In Good Shape

Slim body! Slim body! It was a popular phrase of a TV soap opera a couple of years ago. Why was it so popular? It might be because everybody wanted to trim his or her body. In this modern society, everybody, not only woman but also man, wants to be in good shape.

It has been more than eight months since golden ladies joined a clogging class together at the beginning of this year. Though we meet only once a week to practice clogging dance Monday evenings after work, it helps us keep in good shape. My main purpose of learning clogging is to shape my body, but I also cherish any opportunity to promote and perform clogging dance in public, which enables me to gain more stage experience as well.

After our splendid clogging belly dance show at Legacy Toastmasters Club's 10th Anniversary Party on April the 20th, our upcoming performance will take place at the Northern Nursing Home tomorrow afternoon, September the 19th. For the past two weeks, Jennie, our clogging dance instructor, Sherry, Lydia and I have put on our clogging shoes regularly and spent much time rehearsing and rehearsing two lively songs, "Sweet, Sweet Smile" and "Let's put the Western Back the Country". It is our wish to bring the joy and happiness to the senior residents at the nursing home on their September birthday party.

No matter how nervous I get before performing, I always feel very happy while dancing on stage. In our real life, we face challenges everyday. We have no way to escape. We can only feel the fear and take the challenge anyway! Fear is after all not a bad thing. I notice that I make a great deal of improvement after each performance. It is because once I have a goal in mind, I have a direction to achieve it to the best of my ability. I am glad that I have the opportunity to entertain elderly people at the nursing home.

When I read the Viewpoint of Chris Ford, the newly elected International President, in Toastmaster Magazine September issue, I can't agree with him more about "Shaping Ourselves, Shaping Our World". While we clog to get into shape and stay in shape, we hope we can encourage more people to clog with us to get into shape and stay in shape physically and mentally. Michelle Liu