Emerald Ball’s website has this lovely countdown clock on the homepage, which tells me that the competition starts in less than 12 days. When I say “lovely countdown clock,” I mean “psychological torture device” and when I say “less the 12 days,” I mean LESS THAN 12 DAYS!?!”
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Tag: competition
Videos! Aahhh!
Ok, as promised, I didn’t dawdle in publishing my Video page! I kept previewing it, hoping I’d think of a reason I needed to delay, but I couldn’t think of anything. So there ya go, check it out! Or not, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. That page can grow dusty from lack of visitors, it’s ok!
I’m going to take an example from another blogger and go make myself a cup of tea! And not take the page down. I will not delete the page. I will not delete the page. I will not delete the page.
I need some chamomile.
Put Yourself Out There!
I just added a photo gallery to the website! Just a few shots from the competitions and showcases I’ve done to date. I plan on adding a page with links to some videos from my competitions as well. Honestly, I had the gallery pretty much ready to go about a week ago. But I didn’t want to hit “publish.” It’s scary to put yourself out there! It’s one thing to write about my competitions, but to add visual aids and announce “here I am!”… Yikes. It’s a risky thing to open yourself up to the opinions of others. Especially when you know you aren’t perfect, you’re still learning, and therefore, you’re more vulnerable to criticism.
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Goals
In any endeavor, setting goals is important! Sharing your goals with other people can help motivate you and keep you accountable for putting in the effort to achieve those goals. So I’ve decided to keep a list of my ballroom goals on the More About the Girl page. The 2015 goals are already posted. Check them out and let me know if there are any other ballroom dancers out there with the same goals! Let’s kick ass in 2015!
Lightbulb Moments – Rising in Waltz and Dealing with Doubt
I’ve decided to start a series called “lightbulb moments.” These are the moments when something “clicks” in your head and you finally understand whatever your teacher was trying to convey to you. Maybe my moments will be things that were obvious to you, but who knows, maybe sharing them will help someone else with their own lightbulb!
So how does a ballroom dancer change a lightbulb?
Direction, and then rotation! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)
Anyhoo…
My First Three Competitions – A Trifecta of Emotions
Moving forward, I plan to write a debriefing review of each competition I dance in. But to catch you up, here is a summary of the three I’ve done so far: San Francisco Open, Holiday Dance Classic, and California Open.
The Pro-Am Relationship
The relationship between a ballroom dance teacher and a student (when you are the student) has to be one of the most unique you’ll ever encounter. On the surface, the arrangement is a professional one. As the student, you pay the teacher to teach you ballroom dancing and dance with you at competitions. The teacher teaches you because they are paid to teach you. It’s a business. But there are aspects of this arrangement that mirror a very personal and intimate relationship. They are impossible to ignore and difficult to escape, which is why, I assume, so many professional dance partners are also life partners. And why you hear so many stories/rumors about students and teachers entering romantic relationships or going through bad “break-ups.” For a new student, it can be very confusing and often leads to that student getting hurt emotionally. But why? You know coming into it that you are receiving a service that you are paying for, nothing more. What is it about this sport/art that turns a business arrangement into an emotional rollercoaster?
What is Pro-Am?
It took me months to get a grasp on how competitions were organized, so I’m going to try to break it down here for anyone that feels like their head is spinning from trying to keep it all straight. I’m still figuring some things out, but I can give you the jist.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 