a row!

I also have such vivid memories of going to see The Sound Of Music and South Pacific in town! Again it was the songs I remember like, 'Doh a deer..' and 'I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair...'

(Although, I can also remember the cinerama screen that had just been invented. The film of the motorbike going round those hairpin bends had me literally out of my seat!)

Unfortunately, none of us took after mum, more or less tone deaf the lot of us, so when she died a few years ago, the singing died with her! In fact my voice was so bad everyone would tell me to shut up. You can't imagine how great it was when my son was born and I had a captive audience that wasn't yet able to speak!

But back to last night, Wigilia or Christmas Eve has a very traditional menu. It's a day of fasting with breakfast and then a long wait until the evening meal which is scheduled for when the first star appears. (A bit tricky on a cloudy night!)

Actually, it's start time was more often dictated by when the food was ready - the complicated preparations generally taking the whole day and involving the whole family in the making of the pierogi and uszka! (Uszka are made with wild mushrooms a bit like the Italian tortellini, while Pierogi contain sauerkraut and mushrooms and even better re-heated and fried in butter on Christmas Day!)

Of course the hunger and crankiness of the youngest members who found the enforced fast a bit too much to bear, had to be factored in as well! But eventually it was time to eat and we were allowed to open presents, one between each of the courses!

For the Poles it's the most important day of the year, and between the music and the food, a Polish Christmas is pretty hard to beat!  I think I might just have to go over and see the real thing one day...