While I wait for Henri’s leftovers to arrive (the storm, not a weird takeout restaurant), I’m here to make good on my goal/promise from last week and report on the goals I’ve come up with to get me back into dancing form after moving to the opposite corner of the country. Would you believe it’s already been a month since I arrived at my new home?
I made a virtual trip back to California on Thursday, specifically to my old dance studio for a late night La Blast class. Being 3 hours ahead meant I was shaking my groove thing from 9:15-10pm. For those thinking “that’s late??”, I’m normally in bed by 9:30pm and up at 6am. So Friday morning was a little rough, but it was worth it. It was great to see Teacher and some of my old dance friends again, even if just through the computer screen. La Blast is basically a ballroom version of Zumba, and if you read last week’s post, you know I found a great local Zumba class. I still like taking La Blast with Teacher because he sprinkles in some technique practice like holding a frame, so I feel like I’m getting a bit more than a fun cardio workout. There’s no reason I can’t do both classes!
I didn’t go to Zumba this past Saturday though because my body was still sore from La Blast. The soreness is partly from the workout and, I suspect, mostly from my hips being shifted. I started to feel uneven whenever I walked this past week, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just the old, wood floors of the house. So I made an appointment with a local physical therapist. It’ll be two months next week since my last PT session. Bout time I got myself re-aligned!
That brings us to my first goal. I really enjoyed both Zumba and La Blast, but both took me 2-3 days to recover, which is absurd and unreasonable if I’m going to get back into regular dance training. So first thing’s first: if I want to start up my weekly solo practice sessions, I need to prepare my body for the technique drills, choreo rounds, etc. First step toward that goal is seeing a physical therapist and fixing my hip alignment.
I’m purposefully taking this process step by step to avoid jumping ahead 20 steps and creating more problems for myself, or just pushing forward without paying attention to what I actually need to make progress. I’ve been there before! As much as I hate to miss out on the fun, I’m going to be smart and skip La Blast and Zumba until I can see the new PT and get my hips adjusted. I know that’s what my previous PT would tell me to do. There are house projects on the books for this week anyway, so at least that will keep me focused on something else I care about.
My second goal is to revive my solo practice, of course, but instead of drills and rounds, I’m starting with choreography review via videos and notes. Before I can solidify the movement in my body, I need to transfer it through my brain. My hips don’t need to be aligned to watch a video either, so I can start to tackle this goal before I complete goal #1.
The third goal I came up with this week isn’t around my personal dance journey; it’s around yours and anyone else who has read the blog and/or any of the books at Practice Ballroom Dance. It’s also for anyone who is still looking for a resource like The Girl with the Tree Tattoo. I put TGWTTT in neutral and let her coast while I packed up my life, said my farewells, and started my new chapter in Maine. I think it’s about time to shift back into gear and get moving again! If you have any dance friends who haven’t joined TGWTTT tribe, now’s the time to share what they’ve been missing.
So there you have it! First pre-goal of setting some goals checked off the list. Thank you for being my accountability partners. What goals are you working on right now? I’d love to support you.
In case you were wondering, this week in Critter Corner, we had noisy crickets inside and an abundance of deer and turkeys outside. No wasps, thank goodness. Oh, and I also spotted a fox in our back field!
What critters will we spot next week? Tune in to find out. 😉
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 