Do you remember those “choose your own adventure” books? I loved those books as a kid! I always wanted to read through every single option to see what would happen. The ending might be the same, but adventures are never about the destination. They’re about the journey.
The Greatest Showman was one of those movies that shouldn’t have worked. A musical about P.T. Barnum, a man who gained notoriety by exploiting people for profit and marketing racism to the masses in the form of entertainment? That’s just not right.
And yet, the movie was a major success! I’m a huge fan myself, and I think a big part of that success had to do with the underlying message that had nothing to do with Mr. Barnum. It was an invitation that appealed to that desire within all of us: to show up as our true selves, to shed the dreary gray uniform of the daily grind, and as they sing, come alive.
The response to last week’s blog post was huge! Clearly, I’m not the only one who struggles with reconciling my passion for ballroom with the cost. Before I jump into this week’s thoughts, I wanted to share another older post, which asks the question, “Is it worth competing if the game is rigged?”. This older post is for anyone who feels that their financial situation unfairly affects their placement at competitions because those who (can afford to) compete more get seen more. Familiarity can create an unconscious bias toward dancers who compete more often.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if a bias exists or not. What matters is you and your dancing. If you can only afford to compete once or twice a year, do you really want to taint those precious experiences with worries about whether or not judge bias is affecting your results? Wouldn’t you prefer to take advantage of those few moments you have to dress to the nines and perform your heart out?
Continue readingEmbassy Ball, home of the World Championships under the NDCA and WDC, took place in Orange County, CA this past week. Seeing so many social media posts with photos and videos from the event had me waxing nostalgic over my own Embassy memories. I’ve competed at Embassy Ball three times – 2017, 2018 and 2019. Embassy Ball has been a place of highs and lows for me, each triggering a significant turning point in my dance journey.
I thought we’d take a trip down memory lane, if you’ll indulge me!
Continue readingHappy 4th of July everyone! And to my fellow fur parents and their fur babies, hang in there. It’s almost over.
People around us have been shooting off fireworks all week, so it’s been really rough for my boys. Yesterday evening, we drove up and down the coast for about three hours just so they wouldn’t be at home, panicked and waiting for the next bomb to drop. We’ll be doing the same tonight.
In more exciting and happier news, we hit the road for Maine in just a week! I’m working to consolidate my belongings so there won’t be any problems fitting them into my new-to-me station wagon. Aligned with that goal, I want to announce a special Moving Sale at the Practice Ballroom Dance shop! Help me clear out some inventory before I hit the road AND set yourself up for dancing success with free shipping on everything through July 9.
Continue readingAfter I renewed my apartment lease the last time, I hit a point when I had to decide to move onto the next chapter or stay stuck in the current one. How much longer could I realistically continue living like this? I was constantly walking this financial tight rope in order to take ballroom lessons and compete while also living in Southern California. It was frustrating to see every raise from work be wiped out by the next rent increase. I felt like I could never get ahead.
So why stay? My job can be done from anywhere with an internet connection. I have family and friends here, but I also have family and friends back East. My dogs would certainly benefit from living somewhere with less noise and asphalt and more trees and grass.
Continue readingThe time has finally come to reveal the details of the next chapter of Life, a.k.a. my next big adventure. If you follow me on social media, you already know one part – I’m moving!
Continue readingWhen I first had an inkling that I was going to need physical therapy for my knees, before I even got the official word from my orthopedist, I started to research PTs because I wanted to make sure I saw one who worked with dancers. There was no way I was going to see a PT who didn’t understand why I had to keep dancing at least a little bit while I recovered from my injuries. Lucky for me, Doctors for Dancers had just launched and a PT local to my area had added herself to the database of dance specialists.
Two+ years later, we’ve gotten my knees back into dancing shape (mostly), but we’re still working together on other issues. Besides just directly working on healing my body, my PT has been helping me better understand my body and increase my body awareness, which has just been a boon to my dance training!
Continue reading
One of my coaches talks about creation working in a cycle of phases. You might be in a phase of exploring something new, excelling at something you’ve been working on for awhile, or transitioning to something greater. We go through similar cycles in dance.
Continue readingReaching out to my dancers today who may be feeling like everyone except them is getting to resume their regularly scheduled dancing program, full of in-person lessons, social dances, showcases, and/or competitions. This post is for you.
My current dance status: I’ve been lucky to have had in-person lessons for a number of months now. They were intermittent through the second half of 2020 and became more regular after the new year. Currently, I’m taking two private lessons and one group class a week. My last competition was February 2020, and I don’t know when I’ll be competing again. Two of the competitions that I was hoping would be my pandemic-era return to the floor have already passed.
Compared to some, my dance journey is awesome right now. I’m getting to dance regularly. I’m getting to work with my teacher in person. Heck, my studio survived the pandemic shutdowns! Compared to others who have already managed to compete multiple times in 2021, my dance journey is…ok, better than nothing. At least I’m getting to dance, right?
Whether my dance journey seems awesome or just ok to you doesn’t matter. Because it’s my journey, not yours.
