Do the Polka!

Posted by Laura

Just before Thanksgiving break, my dance teacher announced to the class the "opportunity of a lifetime." At the social dance lab, there would be a polka competition for the social dance 180 students, where students would learn the polka and then perform it in a series of competitive rounds. After she told us the details and mentioned that there would be prizes, I decided to enter. She told me that she would teach me the polka right after the break, but not to worry about it because it was supposed to be a stress-free event.

I didn't think much of it until I realized it was the week of the competition and I still had not learned one step of the polka. I was getting pretty nervous but my teacher reassured me that she would teach it to me a couple days before the event which would give plenty of time for practicing and mental preparation. With conflicts in scheduling, my teacher wasn't able to teach it to me and my partner until a half-hour before the event started. So all the preparation I could rely on was a couple videos from YouTube of an old Swedish couple telling me that "the polka is easy as 1-2-3" and the short frantic lesson from my teacher. I have really enjoyed having my dance teacher and it was easy to match her instructions to the old Swede's visual learning, but it was nerve-wracking knowing that I wasn't as prepared as the other competing couples.

One thing led to the next and before I knew it I was dancing the polka in front of judges and hundreds of students. Surprisingly, I made it to the final round, competing with seven other couples for the grand title. I tied for third place with my partner and left with a candy bar and very sore feet. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!