Category: Competitions

Countdown to CalOpen – 12 Days: Anxious Beast Mode

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Before group class yesterday, I was formulating a post idea in my head about entering “beast mode.” You’ve probably heard the term. It’s used to describe someone in a state of extreme determination and action, like an incredible hulk of productivity. No more excuses, no slacking off.  In beast mode, you get things DONE.

I was feeling a bit like I was in beast mode. After a good lesson on Wednesday, which ended with a practice round (meaning we danced all four dances in a row, just like we will at the competition), I identified mistakes I made and things I needed to work on. And I was ready to WORK. “Let’s dance that again, and then dance it 10 more times!” I arrived at the studio early yesterday so I could practice before Teacher’s waltz group class.

It didn’t go so well.

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Countdown to CalOpen – 19 Days: Reflections

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Our story begins with a podcast that has nothing to do with ballroom dancing. But since it is the thing that put me on the path to writing this post, I am starting there. Lewis Howes was interviewing Lisa Nichols. You may have heard of them if you’ve gotten into personal development, life coaching or entrepreneurship. They’re both very successful and worth checking out if you’re interested in those things.

Anyway, I was listening to the podcast at work, and at one point, Ms. Nichols was talking about the different types of relationships you will experience in your lifetime. One of them was a purposeful relationship. Someone comes into your life for a specific purpose (whether you’re aware of it or not), and once the purpose is fulfilled, the relationship will become stagnant or break down completely.

There are plenty of directions you could go with this idea, but my mind was transported to my very first competition: the 2014 San Francisco Open.

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Ask the Girl Episode 6 – Competition Budgeting

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A fellow ballroom student, thinking about getting back into competing after several years, asked me for a refresher on what expenses she needed to account for as she budgeted for a comeback. It’s great timing as the new year brings a whole new cycle of ballroom competitions to enter. So for any other pro-am ballroom dancers gearing up for a competitive 2016, here is a quick breakdown of what you’ll need to include in your budget. Note this list is based on my experience with NDCA competitions.
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Ghosts of Ballroom Past and Ballroom Future

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A year ago, on this Thursday (although it was December 11 in 2014), I was in Las Vegas dancing in my second-ever ballroom competition, the Holiday Dance Classic. I didn’t sleep the night before, made my morning tea with hot water from the bathroom sink because I had no money left after getting myself TO the competition, and had an amazing time dancing.

It’s weird that it was a full year ago! It is cool, however, to look back at the four competitions I’ve danced in and see how far I’ve come.

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Holiday also marks what would have been my first repeat comp. What would that have been like?

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The View From the Other Side of the Ballroom

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It has felt strange to not be obligated to write every day. November 1 was probably the strangest day. I went to town scrubbing the kitchen around midday because I had hours to kill before a social dance and I was set on taking a break from writing, but I didn’t know what else to do with myself!

Now I’m ready to get back into it. Time will tell if October’s writing challenge left a lasting impact on me, and if I end up posting more frequently. First thing’s first though:  would you like to know what it’s like on the “other side” of the ballroom at a competition?
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Tango Tuesday! (Write31Days Day 20)

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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!