REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK:

OK, I admit it. By the end of season four, I was hooked on “Dancing with the Stars,” and have anxiously been awaiting season five, which premieres tonight.

The celebrities, the clothes, the music, the steps, the simple synchronicity of it all.

It looked so easy.

Even Heather Mills mastered the steps, and let’s face it, without appearing mean, we all know she only had one leg.

Apparently, having two legs isn’t a sure bet you can do the rumba, fox trot or, in my case, even the waltz.

But I didn’t know that when I walked into Ballroom is Back! Dance Studio a few months ago to begin my lessons with Leo Cendejas, the owner of the Costa Mesa studio that assures you, “If you’re not dancing, you’re just part of the crowd.”

I had bought the special shoes with the felt bottoms (that’s how they glide) and I was ready for my first lesson on the waxed wood floor.

I stood up straight, head held high, shoulders back, took Leo’s hand and promptly led him where I thought we were going.

Lesson No. 1: The guy leads, the woman follows. I apologized, took Leo’s hand — again, but this time after waiting to be asked first — and as I followed his lead, I began to realize that ballroom dancing is a partnership.

It’s about trust and commitment — not so much to the person, but to the integrity of the movement.

Oh, and then to your partner. That part does help once you’re moving sort of quickly.

And Leo can move. With grace, agility and so much style.

Which I don’t think you’d know if you ran into him on the street. Leo’s not a big guy, but he’s bald, and has an earring and tattoos.

We started with the rumba, which is a basic box step. Right foot back, left foot over, left foot up, right foot over. Something like that.

You’re actually expected to count the steps, know which foot you’re leading with next, follow the beat and the rhythm, imagine your head being pulled up from your diaphragm and smile as if you’re having the time of your life.

I was miserable, frustrated, confused and mad. At Leo.

Relax, he told me. Breathe. Feel the music. Commit.

Leo is patient, easy to follow, and a philosopher to boot.

So I relaxed, closed my eyes (another Leo instruction), and before I knew it, I was dancing.

Not very well yet, but it was a start.

Twelve years ago, Leo was a banker.

Devastated after the breakup of his marriage, he hopped on his motorcycle, headed to San Francisco on a road trip and came back home to be a ballroom dance instructor.

How does that happen?

According to Leo, ballroom dance does a lot more for a person than teach you how to impress people at weddings.

When his self esteem and belief in who he was and the world in general were shattered, ballroom dancing gave Leo confidence, new direction and a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

This ballroom dancing stuff was exactly what I needed.

The first day I met Leo, we talked for hours about our life experiences, he explained what he thought ballroom dancing could do for me, and he wanted me to set goals — like perform somewhere.

Perform?

I wanted to dance, maybe go out to a club or two, not become an entertainer, and certainly not put myself out there for the world to see.

You know, like on the Daily Pilot website, which is exactly what ended up happening.

We stepped up the lessons, and I got serious.

It was the Internet, for heaven’s sake.

Except something else happened in the process.

I invested myself in the experience, and I not only began to grow — and improve — I really began to enjoy it.

After just a few months of lessons, when I’d had a stressful day at work, I found myself looking forward to strapping on those shoes and dancing my little heart out.

Learning the rumba was learning the basics.

Leo made the mistake of showing me the fox trot — which I didn’t like — and the waltz in the same lesson. Bye-bye fox trot.

I loved the waltz. It was a faster, smoother dance than the rumba, and because it’s easier to disguise mistakes, I know Leo didn’t step on my feet anywhere near as much in the waltz as he did in the other dances.

You can also take bigger steps, and turn and twirl.

I never quite mastered the turns, but I felt like I did, and that’s what matters.

“When we finally hit that moment after the eighth or ninth lesson where you were actually starting to glide and not think about it as much and for a moment got lost in the music and in the character of waltz, I think you realized that the payoff was bigger than you [expected],” Leo said.

Truer words were never spoken.

Leo thinks now that the story’s written and the video’s shot, my work is done.

Wishful thinking on his part.

I’ve only just begun.

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Ballroom dance lessons

WHERE: Ballroom is Back! Dance Studio, 2908 McClintock Way UNIT C, Costa Mesa (714) 641-3188

COST: Private lessons: $45; one introductory private lesson for $20

INFO: For more information and to read about Leo’s vision, go to www.ballroomisback.com.