For the first time in my adult life, I opted out of dance this past week. I did not go to ballet on Monday, 305 Fitness on Wednesday (or as I like to call it, Zumba turned up to an 11), or Zumba today. I did not have a ballroom lesson. And I feel better for it.
Continue readingI’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.
Continue readingIf you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you may have noticed that I typically post a new article every weekend, with the occasional bonus guest post or interview in the middle of the week. Last weekend, I decided not to post. In fact, last weekend I decided to check out of several of my usual activities, including watching or reading the news and checking in on my social media feeds.
It was all part of my election week selfcare plan.
Continue readingBefore the pandemic, competition was my ballroom niche. I competed primarily in American Smooth and thrived on that competition dance floor. I loved that all of the pieces of dance came together for competition – the steps, the timing, the technique, the styling, the expression, etc. All of it played a significant role in the performance.
As I traveled along my dance journey, social dancing started to lose its appeal. Showcases had helped me fulfill that dream of performing on stage and successfully making that first big push past my fear and self-doubt, but even they didn’t quite satisfy my dance appetite as time passed. Competition fulfilled my passion for ballroom and my desire to continue to challenge myself and grow as a dancer.
Now, during the pandemic, I don’t have any of those outlets. I have a single 45-minute private lesson once a week on a patio.
And you know what?
Continue readingThis past week did not go as planned. Teacher was competing at Blackpool, so I didn’t have any dance lessons, but I was planning on practicing two extra nights in their place on top of being super productive with my task list for the Solo Practice Guide and blog. Then last Saturday, I woke up with a migraine and it didn’t really go away until this past Friday evening. So much for productive.
I put Looney Tunes on this morning as background while I worked on today’s post. Sometimes I really miss the old classic Saturday morning cartoons. Looney Tunes were the best! Yes, incredibly violent, but also brilliant! What led me to Looney Tunes was noting the number of bruises I’m currently sporting on my legs: one on my left knee, one on my right shin, one on my left ankle, and two on my right ankle. I’m like a slapstick character, get it?
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 