One more week to go on the Dance Diaries book tour! The responses have been incredibly positive, which I did not prepare for at all. I’ve never done something like this before and I didn’t know what to expect, so naturally, I prepared for the worst. I was ready to have my books criticized, my ego shot down, and my writing torn apart. None of that has happened though.
Tag: practice
Dancing for Dancing’s Sake
Happy Monday and Day 1 of the Dance Diaries book tour! I’m keeping the book tour blog post updated with specific links to guest posts, book spotlights, interviews, etc. AND the link to the giveaway, so check them out whenever you have time. I’m also sharing the tour stops on Facebook and Twitter, so follow me there too!
Meanwhile, in the studio…
Dancing Oasis
Finally, a glass of refreshing ballroom in this depressing desert! After what seemed like MONTHS (ok, it was just weeks), I had dance lessons two nights in a row! That’s all I get for another week, but they left me with a smile on my face.
Ask the Girl Episode 11: Finding a Balance
“I can’t. I have dance.”
I’ve said some version of this statement more times than I can remember. I’m not the only one. Apparently, the phrase is common enough that people thought it was worth putting on a t-shirt! Or a sweatshirt, or a tank top. Search “I can’t I have dance” on Amazon and you’ll get 20 pages of results.
A fellow ballroom student commented on my last blog post, asking if I ever found myself arranging or even rearranging my schedule around my teacher’s availability and withdrawing from things and people I would normally spend time with, just so I could get my dance fix.
The short answer is “uh, yeah!”
Practice Partner Update (I’m still here!)
Are you still out there? I apologize once again for being M.I.A. for a week. I haven’t even been around to the other Ballroom Villagers’ blogs, which I also apologize for. I haven’t been completely inactive in the realm of blogging; I’ve been working on guest posts for another website and my upcoming virtual book tour. You can check out the link for more information on where Dance Diaries will be! I’ll be honest, my internal emotional rollercoaster has taken me on bigger loops and steeper drops the last couple weeks too. Makes it difficult to organize my thoughts and produce something readable.
But that’s no excuse to neglect you.
So while I’m still waiting for the ride to at least slow down a bit, I thought I would give you a simple update on the latest development on my ballroom journey: the practice partner!
Brain Knowledge Vs. Body Knowledge Or “Just” a Student
Once again, I started writing about one topic and ended up focusing on another. I didn’t want to get rid of the first one though, so this is a combo post. Just a heads up!
This week is smooth week! Teacher and I have been alternating between rhythm and smooth on our lessons. At first, we switched every lesson, but I quickly realized I needed at least a second lesson in the same style to follow up on what we worked on in the first lesson. So now, since I have two lessons a week typically, we alternate every week.
This week is smooth.
For Every High, There is a Low
What an odd week.
Monday was just a Monday. Tuesday, I had a lesson with Teacher (make-up for missing Friday while he was at a comp). I also had my first session with a new practice partner (more on him later)! Wednesday, I had my usual standing lesson with Teacher (two lessons in two days, woohoo!). Thursday, I decided to start something new and exciting (for me at least) in an effort to expand the reach of the Dance Diaries series (more on that later too). Friday, I learned I would yet again have to give up my competition goals and would also likely be unable to pay for lessons for at least a month in the fall. And then I spent the rest of my work day lounging at the beach.
Like I said, odd.
Ask the Girl Episode 3 – Practice
I didn’t get any new questions for today’s episode, so I went back into my emails to see what people have contacted me about before I started this series.
The most recent question was from Nick; he just started blogging about his own ballroom journey here: http://theballroomjourney.com.
He asked how I fit in ballroom practice with work and the rest of my life. Since I had been thinking about doing a “how I practice” post anyway, it seemed like a good topic for this week’s “Ask the Girl” post!
The Growing Pains of Learning Something New
A friend of mine just started taking a martial arts class, and it’s incredible how many challenges she’s experiencing that mirror my own in learning ballroom. Learning a new activity as an adult, especially a physical one, is SO much fun, but can also be really hard. You’ve gone through school, gotten a job and worked your butt off to get where you are today. You have a pretty good handle on living your life, and when new challenges come, you can rely on your life experience to get you through them. But then you start something completely new and find yourself back in kindergarten learning your A,B,C’s. And you thought you were done with growing pains!
I thought I would put some encouragement out there to anyone just starting a new activity, whether it’s ballroom, martial arts or something else. Don’t worry if you feel like a dunce now, it will get easier!
Repost: Learning to Learn
Really good tips for students of any dance:
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 