Gennett interviews Myrna Weinman, a local Dance Teacher

Two dancers find each other and discuss what dance means to them

M: So, hi, Gennett. I'm Myrna. A little bit about me. I'm 55 and I'm married with a couple of kids. I've been teaching dance for over like 22 years. What's interesting about me is that when I was about your age, when I was even younger than you, I took dance and I really liked it. But I don't remember it being a huge part of my life, but I really liked it. But then my mom said, Hey, do you guys want to take piano? And my sister and I say, yes, but then she goes, then you have to stop taking dance. And we were like, okay, so we took piano instead of dance.

I did not like piano at all but I never got back to dance. Then when I was a grown up and I was like, already a married lady, a friend of mine told me about this dance class called Nia. She thought I would really like it. And lo and behold, I really did. And then she said, I'm thinking about becoming a teacher of it because there's nobody really teaching it in Chicago. So I said, That's awesome. I'm going to be your number one student, and I'll just support you. When she came back from the training, she was like, I think you might like to teach this too and I did. I went and I did the training and I loved it.

I've been teaching ever since.

G: What made you start dancing?

M: You know, just my friend reminding me, when my friend said, Hey, I think you might like this and I started doing it.

Oh, I totally forgot when I was in high school, I tried out for pompom, the dance troupe, and I made it to the last. There were like two cuts made and I made it to the last part. And my father didn't let me continue on with the tryouts. I think I could have been dancing in high school too. But my dad, he didn't want me to stay after school without him because he was a teacher at my school. So I remember like, so when I started dancing again, as a grown up. I was like, I really love dancing. I can't believe I haven't been doing it for a long time. Have you been dancing for a long time? How long have you been dancing? And what do you like to do?

G: Oh well, I just got like on a dance team last year, like from Chicago cuz I'm in Chicago right now. But I’ve been dancing since I was seven.

M: Whoa. Where do you do it - like at parades or concerts or competitions?

G: I just had a competition in Houston, Texas.

M: Did you go to Houston? Or did you do a video?

G: We actually went there. I think we got another one coming up in July, I think in Miami.

M: Wow, that's pretty awesome. How do you like it? I mean, is it difficult?

G: Some moves be like difficult, but I try my best to learn.

M: Have you ever seen what I'm the kind of dance that I do?

G: No. That was gonna be my next question. :)

M: Well, the dance I teach, it's very interesting, because it's kind of like exercise, but it's also dancing. So you've seen have you ever seen Zumba or any kind of other dance exercise? It's similar to that. But it also is a little bit like yoga. And have you ever seen people doing yoga or people doing martial arts? So it's this really interesting mix of all of that.

We learn routines and we do it for other people to enjoy dancing and moving their bodies, because I don't know how you feel when you're dancing and moving but my body feels amazing. And I feel better as a person. Like my mind is clear. So I love that and then I also what I love about teaching is just saying hey, you know do you guys feel your your shoulders right now? Or do you feel your spirit, imagine you have wings on or something like that. I try to use words to make people really be in their bodies while they're dancing. Do you kind of know what I mean? By being in your body when you're dancing? So it's not just like looking at the mirror and making sure I got the steps right it's about here I am listening to this great music and moving in a way that feels good!

G: One of my questions is what would you do if one of your students says they can't do it?

M: Ah, that's a good one. Well, in my class, it's a little different than traditional dance, traditional dance, you know, ballet or jazz or whatever. They're like, no, this is the right way to do it. No, keep, keep trying to get this right way. And maybe on your dance team, teachers are kind of like that, too. It has to be perfect, has to be exactly what I'm doing. The dance class that I teach, it's like, okay, here's the way I'm doing it, now you do your best. Try to do it. How does your body want to do it? Okay, let's do it that way. It's not about getting the perfect step is just about moving your body and enjoying yourself.

G: Why is dance so important to you?

M: That's a good question. I think it's because I get a chance to be present in my body. And most of the time, I'm ripping and running, doing this and doing that and not necessarily present. You know what I mean? And when I start to dance, I can be in the here and now. When I breathe, I really sense my breath. When I move my arms, I really sense. You know, I turn on the awareness. If that's confusing to you, let me know if this is confusing to you. It's not like I just automatically doing the steps. There's a way that I do that. But then I take the time while I'm dancing and moving to say this is my arm coming up. This is your hand making a fist. This is the soles of my feet hitting the ground. Yeah, this is what my shoulder blades feel like. I take the time to feel different parts of my body to wake up my conscious awareness. That's kind of a couple of big words but I try to be present in the here and now.

M: How do you feel when you dance?

G: Oh, I feel like I can believe in myself and let all the pressure off me like, out in the open. And I just go free when I dance.

M: Yeah, me too. I don't have to worry about this and that. I have fun. I feel free, I feel alive. It's good.