In the last couple weeks, I’ve attempted to alleviate my hunger for ballroom with social dancing. Two weeks ago, Roomie and I attended a Halloween social dance at a local studio. I went to the monthly swing dance, complete with a live band, at another studio this past Saturday. And last night, I went to another social dance after my hip hop class, since the two were at the same place. Last night in particular inspired this post because of some interesting comments people made and because of how I’m feeling post-dancing.
Tag: ballroom dance
The Crappy Days Are More Important
I had an idea for my next post, another one about climbing out of the comparison trap. I wanted to come up with a list of real things that I or anyone else could do that would help stop the comparisons and get back to a more positive mindset. The exercise in gratitude was ok, but I wanted something more practical and more concrete. When I am having trouble with a ballroom step, Teacher can give me very specific things to do to correct the issue. I’ve been stuck in this self-pity state for longer than I’d like to admit. I have plenty of excuses and some good, honest reasons, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m only hurting myself. I actually googled “how to stop comparing” to see what others have written about the subject.
An Exercise in Gratitude, as Told by a Cynic
After several depressing posts, I thought I should try to turn the mood around by stopping the moaning and groaning and exercising a little gratitude instead. The only problem is I’m a bit of a cynic.
Book Review – Thinner, Fitter, Happier: Dancing Will Change Your Life! by Marion C. Condon
Marion is a fellow ballroom student and writer, and we exchanged books to read and review each other’s work. Thinner, Fitter, Happier… is a compilation of Marion’s personal ballroom journey, interviews with ballroom students and teachers, and a wealth of scientific evidence, designed to convince you that you shouldn’t wait another minute to try dance.
I really enjoyed reading all of the different stories that people shared with Marion, including some from Ballroom Village members! I already knew how life-changing ballroom can be, but these stories of transformation never cease to amaze me.
Marion’s personality comes through in her writing. You can tell she’s highly intelligent and educated even before you learn she is a professor with a PhD, and she gets very excited when she gets to talk (or write) about her ballroom passion. Sometimes her mind seemed to get a little distracted in her excitement, as the writing occasionally went off on tangents. Her sense of humor, often self-deprecating like mine, was also weaved into her writing, which made it feel like you were having a conversation with a really smart friend instead of listening to a lecture.
One unique aspect of the book is it’s interactive! As Marion shares stories of other dancers, she also provides YouTube links so you can actually watch the people perform as you’re learning about them! For those who like hard facts and scientific proof of the benefits before entering into something like ballroom, she also provides references and links to the various studies cited throughout the book.
Despite the slightly disorganized feel of some parts, I was impressed with all of the interviews that Marion collected and shared in Thinner, Fitter, Happier… She didn’t stop at ballroom; she also interviewed teachers and students of west coast swing, hustle, salsa and urban dance like hip hop. The second half of the book’s title says it all. No matter which style of dance you try, dancing will change your life!
You can purchase Marion’s book on Amazon.
Stuck in a Bog of Uncertainty
A few days ago, Dance Advantage posted an article titled 7 Things To Remember In Phases Of Uncertainty In Your Dance Life. The seven things are nothing earth-shattering, but they are excellent reminders. I think I’ve written about all of them myself in past posts. Which got me thinking…
What do you do when you know all these things and you do your best to practice them, but you’re still struggling? Sure, you know “this too shall past,” but does that really help you in the here and now?
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – We Meet Again
I originally wrote this article two years ago for my old blog, the Uphill Factor. I wanted to share it again here because I still struggle with what I see in the mirror and I’m sure someone else out there does too.
Sometimes I Just Need to Vent
I’ve been feeling very stalled in my dancing. This isn’t news. I have no competitions on the calendar, and scheduling conflicts all around have been messing with my lesson and practice time. As much as I preach a “don’t give up!” philosophy, walking the walk has been much harder lately.
Star Dance Tour – Autumn Dance Classic: Time to Vote Again!
Update: Due to unfortunate circumstances, Teacher and his pro partner won’t be dancing at the Autumn Dance Classic. 😦
You can still watch the livestream of course and see some great dancing. We’ll get ’em next time!
Hi everyone!
It’s that time again! Teacher and his pro partner are competing in another leg of the Star Dance Tour tomorrow, Friday, October 14. We once again get the privilege of getting to watch some amazing ballroom dancing FOR FREE while helping out a great couple at the same time.
They are competing at the Autumn Dance Classic in San Francisco. As usual, the Star Dance Tour’s website will be live streaming the competition.
Here is the web page: http://sdt.dancebeat.com/index.php/m-streaming.
The final round of the Pro Open Smooth event starts about 10:20 pm PST. The show dances will happen right after the final round. After all of the show dances are done, the polls open for only 5 minutes (around 10:50 pm)!
I know it’s a little late (way past my bedtime!), but the show dances have been really incredible. They are worth staying up for! Watching on your computer or tablet or phone, all you have to do is refresh the page when the MC announces that it’s time to vote. A list of the couples’ names will appear below the streaming video and all you have to do is click their names: Kris Suakjian and Briana Haft.
You can also look for their number: 114. If you have multiple devices, vote on all of them!
Note that there may also be a “wildcard” vote after the semifinal round of Pro Open Smooth. This is to give a couple who didn’t make the final still have the chance to perform their show dance. You can vote for someone here too, but be sure you hang around until after the show dances to vote for Kris and Briana!
Another way you can vote is via text! Text “dancebeat” to 22333. You’ll get a response back acknowledging that you’ve joined the session. Then when it’s time to vote, just text “114” to the same number. You will get a response back, something like “You chose 114 Kris and Briana.” And that’s it!
As people vote, you’ll be able to refresh the live streaming page for updates on who’s winning the audience poll. So far, Kris and Briana have either tied or won the audience vote at every competition on this tour!
Let’s keep this streak going!
I’ll be on Facebook and Twitter posting updates and when it’s time to vote, so please say hi if you’re online!
Please watch tomorrow, Friday, October 14, and VOTE for Kris Suakjian and Briana Haft!
Many thanks, and happy dancing!
Mid-Tour Reflections
One more week to go on the Dance Diaries book tour! The responses have been incredibly positive, which I did not prepare for at all. I’ve never done something like this before and I didn’t know what to expect, so naturally, I prepared for the worst. I was ready to have my books criticized, my ego shot down, and my writing torn apart. None of that has happened though.
Let’s Get Serious, Dancers
In July 2015, I wrote a post titled At What Point Can You Call Yourself a “Dancer”? A little over a year later, I can confidently say I am a dancer!
I was inspired this week to expand on last year’s post and consider what makes a serious dancer.
