We did it! It’s the 31st day of the 31 Day Writing Challenge! Anyone else exhausted? I read from more than one other 31 dayer that a challenge like this is a marathon, not a sprint. They weren’t kidding! As the ballroom writer, I’m claiming top student.
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Category: 31 Days
Trust and Ballroom Part 2: Trusting Yourself (Write31Days Day 30)
After getting a bit of a mental smackdown courtesy of my demons last night, I considered letting them write today’s post. But I’m going to pull myself together and focus on the productive and the positive.
Another lesson and another repeated mantra from Teacher yesterday led to this extension of yesterday’s post on Trust and Ballroom.
You have to trust your partner in order to dance ballroom. But you also have to trust yourself.
Trust and Ballroom (Write31Days Day 29)
Fun fact: yesterday was my 100th post on the Girl with the Tree Tattoo! I was so tired last night that I didn’t realize it until WordPress sent me a notification. The website has only been up for about 8 months. I’m feeling accomplished!
There are only a few days left of the writing challenge. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed the daily writings, and if you’re new to the site, I hope you’ll stick around after this challenge ends. Don’t expect any new activity on November 1 though! Honestly, I’m ready for a break.
Today I wanted to talk about trust and its critical role in ballroom dancing.
Viennese Wednesday (Write31Days Day 28)
Today was busy! I had a lesson right after work, then I went home for about 2 hours to take care of my dogs and do some laundry, and then I went back to the studio for practice! I got home and, oh yeah, I need to write something for Day 28 of the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
I hope you’ll forgive me for taking the slightly easier way out and just sharing some videos. Today’s video topic is Viennese waltz.
To Teach or Not to Teach (Write31Days Day 27)
I had no idea what to write for today. I had a list of topics, but none of them were speaking to me. Then I took a phone call, and inspiration finally came to me.
And then it left, right after I wrote “inspiration finally came to me.”
Clearly, something is blocking my creative flow (stress, maybe!). Well, since I already wrote the title, I’ll do my best to put something together. If it doesn’t work out well, you can always catch up on the rest of my posts for the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
Ballroom Team Match and Being a Spectator (Write31Days Day 25)
I know I said I would expand on the wonderful effects that ballroom can have on you today. But if you’ll pardon the delay, I attended my studio’s team match yesterday and was inspired in a different direction. I promise I’ll get back to ballroom effects tomorrow.
Yesterday wasn’t my first team match; I’ve attended at least four. The big difference yesterday was I wasn’t dancing, only watching.
Freaky Foxtrot Friday (Write31Days Day 23)
TGIF!
It’s been a long week. Between less than engaging projects at work, a cough that won’t go away, and struggles with my demons over my latest financial “challenges,” I was ready for Friday, on Tuesday. But we made it! Thank goodness.
For this very welcome Friday, I thought we would chat about foxtrot.
Tango Tuesday! (Write31Days Day 20)
When I think tango, I think fierceness, passion and strength. When Teacher asked me to come up with a story for tango, I envisioned two panthers stalking each other in a jungle. In the human realm, I think of two figures in a dark, smoky bar located down a cobblestone alleyway.
Tango’s character comes from its mix of slow and sharp movements. It’s like a coiled spring that’s compressed and released over and over. It’s hard! Quick movements scare me because if you make a mistake, it’s a lot more obvious! A small mistake during a slow, flowing movement like in waltz is relatively easy to cover up. A small mistake made during a quick, sharp movement in tango looks huge!
Tango was my worst dance because I kept holding myself back, afraid to just go for it in those quick movements (see Tango Curses). But the funny thing is, because it was my worst dance, I put a lot more time into practicing it. And I ended up winning the bronze Best of the Best at the 2015 California Open with my tango!
As I was reviewing videos for this post, I had to acknowledge my progress in this dance. This tango from December 2014 at the Holiday Dance Classic is pretty good.
But the tango from the 2015 Emerald Ball is so much sharper!
Hurray for progress!
Fellow dancers, what dance do you find the most challenging?
Don’t forget to check out other posts from the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
The Morning After – Post-Comp Blues (Write31Days Day 16)
Imagine you dance at a competition and you do great! Imagine whatever “great” means to you – top placements, pure enjoyment, or successfully executing something you had been struggling with. Now imagine you wake up a couple of days after the competition and you feel like crap. I call this “post-comp blues.”
The Glitz and Glamour of Ballroom Competition (Write31Days Day 15)
I’m back! Not that I went anywhere, I just left my computer off. I definitely needed the small, temporary release of pressure. Other parts of my life are stressful enough; my writing should counter that. When it starts to contribute instead, I know I need to take a break.
To get back in the swing and sway of things (ballroom joke), I thought I would describe for you the razzle dazzle of a ballroom competition!
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 