It's the last day of the Herrang International Dance Camp and there's a feeling of melancholy as the hundreds of dancers get in their last classes, meals together and dances this evening. For some it has been up to five weeks of camp, so quite a significant investment of their summer here.
For myself, a full-week feels about right. I'm at an age where my body can't take hours and hours of dance classes and social dancing day after day without stop for more than a week. Perhaps if I was volunteering or teaching a class myself it would be different. But for the general Herrang 24/7 Experience, seven full days is plenty.
I had a high-energy final class with Shane and Ruth of Australia. They taught us the "hacksaw" charleston variation that I've always wanted to learn and never really understood how it worked. It was a lot of fun, but we were all totally dead by the end.
Starting yesterday, I have been feeling constant painful soreness in my legs from all the days of dancing. It got to the point that I was walking with a noticeable gimp, which was kind of embarassing. And dancing after 3am was impossible, as much as I wanted to.
I'm feeling a bit better today after getting some rest, but I don't want to push it too hard since I've got at least 2-3 more nights of dancing coming up.
It's tough admitting the effects of age. But then again learning how to take care of my body and know my limits is a good thing. And taking a break and just hanging out with people, watching others dance, and listening to fantastic music is not all that bad either!