Giddy.

I remember this picture of myself, taken back in early 2008 during the Pasinaya festival in CCP. I was sitting inside the LT lobby ladies' room after attending a back-to-back session of ballroom dancing lessons at the MKP. Someone from the group that led the lessons even came up to me and we had a short chat. He had noticed me while I was dancing, and asked me if I had any formal dance training. While I never had a dance lesson in my life, I had only applied the pointers I had picked up from a brief movement class during the previous summer's theater workshop. The man then asked if I wanted to dance competitively. I was in rush to meet with my friends, yet thrilled by the offer, so I said that I wasn't sure, plus the timing wasn't right to go for it, as I was going back to school the following term. So he gave me his card and told me to contact him if ever I was interested. I took the card without looking at it, stuffed it in my bag, thanked the man, and ran off.

When the photo I had mentioned was taken, I was in such a high because of the thrill of actually doing ballroom dancing, even for just an hour. I didn't realize until later, when I had looked at the man's business card, that I had been talking with the president of the Philippine Dance Teachers Association. Oh my gosh. And I brushed him off just like that. I thought I would never get a chance like that again.

Fast forward to last night. I was in CCP, helping out at Tanghalang PIlipino's Walang Sugat callback auditions. And check it out, the venue was also at the MKP. I had mentioned to Badjo and Enzo before the auditions began that that was the place where I first learned real ballroom dancing. Anyway, it was nearing midnight, it was getting really hot as the air conditioners had already been turned off, and I was ready to crash after a long day (early morning shift, dance class, production meeting, then the auditions). I was just sitting inside while the panel was watching one of the last auditionees. Suddenly my phone lights up because of an incoming call. When I looked at the caller, it was Ian, my dance teacher. Assuming it was related to an upcoming session or whatever, I rushed outside the MKP and answered the call.

Ian first said that he called just to tell me "na natutuwa raw siya sakin," for my eagerness to learn, and for all my improvements. He said that he still wants us to keep in touch. Then he shifts into a different topic regarding Tita Lucy and her granddaughter, who has been joining our class everyday for about a week now, as the 6-year-old girl could easily pick up whatever Ian teaches, and Tita Lucy as well. Then he starts off again about how much I had learned beginning day 1, that even Marky, his cousin, had also noticed. He keeps segueing from one topic to another, like how much he got praised by his exhibition with Abby a couple of nights ago, that Iya Villania had even told him that she also wants to enroll in his class. And then he segues back to me, that he wants me to keep taking lessons under his wing (one time during class, he even told me that he's going to try and ask if I can have a discount when I re-enroll if I keep going), and try to vouch for me as a scholar, and maybe attend his Sunday lessons. I was superbly touched by this, but he still kept talking, saying that he's planning to find a partner for me so I can compete someday.

Oh my gosh, Ian's encouraging words deeply touched me. Heck yeah, of course I still want to keep dancing! It's one of the best things that had happened to me all year. I don't really want to jinx it by blogging about this, but I sure hope these things really will happen. I was so giddy about the opportunities that my teacher had opened up for me that I was ready to laugh and cry at the same time right then and there.

Oh Lord, I sure hope this really will happen.