WE’VE all heard the saying “you have to crawl before you can walk”.
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Well, when it comes to dancing, it turns out if you can’t walk, you’ll quickly sprawl.
You see, as a 200cm boy from the bush who could never get out of first gear on a football field, dancing isn’t something that comes naturally.
But there are times in life when you have to step outside your comfort zone and when it’s for a cause as good as the Cancer Council NSW, it’s impossible to say no.
These past few weeks have been a real eye-opener as I train for the Stars of the Border Dance For Cancer.
With the help of my talented partner, Maddi, I’ve learned to walk on my toes, walk on my heels and even walk in a straight line (it’s harder than it sounds).
“But you’re not as bad as I thought you’d be,” the Border Danceworks guru tells me, somewhat reassuringly.
With the words of the late, great Karl Jacka ringing in my ears – “attitude is a choice” – I take the “compliment” with the spirit in which it was intended and throw myself into the next part of the routine with a smile on my face.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how good or bad we are on the dancefloor, and to be frank, I’ll be happy if it doesn’t resemble a scene from a horror show, it’s all about raising money to kick cancer’s butt.
We’ve all been touched by this terrible disease at some stage and the Albury-Wodonga community has shown it’s incredibly generous with the Border Relay For Life now the biggest in Australia.
Money raised from this year’s Dance For Cancer will go toward research, support services, prevention programs, and advocacy. Now that’s a tune I can dance to.
To donate, visit: starsoftheborder2017.everydayhero.com/au/xavier-mardling
– Border Mail editor, Xavier Mardling