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.
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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: 5 Days – Slow Down!
Getting ahead of myself is a huge problem for me. One new piece of information and my mind sees the dominoes start to fall. Suddenly, I’m worried about something that may or may not happen 10 dominoes down, assuming those are the 10 dominoes that are tapped to fall and no new dominoes or paths are added and…and…
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.
Countdown to Embassy Ball 2018: 19 Days – Steady as She Goes
The countdown has begun! Less than 3 weeks until my return to Embassy Ball and my chance to see how far I’ve come after last year’s disappointment. I waited until the day before the deadline to submit my entries. There was a struggle going on between most of me who wanted a second chance at that world championship title and a small but loud part of me who didn’t want to face a second disappointment.
I won out, and entries are in.
Dance/Life/Work Balance Doesn’t Exist
The question of how to balance different aspects of life, such as building a business while working a full-time day job or training and competing as a dancer on the side of a non-dance career, has come up in multiple circles this past week. So I thought I’d throw in my two cents.
Multiple articles, written by myself and guests, have been published on this blog about finding a balance between these things. Now that I’m older and wiser, I think we were all wrong.
Guest Post – 8 Foods Dancers (or Athletes in General!) Should Always Keep on Hand
I connected with Jordan via Instagram (@dancing.for.donuts) and after visually devouring so many of her meal photos, I decided she would be a great person to guest post on the blog about something that is so important for us ballroom dancers. Warning: you may be hungry after reading this post! I know I was!
The Power of Stress
Stress management has become a hot topic in our modern society. Despite all of our technological advances and instant gratification conveniences, our overall stress level seems to have only increased. We can’t ignore this trend because stress can have powerful, negative effects over our minds and bodies. My last two lessons are a prime example of how stress can turn a competent dancer into a dope in heels.
Guest Post by Paige Taylor: 5 Ways Zumba Has Helped Me in My Recovery
Paige Taylor is a copywriter from Columbus, Ohio who is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. As getting clean drastically changed her life, she’s now dedicated to helping others struggling with addiction to find their path to recovery.
She reached out to me after reading some of the other stories on this blog of others who have healed through the power of dance. I was more than happy to share her story too. Hers is another great example of how dance, even in the form of a fitness class, can have a beautiful and positive effect on a person’s life.
Why Did I Create the Solo Practice Guide?
The Guide started as a personal quest. Embassy Ball 2017 dealt a huge blow to my ego, and after I sulked for a bit, I was determined to take more control and ownership of my dancing so I wouldn’t have to face that disappointment again with the knowledge I could have done more to avoid it. I couldn’t afford more than the two lessons per week I already took. The only other area I could control was my solo practice, so that’s where I focused.
