My Dance Bucket List

By Mary Serico

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were spent with family and friends with lots of fun, food, and laughter.

As the new year starts, I review my bucket lists. Yes, I have individual bucket lists for different parts of my life. My dance bucket list is not fairly long, but the items on the list require cooperation from other people and usually take quite a while to complete.

My latest funny showcase “Stretchy Pants”, which we performed for Dance A Lot Ballroom Studio’s Holiday Gala this past December, checked off two items from my bucket list — wearing comfortable pants and an ugly Christmas sweater. Before I go on, I need to thank my dance teacher Georgi for being such a good sport for wearing both of those items. The sweater was really ugly (and it also did light up) and the pants were very comfy and really stretchy! :D The dance also involved other props such as a table with food, an oversized blow-up turkey, three chairs, and an Amazon box filled with hanging stockings as you can see from the picture above. You can watch the full video of dance on the Dance A Lot’s Facebook page here. I also need to thank Adriana for understanding my vague vision for the dance and creating choreography that was fun, challenging, and amusing.

Now I’ve got to start looking for a new song for my next Christmas show dance.

Back to my dance bucket list. One of the items on the list has been to dance on stage with my husband, Joe (aka the Voice of Dance A Lot), just the two of us. While we have danced with Adi and Georgi for more years and showcases than I can count, it was always the four of us on the stage together. They were always the safety net to make sure Joe and I looked good and stayed focused.

I will get to check this item off my bucket list on June 9 this year. Joe and I are now getting ready to dance alone together at the Dance A Lot’s “Dancing Stars” annual dance showcase. Our routine is once again choreographed by the one-and-only Maxim Kozhevnikov. From the two minute dance, we’ll only partner each other for about 30 seconds, but I take the win. Joe picked out the song and came up with the general idea for the showcase. I will give you a little hint: the character is Madman Jose (extra points if anyone can name the song.) I think Joe picked the song because he gets to beat up Georgi and chase him away. :D

We are now back taking lessons with Adi and Georgi as a couple, and it is as if Joe never left. Adi has her hands full getting Joe under control again — those Ruby-level students are always a handful. It is a long-standing joke that Joe is a Ruby-level (which, btw, does not exist) because he makes up his own rules and steps.

I get to start the dance with Georgi and then get to finish the dance with Joe — it doesn’t get any better than that. I just hope Joe and I can stay focused and in sync without our safety nets.

As time approaches, I’ll post more about how our dance is going.

But meanwhile, what things are on your bucket list? I’d love to hear from you.

About Mary: Mary has been dancing since 2006. She loves dancing Cha Cha, Rumba, and Swing, but her favorite thing is to do showcases. With her husband Joe, they spend their time enjoying the retired life at the Jersey shore, golfing, traveling, and attending rock concerts.