Holiday Sale 2024

November 24, 2024Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again! All books and journals by The Girl with the Tree Tattoo are 15% off in my Ko-Fi shop with code DANCE. If you’re new to this blog and my works, please peruse the shop at your leisure. The books there were written to help you along your dance journey and grow confidence in yourself as a dancer. The ultimate goal is more joy in your dancing.

Fair warning – there is only ONE Whole Dance Journey journal left, which means there is also only ONE Champion Dancer book bundle available.

While you decide which book or journal to order, read on for some honest thoughts about this time of year.

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Journal Your Whole Dance Journey (Limited Restock!)

April 14, 2024Leave a comment

Popping in quickly to let you know that a VERY limited quantity of A Journal for the Whole Dance Journey is now available on my Ko-Fi shop and Amazon!

I first published this journal in 2019, which I’m shocked to realize was 5 years ago!? After creating The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing to help dancers like myself keep up with their dance training in between lessons with teachers/partners, I created this journal to be a singular place to record and easily reference notes and reflections on any and all areas of the dance journey – lessons, coachings, practice, competitions, showcases, and even downtime when we’re on a break from dance.

I designed this 150-page journal to be flexible enough to fit nearly anyone’s note-taking style, but structured enough to keep notes organized and easily referenced at a later date. It includes features specifically requested by dancers, such as a way to index your notes so you can find them easily three months later, structured space to set goals and intentions, and open space to take notes however you best take notes.

If you’re looking for a new journal to keep in your dance bag, I invite you to check out the Journal for the Whole Dance Journey.

This limited restock also means that the Champion Dancer book bundle is available once more (Ko-Fi shop only). Order this bundle to get the Solo Practice Guide, Journal for the Whole Dance Journey and The Choreography Journal with free shipping.

Happy dancing!

Holiday Sale Happening Now

November 25, 2023November 24, 2023Leave a comment

In case you missed it, all books and journals in my Ko-Fi shop are 20% off now through Cyber Monday (November 27, 2023) with code BACKTODANCE.

Click below to have the discount automatically applied:

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Solo Practice is More Fun with Friends!

July 3, 2022October 23, 2022Leave a comment

My relationship with solo dance practice was born out of necessity. I needed a way to improve as a dancer that didn’t come with a financial cost. The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing was born out of my need to improve as a dancer without a financial cost and with a limited time requirement. The framework I developed for my solo practice sessions worked wonders. I grew in strength, balance and confidence. Lessons with Teacher were more productive. Other coaches noticed the improvements in my dancing when I competed. I became a World Champion!

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Going with the Flow is Scary

March 6, 2022October 23, 20221 Comment

We plan, God laughs.
Yiddish proverb

It’s March already, and while I’m not surprised that there is still a foot of snow on the ground, I am surprised and disappointed that I’m not back to taking ballroom lessons. I shouldn’t be surprised because I was there at every turn that delayed my return to ballroom. Always a good reason! But silly me still didn’t want to let go of her original plans.

If any four words were to sum up Life, it would be these four: We plan, God laughs.

You can interpret it in different ways, but I see it as a reminder that we cannot control the world around us. The Earth keeps rotating and Life keeps going, whether we like it or not. We try every day to control or at least predict, what the future will bring, but the best we manage is an illusion.

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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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Embassy Memories

September 6, 2021October 23, 2022Leave a comment

Embassy Ball, home of the World Championships under the NDCA and WDC, took place in Orange County, CA this past week. Seeing so many social media posts with photos and videos from the event had me waxing nostalgic over my own Embassy memories. I’ve competed at Embassy Ball three times – 2017, 2018 and 2019. Embassy Ball has been a place of highs and lows for me, each triggering a significant turning point in my dance journey.

I thought we’d take a trip down memory lane, if you’ll indulge me!

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Dead Mice, Zumba and Dance Goals

August 15, 2021October 23, 20221 Comment

They say time moves more slowly in the country, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Caring for this house alone could be a full-time gig. There are about 50 acres of forest waiting to be explored and that’s without leaving our property. Inspiration for art, whether it’s dance, photography, painting, etc., is abundant in these natural surroundings. Country living is anything but boring.

The difference I notice as I sit at the kitchen table and listen to the wind in the trees through the open window isn’t that I’ve slowed down since moving here. The difference is that Life around me moves at a less-rushed pace. The manic mood of the city is absent here. The bumblebees and hummingbirds show up every day in the overgrown garden next to the kitchen to collect their pollen and nectar. They aren’t lazy about it; they are consistent and persistent. What they aren’t is frantic. Their work is steady, not hectic. Amazing how they still complete their tasks without buzzing around like their boss is going to set their hair on fire if they don’t appear entirely stressed out.

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It’s Ok to Stumble. Just Keep Dancing.

January 3, 2021May 20, 2021Leave a comment

Before I jump into today’s topic, I want to say Happy New Year, dancers! I hope your New Year’s celebrations were fun and safe.

My first lesson after the first pandemic lockdown started with a solo dance. I hadn’t danced in a studio for 3.5 months and the first thing Teacher and I did was dance Open Waltz apart. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see how much of the routine I remembered.

For the last couple years, Teacher has made me dance a solo dance or even an entire solo round at the beginning of almost every lesson, especially when we were getting close to a competition. I hated it. I got so embarrassed when I would lose my balance or forget my steps. It fed into my self-doubt and anxiety around my abilities as a dancer. But over time, it was also incredibly effective at improving my dancing.

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