It’s officially been two years since my last ballroom competition, the 2020 California Open. To be honest, it was not the performance I wanted to go out on. But how was I to know that a global pandemic was about to turn Life as we know it upside down?
Continue readingTag: competition
Risky Dancing
It’s been seven months since the first pandemic shutdown in my area. Many sectors of society have reopened, some with restrictions. I continue to work from home and have all of my groceries delivered. Still, my dance lessons and physical therapy appointments bring me out of my apartment complex on a regular basis, so I’m not a complete hermit. Life moves forward.
Continue readingUsing Floor Craft in Real Life
Quick reminder! The Solo Practice Guide giveaway on Twitter ends December 10! Get your entries in by then! See my pinned tweet on how to enter.
Some weeks, I log onto WordPress and I know exactly what I want to share with you. Other weeks, I stare at a blank blog post begging me to “start writing” and I got nothing.
This week is somewhere in between. Ideas are swirling without settling long enough for me to see them clearly, so I’m just going to trust the flow of my creative process and see where we end up! Care to wander with me?
Continue readingCountdown to Embassy Ball 2019: 4 Days -Final Preparations
Seeing “4 days” written out feels a lot sooner than just thinking “Thursday” in my head. It’s so close! After a year of financial roadblocks, physical injuries, and training at a more advanced level all at the same time, I’m finally returning to the competition floor. My last competition was Embassy Ball 2018, where I took the World title at the Closed Silver level. Now I return to try my hand at the Open level.
Countdown to Embassy Ball 2019: 25 Days – Pulling the Pieces Together
I’d like to start this piece by sharing that I practiced for about two hours this morning and the ache in my knees only got up to a 1, maybe a light 2 on the pain scale, which is awesome!
I can officially say I’m competing at the end of this month. Entries have been submitted, makeup has been booked, and I’m pulling together some final accessories for my dress. Pieces are coming together. It’s happening!
Countdown to Desert Classic 2019: 17 Days – Go/No-Go
I thought this post would be coming out next week, but the wait ended early. If you’ve been following along, you know Teacher and I set a go/no-go date by which we would do a final assessment of our Open routines and decide if they would be ready to debut at Desert Classic. I was determined to get them ready, as I’ve grown weary of sitting on the sidelines since my last competition at the end of August. But as Treebeard liked to say, don’t be hasty. Being determined is one thing. Actually being ready is another.
To keep you from shivering too much from anticipation, I’ll just come out with it.
(Bonus points to those who can name the movie references.)
Countdown to Desert Classic 2019: 26 Days – How To Tell If You’re “Ready”
Are you ready?
This question can have very simple implications or very deep ones. If I asked you one morning if you were ready for work, you’d run a simple checklist through your head and be able to quickly respond yes or no. But if I asked you if you were ready for the big presentation at work that took you months of preparation, you might hesitate as you processed last minute jitters and considered more than just a checklist to determine your readiness.
Same can be applied to ballroom (and really, what can’t?). Are you ready for your lesson? Simple yes or no. Are you ready for your last lesson before your competition? You might need a little more time to consider.
Staying Committed To My Goals, Not Attached To How I Get There
I saw this graphic on Instagram this weekend. Aside from the small grammatical errors (I can’t help myself), it’s quite hilarious. New Year’s Resolutions, especially those related to physical fitness, have become a cliche because of how easily they’re made and then forgotten.
A Review of Embassy Ball 2018: A Cinderella Story
I’ve always loved movies about underdogs. Those characters who come from difficult circumstances and have a dream that goes seemingly beyond their means. They don’t quite fit in, but their passion drives them forward anyway. They struggle, suffer defeats, come close to giving up, and ultimately rise to victory. I love a good underdog story because I can relate. I’ve always been a bit awkward, never quite fitting in but also not really wanting to.
Countdown to Embassy Ball 2018: 11 Days – Dealing with Stage Fright
Happy Sunday everyone! As promised per my Facebook livestream earlier today, I’m writing to you with a specific topic in mind that I hope will support at least one dancer out there. I want to talk about dealing with stage fright on the day of competition.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 