Are you Ready for 2010?

... I am. I'm certainly ready to say goodbye to 2009... what started out as such a fantastic year has ended up pretty ho-hum. Yes, there were some major highlights... RT and I doing our Cha Cha Routine...and received the first ever pro/am standing ovation for it! I got to compete for the first time in Mini Match. I had some of the BEST lessons in dance EVER...made some SERIOUS progress in what is now becoming my dancing skill...I met a new practice partner and dance friend...I started selling t-shirts and things here... RT showed his true bravery in following his dreams and moving out of state to do it! Finally, I've made a major commitment to blogging and lifestyle changes (more on that to come in January!).

So when I think of 2009, that's what I'm going to think on... but not for too long, because it is not the time to dwell on the past...

NOW is for looking to the future! NOW is the time to recollect ourselves and set forth on the exciting new adventures that 2010 has in store for us!

I thank you all for sticking by me as readers, fans, and friends..... just wait.. it's only gonna get better from here!

My wish for you all is a happy and successful 2010!

Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Hi all!


I am fully aware that not everyone celebrates Christmas. However the spirit of Christmas, of giving of yourself to help others and wishing everyone good tidings is appropriate for everyone, regardless if you actually celebrate or not... So that is what I would like to do here...





I hope this finds you all well and with loved ones, and that you want for nothing.





To quote my favorite Christmas story Twas the Night Before Christmas

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Goodnight!"

The Last Dances with RT.... Farewell to a True Professional

Sorry the blogging has been quiet since last week, but I do have some exciting news! Shortly after my last post, I received a call from RT. RT was calling to let me know that he had an exciting new opportunity to expand and grow in his professional dancing! See, for the last couple of months RT had been auditioning with a new partner, a lovely gal who is very strong in her own right in dance and was looking for a professional partner. I was lucky enough to see one of these practices early on, and I was excited because they seem very well suited for each other. I had been very excited to hear more on this possible partnership for him, the hope was that she would be coming to the area to work and be based here in Chicago.

I am very pleased to tell you that the auditions paid off, and they will now be dance partners! This is something I have wanted to see for my pro for a long time! There is another bit to the news though... In order for this partnership to work, and for RT to be able to grow in his professional career the way he's always wanted, he is going to move to be with her in a brand new studio in Minnesota, NOT here in Illinois as a lot of us had hoped. More surprising still, was that his last day with the studio we've always danced at would be Friday. That's not much time to prepare a proper farewell, let me tell you!

Upon receiving the initial news, I was in a bit of shock... unfortunately I was probably not as warm and excited for RT as he was hoping, but then I always go into a bit of an emotional shut down when I receive big news. I assured him that I was happy for him and that it was going to take a second for the news to sink in. Shortly after the news had sunk in, and I was able to regain composure, I remembered about the one lesson I had saved for a rainy day... I immediately called KIT to have it scheduled. There was NO WAY RT was gonna get out of the studio with out one more lesson with me!

That Lesson was Wednesday, I had thought about trying to schedule the lesson to be on Friday...trying to be the last lesson he would teach on that dance floor...but it didn't seem fitting. A Wednesday lesson was better, we started dancing on a Wednesday 3.5 years ago... it was only fitting that we end on that day of the week as well.

I walked in for my lesson, I had Holiday baked goods for the whole studio...and Holiday cards for RT and Largo, all of which I set out and changed into my practice skirt, new ballroom shoes, and a t-shirt of my own design. My mission was to have this lesson be fun, and a little memerable... I had heard of other students crying, and while I did cry a LOT for how much I would miss RT, I was determined to not be one of the students he sent off in tears, he didn't need that.. he needed his students to be happy for his decision... and I was gonna be just that! RT picked me up for my lesson, and thankfully... I didn't feel like crying! :-) RT wanted, perhaps needed, this to be a happy occasion...and so I'm glad I was able to oblige.

"Hi Kat, let's go." RT said as he picked me up and pulled me to the dance floor.

"Hi, I want to do every dance you've ever taught me all in this lesson!" I replied.

"Ok, then that's the plan," he listened to the music playing "lets start with your favorite." We took up frame to Waltz.

Most of the smooth dances were spent talking or what have you, we chatted about this blog, about my future plans for it, about whether or not I'd be staying at the studio. It was kinda nice to just dance and chat... two of my favorite things to do with RT.

Each time at the music machine was my turn for questions, what's his plan for teaching, what's his plan for competing, and anything else I could think of asking about regarding his move and future.

We roared through all the dances he's ever taught me... see, what most people don't realize or remember is that for the VAST majority of my 3.5 years of dancing... probably at least 2 solid years if you put the time together... it was just me and RT... I didn't have another pro as the Fred Astaire teaching method suggests... it just never worked out that way until Largo hit the scene just over a year ago. So RT has actually been the one to teach me the foundations in ALL the dances. It was a busy lesson!!!

Here is what I call the fast forward version.... cuz while we did them all, Waltz, Fox Trot, Tango, Cha Cha, Rumba, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Hustle, Bolero, SALSA... (not in that order) there were really only a few that are worth noting.

Cha Cha - started out as a normal Cha, then suddenly I was being lead through my routine... which I think neither of us were on point enough to remember, but it was fun that we tried.

Rumba - We did two, one where some finer points were brought up for my wrist (I bend it or "break it" at in opportune times, so I'm working on keeping it straight) and the second was quite connected almost really good.

West Coast Swing - Again, the dance I do about 4 times a year... I was asked if I do a particular step, I said I'd only done it if he'd lead me through it. He asked if I danced it with Largo ever, I told him no, and probably wouldn't for a while, because RT has a particular lead that I quite enjoy for that dance...and no one I've tried to dance it with yet quite measures up. RT said he was flattered. :-)

East Coast Swing - Only notable because we almost made it through without it, and RT suggested dancing it at the party (Friday), where I responded that our LAST and FINAL dance had to be a Salsa. I was met with RT trying to tell me that he knows Friday won't be the last time we ever dance. Which I found adorable, but only time will tell.

Bolero- This was actually at RT's request... I don't consider Bolero a dance I know, I've just been lucky enough to follow it a few times, but hey if he wanted to Bolero with me... I'm not gonna say no. What ended up happening was kind of a mix of Bolero and International Rumba... and it probably looked a little messy because I don't know either very well...BUT... this had to be one of the most connected dances I've ever danced with him! Oh YAY! That's exactly what I wanted out of this lesson... at least one or two moments of DANCING!!! We danced the whole song, and while I made a few mistakes, was able to recover and it was GOOD. I'm pretty sure he was on the same page as me with the connection and performance side of things... I could have danced that Bolero forever.

Salsa - We did three, all pretty good, and exactly what Salsa is supposed to be... fun flirty and all that... the first, unfortunately I stepped squarely on his toe with my heel...something I've NEVER done before! (I had wanted RT to remember me, but not for that!!!) Thankfully he ended up being ok... One Salsa was pretty connected, I think it was the one after the Bolero, which is nice... I was put through and failed again on the "Miami Special" I will now have the words "You have more time than you think" running through my head should I ever do that move again. Also, RT lead me into a few steps he considers his "trademark" when out dancing. Very nice, he'd never actually lead me in at least one of them before.

After the lesson, KIT came over to take a few quick snaps of us. I was proud of myself for not showing too much emotion other than being happy for RT. I hugged him, told him I'd see him on Friday, and got to my car... and cried the whole way home. (I'm such a wuss!)

Between Wednesday and Friday I prepared the picture from our last lesson in a frame, wrote a nice card and letter expressing my pride and gratitude, and presented it to RT before Friday. I figured Friday was going to be an emotional day, and I didn't want to get caught up in it. RT knows I am happy for him and proud of him and I didn't need to make a big public display about it.

Friday came around and there was the studio party... RT was dancing with EVERYONE... it was the last party of the year too, so that made the party special in it's own right. I was completely Zen the whole night, didn't cry during the party...didn't cry during the Cha Cha or Hustle that I got in with my pro (although the lingering thought of why we didn't Salsa remains). Actually the Cha Cha had it's moments of both being rough and being connected... so that wasn't too bad. The Hustle was at the end of the party and it was just a Hustle between two people that have danced together a while. KIT had put together a photo album for RT filled with pictures of all the various parties and events, it was very sweet. I was given the opportunity to see it and I am so honored that she thought to put a page with pics of he and I... simply labeled "RT."

Once the party was over, I calmly waited for most to have their emotional goodbyes... I still didn't want to cry... I wanted to be the one student he didn't send away in tears..that could express nothing but happiness for his new adventure, because that is honestly what I was feeling. I asked him for one last hug, and told him I wanted to hear good things in the future... then just kind of misted up for a second, and my feet took me off in a non-sensical direction. Well, that wasn't exactly what I wanted...but I said what I needed, I made sure to acknowledge that Friday was the end.

Then when wishing KIT a Happy Holiday a moment later... we both started totally crying. Sadly RT did see that, I was hoping to make it through without him ever having seen me cry... better in the last seconds then any other time at all.

So, I would like you as my readers to join me in wishing RT all the best as he ventures forth on this new journey of professional dancing in Minnesota. I for one am nothing but proud and happy to have worked with him for so long.. and he knows it. I'll see him on the competition floor with his new partner in the future... and I'll be sure to keep you updated on how he's doing when I do.

One Chapter has ended, and now.. it's time to find out how this new Chapter begins....

To RT:
I have nothing but fond memories of the journey we've shared, and pride and hope for your bright future! Thank you for teaching me to dance, supporting me in weight loss, and inspiring me to be a better person.

You said it best last week "It's all about the dancing," we'll both continue on our paths I'm sure, and hope that they cross again in the future.

Happy Dancing!
Kat

Video of the Week... Tony Dovolani!

Video of the week this week is happening on Monday...why? Because my all time favorite celebrity dancer is coming into the Fred Astaire Buffalo Grove studio!!! Tony Dovolani! YAY!!! As sad as I am that I will not be able to work with him this time, you better believe that I'm gonna be in that studio!

I present to you, two of the America's Ballroom Challenge (Ohio Star Ball) Showdance routines Tony did with his long time partner Elena Grinenko. They won the American Rhythm Division several times, and have since retired from competitive dancing, but you can usually catch both Tony and Elena on Dancing With the Stars!

You'll be hard pressed to find any pair of ballroom dancers that move better than these two! In my experience Tony always has constructive things to say and can make you seriously WORK... without feeling bad about getting stuff wrong... Someday... SOMEDAY I'll be able to get a coaching with him again!

Enjoy!

Lesson with RT... Working my Way Out of Oblivion

Yeah you read that title right... I had a LESSON!!! The timing of the whole thing was just too uncanny....



Shortly after my last post about my gym now being steps away from the dance studio.... I will admit to having gone to the gym without actually going to the dance studio... the shame of where I could have possibly let my self go to was too great... Two days after that post I received a call from RT... (who never ordinarily calls). The phone rang out, and I saw the number to the studio...I decided at the last second to answer it instead of letting it go to voice mail. The end result was a scheduled lesson!



Between phone call and lesson time I did think of rescheduling a few times... I didn't want anyone to notice how truly bad I was, or for RT to notice how out of shape I'd allowed myself to become! Of course the logical train of thought is that if I didn't go back in for my lesson to see exactly where I was at then how would I even know how bad I've become... of course... I didn't have THAT thought... depression isn't exactly something that allows for logical thinking... my thought was ok.. if fate is gonna lead me here... then I'm going to go.

I've written this lesson out twice now.. and it turned into nothing short of a novel. So, in an effort to keep things at a readable length I'll do this a third time. :-)

I ended up being late, sad I know, and probably only the second or third time in my dancing life I'd ever been behind. Again, depression is a bad bedfellow. I apologized and we commenced our lesson.... Blissfully not as technique filled as I was dreading.

We opened with swing, West Coast (of all things) and East Coast... thankfully I remember both... especially West Coast, as I'm sure you all have noticed.. I dance it about 4 times a year... and still to this day, can only follow RT in it. East Coast fared a bit better... while my feet absolutely know where they're going.. I feel, sadly, that a lot of my technical finer points have left me. As have ankle strength in my right side, and any semblance of arm styling.

We moved on to Salsa (I was waiting for it to show up!) which was better, but not great... despite RT's "Wow" comment to a lead I followed that I have in fact missed in the past. Salsa will always and forever be "my" dance with RT... can't have a better time at it with any other lead.

Then came Rumba... I can't tell you how surprised I was at how much I missed it... actually (and if RT hears this he'll be more shocked than you'd imagine) the technique of it all....getting the hip to settle at the right moment, staying on the inside edges... dang it all... I think I might be a dancer for wanting all that! Not that I actually did it all okay mind you. I need to come back a bit more and stronger before I actually have it back... but I do miss it!

The second Rumba we did was worth noting...not because I did exceptionally well at it.. but because of the song that RT chose... it was actually a Bachata. One I've heard several times... and yes you can Rumba to a Bachata... the funniest part is... The song just made me smile... like a real smile, I don't find myself doing that often these days... Only I'm not sure if it's because I have history with this song, or because I know the artist...could possibly be both, within the first two measures... I was smiling, before we even took the floor to dance to it. Sadly the song didn't last long, but it did prompt a brief break down of one of the later Rumba steps I had learned WAAAAAY back when I was actually taking lessons regularly.

At first.. the idea of breaking something down and learning it again had my devastated... I do believe my hands went over my face and I muttered something like "Oh dear Lord no..not today." which was then promptly discarded as a plausible response to RT's teaching... and we moved forward to learning it.

Thankfully after the two swing styles that left me feeling completely fat and like the worst student to ever have graced the floor with RT, the Salsa and Rumba portions were quite nice. I did have the opportunity to inform RT of my new gym membership and the fact that I was feeling really bad lately.... which was just taken and accepted, and we moved on... which is exactly what I needed. There was nothing he could have said to make me any better... just the dancing was enough.

At the very end of the lesson, RT tried to schedule me for one more... I have one more solitary lonely lesson. It has to be with Largo of course....but I wasn't ready to schedule it just yet. So I declined scheduling... and told RT I had to immediately go to the gym. As if on Que HFC walked up (this is amusing) and asked if I was going to stay for her technique class. As I was calmly stating to her "No, but thank you I have to go to the gym." RT, completely out of character for him, snaps at HFC, boldly and simply stating that I had someplace else to be. Clearly my going through another round of cardio is more important to both of us, although perhaps in that moment, a bit more important to him than me. :-)

We left my final reserved lesson unscheduled and I went off to the gym, thinking the whole time about how uncanny timing can be, and how I still need work to come back to where I was, but I don't think I completely embarrassed myself in that lesson.... Also, the thought of my liking Rumba technique and how still after all this time and lessons how I want desperately to be considered a good dancer kept running around in my brain (which then made me work harder on the cardio equipment), life is just crazy, and fate... is my friend.

This whole gym being right by dance studio thing could really work out as soon as I have my schedule set for the winter, and I have GOT to, simply GOT to make it into the dance studio more often.

New Fall and Winter Dietary Suggestion... Tea!

I can't get enough of the stuff... I drink it all year round, mostly iced tea in the spring and summer, but in the fall and winter especially... Hot Tea is where it's at!

Here's the deal on tea... it has tons of flavor, if you don't like straight regular black tea, it comes in TONS of flavors, and...ta da! It has NO CALORIES. No calories is almost as good as the only food that actually burns more calories to eat than it actually contains... Celery.

Black Tea comes in flavors too.. a LOT of them, so it helps satisfy hunger pangs and makes you feel fuller, it helps with your daily intake of your water too. Now I know that there are some people who really dislike tea..but I think they just haven't given it a fair shake. Also tea is pretty inexpensive generally 20 tea bags come in a small box, and around where I live cost about two dollars and change.

So, if you're not a tea fan (yet) here are some suggestions to help make it more palatable:

Add Honey, not sugar...honey... serving size is about 1 tablespoon, and that's only 60 calories. Adding a touch of honey to a flavored tea, like my current favorite French Vanilla flavor, it opens up the flavor and cuts whatever bitterness might be there, but one tablespoon doesn't make it so overpoweringly sweet. Honey contains at least 15 nutrients whereas sugar has none. Honey is an aid to digestion when taken in the raw state due to its enzyme content while sugar interferes with digestion. Honey enters the bloodstream slowly, 2 calories per minute. Sugar enters quickly at 10 calories per minute, causing blood sugars to fluctuate rapidly and wildly. Sugar causes calcium leakage from bones, contributing to osteoporosis while honey does not. --Some pretty dang good arguments for honey instead of sugar right?

Currently I'm drinking a minimum of 3-8 ounce mugs of tea, usually at least one is decaf..but caffeine doesn't really effect me unless it's in mass doses, so it doesn't really matter. Also I have trained my pallet to appreciate unsweetened tea..but maybe one of those mugs will have my beloved Honey.

Another way to spruce up your tea flavor is adding a squeeze of lemon... this doesn't add enough calories to matter really and for regular black tea, or a complimentary flavor is really refreshing.

I also make my own iced tea all year round... I like it. I mix flavors, or make it plain..or will drink iced green tea.

Green tea is a whole other story..that I will fully admit to being an acquired taste..but has been proven to aid in speeding up metabolism...and has a greater number of antioxidants than black tea.

Now, if you can do it... I suggest loose leaf tea...there are stores popping up all around the country (and I know the European countries have had it readily available forever) the flavor is even more powerful there than the boxed kind and besides... making a pot of loose leaf tea is fun, and feels classy.

So this is my suggestion to you... if you're looking for something new to drink, maybe with honey make it a mid morning pick up... try tea... you'll be shocked and amazed by what your local grocery store has for selection. Buyer beware, I wouldn't buy the cheapest tea available..the flavor tends to be very weak, I'd buy a nice mid priced well known brand. If you're not sure what you'll like... pick up a variety pack and see what you may like.

What to Buy the Ballroom Dancer in Your Life?

.... A novelty item or shirt that professes their love of the sport..obviously! :-)

Don't forget with the Holiday Season upon us to check out what I've got in the Ballroom Is Life shop!

T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Mugs, Gym bags, Tote bags, and High end water bottles! More to come soon, items ship promptly and are good quality!

I can also move any design to any other product if you'd like... just ask!

Video of the Week, Standard vs Smooth

First up this week....the grand daddy of all ballroom styles... International Standard. I have yet to learn any of this style...but it was the first, is the oldest, and actually is the hardest to learn correctly. This is the style of ballroom I used to watch on PBS (Public Broadcasting) when I was a kid...long before any of the dance shows that are around now, they used to air these European world championships...the one below is from 2005.





Which style do you like better?

For comparison I have included the American Smooth style of this same dance the Viennese Waltz... As the style name suggests...it seems just us Americans use it...so if dancing around the world is what you are aiming for... stick with Standard. You'll notice the differences almost immediately I'm sure. Actually, the couple featured below are currently rising through the professional ranks as we speak and are certainly a couple to keep an eye on in the coming year.

All Signs Point to Dance...

Hi kids! It's been a rough couple of weeks in the unemployment camp, which makes it harder to motivate for everything really. I do hope that all my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving! Time to update you on what's been going on in my neck of the woods!

I really haven't popped my head in the studio but once in the last two, almost three weeks.

(you know it's bad when I walk in and RT just flat out asks me "What are you doing here?")Which is all my fault really... I just haven't been feeling up to much. As it is with most things this is a cycle, and I feel that it is coming to an end. (Thank goodness!) Right in the middle of my self imposed absence from the studio I was called with some really surprising news, an anonymous person decided to give me a BIG surprise holiday gift certificate to the studio! I was shocked and blown away by this! I still am! It reminded me of all that I've got at the studio, and while I haven't been back yet, really I did get my thank you note in for them. (That is of utmost importance after all!) I am very VERY grateful for this beam of light into my ballroom world! I took it as a sign, that I can't stop dancing... it seems every time it crosses my mind, just to myself, I haven't told anyone else, that I might not want to continue... something points me square back at dancing, it's unreal. Fate is really leaning hard on me to get back to dance!

As I said I still haven't really shown up to the studio yet... there is a lot of the old shame running around in my head, embarrassment too.. about what really honestly amounts to silly stuff... but that doesn't keep my head from magnifying it beyond measure. Until two days ago......

My membership to the gym lapsed, I let it.. I hated that gym and I didn't want to spend another dime there... not to mention that I didn't have anymore dimes. Anyway, I was going to go join the gym my sister belongs to, but it's out of my way, and anything out of my way is going to make it harder for me to go... then I noticed a new facility opening up a mere 6 blocks from my home. PERFECT! So I waited until I had the available money and went in to sign up, this gym isn't even built yet really, and it won't be finished until February or March... but they were offering a "pre construction" discount and monthly rate that nearly anyone can afford...including me. In the meantime though... since there isn't a gym there yet... I asked what I was supposed to do for my workouts. Well turns out there is another facility in the same chain I can go to for free (no monthly costs until the gym near my home opens). This facility that I'll be using in the meantime... guess where it is....no..come on... guess.... no guesses? Ok....

It's in the very same strip mall the studio I know and love is in!

So what it comes down to is... I was out of the studio, looking for a gym, which I don't like nearly as much as dancing, but need... one is going to be very near my home in the future...but in the meantime the only other place that I can work out on this great deal I got....is mere STEPS from the dance studio... the source of all my inspiration! Ok fate I get it... I need to work out AND get my butt back into the studio.. message received loud and clear already!

Here's the real kicker... if I decide to ignore the signs....bypass the studio and just go to this gym...what's the point in that??? The ONLY reason I even head in that direction anymore is because of the dance studio....why would I go to one and NOT the other? That would be unusually dense...even for me. Not only that...but fate seems to be sending me to my original studio in particular.... not just any studio... Fred Astaire Chicago North....

So, I'm working on kicking it back into gear.... I don't really have a choice here... I have really liked where fate has taken me over the last several years, and far be it from me to deny these big flashing neon signs that say I need to dance and continue down this path I started. It's still hard... the negative thoughts are still working against me, but I think I've found enough power to overrule them! Wish me luck! (again)