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So, my first class, and I was with Jonathon, in Seminar Room 12. The routine was to a funked-up jazzy (very fast) version of Prince's 'Purple Rain'. Was very good but was taught so fast. It was like…"ok guys… stretch back and down, round-up, turn rondevo, paletti-voo, triple pirouette and land on 8, chassis back clap and punch…"… Ready, and with the music… Eh, HULLO! Jonathon's routine was also very technical using all Jazz terms which I am not familiar with. Very quickly my head was puggled, I'll blame the jet-lag. I glanced a quick look at Carole Anne who was also in my class, her eyes were kinda popping out of their sockets and she looked a bit unsteady on her feet – aye, she was panicing too…!! It didn't help matters that every time we went into Jonathon's class he kept changing the damn routine! In the end though, after going over and over it in our hotel room with a 'boogie box' Rosalyn gave us, we had his routine practically down to a tee and performed it well at the end of ProDance.

So my second routine was with Mina Ortega, one of a twin. All three of us – myself, Carole Anne and Katrina were in this class. Another very fast number…! There is no such thing as a slow routine. Even if the music is a slower tempo these guys use every 'and' beat so the dance is still fast. I felt I was back in my freestyle disco days. I don't have a problem dancing fast at all, in fact sometimes I dance too fast at our games, I prefer it. So another rapid-fire routine, easily picked-up this time and the various changes in formation were fantastic. Every 8-beat we were moving again to another pattern. We got lots of ideas for new formations and travelling steps. The routine was still taught pretty fast but I suppose that's how these Americans are brought up.

So the first day still hadn't finished we had one more class to do and I felt I was going to collapse. I was trying so hard and dancing flat out every time, I just knew I wasn't gonna be able to walk in the morning. No rest for the wicked… and so it was on to our third and final class of the day.

Carole Anne headed for a speedy Britney re-mix number, Katrina Foran to a Christina Milian – 'Dip it Low' classic… and myself I went to Marina Ortega's 'The Strokes' routine… That Strokes tune is amazing and the dance was very fitting… Let's just say I was in no way shape or form to give my all in the last dance as I was so tired, however you just had no choice…! Something my old dance teacher once told me…"… a good dancer should always be able to produce their best work, even when they don't feel like it…"… Don't know where I found the strength from but somehow I got there. If we weren't whacking our legs up off the side of our head, we were jumping and kicking back two legs to our head, then flipping back the other leg (as you do). Next on the floor and the half I was in were to drop into the box-splits… oh goodie goodie eh… everyone was flat-out and I just had to hold my breath and drop – was well impressed with ma sell…!! AND also… I'm sure the Strokes would be well impressed, we also had these socks on our arms which we pulled right down half way thru the routine so that they would wave around during certain movements – was very visual! hmm… don't think my socks would go down too well at Braehead, we'll maybe stick to the poms. I really enjoyed the last class and as we all staggered and limped off to our hotel room comparing notes on what we had just been taught, I couldn't help but think about how sore I was going to be in the morning…!! aouch…!

Day Two

Daily chap from Dora at precisely 7:15 am to clean the room… OK, we had to be downstairs for 8:30 BUT c'mon…! What is wrong with these people!

I was lying in bed unable to move. Every part of my body ached from my neck to my ankles. I tried to bend my knee towards my chest to stretch off and OHHH OOOO My God…! A G O N Y is not good enough to describe the way I felt. My legs felt like two overstretched rubber bands ready to go pa-tang and snap, my lower back felt so stiff I could barely bend forward or back, when I did eventually manage to crawl from the bed I had to try and walk without bending my knees and I think I was stooped over… I'm not exaggerating…! I was obviously working harder than anyone else. Katrina Foran was not one bit sore…! See that's just laziness to me, well, either that or it's because she so damn flexible she doesn't know what it feels like to feel stiff. Carole Anne was much the same as me and we were so glad when we went downstairs and even the 'sooper dooper' Americans were all limping about too. Some girls were lying on the floor with physios stretching them off or rubbing their backs. Oh… I wanted to lie and get stretched-off too but instead I forced myself to walk in tall and straight as if I had no aches and pains at all…

So Day Two got under way, much the same as Day One this time more intense, slightly faster paced (could it get any faster?!!) as the choreographers wanted to make sure their routines would be finished on time for the performances on the third day. I soon forgot my ailments as all my concentration was taken up with the high-impact dance routines. By the end of the second day, two of my routines were completely finished. Just Jonathon's routine, the Prince one, was still being changed and re-arranged…!

An early night with a film in our room after dinner followed – think we all were fast asleep before the film '13 Going On 30' finished… shhhhhhh… nite nite…

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