I know it’s been too many days since I last wrote something when my fingers are itching to type on the keyboard even though I don’t have a clear idea of what I want to write. So I’m just going to freestyle for a bit before I have to leave for work. I also know it’s been too many days since I danced when I start having lessons in my dreams. Last night I worked on rhythm.
Tag: dance blog
Inspiration -> Fear -> Why Not
I’ve been reading Patrice Tanaka’s Becoming Ginger Rogers. It’s a memoir and in it, Patrice shares her journey into ballroom dancing and how it changed her life. Sound familiar?
I never get tired of “life changed by ballroom” stories. Her story has so many familiar elements; it’s like reading a letter from a friend. While I was sitting in the shade by my apartment complex’s pool on Monday, she related the story of her first ballroom competition. I was, of course, instantly transported back to my own competition experiences and was struck very hard by a strong desire to be in that world again. Like right now.
Ballroom Budgeting and Return of the Waltz
Happy Monday everyone!
I write that with some sarcasm, but I do hope your Monday is happy, or at least pleasant. Not terrible?
I had a productive weekend; I submitted my next book for publishing!
“Now You’re Dancing!”
I didn’t expect to do another post so soon, but I had to share! Right after publishing the last post, I went to the studio for a dance lesson. What better way to end the day? My last lesson left me frustrated and then I had several extremely stressful and/or depressing days, so I was ready for an upswing.
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Cha Cha – The Foxtrot of Rhythm
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I have a love/hate relationship with foxtrot. I’m always just a little off in understanding that dance. Things never go quite right. Steps constantly elude me. It’s maddening.
At the same time, foxtrot seems so fun! The music, the slick moves, it reminds me of old Hollywood and great dancers like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. But for whatever reason, this cat isn’t so cool when she tries to foxtrot. Foxtrot is my ballroom nemesis.
Now it seems a new villain has come to town: cha cha.
Conflicted
Several different ideas are wanting attention right now and I couldn’t decide which to focus on, so this post will likely wander down multiple paths. Ready to go?
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Real Dancers Can Do Splits
I’ve been itching for a new blog post topic, but my dancing has been limited lately. It’s hard to write about dancing when you’re not doing much of it! For awhile, I was dancing four days a week between private lessons with Teacher and Teacher’s friend and Teacher’s group class. So spoiled! But right now it’s just my private lessons twice a week with Teacher. Rhythm is progressing painfully slowly (at least to me), but there are “clicks” here and there. Teacher even did a little celebratory jig over my rumba during our last lesson. And we finally went through the swing routine. Only two dances to go!
This post was inspired by something other than my reduced dancing schedule though. I saw this article on Facebook about ballroom not being thought of as an expressive dance and it reminded me of something that occasionally bugs me, like a little burr in the back of my brain.
Only Five Days Left!
Hello everyone!
Just a reminder that Dance Diaries: Learning Ballroom Dance is free to download on Story Cartel’s website for only five more days!
You may as well download it now before you forget.
Another reminder: if you post a review about the book by June 6, you’ll be entered to win an advanced copy of the next one, Dance Diaries: Ballroom Budgeting! This second installment of the Dance Diaries series includes all of my secrets, tips and tricks to how I afford to dance while living paycheck to paycheck AND paying down debt. AND it comes with a bonus, but I’m not going to tell you what it is yet!
You can post a review of Dance Diaries: Learning Ballroom Dance on the website of your choosing. Here are the links to a few possibilities:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads
Just be sure to copy the URL of your review onto your Story Cartel dashboard so it’s counted in the drawing!
Good luck and happy dancing!
Why DWTS Makes Me Cry
The final for Dancing with the Stars is today! Has anyone else been watching? I’ve been routing for Nyle DiMarco, the last winner of America’s Next Top Model who happens to be deaf. He seems fearless in his pursuits, and it’s so inspiring. Every time I watch him just go for it, I always think “what the hell is my problem? I need to stop being so scared!”
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Changing the Conversation
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!
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The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 