Hello dancers!
I have been PRODUCTIVE the last two days and it’s feeling really good. First, I had a double lesson (meaning 1.5 hours instead of 45 minutes) on Friday after work. It wasn’t extra; Teacher had asked if we could reschedule our usual Wednesday lesson. I like having a double lesson once in awhile because sometimes 45 minutes is just not enough time. You start getting deep into something and just as you feel you’re making some real progress, time’s up!
A new year brings a new ballroom competition season with it. “Season” is a bit of a misnomer because there is always a competition happening somewhere, but in my corner of the ballroom world, people seem to take some time off after the Holiday Dance Classic at the beginning of December and then come back with new goals in January.
2018 is coming up fast, and like every other blogger on the world wide web, I’m reflecting on the past year and sharing my thoughts with you. Hope you don’t mind!
The release of my interview with FloDance on Saturday got me thinking about my journey so far in ballroom and as the Girl with the Tree Tattoo. It’s incredible to look back and see how much I’ve changed. A couple years ago, I would have been privately excited and proud of an interview like this, but outwardly I would have hid that excitement and felt embarrassed and almost guilty for “bragging” by sharing the video. Bragging in my head is a bad thing, something to be ashamed of, and calling attention to myself feels like a form of bragging. I still get squirmy about having attention on me, but the cool thing that’s happened is I’m realizing that it’s not really about me. It’s about the message I’m trying to convey to the world.
Hi everyone!
Just popping in real quick to share some exciting news. While I was at Embassy Ball at the end of August, I was interviewed by FloDance. They’re part of the FloSports network, kind of like an online ESPN. FloDance focuses mainly on ballroom dancing.
They used part of my interview in the video The True Cost of Being a Dancer, but today, they released the video just about The Girl with the Tree Tattoo!
Check it out here: https://www.flodance.com/video/6057295-the-girl-with-the-tree-tattoo
Of course, I’m thrilled (after I got over my initial “Eeeeek! There’s a video about me! No one look!”) as well as incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share my story with another audience. Every day on this ballroom journey, I strive to stay true to myself, overcome my fears and doubts, and release the dancer inside me. I share that journey, with all of its ups and downs, in hopes that you’ll be inspired and encouraged to continue on your own journey.
So be confident, be joyful, and DANCE!
I hinted on Facebook that my next post would be a follow-up to A Rough Start to a New Chapter. I’ll get to that, but first I wanted to share about my lesson on Wednesday.
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!
Howdy dancers! I hope the week is treating you well. My week certainly is. I took the day off today after getting home yesterday from a weekend workshop in Scottsdale, Arizona. No, it wasn’t a dance workshop (I know, what else could it be??).
One of the big unexpected side effects of ballroom dancing I continue to experience is the courage to dive into my other passions. I’ve always loved creative writing, but hadn’t done it consistently in years until I started dancing, after which I started blogging. I also realized my dream of being a published author. The tree of life tattoo idea I had since high school finally fully formed in my mind after I started dancing, and then I actually got it inked!
Birgit is a close friend who is responsible for introducing me to the dance studio I’ve trained at for nearly five years! The unimaginable happened to her last year, but as it turns out, life does go on. Read on to find out how she was forced to find life outside of dance.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 