New on Medium – Is the Medal Worth the Long-Term Damage?

February 20, 2022February 20, 2022Leave a comment

Photo by Frans Van Heerden on Pexels.com

This week’s post can be found on Medium, reflecting on how we treat our elite athletes and how we can do better for them and ourselves:

https://treetattoodance.medium.com/is-the-medal-worth-the-long-term-damage-a1965116bbf7

P.S. – When I say “happy dancing,” I truly mean it. I want you to work hard so you can achieve success on your dance journey. I also want you to find joy on your dance journey.

If today’s piece was valuable to you, please show your support for The Girl with the Tree Tattoo. Thank you in advance, and happy dancing (for real)!

Now on Medium – Hard Work Does Not Require Personal Suffering

January 18, 2022January 19, 2022Leave a comment

My latest blog post is live on Medium, challenging the popular belief that hard work equals pain and suffering. Frankly, I’d rather laugh through the unavoidable mistakes that happen along my dance journey than cry!

https://treetattoodance.medium.com/hard-work-does-not-require-personal-suffering-54fb6e395a04?sk=e9ecde1da6d1ef4c7e906d97d61deded

Guest Post: The Mental Health Benefits of Dancing by Rachel James

October 6, 2021September 30, 20212 Comments

Please welcome to the blog, Rachel James! She is a fellow blogger out of the UK who kindly put together a few important reminders for all of us dance enthusiasts. The topic of this article may seem obvious to us, but obvious benefits can be easily taken for granted. Also, what is obvious to us is not obvious to all. So help spread the word! Let everyone know about the wonderful and amazing mental health benefits of dance.

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Dancing to Keep Warm and For Plain ‘Ol Fun

October 3, 2021October 23, 20224 Comments

It’s officially Autumn here in Maine! Those warm Summer days are long gone, evidenced by the 63-degree temperature inside the house (I’m not turning on the heat until I can vacuum out at least the ends of the ducts). The trees are also changing, which is beautiful. Batches of trees turned this brilliant red early on along the main route that I drive for groceries, PT, etc. You have this large swath of summer-y green and then bam! a batch of red in the middle. So gorgeous. I understand why tourists flock to this area at this time of year.

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Read on Medium: My Week-Long Anxiety Attack

June 5, 2021Leave a comment

Hi dancers! This week’s post is available on Medium:

Live Life Passionately: An Interview with Megan Cross

May 5, 2021Leave a comment

Dancers, please welcome Megan Cross to the blog! Megan has been learning ballroom for just under a year. She started with Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Laguna Hills, CA in the middle of the pandemic and has already conquered a team match and two showcase performances, and is preparing for the Fred Astaire World Championships! Like your host, Megan is also a writer. She recently turned her passion for vintage into a blog called The Vintage Love Letter. I was eager to sit down with her and hear about her initial impressions of ballroom dance and her experiences during the first year of her dance journey.

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Back in the Waltz of Things, But Not the Same Waltz

March 21, 2021Leave a comment

I’m officially back to regular private lessons, twice a week! I think it’s been over a year since I’ve had more than one lesson in a week. It felt strange, in a good way, to return to the studio for that second day. My sense of what day it was, shaky at best since the pandemic, was also thrown off, but for the chance to dance more, I didn’t mind.

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Finding Joy in the Storm

March 14, 2021May 20, 20213 Comments

I have an actual dance event to share with you today! Saturday was the in-person showcase for the Fred Astaire Los Angeles Region, and I performed in a group number to Cell Block Tango from Chicago. It was the first time I’ve performed at an in-person event in 13 months (last time was competing at the 2020 California Open). It was also the first time I’ve been around more than a handful of people in a year.

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Learning to Trust My Power

February 21, 20211 Comment

Can you relate to this?

You’re working on a piece of choreography with your teacher. They tell you you’re doing fine but you’re holding back, you need to let go of your doubts and just go for it. Finally, you do! Your teacher is thrilled, and you’re happy and surprised. And then you freak out internally because this expression of power and confidence in yourself caught you off guard. Like a rubber band being stretched long and then snapping back to its original size, you have this urge to retreat back to a safer, smaller space where you feel less vulnerable.

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Dancing in the Magic of the Moment

November 15, 2020May 20, 2021Leave a comment

Haul out the holly
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again
Fill up the stocking
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now
“We Need a Little Christmas” -written by Jerry Herman

Holiday shoppers, the Practice Ballroom Dance store is officially open for the season! Normally, I do a couple short sales toward the end of the year, but 2020 is hella different. So I’ve decided to do things a little different. Book and journal bundles are on sale and will stay that way through the end of the year!

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