"The Minute You Walked in the Joint"

After my foray into pole dancing last year, which left me with a sprained armpit (or Pectoralis Tendonitis, as my friend Michelle said it was really called and she should know, because she’s a doctor) I decided I should maybe try something that doesn’t involve trying to hoist myself up onto a metal pole! I managed to convince my sister and friend Paula that we should try Burlesque; shockingly they thought it would be a good idea too! Well they did after a few glasses of wine and being forced to listen to lady Marmalade on repeat.

  So last Thursday we headed to a dance school to have a go at “titty dancing” as we’ve affectionately nicknamed it! I’m always a little bit wary of dance school.  I was never a child who wanted to do ballet when they were little. I attended about 3 disco dancing classes when I was 5 (yes I did say disco dancing, for in the 80’s that was what they were called) but it wasn’t for me and in fairness, I think my Mum was pleased, she wasn’t one for sewing sequins onto as leotard. Our fancy dress options as children were a ghost (white bed sheet on your head) or a witch (black bag as a dress) I think Mum breathed a sigh of relief when we opted for playing musical instruments!

  I liked this dance school as soon as I walked in because they had a café and members of staff who said hello! When we were told to grab a top hat, cane, feather boa, chair and fan, I was pretty sure I’d found my spiritual home. Lucy pointed out that she pretty much owned all these items anyway (don’t ask)

   The teacher, Hannah was really friendly, the other ladies in the class were nice too and just as glamorous as we were. I was a little bit worried that we would be the odd ones out and everyone else would be a size 8 with fake boobs wearing corsets and bright red lipstick and just did the can-can for fun. That wasn’t the case, we were not so much Dita Von Tesse, more Dita “could I have a minute before I Tesse”

  There was one move that reminded me of the “bend and snap” from “Legally Blonde”, a Beyoncé style booty shake and a slightly awkward situation where I nearly choked on a pink feather.

  Still by the end of it, I wasn’t sure whether I’d burnt more calories from laughing or dancing, but by the time I’d got home, my fitbit was showing 12,636 steps!

  It also meant that this week at Weight Watchers I had lost a pound. Slow and steady, but it’s coming off and if next week I lose another pound, I’ll be through the next stone barrier which will be a real psychological boost for me!

  There’ll be more Burlesque this week, because lets face it, they pretty much had me at “Shirley Bassey”