It’s been awhile since I’ve done a “lightbulb” post!

The week has been rough (and it’s only Wednesday!).  I spent most of today switching between feeling sorry for myself that I wasn’t in Ohio this week for Ohio Star Ball and feeling excited for the Beautiful Girl in the Ballroom who IS in Ohio!  Rock on, girl!

Just like during the week of USDC, I still got to dance with Teacher on the day I was supposed to compete, just in the studio instead. As I drove home, I had to recognize that, despite the emotional ups and downs, I actually had a productive lesson!

The focus was tango. Teacher has been trying to get me to engage my lats more in all dances, and today was no different. We also worked on the correct alignment in sections of the routine. The result was better balance through my movements.

The lightbulb came when we worked on my turns. There are two sets of double turns in my tango routine, and more often than not, I come out of the turns wobbly or leaning way out to the side of where I should be. Today, along with keeping my lats down, Teacher emphasized moving straight through the turns. I was adding swing or sway and that was what threw me off balance as I came out of the second turn.

After trying it a couple times, I can honestly say the turns felt more grounded and balanced!  Huzzah!

It’s a weird feeling to stay on an even level in tango while there is so much rise and fall and/or swing and sway in the other smooth dances. It’s one of the things that sets tango apart. Now that I’ve felt the difference it makes, I should be able to better remember the technique.

Guess we’ll see at my next lesson!