Nancy Perry Graham EDITOR
ENTERFORA
CHANCETOWIN
adancelesson
withCorkyBallas!
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for more info.
So You Wanna Dance?
Have you ever imagined yourself on Dancing with the Stars?
I have! (It’s a top TV show with our readers.) So when I got
the chance to learn a dance from Corky Ballas, the charming
champion who was Florence Henderson’s partner this
season, I (nervously) said YES! Here was the hitch: I had just
three hours to learn and rehearse the dance, and then just 20
minutes to perform the whole thing with Corky on video for
all the online world to see. That didn’t leave much time for
screwing up or falling down (though I did both). Despite the
stress, it was a magical experience, from picking the music—I
unwittingly chose a “jive” song, the hardest type to dance to—to buying a ballroom
dress. Who knew you could get a sexy black number for $37? I met Corky at a DW TS
rehearsal hall in LA on a Saturday night, and in just two hours he choreographed and
showed me the steps to our dance. He was a patient and funny teacher, despite having
spent the previous six hours practicing with Florence. My main flaw as a partner, he
joked, was my tendency to “strangle” him “to death.” To prepare for the next morning,
he told me to watch a video we’d shot as we practiced. I danced around my hotel room
until 1 a.m., my eyes glued to that video. I was feeling pretty confident by Sunday
morning—until I swapped my sneakers for 3-inch
heels. Then the pressure of having to perform the
whole dance in just two takes made me panic. The
clock was ticking; Corky had to get back to Florence.
Showtime, cameras rolling! I’m dancing, I’m rushing,
I’m losing count, I’m tripping, I’m…on the floor.
Humiliation! Okay, I got that over with. Take two:
Corky looks me in the eye, takes my hand, and with a
bounce we’re off, kicking, twirling, dancing, dipping.
I did it! The video crew applauds. Corky hugs me.
I feel elated. I’ve just done something I was afraid
to do. Thank you, Corky, for my Cinderella moment.
BOOGIE NIGH TS Above, my jive
with Corky, who turns 50 on
Christmas Day, 2010. His message: “Don’t just exist. Live your
life!” Below left, dance practice,
and my 22-minute makeover.
To watch the fun, and to get
Corky’s ballroom dance tips, go
to aarp.org/dancewithcorky.
Share your feelings about the magazine
and your lives at
aarp.org/magtalk.
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: ART STREIBER; FRANK J. YUVANCIC ( 3).
FOR NANC Y GRAHAM: HAIR ST YLIS T: JACKIE MGIDO; MAKEUP ARTIST: MISHEL BROWNLEE
6 AARP THE MAGAZINE
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