Let’s get one thing out of the way:
the dance is eternal.

Now that that’s cleared up,
I would like to advise you
on the particulars of your participation.

We cover certain moves in this class.
We do things considered acceptable
within the boundaries of a dance studio,

because that is how you begin,
even if your inner fire or whatever
wants to fling itself about with abandon.

This class is not on abandon.
Today, we learn how to step.
You groan. I assure you, it’s essential.

Where would we be if we could not
step? From the step grows the hop,
from the hop the jump, the leap,

and all have their place in the great
universal cycle of dance. I only teach
because I have touched the gears

that keep this contraption running,
and I have seen that our feet,
properly applied, keep it going.

Like I said, the dance is eternal.
If you don’t know the basics,
you fail to oil the machine.

With that, let us begin.