So ironically, after writing my last blog post about recovering from a bad day, this weekend, I find myself having a tough time. If you caught my social media on Friday evening, then you know we experienced the very-rare-for-Orange-County thunderstorm! I love a good summer thunderstorm (we’ll ignore the fact that it’s October because it’s still in the 70s/80s here). But unfortunately, I also live with seasonal affective disorder, so gloomy weather makes me gloomy. It was gray and rainy all day on Saturday, and by Sunday morning, even though the sun started to come out, I was also feeling quite gray.
Tag: dance studio
A Different Kind of Practice
Confession time: I don’t always know what I’m going to work on in my solo practice.
Yes, the person who wrote THE Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing still gets stumped.
Guest Post: Non-Dancing Dance Lessons – Melissa Cyr | DanceSport Place
I’m pleased to welcome Melissa Cyr of DanceSport Place for a mid-week guest post! Pay attention because this article is packed full of value and answers a few questions I know you’ve been wondering about. Meanwhile, I’ll be practicing my drills.
You’ve had a long day. It’s finally time for your dance lesson and you quickstep it to the car and head to the studio. You can’t wait to lace up your practice shoes and be transported from paperwork and drudgery to footwork and self-discovery.
Your coach starts the lesson but to your dismay, halfway through you’re still working on solo rumba walks across the floor. By the end of the lesson, you’ve hardly been in dance position at all, and haven’t danced together once to music.
The lesson ends and although you learned something (like how can rumba walks be so complicated?!) and your legs will be sore tomorrow, you feel unsatisfied.
“What happened to the dreamy laps around the floor, communing with my partner and the music? What about reviewing the new choreography we were working on for the showcase? It feels like I didn’t dance at all today. It felt more like a mind numbing session on the rumbawalk stair master.”
When All You Have is Solo Practice
More than a week has gone by since I won my World Champion title. I’m still smiling about it, but I have come back down to Earth from Cloud Nine. The grass looks greener on this side. As eager as I am to get going on the next chapter of my dance journey, I’m forced to wait. Teacher had to cancel my lesson this past week and then he left for Nationals. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way of my lesson this coming week, especially since I only have one per week now.
Continue readingDancing on Christmas Eve
It may be the day before Christmas, but it’s also Sunday. As you know, Sunday is my main practice day, so even though it would have been easy to skip, I still went to the studio to practice. I didn’t want to skip anyway. Friday was my last dance lesson of 2017 (unless Teacher decides he wants to teach next week) and I didn’t want to stop dancing! Apparently I wasn’t the only one. There was a LOT of people at the studio! More than I’ve ever seen on a Sunday morning. I’m guessing we all had the same thought, that we’d have the studio to ourselves!
Starting December Off Right – With Dancing!
I can’t believe it’s December already! I feel like I’ve said this before, but every year seems to go by faster and faster. Part of it is probably due to the fact that I’m getting busier. If you caught my Facebook livestream, you know that November was especially busy (not my choice). Thankfully, for this first weekend of December, I am not working overtime. I get to dance instead!
Mental Block
You know that feeling when you think you’ve got something? You understand a concept more or less. But for some reason, the puzzle pieces aren’t completely fitting together. You can see the picture, but it’s not 100% clear. You can’t put your finger on it, but there’s a disconnect somewhere.
A Rough Start to a New Chapter
When I did my review of Embassy Ball, I wrote about feeling like I was starting a new chapter in my dance story. The path was unclear and scary, but also exciting. There was talk of exploring my dancer identity and honing my message. I started new boards on Pinterest, one for ballroom dress inspiration and another for attitude inspiration. My brain was buzzing with ideas and new motivation to uncover more of my true self in dancing as soon as Teacher returned from Nationals (which took place the week following Embassy).
Then Teacher returned from Nationals.
The Next Chapter and Square One
I’m feeling rundown at the moment, but that’s because I started moving this past weekend. Yes, I have a place to live! I’ve experienced it over and over, but it still seems crazy to me how it can feel like progress has completely stalled and then all of a sudden, something gives way and everything comes together all at once.
Searching Searching
I have about 10 minutes before my lesson starts. I got to the studio really early, so I’ve already done my stretching, drills and a little choreo review. I thought I would take a brief break to check in with you guys. I know it’s been over a week since I last posted, but I have been thinking about you!
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 