Since I find myself secluded in NJ suburbia/ruralia, and far far from any decent dance studios (Alvin Ailey, I pine for you), I'm forced to take aerobics classes at the local gym to stave off boredom and obesity.
The gym is fine, though on the small side, and owned by the local hospital, which means they focus a lot on physical therapy and membership is composed predominantly of senior citizens.
After class, some sit-ups, some weights (those killer 7-pounders), etc etc I throw my leg up on a railing and stretch for a few minutes in an attempt to maintain what limited flexibility I have, so that when I hopefully return to ballet class (soon, please be soon!) I won't be a creaky bundle of bones.
This leg-on-railing pose inevitably leads to commentary from other gym-goers, and I usually can't make it out of there without hearing something along the lines of "Oh yeah, I can do that too - please tell me you're a dancer or something!" or "If I did that I'd break my leg!" Some people get a little bit more into it, and start asking about my dance training and whether I dance professionally, and maybe if I get a job in New York I could audition for ballet companies! I smile and laugh awkwardly and try to make a quick escape.
What I really want to say is: "If I was half as good as the prepubescent middle-schoolers at the School of American Ballet, do you really think I'd be here, taking Step Aerobics with the Elderly?"
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