No Contest!

I have seen so many 'debates' about who is a better dancer.

Aaliyah or Ciara

Without stating the obvious, Aaliyah is of course, no longer with us, but it doesn't mean her artistry cannot be critiqued or compared to.

One thing about me, I love dancing, and yes watching it too, so when a fly dancer is on my TV screen I'm in awe. So when Ciara first hit the scene I was in my element. Then all these foolish threads on message boards came up with the Aaliyah/Ciara comparisons.

I don't care that Aaliyah went to a performing arts school and I couldn't care less if Ciara learnt her booty poppin swagger move in her bedroom. Bottom line is Ciara is a better dancer period.
Argue with me if you may, but I don't know what folks were seeing that even had Aaliyah compared to Ciara in the first place. Shoot even Beyonce can move better than Aaliyah could.

And no it's not about hateration, holleration in this dancerieee, and it's definitely not about pacifying Aaliyah just because she's passed on. Fact remains is this they're both beautiful, black, can dance, but have lacklustre singing voices that aren't even close to an American Idol Hollywood week standard. Just like Janet Jackson.

If Aaliyah were alive today I bet my money on it, she couldn't dance like Ciara, but Ciara could definitely do all her moves with her eyes closed. She's badass, haven't had a great female dancer/entertainer on the scene since Janet who I might add is a better dancer than her 50 year old brother. I loved Aaliyah but wasn't in awe of her dance skills. She danced like she was counting the steps poor thing and it all just looked a lil um....boring.

Gonna Get My Groove On: Part 2

"No time like the present" [She says nervously]

I had it narrowed down to 3 dance schools and was heavily looking at Pineapple Dance Studios which I've heard of before. They have daily, monthly and yearly membership but to me right now it makes no sense to pay the class fee on top of that and once I get a lil into it may look into moving on up to that dance school. They have 2 classes I'm very interested in one is a dance class by Rudeye and another is Street Locking with Jimmy Williams.

I think for my first outing and keeping the costs low [recession ya know] I'm going to opt for going to Hip Dance Moves and take the street locking class for beginners this Sunday with a 45% discount at £4 for the 1hr class or £6 for the 2hr class. I'm gonna opt for the 2 hour class. So if the class isn't full I'm gonna book it [covers eyes] and just go.

Description of 'Locking' on Hip Dance Moves

How best to explain locking? Think some of Michael Jackson moves, some of Usher's moves, some of Janet Jackson's moves, throw in a few James Brown tricks and elements of Saturday Night Fever (yeah, you remember that movie?). Then take it back to a time when dancing was more about having a good time than competing, and dancing your troubles away with happy smiling faces. The result...you have locking!

Gonna Get My Groove On

I always knew I could dance. I mean c'mon I lived up to the typical black stereotype of having rhythm for goodnes sake. But I didn't know I could dance until I was 14 at my baby cousin's christening. The dancehall came on then out of nowhere just started shockin out! I surprised myself I had no idea I could even move like that. From the way people were looking I knew I was either dancing like I had a seizure or was I just damn good. I was just damn good. I'd had no exposure to nightclubs at this age and playing loud music in my house to practice I don't really remember doing prior to that. Had I known there was a mini Janet in me I would have taken dance classes right there and then.

The only time I dance is at the club or at home with the Ipod on in the hallway in front of the 30+ mini Ikea mirrors in jogging bottoms and a tied up T-shirt showing the midriff. I downloaded some songs from Itunes, 'When I Grow Up' by the Pussycat Dolls, Radio and Single Ladies [Put A Ring On It] by Beyoncé, Swagga Like Us by Jay-Z and T.I. and just danced my ass off for an hour before bed. I'm so glad I already ran the bath because I jumped straight in to soak away the aches before they got me in the morning. I'm going to make it my mission one verse and chorus at a time to learn the Single Ladies dance, there are plenty of folks on You Tube having a go who have mastered it already. And when you break it down it's not that difficult at all.

Everybody thinks I work out. Truth be told I don't. You will not get me in a gym or jogging in a park. I see the need but I don't see the appeal of it. If I could dance every minute of the day then I would. I cannot lie I've had on the odd occasion people come up to me in the club and ask if I was a dancer and seen the girls who dare not even break a sweat for fear of ruining their hair and sweat out their clothes look on and me and my sister get down to just getting on with it on the dance floor like it should be done. If there isn't a dress code, I'll make sure I'm there in jeans and sneakers and a tight tank top. I'm not there to pull a man but to enjoy myself and every time I go out dancing that is my simple aim. My friend even told me once I have too much rhythm, and a guy [I'll protect his identity] tell me I dance too hard like I'm battling on the dancefloor…whatever...he was just a boring, conservative Houstonian anyway. And on that note do women in Houston even dance or just sit up in the club looking pretty?

I once asked my cousin who is a professional dancer many many years ago who goes by the stage name of Paradigmz [pictured left], to teach me some dance steps. He told me "oh you don't need any dance lessons trust me." I took that as a compliment and went on my merry way, because to me he was one of the baddest [as in good] dancers I'd ever seen so for him to say that…

So after having quite a hiatus doing the dancing at the club and at home, I got back into it last night, and for a while have been thinking about taking a street or hip-hop dance class. Freestyling is no problem, but dancing an actual routine is something I want to learn. All that aerobics shit and Pilates doesn't interest me and if I'm going to remain active may as well do something I love.

So I went on beloved Google and typed in 'street dance classes' and will get to searching a little later on.

**struts on out the blog**

As usual I'll keep you posted.