One of the amazing results of this blog is the connections I’ve made with other ballroom dancers and bloggers. Last weekend, I got to make another one and meet Stefanie, the Beautiful Girl in the Ballroom!
Continue reading
Tag: ballroom blog
Mental Smackdown – Feeling Adrift
It’s been awhile since I’ve let my demons control the content! I have some fun news to share from this past weekend, but first I’m giving my demons a turn at the keyboard. Sometimes I feel better when I just let them run amuck. (Amuck, amuck, amuck!) Tired demons are happy demons, just like puppies.
Continue reading
Remembering Bronze
During lunch yesterday, I was going through videos and pictures stored on my phone, deleting stuff I didn’t want or need to free up space. I came across a video of Teacher and me dancing a round of bronze smooth, and I realized that it was recorded just a couple weeks before we were supposed to leave for the United States Dance Championships, a.k.a. Nationals. A couple weeks before Teacher broke his wrist.
Continue reading
Nine Days
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.
Driving Home
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
Almost Musical
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
The Art of Patience and Skipping Ahead
Ask the Girl Episode 10: Love And Ballroom
After reading my articles on the pro-am relationship, one of my readers asked if I would write about how the relationship between a student and their ballroom instructor might affect relationships outside of the ballroom. He noted that a lot of the students at his studio came to ballroom after a romantic relationship had ended. Ballroom has helped heal a lot of emotional wounds for them.
It makes sense; a ballroom studio and a good teacher provide a safe arena in which someone can start to trust and connect with another person again.
So what happens when you start looking for a new romantic partner? How does your connection with a dance partner affect your connection with potential life partners? How do your expectations change? How does your approach change?
I took extra time to think about this topic because there are so many different layers to explore. The more I pondered, the more there was to ponder. I reached out to other ballroom dancers to get their insight. And still I am having trouble coming up with a clear outline or angle. So I said screw it, just start writing and see where it goes!
I’ve Got Rhythm
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.
Hip Hop and Ballroom Part 2: Attitude
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
