I’m pleased and honored to be able to share another side of my writing with the dance publication, Stance on Dance.
Click the image to read my poem It Feels Wrong to Dance, a reflection on the value of dance in tumultuous times:
Over the next two months, I’m embarking on a new dance adventure, something I’ve never done before as an adult dancer. Even though it’s a new experience for me, that very fact makes it fit naturally into my lifelong dance journey.
Continue readingIn case you missed it, all books and journals in my Ko-Fi shop are 20% off now through Cyber Monday (November 27, 2023) with code BACKTODANCE.
Click below to have the discount automatically applied:
Well hello there, dancers! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve visited our home here. I hope our paths have crossed elsewhere and it hasn’t actually been that long. If you’ve missed me, I am on Instagram most frequently as of late. It’s easy to upload a quick reel of the sunset or the beautiful views around my home without feeling like I lose too much time actually experiencing said sunsets and views.
While I continue to write, the words don’t always turn into pieces that I wish to share with the world. They are more for my own musings, or story ideas still in their infancy. It’s been a long time since I attempted to grow an idea into something that would take up more than a blog post or two. I’m excited to say something bigger has planted its seed in my brain.
I also still dance – Zumba and ballet mainly these days, plus mini dance breaks in my office whenever a good song plays. Speaking of dance, did you see what I did last week??
Greetings dancers!
I recently did an interview with the online magazine CanvasRebel in which they asked me about taking risks and what resilience meant to me. I had previously interviewed with their sister magazine VoyageLA. The current chapter of my story looks significantly different, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story as it’s evolved, as well as how my perspective has shifted on what it means to be a creative in today’s world.
Continue readingAs humans, we like our routines and our comfort zones. It’s where we feel safe. It’s where everything is familiar. As dancers, we’re constantly pushing ourselves out of those comfort zones in order to achieve our goals, stretch ourselves artistically, and grow in our craft.
Stepping out of that comfort zone is by definition uncomfortable, but it also gets easier the more often we do it. The comfort zone expands, and we’re able to explore new areas of our movement without inducing an anxiety attack.
Something about August had me pushing myself in all sorts of directions! I finished the month feeling tired and proud.
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Leads and follows, please welcome to the blog: Colette Marotto! She is a mother, a businesswoman and an Open-level pro-am competitive ballroom dancer. Though you may better recognize her from her recent role on the show Dancing Queens.
As I wrapped up my series on Dancing Queens, I sat down with Colette to talk about the impacts that dance has had on our lives and vice versa, as well as her experiences on the show. Let’s jump in!
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I am so excited to welcome Sabrina Strasser to the blog! She is an Open Latin pro-am competitive ballroom dancer, mother of two, and owner of SabiChic, a dancewear accessories brand. Of course, you may know her better from the show Dancing Queens, which recently wrapped its first season on Bravo. I sat down with Sabrina to talk about competing in ballroom, managing mindset and that tricky life-dance balance, and her experiences on Dancing Queens.
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That’s a wrap! The first season of Bravo’s Dancing Queens came to an exciting end this past week. When the trailer was first released back in April, I felt curious more than anything else. After witnessing some nasty initial reactions to the trailer on social media, I felt called to act as a voice of reason and a reality check to the “reality” show. Our pro-am ballroom world would likely be overdramatized for the sake of Bravo’s audience, so I would follow along to inject a shot of common sense when necessary.
Now that the season has ended and I’ve watched the final episode, I can honestly say I enjoyed the journey! There was plenty of dancing to watch and as my reviews shared, there were also plenty of relatable challenges faced by the Dancing Queens ladies. Aside from a few highly edited scenes and scenarios that seemed set up solely for the sake of the storyline, the show’s portrayal of the ladies’ journey felt authentic.
In Episode 8, the ladies arrive at Millennium Dancesport Championships. Will the blood, sweat and tears they’ve all put into their dancing get them to that top podium?
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We’re in the final countdown to the competition that the Dancing Queens ladies have all been preparing for: Millennium Dancesport Championships. This competition is a very large regional event that is known for its elaborate themes. For example, 2023’s theme was Egyptian Nights. When I attended the event in 2018, the theme was comic book superheroes. The theme of the 2022 Millennium on Dancing Queens was a nostalgic flashback to the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
We haven’t arrived at the competition yet in Episode 7, but the ladies are in serious prep mode with lessons with their pros, cross training, and getting outside coaching. Through the pressure and stress of doing everything they can to ensure the best chance of dancing away as the champion, an important truth emerges in this episode – dance at its core is about joy.
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The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 