Tapping with Tootsie

I had my first tap dancing lesson today. As I pulled up to the Berwyn Senior Center, that should have been my first clue that I would be the youngest by decades. I walked into the large room where I would be flapping and ball-changing. I sat next to this woman who eyed my high heeled tap shoes...

"Hey, you have high heels! Have you tapped before?"

I did not want to admit that I was not a novice tapper since I had 10 years of dance lessons when I was a child. Although I wanted to blend in and not be noticed, my high heeled tap shoes gave me attention before I even started tapping. Then, I had two other women looking at me for some type of answer...

"Well, I had some lessons when I was younger."

This response then seemed ridiculous. Then, when it was time to tap, I followed the directions of the instructor. She is terrific. Again, of retirement age, yet she was a Rockette dancer years ago and has fabulous legs and is a fantastic tap dancer. The instructor sniffed out the non-beginner in a quick fashion...

"Um...you have tapped before."

This wasn't a question, but a declaration to the class. Then, when it came time for some down the room exercises ...flap...flap...flap...no one wanted to be my partner. Maybe because I missed last week and they all had their partners, maybe because of my age, maybe because I was revealed as a non-beginner. It didn't matter because I just forced myself with a group already.

During the last half of the class, we were working on a quick routine when I recognized this woman. This was impossible since I do not know anyone in this state. I kept staring at her and realized that she looked exactly like Dustin Hoffman in the movie Tootsie! So, I am tapping with a Rockette, Tootsie, and several other retired people. I love it.