It’s been nine days since my last lesson with Teacher. It feels like it’s been weeks. Maybe months. I’m pretty confident that I forgot the bulk of my dance knowledge. It’s my fault though; I haven’t been practicing. I review stuff in my head and try to remember to walk with my sternum lifted around the office, but not as much as I should and I haven’t actually gone through my figures.
I think I’m in a rut.
I came across this video on Facebook this morning and felt compelled to share it. It is an advertisement for some kind of drink, but that just comes at the end. The message in the video is beautiful. A guy meets a bunch of different people, all adults, in a restaurant and asks them what they want to be when they grow up.
Continue reading
Anyone else do this? I usually listen to music on my way to the studio, but not on the way home. I find I prefer the quiet while I reflect on the dance lesson I just had.
Continue reading
Yesterday’s lesson focused just on rhythm. Teacher wanted to finish going over the choreography for the rumba and cha cha routines and introduce the east coast swing. We didn’t end up getting to the swing, but we rarely get to the last things on Teacher’s list so no matter. Next time!
Continue reading
It’s official! Dance Diaries: Learning Ballroom Dance: What I Wish I Had Known
is available for sale on Amazon!
Aaaahhh!
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before: along with lessons with Teacher, I also take private lessons once a week with Teacher’s friend in exchange for working at a bunch of social dances he ran last year. He is all about social ballroom dancing, so we work on American rhythm dances like rumba, cha cha and east coast swing, plus salsa, samba and occasionally bolero, all with that social focus. There are no specific routines or discussion of technique, it’s all about following and musicality.
Quite different from my lessons with Teacher.
I owe someone an Ask the Girl episode and I will get to it this week! But first I had to share a little story of personal triumph.
Continue reading
Teacher does an excellent job of figuring out different ways to explain ballroom concepts, based on what his students can relate to. Recently, he has focused on my love of hip hop dancing to help me come to a better understanding of…wait for it…
HAPPY FRIDAY!!
I just had to get that out first. This week has been a LONG one! But I made it to Friday and I have fun plans for this weekend (and a surprise!).
I teamed up with Dancesport Place again and wrote an article for anyone in a similar financial boat as me and finding themselves unable to compete.
Click on the image to check it out!
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 