Darleene Barrientos
Stepping, waving, swaying -- and stepping again -- several Glendale
High School teachers and administrators in a dance class Wednesday
looked more like they were concentrating on a test than learning
hip-hop and salsa dance steps.
The class, the first hosted by the school's dance team, was a
chance to show off the work the student dancers do and also give
teachers a chance to socialize in a friendly setting.
With dance coach and Glendale High graduate Erik Jimenez leading
the class, teachers learned several hip-hop and salsa-inspired dance
steps, first by themselves, and eventually with a partner.
Jimenez encouraged his students to smile, even if their limbs were
not cooperating completely.
"Trust your bodies -- they'll move," Jimenez said. "And even if
they're not, if you're smiling, no one will know the difference."
The three-hour class broke for a lunch break, during which
Assistant Principal Scott Anderle, who arrived late to the class,
practiced his steps with Jimenez after declaring he needed tutoring.
"This was a great idea," Anderle said, wiping sweat off his brow.
"One thing I'm learning is how difficult this is. You watch the kids
perform and you take it for granted, but then you realize -- it took
me 40 minutes to learn four steps. It just reinforces that these kids
work their tails off."
One of the teachers participating was Cheryl Keys, Jimenez's
junior year English teacher.
But the prospect of teaching his former educator was not daunting,
Jimenez said, and they were better dance students than he expected.
"They may not be catching on quickly, but they're getting it,"
Jimenez said. "Actually, they're learning a lot faster than I thought
they would. If you have a good attitude, it makes the process more
enjoyable."
For Keys, her concern was not the unfamiliar dance steps, but the
lack of air conditioning in the room.
"I tap-danced, but it's not this kind of movement and I'm pretty
much directionally challenged," Keys said with an exhausted laugh.
"But it's fun. Except it's too hot."
