tried by 5 over 4

Don't ask me what the heck the entry title means. It's just is. And it happens to be one of Tim Barsky's most memorable songs. Evah.

Tim Barsky's a one-of-a-kind flutist/beat-boxer/clown circus/all around guy. Apparently, he just wrapped a production in San Francisco that was in January and February. 2010. So I was late by a year. And I realized it after spending 20 minutes frantically figuring out where his production took place. Can I get a DUNCE hat, please?

Anyway, I was introduced to Tim Barsky's song (not the guy himself, although I'd be floored if I got introduced to him... One day) called "Tried by 5 Over 4" in this FCBD video below.

The dances started out with an upbeat music that the transition to a rather slow and, dare I say, emotional song was just electrifying, to say the least. The first time I heard this song and Ms. Nericcio's solo interpretation of it, I cried. There's something about that lady that just grabs your attention. She's just so fixating. Can I say that? I'm flunking over GMAT and GRE English classes, so I'm not quite sure about that word. But I know that my sight is completed glued on Ms. Nericcio. She has that commanding energy around her that just blazes out and radiates to the entire room. And to think that she did all that when barely moving or, as Orientals would prefer it, showing stage presence by travelling all over the stage. I guess Ms. Nericcio's arms are enough. Just one lift, one arc, and her energy is visible.

So today was the third private session with Ms. Lalwani. And I was almost overloaded with information. Who knew that dancing could be so hard? Well, I had some ideas when I first watched Tribal Basics volumes 5 through seven. And then new things were being introduced at FCBD's Youtube videos.

In the private session, we did all those. Or, well, I attempted to absorb all that new information. We began with fast moves and moved on to slower ones. During the slow-move drills, Ms. Lalwani introduced something that took me a long time to understand: dancing while facing each other.

It's not really a mirroring thing. It's more of a parallel kind of dancing. During the Reach and Sit with Pivot, when Ms. Lalwani turned to the left (her left), I turned to her left too (my right). I know. I can't even read maps.

And then there was the Arabic Orbit (I love this one! And finally nailing this move is just so fantastic!) and passes with: Chico Four Corners (fast moves!) and Barrel Turn, Wrap Around Turn, Camel Walk (slow moves). These passes are admittedly fun to do, but ya know... I might need a year to really understand them. They're just so effing hard! They look good up on stage too. It shows the skills of the dancers. But... Well... They're challenging. Ms. Lalwani's so forgiving, though. But yours truly here is a perfectionist.

Now, a little note that I'd like to share. It's really abstract but it struck a chord with me as I was chatting with Ms. Lalwani. We were discussing about manners in the class. Here are some manners that I think should be adhered to in a dance class:

1. Be on time
2. Set your cellphones on silent (not even vibrating) mode and put them in the locker or in your bag where you can't see it. If you have something more important to do than a dance class, don't come into class.
3. When a teacher is in the room, do not try to explain (or discuss) a move to (or with) a friend(s) who do(es)n't understand. Tell the friend to ask the teacher directly. It's not just downright rude, you also might not know how to do the move correctly.
4. When a teacher is in the room, do what the teacher asks you to do. If you'd like to create a class on your own, do not come into the class you're taking as a student.
5. Breaks are for drinking, not for checking messages on your CrackBlackBerry, shitPhone or IdiotDroid. Or whatever gadget you have. See manner #2.
6. Don't be over the top or invinsible. When you have questions, ask. But don't overpower the rest of the class and think you're the coolest of the bunch.
7. Do not play the zills when the teacher is explaining a move.

When I open my own studio, I'll impose these manners. Yeah!

Oh, and about Tim Barsky's Tried by 5 Over 4. When we were drilling the slow moves, we used this song and I felt all emotional all of a sudden. When I went back to the hostel, the first thing I did was download the song from Amazon.com. Now that I have it, I can't stop playing it.