I'm a liberal pagan living in West, Texas. Yes. That West, Texas.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

SHADY LANE AND AFRICAN DRUM DANCING

Just about the time I think Shady can't do anything that would either stun, amaze or shock me...she does it..and was stunned, amazed and shocked at her when I saw her at her African drum dance class...Where she was, at 61 at least 30 years older then the person closest to her age.Most were in 20's...andshe was right in there..shaking her booty...jumping, clapping, twisting, turning, more jumping...I lost 5 lbs just watching...Ok..let me explain the whole African drum dance thing..Jean Claude Lessou is the instructor that I got to see teach the class..He's from Abidjam, Ivory Coast and has been dancing professionally since he was 15 years old..He has danced all over the world and the United States..Well, he takes a plane most places but dances when he gets there..He does this really cute little monkey scream when he teaches and dances..sort of an African version of the scream Bruce Lee used to make when he fought..


The class is 1 1/2 hour long..The first 15 minutes is just warming up..and when they got through I said,'if I did that you would be on the phone calling 991 right now.'..then they did 15 minutes of a bunch of exercises..I told Shady, 'that I had been in some of those positions before..while having sex and giving birth..and if I had done those exercises they would be giving me CPR right about now.'...Then Jean Claude came in and starting his class...HOLY SHIT!.. They were doing these leaps and twists and turns and jumps and clapping and it was amazing..and there is ole Shady shaking her ass and jumping up and down the dance floor to save her little Yankee soul..it was just terrific.There were 3 guys beating on the African drums and when they changed beats, the dance step changes.And it went on for a fucking hour...I was sweating and out of breath and all I did was sit on my ass and watch...I was so proud of her and so impressed...she has been doing this for 5 fucking years..and has earned herself a nick name..Sugarmomma..if anyone watches THE PROUDS, a TV cartoon, there is a mouthy old lady on there called Sugarmomma...and they call Lane that now.It fits..to a T.I am going to post some pictures..some of Jean Claude and his classes from different places..I like the schmuck that I am forgot to take the camera and didn't get any pictures...but you will get the idea..All I know is I have an entirely different picture of Shady now after watching her prance her Yankee ass up and down that dance floor..sweating and grinning and twitching her ass...She's my hero..

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lot more fun than step aerobics, Richard Simmon and Jane Fonda videos. We await your joining the group.

Anonymous said...

African dancing is something I would love to do, even if I made a total fool of my self. The jumping would have to be out, as the ankle/leg can't take any impact anymore, but I can imagine it in my mind and pretend I can do it I guess, I bet watching that was a ball.

Pixie said...

Good for her!

Looks like a whole lotta fun!

the rube said...

shady's proving that age is just a state of mind.

you're young at heart and have some cool converse sneakers, what's holding you back?

tqmcintl said...

Hi yellow
long time no visit u
can we be friends again?

whats your name hunny?

BBC said...

I don't know squat about her, but good for her. I keep active to stay in half way decent shape. I of course have no idea what kind of shape you are in.

But I know that being in shape is just a decision one makes. Hugs.

yellowdoggranny said...

jan:im telling you..for $12 a week, and 1 1/2 hours of the dance and exercise..there is no way you cannot lose weight...
clance:it was wonderful to watch..would love to see them do a show, with costumes and the whole works..
pixie:i know everyone there was grinning and sweating when it was over..they all had that look of pride in doing something hard and doing it well...
the rube:4 back surgeries...and the nerve that was pinched for 7 years which makes the messages that go from my brain to my right foot get lost sometime and makes me fall on my ass..other then that...I'd do it in a nycity second..
bbc:slowly but surely losing weight..40 lbs so far...

Heidi said...

That looks like fun. I need to start using my stupid "Turbo Jam" DVDs the Dr. recommended because I've got some serious trigylcerides, cholestrol and high BP to cut down.

slowly but surely losing weight..40 lbs so far...

Go, Yellowdog, Go! That's awesome. :)

Sling said...

The thing about getting involved in something like that,is that you discover that you are having a ball,and getting in shape...It's a win-win.

Cie Cheesemeister said...

Good for Shady! If you can still shake it, do it!

yellowdoggranny said...

HMHH:you should check out your yellow pages and see if there is a dance studio near you..it's only only the best exercise..it's lots of fun..and the classes were only $12 each...
slowly but surely...going to get back down to my fighting weight if it kills me..and it probably will..
sling:yup...shady has such a great time...and made lots of good friends while doing it..
cheesey:she does the 15-30 minute exercise and warm up every night and every morning if she can find the time...plus the dance class once a week...

Nick said...

She would be my fucking hero too if I knew her.

Anonymous said...

ha, that is awesome - you should try it too, i'd bet you would get a helluva kick out of it , prob keep ya laughing the whole time hehe :)

Josh said...

Wow, sounds like a great way to get in shape. At least, I'm sure it works better than, say, Gregorian chant...

Nit Wit said...

I'm exhausted just reading about it.
Who would ever believe that Jackiesue's hero would be a Damn Yankee? I could do that but I would have to quit working and have a room reserved in the emergency room.
I have no rhythm however and would throw the whole group off.
40 pounds! If I lost that much I would have to buy all new clothes.

yellowdoggranny said...

nick:she's pretty damn cool..
tina:if i didn't have such a bad back with 4 back operations in my past..i'd be out on the dance floor in a nyc second..
josh:are you making fun of my gregorian chant cd i play every sunday?..
nitwit:she aint' your every day yankee...trust me..i lost 40 lbs and im still fat...but i put on a pair of shorts yesterday..and they fell off my fat ass..right to the floor..now that was a good thing..

AngelConradie said...

it sounds incredible- i have a friend who would just LOVE to do that!