I left the house to go dancing three days this week. It almost felt reminiscent of pre-pandemic life, except the variety of dance here is much greater. It’s a different experience working on different dances through the week instead of continuously building on my ballroom skills. My personal dance world is expanding as I learn and practice different styles. I’m getting to meet different people who all love to dance, but in different ways. It feels a little aimless, but as you’ll find out, I’m feeling better about that aspect.
Monday was ballet class. I left feeling tired, but proud because for the first time since I started taking this class in November, I did not fall out of my pirouettes! In case you missed it, I shared my progress with my boys. Gromit seemed to approve.
Wednesday night was a special night of dancing for me. First, I went to a styling class where we learned a West Coast Swing-inspired line dance routine and then played with the styling to music. It’s the second class of the series and honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m so glad I gave it a chance because it’s become a really fun mid-week break.
The styling class ended at 8pm. I headed home, walked the dogs, and then cleared the living room for a Smooth master class over Zoom at 9:15pm. My dance coaches from SoCal were teaching it live in their studio, and despite the late hour, I couldn’t miss out on the chance to learn from them again. We worked on the foundations of Waltz and by the time class was over, my back was sore! It’s been awhile since I’ve held up my frame for that long.
The class was enough to lift my mood out of the doldrums it was stuck in and feel more confident/trusting about going with the flow. Plus, it was just really good to see everyone at my old studio again. I miss them!
The final day of dance was my Saturday Zumba class. I’ve said it before – I love being able to just let loose in Zumba. The music and movement are high energy and perfect for shaking off any stress from the week. Right now, it’s also the only time I get to dance Salsa outside of my kitchen.
In one week, I danced ballet, west coast swing, waltz, and a blend of hip hop and Latin dances. That’s a lot! I’m hoping more partner dancing opportunities will appear as it sorta maybe hopefully seems like Covid is actually slowing down and not just pausing to prepare for another spike. I’ve been told country dancing was/is a big thing in Maine. Maybe I’ll expand into country dancing too!
This week highlights one of the benefits of “going with the flow” instead of trying to plan or predict every moment of Life: greater variety of opportunities. Instead of travelling a narrow path, my dance journey has brought me to a wide open field where I can wander around and explore different areas, while still continuing to move forward. One thing I know for sure is when I do return to a ballroom-focused path, all of this exploring will make me a better ballroom dancer because I’ll have more varied experiences to draw upon for support and inspiration. This is also why cross-training is so important. Whether it’s training in the gym or training in other dances, your mind and body benefit greatly from diversity.
So, how often do you wander from the narrow path?
Before I go, I have a quick announcement:
I’m teaming up with a group of other dance-related businesses for a virtual market called Rock Your Recital. It’s taking place on Facebook from March 14-18, 2022.
Hope to see you there!
If you’ve enjoyed today’s piece, please show your support for The Girl with the Tree Tattoo by clicking the button below. Thank you in advance, and happy dancing!
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 