Dancing on Top of the World!

....Or at least as geographically close to the top of the world as I will probably get!

Welcome to one of my best dance adventures yet! The new job I started back in June requires that I travel around the country to train clients. Well, I haven't done much traveling until recently when our client up in Anchorage Alaska of all places needed some refresher training. I decided to use the opportunity to see what kind of dancing happens in other parts of the country. I'm hoping to be able to do this in most areas of the country I travel to... but this one was especially important... come on it's ALASKA!!!

I started trying to contact the Fred Astaire in Anchorage a few weeks before I left... sadly they didn't return my calls, but I can be rather persistent when it comes to things that are important to me... such as dancing. I also looked about for any Salsa that might be had... I may have found one club, but my work schedule wouldn't permit me to do something like that (reporting to work at 7:30 am when your body has NO IDEA what time it is limits one's social opportunities). Alaska is 3 hours behind Chicago time so it makes the whole figuring out business hours when calling a little math intensive, so I decided to try and call the Fred Astaire once I actually arrived in Anchorage.

What luck! I got a very nice gentleman on the phone Monday night... my original goal was to try and have a pick up lesson of sorts with one of their instructors. I didn't even think that they would have a party of any sort as I was only in town from Monday night to Friday morning. When I spoke with him he stated that they only had the one teacher right now, and that a lesson wouldn't be possible. He then asked me to call back when the manager was available (in about an hour) so I did. I spoke to a lovely sounding gal who let me know the particulars. She confirmed that I wouldn't be able to have a lesson, but that they were having a practice party from 8-9pm on that Thursday night. She too sounded a bit anxious about my attending the party. I knew exactly how to solve that problem!

"I know, I dance at Fred Astaire Chicago North... Top Studio and all that, but seriously I'm not one of their competitive students or anything... I can prove it.. I dance ballroom in jazz shoes. My whole goal with dancing is self improvement and to get on as many dance floors as I can!"

I was advised that most of the students would be newer and hadn't been taking lessons as long as I have... which I was actually excited about.

"No worries," I tell her "Newbies are my specialty! I'd love to attend!"

Instantly all the apprehension was gone from her voice and I got all the particulars for the party. YEA!!! Something to look forward to, which actually ended up being perfect because my work week was one of the most stressful I've ever had.

Thursday night rolled around and it was my most stressful work day yet... 10 hours, no lunch, late back to the hotel... just enough time to grab a quick snack and change. I arrived at the studio a bit early, in time to catch the tail end of a beginner group class of about 12 people, all couples from what I could tell, and they were learning Night Club Two Step. They were so adorable! I personally didn't know this dance so I was watching to see if I'd be able to follow it ok... it seemed pretty straight forward. It got me to thinking though... if this studio was doing Night Club Two Step...what other social dances were they learning that I didn't even know!

I took a moment to absorb my surroundings... the studio had a very classroom feel to it. The dance floor was about the same size as my home studio, they had one mirror, and another that appeared to be set up for picture taking, rather than the wood floor that I'm more accustomed to they had a tile floor that was the same type you'd find in a grade school... I quickly tested the friction with my shoes, this wasn't going to go well at all if I was going to be sticking for the whole party! Not that I even expected to dance much, I know how this works... new person to an established social group, I'd be lucky to get one or two dances in. Still I was glad to be in a dance studio I instantly felt less stressed than I was earlier that day.

I had run to the washroom and then to chat with the gentleman I had spoken to on the phone while class was wrapping up. Upon my return the class was writing what they had learned into their dance binders. (Another new observation for me, as my instructors are the only two that have ever written in my binder). I was in the process of moving my belongings from being in a student's way when the instructor/manager stopped me.

"No don't run away now!" She stated excitedly!

"No... I wasn't... I just....I wanted to move my... (she hangs on to my arm)..ok I'm not going anywhere then." I was a little embarrassed that she was making an example out of me in front of everyone... I really didn't know what to expect!

"Everyone, this is Kat." She announces "She dances at a Fred Astaire in Chicago, so see when you all travel you can look to see if there is a Fred Astaire in the area and call to see if you can dance there. Now she's been taking lessons for a while..but don't be afraid to ask her to dance." This gal is still hanging on to my arm and I realize that the whole class is suddenly very keyed into what I have to say.

So I follow up with "Hi everyone! Yes, I've been dancing for a while, but I have to be honest...I've never done that two-step ya'll were learning...so I'm excited to see if I can follow that!"

Oh dear oh dear! Where I was hoping I could blend into the crowd, I was instead made an example of... here we go... not only am I representing myself, but I'm now representing my studio... and in fact helping everyone here develop an opinion about ballroom dancers from Chicago too! No pressure...

The instructor then turned on the party lights, which was dimmed lighting and a disco ball... cool! Our studio doesn't have a disco ball! The gentleman from behind the desk had put on some dance shoes and turns out he's one of the more advanced students! He picked me up first for a Fox Trot... ok.. that's pretty much the same everywhere you go so we did that... I think he was maybe used to leading the gals that knew a certain pattern because I missed some of his leads, and they don't do the same types of steps I had learned...maybe Fred Astaire has a separate syllabus for studios that do social dancing exclusively. I didn't know... I was just happy to dance.

Then there was Waltz...that was VERY different... where I'm used to the basic box getting us around the floor, here they primarily keep in place and use a specific step, that I've never been very good at, to travel around the floor... it took me a second, but I got the hang of it!

And then we hit the scary part of the evening... Night Club Two-Step... I was shown and thankfully could follow...I even managed to pick up timing on the turns without any help! RT and Largo would have been proud. I don't usually pick up on stuff that fast, but I guess when I'm forced to be left up to my own learning devices I'm not such a slow learner for the basic stuff!

Following Night Club Two-step was Country Two-Step...which I had done before, but it's been more than a year, so I tried to pick up on that... basic went ok... turns were a little harder...they have to be QUICK! And the more advanced student who was kind enough to walk me through this stuff was pulling some more advanced, but followable stuff... I would get almost to the end of the sequence and even I was almost convinced I had it right...and THEN I would screw it all up. But it was so much fun!

They also played some East Coast Swing... here's where I became the knowledgeable one... I can swing with just about anyone and back lead into two or three steps that really make the newer leaders feel pretty good about their dancing. I loved that! I had one leader in particular that was very interested in what he was supposed to do during all of my back leading, so I told him "Just keep your triple step and your rock step going, I only know how to back lead the steps where I do all the work!" He found that very amusing.

Third new to me dance was Polka... uh oh... I remember MSU telling me it was easy a long time ago... just triple step, no rock step...but I'd never actually done it before! Thankfully MSU was right...and Polka is easy, I'm really glad I can say that I know how to do it now!

I tried to get pictures of folks dancing, I did... I must have picked up my camera half a dozen times trying to get some shots of the students doing their thing, and as soon as I'd have it turned on another gentleman would ask me for a dance. WAY too much fun!! Not to mention EXACTLY what I needed, without that I would have had no stress relief from my week before my long flight home!

After the party I was talking with some of the students and explained my personal reasons for dancing, and why I thought it so important to look them up so I could try and see about other studios and the more variety to my dancing the better I get! Not to mention that the happiest people I've ever met are on a dance floor!

Thank you Fred Astaire Anchorage for a lovely time! If you're ever in my neck of the woods be sure to let me know!

Lessons before the Holiday...

Well it feels like forever since my last set of lessons! This was the second week of December. I had two lessons scheduled because I would be out for work the following week (which I will explain later).

First lesson up that week was with Largo... We worked on Cha Cha, Rumba, and a lot of Salsa. It was perfect.

I was accused of spinning on my heels... when I was trying to get a spin done on time in Cha Cha.
I did the spin and Largo watched...
"Ah ha! I know why... you spin on your heel."
I immediately retort "I do NOT spin on my heels! I have never spun on my heels ever!"

"You do.. I just SAW IT!"

"I don't care what you think you saw... I do not spin on my heels!"

(What I like about arguing with Largo is he gets in my face as much as I get into his....makes for some fun)

So after I am so passionately denying the spinning on my heels... Largo backs down and more calmly states.. "Ok...well maybe your whole foot."

"Ok..that's better, I will admit to spinning on my whole foot." We're both back to normal calm tones now.

Then Largo says "Don't... Spin on [the] front part of your foot...not whole."

Which immediately brings to my mind all the many many hours I've spent trying not to pop up on my toes to spin... and now I'm being told to spin on the ball of my foot... UGH! Rather than start a whole other argument of which I'm sure I'll lose.. I just make a mental note to try and spin on the balls of my feet without actually popping up. I tried it... and what do you know? Largo was right it is easier to finish that spin on time when I keep my weight more forward. Grrr... I hate it when my teachers are right... well more accurately I hate it when I'm so blatantly wrong.

Later in the lesson when we were working on Salsa, Largo leads me into swivels... I still hate swivels... my mid-section still feels too much like a bowl full of jelly during swivels... I tell Largo that I don't like them.
He stops me and just gives me that "you've got to be kidding" look and says "You hate everything."

I respond... "No not everything... I only really hate the spinnie Cha Cha move and Swivels in any dance...the rest of it I can live with...hey I do them anyway don't I? Sure it comes with a dirty look and some comments...but I still do them!"

Fast forward to my next Salsa with him and it's almost ALL swivels! I'm still following... and I've shut up...but I'm certainly not smiling...and Largo is getting way to big a kick out of my dirty looks...and then we dance right past RT who is practicing something with another pro. He watches...I see him smiling (he above all knows how much I can't stand swivels) I shout over my shoulder right before a fast spin... "I'm being tortured with swivels today!!" I spin and we've stopped because RT wants to give Largo a high five.

Then Largo comes right back to me and I state so both instructors can hear. "Oh good, my instructors are conspiring against me!!"

To which Largo gets a concerned look on his face and says "No! It's not true!"

I certainly didn't expect that response...so I put my hands on Largo's shoulders... "Look, at some point you're going to have to remember that only half of what I say is supposed to be real." For which his response is a smile... and more Salsa.

It was a good lesson... we had fun, poked some fun at each other... and I'm learning how to speed up my dancing, from my instructor that can move his feet faster than the human eye can see. I figure that's a good source.

Second Lesson... RT and his Sombrero

So my last lesson that week with RT was interesting... the staff had been doing themed days all week... on this particular day I see RT with a Sombrero, two pairs of shorts, mismatched socks in patent leather smooth shoes, two or three shirts of varying styles and a tie that didn't match anything else on his body. Hmmm... ok.. so I ask... "What's today's theme?"

"Mismatch" RT tells me...

I give him the once over...just to be sure I've seen it all... "Good job." I tell him.

We started my lesson with a very fast Rumba to a very Mexican Restaurant style song... it's only appropriate with him in the Sombrero and all... I'm looking at him, trying desperately not to totally laugh.

"Ok seriously the hat has to go." I tell him.

"No, I've had it on all day... for all of my lessons." He says.

Alright no losing the hat... this is going to be very distracting.... Largo is also on the floor for one of his lessons...he decides he doesn't like the song that's on, and starts laughing that RT and I are attempting to Rumba to it. Largo puts on a very techno sounding Hustle, I shout a "Thank you." over my shoulder when the music changes and RT and I start a very quick Hustle. Let me tell you... trying to accomplish any of the steps that have my arm anywhere near his head was proving to be difficult, but he had that Sombrero tied on so tight it wasn't going anywhere!

After the Hustle we moved into an actual Rumba... well a slow one anyway... which then suddenly became one of my first lessons in Bolero in a LONG time. Surprisingly, while I know my Bolero looks like trash, I am having a pretty easy time following. I've learned Bolero two different ways... one involves pushing the unweighted foot forwards or backwards rather than actually stepping, the second is actually stepping forwards or back. (Bolero is the same pattern as International Rumba, but I believe it's done slower.) RT likes Bolero a lot... which is why he every so often likes to teach me some of it. This time he was leading the stepping version because he knows I have an easier time with it.

My main issue with Bolero is that it's very hard on the knees... and I still pop up too fast after these grand sweeping steps we're taking. Which I was able to correct a little.... two things I don't like about dancing... staying low on my knees and taking my feet out from under me...both of which basically define Bolero. But we worked on it... and I think my arm styling was pretty reasonable...considering I don't tend to do a lot of that anyway... I admit that it felt like my most graceful Bolero ever. After Bolero ended and RT was reasonably pleased with my progress we moved on to Salsa...

We moved on to Salsa because of the Sombrero... RT was very keen on keeping the theme... which I thought was hysterical. So we did some Salsa, which I'm always more than happy to do... we worked on the "Miami Special"... again. This is one of the steps from the new FADS Salsa syllabus, we've worked on it a lot...and I have practiced it on my own..but there is something about doing it with a partner..when our arms are connected and I'm trying to keep in time with the music..that nearly always screws me up. I can do it just fine slow...but as soon as we speed it up I get all kinds of sloppy. Per usual after working on it again... I did improve some... but we'll see if I can maintain it.

Then it became Cha Cha time... RT has now decided that I should learn the "Social Bronze" portion of the syllabus that was implemented long after I passed that stage. They are short relatively easy to remember, but hard to just plain follow steps. In my opinion anyway... we covered three of four of them and I asked him why we were covering this.

"Because when we get your routine you will need to know these elements." He states.

Oh! right... I almost forgot! Well I didn't forget, but I haven't even thought about the routine I am getting... mainly because I haven't decided on a choreographer yet. It's nice to know that RT hasn't forgotten though. It will be a Cha Cha, which is why I'm learning Cha Cha Social Bronze. RT then suggested a Choreographer, that I totally shot down because I was not impressed with the group class he taught last time he was in. Sorry...this is my one and only routine... it has to be as perfect as it can be...and I didn't have much faith in the Choreographer that was suggested.

I'll have to work on that Social Bronze stuff some more.... I can see how it would look pretty cool... but whatever I was learning is just not followable... which is ok for a Choreographed piece... just not for regular dancing. I'll get back to the drawing board on that for my next lesson.

All in all it was one of my better RT lessons... learning and fun... just the way I like it. (Plus Largo was trying to peek and make faces at me around RT's sombrero which was too funny for words.)

Happy Holidays

To all my readers everywhere, I am wishing you a holiday season full of peace, love, and dancing!



No matter what you celebrate or how, remember it's the taking time out to be with the ones you care about that counts the most.

Snow Day!

Hi all! I'm back into the swing of things for my normal posting... for a while anyway... I hope this post finds you all doing well.

So let's back up a bit to the studio's Winter Festival Snow day! We ventured out to Alder Park for some Sledding, a Bags tournament, Karaoke, and some good food. It was a great time to just hang with studio folks outside of a dance event. Fun was had by all!

RT inflating sleds in preparation for the fun!

We were lucky to have this much snow this early in December!

Practicing for the Bags Tourney!

More Practicing... two of the more competitive people I know at the Studio... Largo, and Jem!

Winter activities sure can make you hungry!


Jesse and TSD checking out the prize catalog... 1st place for the Tournament is a gift certificate to Omaha Steaks! Jesse couldn't keep his nose out of the catalog! LOL!!

KIT treating us to a holiday song (this girl has one heck of a set of lungs on her, she's great!)

STP and TSD performing their best rendition of Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"

Update Pending

Hi gang... I know you all look to me for an update about once a week at least... I just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten!!! I have a lot to do this week that can't include writing... I have to update you on Snow Day with the studio and a lesson with both Largo and RT... as well as a party or two that haven't even happened yet! I'll get to it I promise! Just be patient while I get through the next few days... Thanks! ~ Kat

My Inspiration... A Few Notes From My Readers...

I can't help it... Winter is an emotional time for me... I often get off track and start putting weight back on like I'm a bear preparing for hibernation... However, while dancing itself, RT and even my new instructor Largo are my main sources for my drive to improve... another source has been a constant... My readers. You guys are truly AWESOME and completely INSPIRING to me! I have reached a point where I can't not share... I can't not share the highlights from some of my favorite e-mails. Per the rules... all identifying information has been removed or changed.

Please join me in celebrating and thanking these ladies for being strong beautiful role models in their own rights!!

"Wow - you are so inspirational to me! I've been taking dance lessons for about three years now, and I wish I could say that I've lost weight - but I'm going in the opposite direction and dancing is becoming harder and harder for me. Part of the problem is that I tend to hold my breath - still when you're dragging around [all this weight], it's no surprise that I can't breathe!

Right now I'm struggling with the spiral turn - as you mentioned, at the end of some cuban walks. I can't seem to make it all the way around - but I'm trying to practice here at home.

Have you succeeded?

Well, you probably wrote about the spiral turn a while back and are no doubt an expert at it now. I just wanted to say that I was excited to find your blog, and I'm saving it as a favorite so I can live vicariously through your weight loss and dancing success."

"I have to say that I've been thinking a lot lately about what you've accomplished. Last night I went to an informational meeting at the local hospital on gastric bypass surgery. It's not for me - that's for sure - but I've never gotten this desperate before - never to the point where I've even considered it. Pretty scary to be in a room with all of those people who've reached the ends of their ropes - I haven't yet - and I think the reason for that is knowing what you did and how far you've come. I need to continue to read your blog and take that as inspiration. It was really a stroke of good fortune that I happened upon it - because even though I haven't made the right changes in my life yet - you did it, and I hope that means I can do it, too.

What about you? Did you get a lot of positive feedback on the magazine article? I took it to my dance studio, and they have it posted on the bulletin board. Everyone is so impressed - and it's just very cool!"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I like your blog.

When I was fourteen, I did one dancing class, and absolutely hated it. I was too clumsy, too tall, too slow, too……. Whatever.

From that time, I have always avoided to do any ballroom dancing, until very recently. Now I am 41, an absolute beginner, but I love love love ballroom dancing, and fully understand why you said that it has changed your life. I can feel the changes creeping into my life already – after only six lessons.

Here in Germany they teach some different dances, for instance now East Coast/West Coast dances, but there are also many similarities. Last night we learned the basic rumba steps, and that went surprisingly well, so today is a good day ;-))

Your blog is in my favourites folder, and I regularly come back to see how you are doing, and learning a lot from your experiences/words.

Thank you."

"I have started to incorporate eating healthy. My
kids are mostly fine with it, my husband is the one who is having most
problem with it but he is adjusting. I'm trying to think of lots of
activities that involve my whole family. I live in Las Vegas NV so we
have been doing alot of hiking on trails in Mt. Charleston and Red Rock
Canyon. My five year old loves it. My two year old loves it also but
she is kind of prone to falling down so she does have a few scrapes.
She does have fun though. You are truly an inspiration to me!
Thank you."

"I found your blog a couple of weeks ago while looking desperately online to find someone I could relate to as I started my journey to become a ballroom dancer! I just started dancing a few months ago here in Nashville.

I too, am starting this journey with a LOT of weight to lose. I'm down 40 pounds from a high last year. I've been heavy my whole life and am just starting to realize that I've always dreamed of being a dancer - but had NEVER allowed myself to even remotely entertain the thought that it was possible. I started out lessons with my husband, thinking it would be nice for us to do together - he cooperated, but it wasn't his thing...but I fell in LOVE. I've been taking individual lessons with my teacher now since mid-September.

Thank you SO much for putting yourself out there online - it has helped me tremendously to see that this can absolutely be a road to a healthier and happier me - because you are doing it so well!"

"I am inspired by your courage to take lessons where the focus is on the body--dancing. I love ice dancing and ballroom dancing, but don't have a sense of musicality, so two or three left feet, plus the body image is in the way.

I always imagine that someday I will take lessons and dance, but am too intimidated to do that with my size.

Thanks for writing your blog."

"Girl, you are an inspiration!

I found your blog yesterday by accident, after having a particularly rough day at my ballroom lesson (he's teaching me new steps & I feel like a bumbling dinosaur), and prior to the lesson having passed on to me the unasked for opinion of a former ballroom dancer who is totally sour on the entire industry.

I was actually thinking of stopping, but your blog made me remember why I started doing this (in May) & how far I've come, on the outside and the inside. Made me more determined to keep negative people out of my life - isn't there always someone ready to rain on a good parade?

Keep dancing, Miss Kitty, and keep on blogging.

P.S.: Your pictures - are gorgeous. You absolutely glow."

I read these, and others like them a lot (all 1,477 of them so far)... and they make me laugh, sometimes shed the occasional tear... and absolutely know that I have to continue... this journey not only means the world to me... but it seems I'm bringing a few folks with me! Hey the more the merrier!

From the bottom of my heart, with the greatest of sincerity... if I could reach through the internet and hug you all I would... THANK YOU!!! You have no idea how inspirational you each have become to me... Always let me know how you're doing... I respond to all e-mails...keep reading... together we can improve ourselves... and above all... HAPPY DANCING and HAPPY LIFE!!!

With Much Appreciation and Love,
Kat