Today was busy! I had a lesson right after work, then I went home for about 2 hours to take care of my dogs and do some laundry, and then I went back to the studio for practice! I got home and, oh yeah, I need to write something for Day 28 of the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
I hope you’ll forgive me for taking the slightly easier way out and just sharing some videos. Today’s video topic is Viennese waltz.
TGIF!
It’s been a long week. Between less than engaging projects at work, a cough that won’t go away, and struggles with my demons over my latest financial “challenges,” I was ready for Friday, on Tuesday. But we made it! Thank goodness.
For this very welcome Friday, I thought we would chat about foxtrot.
When I think tango, I think fierceness, passion and strength. When Teacher asked me to come up with a story for tango, I envisioned two panthers stalking each other in a jungle. In the human realm, I think of two figures in a dark, smoky bar located down a cobblestone alleyway.
Tango’s character comes from its mix of slow and sharp movements. It’s like a coiled spring that’s compressed and released over and over. It’s hard! Quick movements scare me because if you make a mistake, it’s a lot more obvious! A small mistake during a slow, flowing movement like in waltz is relatively easy to cover up. A small mistake made during a quick, sharp movement in tango looks huge!
Tango was my worst dance because I kept holding myself back, afraid to just go for it in those quick movements (see Tango Curses). But the funny thing is, because it was my worst dance, I put a lot more time into practicing it. And I ended up winning the bronze Best of the Best at the 2015 California Open with my tango!
As I was reviewing videos for this post, I had to acknowledge my progress in this dance. This tango from December 2014 at the Holiday Dance Classic is pretty good.
But the tango from the 2015 Emerald Ball is so much sharper!
Hurray for progress!
Fellow dancers, what dance do you find the most challenging?
Don’t forget to check out other posts from the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
I’ve been inspired by Breast Cancer Ballroom Dancer and her keyword posts (jive was her latest). Throughout the rest of the challenge, I thought I would share what goes through my head when I think of each of the dances I compete in: waltz, tango, foxtrot, and Viennese waltz.
Today’s dance is waltz.
I feel like I should lighten the mood a bit for Monday. It’s easy to get wrapped up in everything I struggle with on my ballroom journey and forget my accomplishments!
So I went through some videos and forced myself to find things I liked about my dancing!
Studio Team Match, August 2015:
Here is my bronze waltz routine. I like the smoothness of my dancing here and the extension of my arms in the beginning and in the open sections of the routine.
I also debuted my silver routines at the team match! Here is my foxtrot; I’m proud of myself for making it through the routine and looking like I knew what I was doing, even though I was having the worst time remembering the steps!
Emerald Ball, April 2015:
This video is of my bronze tango routine, and is also on my Videos page. It’s one of my favorites because you can see the judges in the foreground debating about my tattoo. They didn’t agree about whether the silhouette on the tree was of Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire! I think I did a decent job at conveying the intense tango character too.
And just to round out the set, here is my Viennese waltz from Emerald. Despite a split second misread on Teacher’s lead at one point, I feel like my dancing was very solid and I love how our arm styling matches almost perfectly. I even smiled!
Happy Monday!
Don’t forget to check out other posts from the 31 Day Writing Challenge!
Ok, as promised, I didn’t dawdle in publishing my Video page! I kept previewing it, hoping I’d think of a reason I needed to delay, but I couldn’t think of anything. So there ya go, check it out! Or not, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. That page can grow dusty from lack of visitors, it’s ok!
I’m going to take an example from another blogger and go make myself a cup of tea! And not take the page down. I will not delete the page. I will not delete the page. I will not delete the page.
I need some chamomile.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 