Get On The Floor Dance Event! How great can a dance company get?

Hey gang! Happy New Year!

New Student Rep with Franny and Steve

This past Saturday I was able to participate with Get On The Floor Dance Company in one of their events. Yep, that's right... this dance company is really revolutionary in it's offerings. They do events! What more could a social ballroom dancer such as myself, ask for? Not much else!

A Get On The Dance Floor event includes performances, DJ, a group class or two hosted by a professional, and there are sometimes some of us Get On The Floor students (known as New Student Representatives) that filter throughout to help get people "on the floor" and into this new to them experience.

This event was really special for Steve because it was his family reunion, so there was the addition of some video pieces and even a couple student performances! Personally I can think of no better way to spend my time than in a ballroom with 100+ people celebrating, and in most cases, introducing them to ballroom dance!

Some things that exceeded my expectations- how welcome we felt by Steve's family. I don't know that had it been my family, we would have had such eager participants. The talent of the Get On The Floor DJ... I was really impressed by some of his cross-fades and song choices! How smoothly everything ran - family reunion or no, once again Get On The Floor exuded professionalism and friendliness that I have come to expect from this organization. Also the venue we were at was nothing short of professional and the staff really enjoyed peeking in and watching our showcases!

I spent a lot of my time doing something that is ingrained in me, flying around the room and making sure all the "little things" were in place, in addition to dancing during the general dancing. I spent almost 18 years in theater and most of that was spent backstage running props, or stage managing and sometimes I just don't know what to do in a social setting if I'm not making sure the people I'm with are taken care of and having a good time.

Get on the Floor "army" for the Reunion!

My fellow Get On The Floor students had awesome performances, so proud of them! Steve and Franny performed their fusion number from a few weeks ago (and I got to see it this time! It is a LOT of fun and very creative!). To a crowd that was in complete awe. The energy in the room was excellent all night! Evenly spaced between performances Steve led Rumba and Jitterbug group classes and general dancing, and I was reminded why Steve does what he does... he's damn good at it!

After the show was over we had a couple hours of general dancing that was open to the public, I had invited some of my dance friends because this venue was probably the most geographically desirable to where we all live, one friend showed up, and we both enjoyed the general dancing. This particular friend is very knowledgeable in both Ballroom and Line dancing and towards the end of the night even led a group in a line dance I had no idea existed! I really felt like my following skills and stamina were at an all time high.  I was also pleased that my floor craft (I'll be writing more about floor craft and following later) was pretty good, I managed to avoid major collisions with all of my dance partners for the evening. :-)

The event ended just after midnight and I was so pleased to overhear a lot of the compliments Steve's extended family had for him, Franny, and the other performers. I received several compliments on behalf of the Get On The Floor team from the venue staff. You know it's a good event and great group of entertainers when even the venue STAFF, who does this kind of thing all the time, stops to pay the group your with several compliments.

So if you're in the area and looking for a new and innovative way to make your party special, let me know (stagekat@gmail.com) or contact Get On The Floor and make your event really a night to remember!

Woo hoo! New pic with the new Pro! (and we both look good after HOURS of dancing!)

As a side note... I got the one thing most dance students want for all their social media needs... A picture with my new dance Pro! If you troll around Facebook or twitter, you know who all the ballroom students are because nine times out of ten their profile pictures include dancing or their dance instructors (commonly referred to as "their Pro") I haven't danced enough to have a dancing pic yet.... I'm sure it's coming.:-)

Next up... what the New Year means for me, and in the meantime I wish you all the very best New Year's Eve!

Last lesson of 2013 - A little of this, a little of that, and the Big Ass Fox Trot Box

This past week had my last lesson of 2013 (I can't imagine I'll be able to squeeze another one in by January 1st at this point). There had been some good natured joking on my Facebook Page about what Steve could have in store for this lesson. Well after a really long drive (The Chicago Blackhawks were playing, which messes with traffic) I needed some time to chill before my lesson. I didn't realize I was tense about traffic until I arrived to the studio and all my muscles started twitching. (I don't like to run late and I was cutting it pretty close!) Steve was wrapping up his lesson and practice with one of the student performers for the upcoming Get on the Floor event.

After catching up with Steve and Franny for a few minutes and changing my shoes, away Steve and I went to the music machine where I was informed that I now have a binder. You may or may not remember that I don't care for my previous binder, I have never liked the binder. I don't even remember why exactly, just that any time the binder came out it meant a frustrating lesson. A binder also means that I'm officially at student with Get On The Floor... makes it harder to escape the reality I guess. (Don't ask me what that's all about... I sort of live my life by "I wouldn't want to be a part of any organization that would have me as a member.")

So Steve says that we are going to warm up with an East Coast Swing... Katy Perry comes on and we Swing away... no idea if I was doing the same things we talked about the previous week, and you know what... don't care... I was too busy having entirely too much fun! I think we made it nearly a full song and a half before my quads were over it (I know official dancers actually use their core a lot to lift their legs, my core doesn't usually cooperate and my quads end up doing all the work). I was actually really pleased with that level of stamina. It seems my old skills are coming back faster than I had first learned them. I read a lot about how former athletes can get back into shape faster largely because of muscle memory. While I have never been, nor will likely ever be considered an athlete, I can attest to feeling better faster than I did the first time I learned how to dance.

Next up... Fox Trot technique, and something Steve calls the "Big Ass Box". This is an exercise that largely focuses on American Smooth technique- 8 steps forward 8 steps to the side with rise and fall, 8 steps back, and 8 steps to the opposite side with rise and fall again. Hence, we've made a really large box. While working on this we discussed a lot about spine position and weight shifting. Which is where one really gets to learn about how dancing is not like walking, and how dancing looks really pretty and a casual observer may think it could be natural, however the actual proper way to execute steps are anything but organic to daily life. Also since I have a largely American Rhythm training I have to re-program some of the habits I use in Rumba, Salsa, Swing, Cha Cha, because American Smooth is a completely different animal.

Here's what I really liked about this technique, because I've been through it before, I remembered a lot of the answers to some of the questions Steve posed, and I've also learned to think about some of these things in a different way. My body doesn't remember how to apply all this knowledge in my head, but it'll get there. Unlike technique lessons of the past, it felt more like an almost peer to peer discussion. (Brave words I have to actually attempt to compare my dance knowledge to that of my pro yeah?) I think it's because with the technique discussion #1 Steve talks TO me about it and not at me or down to me, #2 I have done this before and I have been through many many group classes that discussed all of these things, so I actually may have something to contribute, I just can't execute what I'm discussing real well yet. My body and particularly my balance still needs to come back. You'd never imagine how difficult it actually is to dance a Fox Trot forwards or backwards in an actual straight line unless you've practiced... a lot.

While discussing the Fox Trot and working side by side on the Big Ass Box we also did some open position (facing each other holding hands) boxes. I don't know why but it is such a huge mental relief to have a dance partner in front of me. Maybe because I prefer to think that my instructor is not analyzing my foot position or the position of every other part of my body while I'm doing this. Just another one of those things that no one would ever think they have to overcome, until they start to dance!

Since the side steps were there we also discussed the difference between Fox Trot and Waltz, they both contain rise and fall, but even between the dances they are executed differently. Main things to remember when stepping forward and back is to push off from the weighted foot and keep the heel too the floor when stepping forward (known as a heel lead), lead with the ball of the foot on the non weighted foot on the floor when stepping back.

I have ALWAYS from the beginning of time had an issue with taking my feet out from under me. To have split weight when both my feet are beyond the center of my body is one of the hardest things for me to overcome because I do not want to fall. Even at my current weight (and this girl has dropped 10 lbs in 2 weeks) if I go down... I'm likely down for the count because my weight will work against me if I crash to the floor.

Speaking of... yep... in two weeks I've lost 10 lbs! You know what that means right? Yep... 40lbs per square inch have been taken off my knees! If you didn't know, and Steve had not heard this little factoid, for every pound a person looses 4lbs per square inch of pressure is taken off that individual's knees. My knees still hate stairs... but they are starting to love dancing again! I could already tell even while executing the Big Ass Fox Trot Box that my knees were markedly improved since my last lesson.

Once I received some pretty decent compliments on my forward steps in particular.... Steve said we were going to work on Rumba... to which I may or may not have made a snide comment regarding spending all the time trying to break my feet of their American Rhythm habits, only to work on an American Rhythm dance!!!

Now I have never claimed to be very good at Rumba, but for whatever reason I can't seem to pick it back up! It is NOT coming back as fast as the other dances and I have no idea why. It makes no sense considering how much time I had spent on it before. It's starting to really irritate me, there are some basic figures that my brain is reading as some other kind of lead and just not changing. I read a side step as a swivel or a open break as a turn... it's like we're not even speaking the same dance language. Anger... rising! I must work on this more, I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with the Rumba Syllabus being the most noticeably different from the Syllabus we are currently working with. I did try to maintain eye contact during the appropriate spots, and during one basic step just Rumba box I almost started cracking up because Steve's Cuban motion (the way one is to move their hips during most Rhythm dances) was appearing in the lowest portion of my bottom peripheral vision.... it had been SO LONG since that has happened! It generally only happens when dancing with pros, as the amateurs don't have a pronounced Cuban motion for a long time. I decided to be a grown up about it and not actually start laughing... I'm really making an effort to not burn too much lesson time on hysterics. At one point it did start to feel a bit more like Rumba and I'm told my hips showed up to the party, but if they did, it was of their own doing... I certainly wasn't trying to make it happen.

We finished the Rumba and I thought the lesson was over, somewhat sadly resigned to the fact that I wouldn't get a Salsa due to lack of time. When Steve said I wanted to Salsa....

"Of course I want to Salsa! I ALWAYS want to Salsa!" Which is really totally true...

I asked for not a crack speed Salsa, and then Steve went and blew my mind... he chose a Taylor Swift song to Salsa to!
I'm kicking myself that I can't remember which one it was... but as soon as I heard it and ran a Salsa beat in my head in tandem to it... OMG IT TOTALLY IS A SALSA! I don't think I've ever danced Salsa to a non-latin artist before... Mind... Blown... and Salsa was danced! Steve has asked me a few times if I liked one artist over another and in my personal life for the car, workouts, cleaning, yeah I have favorites... for dancing... I don't really care. If it has a good beat and clean lyrics (or no lyrics is fine too) then I am happy to dance. Once the dancing really gets going it's more about the beats then the song anyway.

So as we're dancing and Steve is pulling out moves from places I didn't think he would remember, and I'm following things I never used to follow as easily... free spins, one of those under arm turns where I have to duck my head... Steve pulls out swivels...which I HATE! The only good thing about Swivels is that they are the best way I know how of getting my core to wake up and get with what the rest of me is doing... but there are oh so many reasons why I hate them! 1- can't do them without significant support from my partner. 2- swivels cause my midsection to jiggle and if it's one thing a girl with a mid section does not want to do it's jiggle! (yeah, you know... like jell-o shots... jiggle...ick). 3- my brain goes into an immediate war between keeping time and trying to not rely on my partner which makes that measure a lot less fun than all the rest. 4- sometimes my breathing becomes more irregular during swivels and it makes me tire out faster.

But... still trying to be an adult about it... I used to actually yell when swivels started... (just wait til we get to a left and right turning crossover break in Cha Cha.. I'm going to lose my mind... again)... I actually just try my best to execute and keep the comments to a minimum. There is definitely something different about the way I behave during these lessons... maybe I now truly understand the value of everything I'm learning and I'm really trying to push past the insecurities of before... I certainly don't want to keep hanging on to them!

Lesson ended with what was a really nice Salsa... I can't wait til we get to some of the more advanced steps I may still have buried in muscle memory somewhere.

So far... a few lessons in... and a whole new world... I am already more comfortable with Steve as an instructor and pro partner than I have been with any of my other previous pros... which I think is amazing and a real asset to what Get On The Floor Dance Company is trying to bring to the world of Ballroom.

Happy Last day of 2013 people! I'm going to be coming at you New Year's Day with TWO new posts! 1- about and event with the GTF crew and 2- about what this first part of 2014 means to me...

Keep your eyes peeled and your comments coming!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I hope all that see this message have a wonderful Holiday Week, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

The Holidays for me are a time of great reflection and time with family. As 2013 winds down we should all look forward to what new and exciting adventures await in 2014!

I urge you all to schedule in time to find your passion, reconnect with your spirit and refresh your soul. I of course think the best way to do this is with Ballroom Dancing, or partner dancing in general really.

I wish all my dance family a peaceful and joyful celebration of love and friendship.

I know I'm making time this week to keep my spirit singing and you'll see me at Get On The Floor this week and at an event over the weekend.

I hope you all can find time to Get On The Floor this Holiday!

Inspiration From Random Places - "Life is a Banquet and Most Poor Suckers are Starving to Death!"

Hey there!
Welcome to the first in an ongoing series "Inspiration From Random Places" Where I will be posting about something that inspires me, past and present. Hopefully it will inspire you as you start your week to get on the floor, or even seek out what inspires you most!

So you know how hindsight is 20/20 right? How sometimes it isn't until you get through something that you truly find it's meaning. I actually have a lot of those things in my life and I'm willing to bet you have quite a few in yours too.

Since my last lesson I've had the quote "Life is a Banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!" running through my head. This quote is from the musical "Mame" and it is probably one of the most inspirational to me.

Back when I was 21, I was enrolled in a Chicago area community college and I had the best academic adviser. His name is Andy and while we never really talked about it, we were kind of kindred spirits. Now that I think on it Steve reminds me a bit of Andy, never made that connection before this moment. Anyway, during the year I worked with Andy and we stood firmly planted in each other's corners. (I as much as I could as a student) I had been inspired and motivated enough to land on a list of academic achievement. Which, even for as brilliant as I can sometimes be, is a very difficult task. To date, I have yet to get my grades quite as high as they were that year.

Anyway there was a little luncheon that was given for those of us that made that list and a surprise for me was that Andy was asked to give a speech about me and my progress. This speech now hangs on my wall and I try to read it as often as possible. (Well a copy of it does, I lost the original in the fire).

This first in the series of Inspiration From Random Places may be a little self serving, because I want to post it here now, but I want to let you know that chances are you inspire someone in your life the way Andy and I seemed to inspire each other. Sadly the semester after this Andy went to another school and was not brave enough to say goodbye before he left and I have never found him. I really felt abandoned for a while after he left because there was no closure, but he left me with this gift and one of my fondest memories:

"One of my all time favorite fictional characters is a character by the name of Auntie Mame. Auntie Mame's most famous line is "Life is a Banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death." Kat truly lives life as if it were a banquet. Her sense of humor brightens my day each time I see her. She knows how to enjoy life's rewards and challenges (even when it comes to taking a Math class). She enthusiastically approaches obstacles as a new challenge for her to prove to herself and others that she can succeed. When she creates these successes, she doesn't forget to celebrate. Lately, I have seen Kat celebrate more and more because she is creating these successes more and more. One thing I find most impressive about Kat is that she knows that it is okay to laugh and it is okay to cry. "

[Insert comments here Andy received from my instructors at the time. and a mention of my dream to be a theatrical director.]

"I recently asked Kat what she was most proud of. After a bit of humorous sarcasm, she got serious and replied, "I'm proud of myself for sticking to what I believe in, regarding anything, and never letting someone else change my mind." I believe Kat was saying that she holds her beliefs values and dreams like a rope and doesn't let go. This rope gives Kat her personal courage to push through fear and take chances. She knows that the wind can sometimes make the rope unsteady. When her beliefs values and dreams are challenged she holds on to this rope even tighter. She also knows that sometimes we all need help in overcoming these challenges, and she isn't afraid to ask for that help."

"Kat doesn't know this, but one of my heroes is William Shakespeare (I had gone to London that year and brought Andy a small souvenir from The Globe Theater, Shakespeare is one of my favorites too.) He is a hero of mine not because of his writing, but because, like Kat, he too stuck to his beliefs and never let anyone else change his mind. I would like to give this book of plays from William Shakespeare to you, Kat, and say "hold on to your rope and never let it go."

So that's it.... what I consider to be some of the greatest things ever said about me, to my face, IN PUBLIC and I was a mere 21 years old.

I did loose my rope for a while, and I wasn't living life as if it were a banquet. I let my spirit starve and my soul get lost. Until I found Ballroom Dancing, there have been days when I have read that speech and mumbled out loud "I remember being that girl, I don't know where she went, but she's not here."

Taking some of the best dance lessons ever helped me feed my spirit and find my soul very quickly and it made me realize that there are SO MANY other people who need to nourish their spirits and re-discover what makes them happy.

Now I read this speech, and aside from still getting a little teary at the end, I'm ready to grab my boa (Auntie Mame reference) and live life for the banquet it was always meant to be.


Will you do me the honor of coming along to be inspired with me?

Comments below and e-mail is off to the left, it would be one of the greatest honors in my life to help you to know what it is to sit at life's banquet and feast. You can also contact Steve yourself if you'd like, his phone number is listed right here.

Second Lesson... My First Love in Ballroom and Then There Was Tango....

....but not in that order... (it just sounded better for a title!)
Hey guys...another longer post here... and I think the lesson posts are going to end up being longer... (they were before as well, there is just SO MUCH that happens!) I'm working on a few series for shorter posts, and there are some VERY EXCITING things coming up in the next few months!

So tonight I had my second lesson with Steve at Get On The Floor Dance Company. I was really anxious about this one, not sure why. Perhaps because everything has been happening so quickly in this Ballroom world of mine. I still wrestle with all the good fortune that has come my way over the last several weeks (in general, not only with dancing).

I also brought a friend with me, not so much to dance, but so that I could reconnect her and Steve because she used to be his student many moons ago and from what I'd been able to gather both would enjoy catching up a little. Turns out I was right! So my friend visited with Franny and got an eye full of my lesson. I did my best to pretend they weren't there.

Steve opened by telling me he wanted to split my lessons 50/50 between American Smooth and American Rhythm. Well that's different! You know what else is different? I didn't fight him on it! I have a long sorted history of dictating what I work on, mostly because with my first few instructors American Rhythm was what they really loved to do, and since I always felt like it wasn't important for me to practice rounds as if I were competing and I always wanted my instructors to like working with me, I focused on what they wanted to focus on...which then made me much more proficient in American Rhythm vs any other style. I'd say I probably spent 20% of my time on the American Smooth dances, and least of all dances EVER worked on was Tango.

Not this Tango, This is one of my cats... Tango. ;-)

"Let's start with Tango." Steve states. Of course, Mr. Smooth dancer is going to pick that one... oy! "How do you count Tango?" He asks (now would be a good time for me to interject that I never really focused on the counts... I just feel them, I can pick out what can be danced to what piece of music, but I can't really put words to it anymore.)

"I can't count it, I can only spell it." (When newer students learn Tango they often learn it by spelling it in the tempo it's danced....T-A-N-G-O for Slow - Slow -  Quick - Quick - Slow. Funny how that works out isn't it?)

We briefly went over Tango and it wasn't a super close Tango hold, in Tango the partners are pretty much connected from the top of the frame down to their hips, and when the frame and hold is proper it can sometimes give a newer person the impression of almost riding their partner's leg, which can take a while to get used to. I know I had a BIG problem with it when I first started ages ago, but as long as I know my partner is more experienced it's not an issue. I am still in some respects a new student again, so the frame was kept a little more informal. (At least that was my perception, we didn't discuss it.)

Once around the floor so Steve could get an idea of where I was with Tango, and he broke it down further. We talked again about the promenade and how it's different from a Fox Trot promenade. More staccato, (sharper). Keeping my balance over the left leg as I come into and out of steps. It was a fairly decent round of Tango for me.

I would like to take this moment to highlight how exceptionally stupid I feel when I'm asked if I know how to count a dance, and it's not because I'm made to feel that way... it's all in my head. I studied piano for 9 years... so you'd think I'd know the answers to a lot of the musicality questions...but the catch there is I learned mostly by ear so I never really learned all the technical in's and out's. You might say that my talent was never honed into a skill. As long as I could feel my way through a piece of music my teacher never drilled me on the vocabulary around it. As I started to learn to dance, I fell into the same trap. (To this day I can't play a new piece of music without hearing it once first.)

We finished up the Tango portion of today's lesson with some fan step work. This studio has some narrow poles on the floor that are structurally part of the building. Steve wanted me to work with the pole for support... I don't know what it is... but when I'm asked to do a step on my own my mind goes completely blank. Like even the English language abandons me. This has always been the case, it did get reasonably better in my later years of dancing , but I probably panic about doing the steps on my own as I did when my apartment burned up. (Yes, it's irrational, but yes it's that intense.) To say all of that to an instructor when you have a limited time to work is not always appropriate so I usually attempt to walk though something with a lot of coaching and attempt to improve even more when in frame.

I'm pretty sure we settled that I was showing some small bits of improvement... I know Steve said I do actually move fairly well... which is something I hold very important. Steve also mentioned that he could feel when I was panicking during some spots in Tango... and I agreed wholeheartedly that yes there are some tense moments when I can't remember or feel what I'm supposed to do next, or I'm at war with anticipating the move vs following the move. (I'll have to tell you all about the difference another time).

I am also always concerned with supporting my own self and not being a heavy follow.  In short, while two individuals in a partner dance like Ballroom Tango appear to be relying on each other for support to stay vertical they are actually supporting their own weight and moving across the floor in sync. When I start to panic I start to lean a little on my lead and that can be difficult for him (or her, I've followed some female pros in Tango and it's the same feeling). It was interesting that when I mentioned this to Steve he said he honestly didn't think I was all that heavy of a lead, and it certainly didn't have anything to do with the fact that I am a heavier person. When I panic though I do tend to lean a little more. Huh... interesting. I know that the physical weight of a follow has no bearing on how "heavy" they dance with their leads... I just don't think it's ever been put in to words like that for me before.

The Smooth portion of the lesson over (it actually felt like it went REALLY fast!) Steve decided on East Coast Swing. Now East Coast Swing was my first ballroom love. Way before I knew Salsa was more than just a chip dip, East Coast Swing and I were best buds. My Mom used to jitterbug with me when I was a kid, and my Dad used to literally throw me around the dance floor to swing music during wedding receptions when I was little. When I learned East Coast Swing, it reminded me of all that (and who doesn't love a good Benny Goodman Big Band number?).

I can almost hear Benny Goodman coming out of this pic!

Once again Steve remarked how much more alive I seemed, and I reminded him that I have studied mostly Rhythm. So they come to me without hesitation, it's easier for me to "get into" the spirit of the dance on the faster Rhythm dances as well...They don't require as much muscle control for me at this point. After a nice little swing we talked about technique and I was once again asked to count it... All I could remember was the one instructor from years before describing the foot placement in the triple step as "little little big" and immediately I knew that I wasn't executing that.  I picked it back up again fairly quickly though. We also discussed the pendulum motion that the hips are supposed to do during the basic step and Steve noticed that when my steps got smaller my pendulum action improved. HA! I'll take it!!! What I didn't say, but thought kind of loudly, is that because I am a bigger gal it takes a lot more accentuation for most of the hip movements to look right on my frame. But hey, Steve was happy with the pendulum motion... I wasn't going to try and talk him out of it. (Especially since we'd done a couple of East Coast Swings at this point and I was getting a little winded.)

 At one point we were working on the under arm turn and how to execute it and Steve said that he noticed I really exaggerated the step before the turn and that it wasn't the correct way to do it.

"Oh yeah, I know..." I responded, "It's an old habit, I literally wind up to throw my weight around to complete the turn on time."

Steve then said he wasn't aware of that, mostly because he's always been a thinner guy, (mad props for admitting that he didn't know what it's like to carry extra weight...that's another first for me!) So I explained that I didn't think it felt different until the point where I start to feel tired, then I start to throw my weight around more for turning in order to execute the step. In reality I don't know what it feels like to be a thinner person either, because I've always had extra weight on one level or another. What I do know (and mentioned to Steve) is that I had gotten really good at executing turns, and I could stop on a dime at one point, but I never did it properly. Instead of relying on core strength I'd always used my feet and legs to stop. (Which actually may account for some of the ankle damage now that I think about it.)
 
I had some other really good learning moments though. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone else do what I do when I'm learning in frame...but then I've never spent a ton of time watching other people take lessons.

I'm very easily distracted by visuals... another person walking across the floor, the reflection in the mirror, other couples on the floor, the fact that my friend was on the sidelines, sometimes it's like the classic joke about ADHD which... oh look! A Squirrel!! I happen to have ADHD. :-)

So when I'm learning in frame I sometimes shut off my vision... I don't close my eyes, but that's a good learning technique for some. (One of this blog's most popular posts is about dancing with my eyes closed in 2007.) What I do is I cast my vision to the floor and I listen to what my instructor is saying, or maybe listening to the music, and I focus very intently on what everything feels like, from the lead to my foot placement and especially on what I'm being told to focus on.  When I do this I know I'm really learning... on an almost muscle memory level. I've been told I look angry...but I'm not focusing on emoting during this process either so my "thinking face" could be interpreted as "angry face" I guess. I caught myself doing it at one point, and I waited to hear something about it from Steve, other instructors have told me to stop, or asked what was going on, it felt like he noticed, but he didn't say anything so I just kept absorbing what we were working on. Personally I feel that I progress much faster when I do this... it's another one of those things that just happens and I don't really control it actively. So much about dancing, as you move past the basics, starts to come from an instinctual place. I'm pretty sure it's the part of the brain that doesn't get exercised in regular daily life.

Shortly after that great new/old learning feeling... the thing I like least happened... the one thing that sometimes happens when I dance an old step with a new partner... memory overload. Steve was leading a step that consists of walking back 3-4 steps in a cuddle hold, turning to face each other for some toe taps and then in the span of two beats of music this is what went flying through my head....

I remember this one, after the toe taps, RT wanted no flick, but I liked the flick, Largo wanted, nay demanded a flick, was that right or left foot? Right, it's in place of the rock step, wait...what? How did that go? Which one does Steve want? Okay wait, rock step or flick? What's it going to be? CRAP it's too late! 

Old dance memories that somehow had tied themselves in with the muscle memory of the East Coast Swing just flooded in like a tidal wave.

Nothing like being able to sensory overload yourself.  

I will work on figuring out where that all happens and see if I can't purge them all before my next lesson because they really wreck with my head.

After the 4 steps back pattern, we moved on to making my turn more sharp, which involved the war of anticipating vs being lead. I think my issue here was that largely any dancing I have done since the last time I had a swing lesson has been with fellow students of the art of Ballroom, and while some of them are quite proficient leads, the requirements aren't nearly as specific as when one might dace with their instructors or a more skilled partner. I know even I felt the improvement on that one.

Major bonus... some of that East Coast Swing... actually felt like DANCING... not sure if Steve thought the same thing, (it is very possible for this to feel very one sided especially when the partners are at such different skill levels) but I swear in there somewhere was some - not really having to think about it, just get into the beat and enjoy the connection between lead/follow, the music, and the dance...  Oh how my spirit sings when that happens!!! It's not anything that can be forced, you can't plan on it (at least I can't), and it's pretty rare.... in this case it maybe only lasted for a couple measures of music...if that... but it is something every single dancer should strive for. Yes all the technique can be overwhelming and all the practice can get tiresome...but it is so worth it when it all just becomes Dancing!!!

So, yeah... major ups and downs in this one... but strange stuff is going to happen. And awesome powerful things are going to happen too!

We were about to wrap up and I was thinking about Salsa, but the East Coast Swing had me pretty beat so I decided to let it slide... this time... Steve had made some references to how he doesn't let certain things get past him with students... ummmm... yeah... he hasn't met me in a more advanced lesson yet. ;-) While there are some things I am trying to change, like my level of complaining about dances I haven't really worked on. (I want to be an all around dancer this time through, instead of nearly exclusively Rhythm).

Then Steve said "Let's finish with 10 squats."
"Nope, can't do them."
"Come on..10 squats."
"Yep, nope, seriously can't do them, I can't bring myself back up once my knees have hit a certain angle."
"Okay..." he walks over to a pole "....4 - count ankle presses then."
"That I can get on board with, my ankles do need a lot of work."

So there we stood on two sides of a pole working on ankle presses... no idea how many we did not a full set... you know what sucks? I can already feel where my ankles are weakest. Adding those to my warm up or cool down at the gym.

Once finished, I went to the side of the floor and chatted with my friend for a second before Steve and I changed back into street clothes and we chatted for a bit. On the way home, my friend complimented me given how long it had been since I'd danced. Then she said something really funny:

"I got to see your legs! You never have your legs out!"

I couldn't believe that her biggest comment was about my legs (I had been wearing my Bonnie's Practice Skirt again.) "Why would I have my 'legs out' normally? They're so much narrower than the rest of me, I don't think it looks right."

I don't recall her response, and the way she said the above statement didn't exactly lead to a positive or negative connotation... Perhaps it was their highly reflective quality since I don't think I've worn shorts or a short skirt in a really long time so the legs are mighty pale. HA!

Either way, the lesson was good and challenging in ways I remember lessons being, I'm still at war with what I remember dancing like and I really need to work on stopping that if I want to progress forward. 

Get On The Floor Debuts at Sterba's Holiday Showcase 2013!

Hey Everyone!
What an exciting weekend! Saturday had me all in a tizzy over my finals. Since I left Ballroom I have enrolled in college (affectionately referred to as "College...Round 2") online. I'm majoring in Medical Office Management, and this semester was rough! I had to finish by Saturday at 5:30 so I could be in the car to start work at 6:30. Well I spent HOURS laboring over Anatomy and Physiology II and Algebra I finals. I was exhausted by the time I got to work! I also tried to keep in touch with the excitement brewing at Get On The Floor because Sunday would be their debut at the 14th Annual Christmas Showcase hosted by Sterba's DanceSport. Work finished around 12:30am (ah Holiday Retail) and I rushed home to finish up some contact stuff before trying to sleep hard and fast to get to this new event, in a new to me location.

Steve and Franny our Get On The Floor Pros!

Most of you know me as a Ballroom Competition "Professional Spectator." A quick count has me attending over 50 ballroom competitions between local chain regionals and larger national stages like St. Louis Star Ball, Wisconsin State Dancesport Championship and even one trip out to Ohio Star Ball. Not to even mention the smaller independent competitions in the more immediate area like Indiana Dance Challenge, Chicago Harvest Moon, Windy City Open  and Chicago Crystal Ball just to name a few! Whew! This from a girl who has never set foot on the dance floor in a competition! I am a ballroom competition fan like some people are fans of sports teams. I love them because they remind me of Elizabethan Theater on crack... (excuse the term) Back in the day of Shakespeare people went to theater to see and to be seen and that is exactly what ballroom competitions are like.

Now I had NEVER been to a Showcase before! I had heard about them, and I certainly know what a showcase dance is. It's a routine performed by any combination of pro/am/student pairing or group. Generally much more theatrical in nature than a competition or DanceSport routine. They can involve props and be choreographed to music and they are largely a lot of fun! This was an event that was entirely comprised of Showcase routines, no competition, no judges, and as I would find out... very little whooping and hollering.

Prior to my arrival I made sure I was prepared as if I were going to an all day competition... I brought my snacks, a first aid kit, my make-up, safety pins, a change of clothes for the semi-formal evening, and my dance shoes of course! (There is always general dancing at some point). I know Get On The Floor had done some Showcase events in the past, but I never really talked to anyone about what to expect or what they did there.. so... I planned as best I could for every scenario.

I arrived at the destination a little late because my brain was wrecked from finals and work, but thankfully I didn't miss any of my new studio's routines. That would have made me feel really bad. Bonus of having a tall teacher, as long as he's standing... I can probably find him in just about any room! As I rushed to the table in my daytime outfit (competitions are generally casual during the day) I noticed that I was surrounded by folks already dressed in their semi-formal attire! Whoops.... oh well, I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Steve made quick introductions at our table and I sat for a few minutes trying to get the lay of the land. Our table was nicely located right next to the spot on the floor where all the couples were entering. That happens to be my favorite spot, because you get to see everyone as the come on and off the floor, and we were also close to the bar for later (my other favorite spot in the ballroom). There were a LOT of people there!!! I've seen competitions that had fewer attendees for sure! I spoke to Franny (Manager/Instructor of Get On The Floor) and we decided to head out to the changing room to work on some makeup. We had a bunch of time before anyone at our table was up.

While in the changing room, which was an actual room, with tables, coat racks, a mirror and water bottles and everything...(this event was top notch) and Franny and are discussing some things I hear one of the girls say "Everyone wants a Brittney Bump, no one can do a hair bump like Brittney." I knew immediately who they were talking about.... I look around and behind me is TNT!!! (aka Brittney Bartler) I chimed in, "Well there's only one Brittney I know that's known for her bump, hey Brittney!" We chatted for a quick second and we then both went back to our tasks...  Somehow that made everything feel more normal... I've had several discussions with pros while everyone is in various states of hair and makeup.

Back in the ballroom I find two of my friends that can only be described as members of my original (and still existing) dance family. I stopped by to say hi, they both dance with Brittney and were with her group for the day. I then went back to the Get On The Floor table because I'm in the process of establishing my relationship with them. For the longest time I was known as the student from Buffalo Grove, even if people didn't know my name wherever I went...they were likely to remember the studio I was aligned with... I now need to change that part of my reputation.

Steve and Franny put together a class act let me tell you. They had photo holiday cards, with favors for each participant at the table and Steve set up his tablet to display some of the photos and adverts he's been using to promote the studio. The event organizers also had favors for each guest. I was ridiculously impressed! Both my new studio and the event organizers know how to make each person feel valued for their attendance and participation. The Get On The Floor staff also provided some "cheer supplies" in black and white pom poms that I'm sure you'll see every time we're out now. It was tough to know when to use them though because the room was really very quiet. Of course one wouldn't really cheer during a Showcase as one would during a comp, but even in between dances it was tough to know if we were being the most enthusiastic or if we were dangerously close to the obnoxious line. Being that we are all helping to make a name for Get On The Floor we picked and chose our times to use them. I little later in the day the Owner of Sterba's (who was also dancing with students) noticed and encouraged us to use them... way to go folks! That's just the kind of noticing we want to go on!

I must practice dancing again, and I must practice 

taking photos of dancers too.

Our more seasoned amateur couple was first up for our group, they performed a really fun Rumba/Cha Cha, they have been dancing with Steve as their instructor since before he started this studio, in fact they had started out as a wedding couple (learning a dance for their wedding reception) and just kept it going. Which I think is AWESOME and they are dang good! As I got to talking to them it seems we have a lot in common with our general dance industry experience. I look forward to chatting with them more, and I definitely look forward to seeing them dance again!

Next up for our group was Steve with another of his more established students. They did a Viennese Waltz and it was lovely! This particular student has arm styling I really envy, and she moves very well, Viennese Waltz is not easy at all and they did a great job and making it look like it should... effortless. She clearly enjoyed herself and it will be fun to see where she takes her dancing!

This picture does not do this dance justice!

Our final amateur couple, was probably one of my favorites. They're newer and I LOVE new to ballroom people! They did a routine with both Steve and Franny where they started out pro/am the gentleman with Franny and the lady with Steve in what started out as a Fox Trot, but then as the couples switched partners the gentleman and lady together alongside Steve and Franny it became a sweet East Coast Swing. I loved it! I loved even more that THEY loved it! I had the opportunity to speak with the very kind lady a little later in the day and I was so pleased to hear she and her husband enjoyed themselves. I look forward to sharing the floor with them in the future as well!

The happy Fox Trotting East Coast Swingers!

Somewhere about Act 9 one of my original ballroom family had an Argentine Tango routine with Brittney, and boy did they smoke it! I can tell you that I have been dancing with and sharing the dance floor with this friend for quite a while and in the last year or so he has become a really good dancer and as I learned as he asked me to dance both a Bachata/Rumba and a little East Coast Swing a really fun lead!! I'm so proud of him! He's also the friend I flaked out on when we went line dancing, so happy to know my piss poor Hustle didn't keep him from asking me to dance again! (I unfortunately forgot to take pictures...I was too busy watching)

In between our studio's numbers were several other numbers... 11 acts of 10 or so dances each. Here is what is truly remarkable about the organizers. Over 100 of those entries were added in the last week before show date. This happens a lot in competitions and from a spectator stand point you're on your own as far as food and beverage goes, and it's kind of rough, which is why I always bring sacks and a couple bucks for water if I need it. Not with this Holiday Showcase! The organizer went above and beyond, in my opinion, to work with the venue to add butler style appetizers a few times throughout the day to make sure the attendees didn't get hungry... and they probably had to open the bar early too (not sure but generally the bar at these things don't open until close to dinner time). Class act through and through both from Get On The Floor and the event host Sterba's. EXACTLY what I'm hoping to continue to find as I re-enter the world of ballroom.

Get On The Floor students and staff (Yes, Steve's hair did change color!)

Towards the end of the day I ran off to change so I could be appropriate for dinner and came back just in time for salad. We all chatted for a bit about the day and how pleased we all were with how it went and it was nice.... I somehow got the spot next to Steve.. (again odd for me as the professionals in the past always sat at different tables from the students, perhaps to avoid playing favorites..but still, it was odd for me). Then Steve spoke a little about his teaching style and it's always nice to hear how an instructor/pro sees his or her job. Then, (I swear I didn't do it, I very rarely talk about this blog outside my original dance family) Steve brought up this blog.... yikes! He said some very lovely things about myself and this little (okay huge) running memoir. Then he turned it over to me, but I was really enjoying hearing what he thought of it... because that never happens in a public setting. I've only talked about this blog with the professionals in private settings and occasionally behind closed doors. So I said a little about why it started and where it went and why it and I are back. Then, as has happened in the past when people find out I write, there were some comments about monitoring what one is to say around me because it will end up in the blog... Have no fear friends, it won't end up here... it will end up in the book.*wink*

As dinner ended it was time for the pro show... I love to watch the professionals dance... (ahem... 50 competitions, all professional) Steve and Franny had some creative participation ideas for their dance from us, which I wasn't too sure about to begin with... but after showing up as such a class act all day I shouldn't be worried... but then there were red glow sticks involved. Hmmm... Then Steve started talking about the lights.... This was a standard event ballroom no different than any other and there were no custom theatrical lights.... but Steve kept talking about dimming the lights. As I was trying to figure out how that might happen I was suddenly tasked with the job of making it happen. I was informed that it was verified with the venue that the lights could be lowered for one routine... so off to the bartender I went to find a venue manager who could educate me on the lights. (Always be kind to your bartenders people!)

Turns out, the ballroom was actually two ballrooms with two massive light switch areas, one on each side that had about 9 dimmer switches each. Huh... okay I was going to need help or we were going to have to scrap it... I ran to find Steve just to verify because I was not about to ask one of the students that danced today to help me, it would mean that they would miss out on a good portion of Steve and Franny's routine... I found Steve, apprised him of the situation and he asked me to make it work... so off I went.

Have I mentioned how awesome my friends are? I quickly checked the program to make sure that my two friends wouldn't miss their pro dance and quietly asked if one of them would help. My twice dance partner for the evening volunteered and we went over with the venue manager how to dim the lights. I gave my friend the cue and we stood in our corners to wait. I can't tell you what the pro routines looked like because I just became the lighting director for "Silent Night/Light 'Em Up". (I'm told there will be a reprise in a couple weeks, I hope I get to see that one!) The Get On The Floor students and some of our table guests all had their glow sticks at the ready and when "Light 'Em Up" started I systematically started lowering each dimmer by about 50% keeping an eye on the other side of the room to ensure that my friend was doing the same. Steve and Franny had some light up accessories they really wanted to pop for this number! It was a fun idea! The students at our table gladly played their part and stood with glow sticks waving! As soon as I assured the video tech the lights would be coming back up at the end of the number it was time to bring them back up to full. One last pro routine number and the night had three more social dances in it before it was over.

I heard some very nice feedback from some of the attendees and I think Get On The Floor made a great first impression at this pretty sizeable event....I look forward to more!

(And thanks for sticking with me on this post... as I get back into writing I promise I'll get more detail in fewer paragraphs) :-)

Gym Time... Fitness Assessment! Dun Dun Dun..... The scary numbers are in... and published!

Hey there everyone! I just had a fabulous Sunday at my first Holiday Showcase! I am going to tell you all about it I promise! I just have a lot of information to process and I never did tell you about my Fitness Assessment which is just as important to this life as getting back on the floor is.....

So for those of you that are new here, a big part of what Ballroom Dancing does for me, and part of what I write about, is that Dancing allows me to put into perspective other things in my life that I generally tend to avoid... like... the gym, or really pushing myself during a workout, or maybe it's a fear of going to the clothing store to try stuff on because I know I'll hate what I look like. Or maybe I'll not approach someone I need to talk to. Since I had started Ballroom Dancing all of that became easier. When I stopped Ballroom Dancing...after a while...it all got harder again.

So back to the gym... I belong to a gym...which I have dutifully been attending 3x a week. It's a very nice gym and as far as gyms go I really like it a lot. As a new member of this facility they offer a free Fitness Assessment that has to be taken within the first 3 months of membership... well my third month just started and I hadn't scheduled my Fitness Assessment yet. Why you ask? Because I didn't want to face the ugly truth of the real numbers!

A Fitness Assessment includes: Height, Weight, BMI, Flexibility, Hip to Waist measurement and ratio, Blood Pressure, Strength, and a Cardiovascular fitness test. Yeah...pffft... I hadn't really been on the scale since I joined the gym and THAT number was enough to keep me going to the gym, and pretend the scales weren't there. I was really close to my pre-dancing weight. I have some people in my life who like to occasionally remind me that they think my heart is going to give out on me at any moment (if you hear something enough you start to believe it) and I've done enough research in diet and nutrition to know that the rest of my numbers are not going to be good. Who wants to face that? DENIAL is oh so much more than a river in Egypt!

The same week I had my lesson with Steve, you know... last week. ;-) I got an e-mail from Z at my gym, he's a Personal Trainer and holds degrees in the things that really fit fitness minded people get when they want to do this type of work for a living. Anyway... he e-mailed to let me know that my time was running out and did I want to schedule. No, I didn't, but since I was back in the ballroom and Steve and I have agreed to get me back on the better path I thought better of it and scheduled.

I met Z at 9:45 in the morning... I... am... not...a...morning....person. And he was a cute little fresh out of college looking guy, this didn't improve my morning persona or my nerves because now... I felt old. My main concern when working with a personal trainer is that I be treated like a human and not like a fat human. Believe you me there is a certain way that overweight people get treated sometimes that would really just blow your mind. Z was very awesome about treating me like a human, who was there for her fitness assessment. :-)

We started with BP... high side of the normal range, but then I was nervous and I did talk through part of it. Then on to waist to hip ratio... I was brave, I told him he could tell me the numbers so I could keep track, I have been measured for things in the past and never once looked at the numbers. Well by default (because most people don't want to see them) he didn't show them to me.

I was really nervous... I kept talking, and then yelling at myself not to talk...and occasionally my inner monologue became my outer monologue (It's never good when that happens). Somehow through the course of it all I found out that his parents made him take Ballroom lessons for 2 years when he was in high school... the world needs more parents like his! :-) 

Next up height and weight... now I've been the same 5'10.25" since I was 16 at least... so I lined up against the wall, I tried to channel my inner dancer person and stand up straight. I was in stocking feet, and I made Z measure me twice.... because he had me logged at a full on 5'11"!!! Grrrrr.... tall girls have it kind of rough, and tall fat girls have it even rougher.... I do NOT want to be taller!! On the up side I'm pretty sure that it was the Ballroom that helped my posture which accounts for the height.

Next up... weight... now I was a little nervous.... although I know I'd lost weight... all of my jeans and pants had been falling off of me for weeks (once literally while I was coming up the outside stairs of my apartment and yes, there were neighbors to witness it!) and over the last month or so, anyone that didn't see me on a daily basis was commenting that I looked like I'd lost some weight. One never does really know if that's politeness or actual observation. So I got on the fancy pants scale and waited...

Here's what I'll tell you (and after having my weight printed in a national magazine once, and before that being on OPRAH with my Mom talking about sex, what I share now isn't quite as big a deal for me as it might be for you to see it) At my highest point this year I was hovering around 360lbs.... yep... well over the size of two people... I'm aware. When I started at the gym I was around 340lbs which is pretty much my start weight in 2006 when I started dancing the first time. I figured (because my pants falling off in public wasn't a big enough clue) that I was about the same, maybe maybe I was 330lbs. I have a terrible time, as do most women, losing weight around my middle... and that also happens to be where I carry most of my weight, so unless I see a big change there, I disregard the fact that my butt has gone completely missing as a sign of weight loss. So anyway... I'm waiting for this number and I'm prepared for anything he has to say... he asked me what my top weight was... I told him... he said (because I couldn't see the screen) "Well you're not there anymore...how does 312 sound?"

I was off that scale and reading that screen faster than lightning... I'm not even sure how I got there... "No way! Are you serious? How accurate is this thing? Am I really two hard weeks away from the 200's? I mean don't get me wrong, that number sucks, but are you serious?"

So apparently I was 15-25lbs lighter than I ever thought (and Z was a little overwhelmed by my reaction).... huh... work and working out must agree with me right now. But I wouldn't be standing in this room with Z if I didn't know weight loss and overall fitness makes me a better dancer. You may think it's a terrible number, that you can't imagine what weighing this much would be like. You may even look at me next time you see me after reading this and not feel the same way towards me because you know this seemingly private thing about me...

It's a freaking number...get over it. A person weighs what they weigh until they decide to change it or it is changed for them via surgery or illness. That's all it is.

Next up in the Fitness Test was flexibility... no worries there I did the Sit and Reach in Junior High just like every body else... meh. I am good at increasing my flexibility. Then we did the strength test, I literally scored off the charts for my category... apparently I have sound reason for worrying about breaking things because I don't know my own strength. (Not really, the test chart has ridiculously low expectations.)

BMI was a good 20 points higher than I would like it to be at least.... but that part I knew already.

Cardiovascular Fitness... Me, a stationary bike, a heart monitor, and Z doing my BP every 2 minutes. The task was to keep my RPM's within a certain range as the resistance on the bike increased... also to tell Z how difficult I thought it was using some arbitrary scale on the wall. This was the easiest cardio fitness test EVER. Well I never got above a 3 in the scale on the wall (it was EASY). Basically my cardiovascular health is really sound (Z had to do the calculations twice because he didn't really believe it.) My VO2 level or rate is 50 (VO2 is a measurement of how efficient your body is at using the oxygen you breath in) he tells me 52 is considered excellent. Woo hoo!

Bottom line... because I asked him to break it down for me. My knees and whatever other joint issues I might have, are the only things keeping me from doing anything I want. And AND... just what every inherently lazy person like myself loves to hear.... "Wow, yeah Kat if you really want to see changes you're going to have to push yourself hard." Meaning... if I don't push myself in my workouts then I won't see much improvement because I'm already in decent shape.

Guess who hasn't been pushing herself in her workouts, and asked her new dance teacher to take it super easy in their first lesson... yeah... that'd be me.

Oy! This is going to HURT... I'm ready... I think... nervous as hell about sustaining an injury... another injury that is... the last one took almost a full year to really properly heal.

We'll see... while I will not be signing up with Z for training sessions... no room in the budget... he did say he was going to start looking for me more often in the gym...

Great... and that extra 3/4" with the bright red hair... yeah..that'll help me blend in for sure. *eye roll* 

This is when the inner monologue really helps... I don't want to go to the gym, but I do want to be better at ballroom, I want to be better at ballroom a whole lot MORE than I don't want to go to the gym... okay... I'm on my way to the gym.

That inner monologue right there is what got me to negotiate myself down 100lbs a few years ago.

Speaking of which.... time for bed for me...because I have to get to the gym... :-)

Next post up as soon as I can... Holiday Showcase 2013 - My Return to the Spectating Arena.

Waltz fix... yeah that's right I said WALTZ!

Everyone Meet Steve and Franny of Get On The Floor Dance Co!

Hi everyone!
I hope this super cold weather isn't keeping you off the floor! This past Monday night I had my FIRST lesson since 2011 with Steve, owner/operator of Get On The Floor Dance Company. As previously mentioned, we had been chatting online and after learning of the super reasonable $75/hr private dance lessons, I couldn't not let him take me for a spin!

Now, I live in the NW burbs of Chicago, about 25 miles from GTF's primary teaching location at 3868 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. This makes it really tough to just drop by, so Steve and I (mostly I because I have a holiday retail job that has me working odd hours) really had to plan out a time for me to come in. Since I had Monday off, and no plans that couldn't be moved, we decided on a 5pm lesson time. I left my area around 3:30 and the traffic gods were in my favor so I arrived about an hour later, parking was ridiculously easy, even with the snow, and FREE. The studio space is on the second floor so as soon as I crossed the threshold I marched up the stairs. I was hoping to find at least some kind of reception area, but I'd never been to this place before. They have a HUGE reception area! Nice couches, a carpeted path along the edge of the dance floor to an open air hanging space for coats and shoes (which means you never have to take an eye off your stuff). The gal behind the desk asked if she could help me and I said I was there to have a lesson with Steve, she mentioned that she had just seen him, and then as I looked up the unmistakeable lanky tall blond frame of Steve came into view. Woo hoo! This means my lesson is imminent!

We said hello and I was given the grand tour. This place is kind of perfect. Well loved main ballroom floor, welcoming second ballroom/meeting space. Several smaller studios for more private group classes, or choreo sessions, or even a super private 1/1 lesson. (although none but the main ballroom are large enough for smooth dancing, any number of other styles can be comfortable in any of the other spaces) Neutral colors, reasonably friendly lighting, comfortable washrooms and plenty of private changing space. Since it was still very early in the night for a ton of lessons to be going on (there are a few other instructors that rent the space for their students) we sat on a bench along side the main floor and chatted a bit as a couple practiced Tango alone on the floor. To just be IN a ballroom was nice. It's a creative space, I've always seen it as such during lesson times, (it's a social space during parties) and my spirit gets fed in creative spaces. Steve made the point of asking me how I learned, which no one ever really asked.. I usually end up telling. I told him that I learn ballroom best by doing and feeling. Which he agreed for following is the way it goes. About 10 minutes before my lesson we parted ways to change. I in my Bonnie's practice wear, and Steve in Latin pants, a light colored top w/ a vest. (Gone are the days of an instructor in a neck tie, and that's just fine with me!)

As I was about to change my shoes Steve asked if I was nervous.

"If I were working with a brand new to me pro, yeah I would be, but because it's you I'm not. It helps that you even kind of know where I came from with the dancing." I said, but as I tied my laces I was suddenly a bit anxious... which I quelled immediately because it was an unnecessary feeling. 

I tested my ready for retirement jazz shoes (I haven't even worn a 1/2" heel in 2 years I wasn't going to start just then) on the floor and they seemed pretty good. We went over to the music machine and discussed the plan for the lesson. I decided I wanted to take it slow since I didn't know what joints were about to protest, my knees have been a little achy as of late and my ankles have never been ballroom tested since my previous injuries so I wasn't about to wipe out on my first day back.

I did tell Steve that I didn't know what a lesson is like if it doesn't have a Rumba so we opened with that. Taking up frame immediately felt different because Steve is a full head taller than myself (a complete and total perk of the gig for 5'11'' me!) All my regular instructors have been within an inch or two of my height, which is fine, but when "the dream" ideal is to have a partner that is taller, actually finding one that is also personality wise compatible is a huge treat!

So Rumba it was and two steps in I slipped, due to low friction in my shoes and probably my not working into the floor enough, like I can remember a stitch of technique when all my brain can say to me in frame is followfollowfollowfollowfollow! We went over some basics, I was honestly pretty terrible in my own opinion. I was careful, much like I think Steve was being, to not go all out and chastise myself, and Steve was being really cool about the super basics of foot placement and where to transfer weight. Also how to keep my weight off the outsides of my feet. Which as you may have read about years ago, my weight naturally goes to the outsides of my feet due to some corrective inserts I had in my shoes when I was a kid, so to remember to keep my weight centered, or even on the inside edge in Rhythm is going to be a BIG challenge for me again. I'll get there though, I had it before, I'll get it again.

We did some of my least favorite thing in the world, mirror work. *sigh* I still don't own a full length mirror ya'll. The only time I see my whole outfit is when I try it on at the store, and then I pretty much dress from the waist up 99% of the time. BUT I did make a point to not watch Steve's feet for ALL of the intended mirror work, I did also spend brief moments looking at my own foot placement. Pleased to state that during at least two of the 5th position placements my heels and toes were properly aligned from what I could see. I give myself huge props for using the mirror and not making a big stink about it, because as all us body conscious people know... the mirror is not always our friend.  Oh and I completely forgot about using my core and thighs to maintain balance.... like completely.

*facepalm* Oh, the things I have forgotten so severely outnumber the things I remember!!! 

Once we seemed to agree that marked improvement had been made for the moment Steve asked about Fox Trot... I almost responded with "What's that?" Seriously, the idea of doing a Fox Trot got me so momentarily nervous that if you would have asked me what the basic was I couldn't have told you. So I literally relied on every following muscle in my body to get through the first basic until my brain and body went Oh... right.. Fox Trot! That wasn't terrible.. my heel leads were non-existent but so was part of my frame so we worked on that. We worked on how to fill the space in a frame, and create the tension, I don't recall the terms Steve used but it reminded me a lot of lessons of the past. We also worked on the 1/8 turn in Promenade... Steve said 1/8 I looked at my feet and said..."Okay, like 10 o'clock." Which ties back to a long running joke when I taught the overly technical original pro about "10 and 2" which then became a running joke.

Then Steve blows my mind "Oh, you use clock time too? I use that all the time!"

!!!! I wanted to yell at him that he can't think like me! This is going to be way too easy if he keeps teaching in terms I understand! That notable lesson time for me is always used making sure my instructor and I understand each other! But then that would have lead to stories of pros past, and I'm trying to leave that all behind me as I get back into ballroom and look to the future. It might be worth noting that Steve is also one of the first Pros I've tired to work with in earnest that has English as his first language. So I should probably stop being surprised...at some point I'm sure I will.

Back at the music machine.. after my verifying with Steve that I had improved (sometimes I feel like I can't really tell if it's better between tries... perhaps I'm looking for some really huge improvement where as my partner can pick up on the more subtle nuances he's really looking for... I ask "Was that better?" a lot.)

So we moved on to Waltz.. AT MY REQUEST... HA! You'll never believe it! Not in a million, I, ME, WALTZ HATER from day 1, not even my one and only coaching with Tony Dovolani could make me like it better, or the fact that I scored highest in Waltz in all my level tests (well not higher than Salsa). Or that I had been part of a Waltz Showcase back at Dance Connection, that didn't do it either! on this night though? I WANTED TO WALTZ!

Here's a quick re-cap on why I hate Waltz... it's not because it's not beautiful.. it is. It's not because it's easy, it's NOT. It's not even because I don't want to learn it.. I do! It's because I feel like a total and complete clod when dancing it. If I ever want to feel like the elephant in the room, it's Waltz that's going to put me there.. If there is ever a feeling in this world that I try to avoid it's feeling like the clod hopping elephant in the room...so... ergo I avoid Waltz.

Well, I'd been out of ballroom so long that I was even missing Waltz, (a sure sign of the apocalypse I'm positive) Steve says he likes Waltz... so I figure since I seem to pick up on things better when my instructor is also really interested in them... I bit the bullet and we Waltzed... It wasn't terrible, I didn't feel like a clod the ENTIRE time, just part of it... there were under arm turns and twinkles... pretty basic. It was kinda nice!

After our waltz we tied that in with Fox Trot and talked a LOT about balance in Smooth and where to keep chakra's aligned.. and it all made sense... lord almighty it ALL MADE SENSE! Now since knowledge isn't power, but the application of knowledge is... I hope I can remember all this when I try to practice my balance.

Then...a new and improved ballroom lesson experience! Steve did a comprehensive re-cap of everything we went over! That in itself is PRICELESS! I solid re-cap of technique reviewed and reminders on what to work on... Seriously, clearly I have made a good choice! No more will I have to rack my brain for the verbatim blow by blow of my lesson to pick out the parts where technique happened... 

The full 60 minutes came to a close and we were about to wrap up... I didn't want to take anymore of Steve's time, when lessons are a full hour, 20 minutes longer than before, and just about less than half the cost I was not about to try and get more than what was agreed upon...but there was a matter of a little Salsa.

Lessons, no matter how stressful always contain a Salsa for me... call it a rule of Kat, but if I don't get a Salsa for at least 60 seconds when I'm in a lesson all is not right in my world. So I asked if we could do a quick in time but slower in pace Salsa... Steve was kind enough to oblige... turns out Salsa is one of his specialties. :-D

"Hips Don't Lie" came on... which is just about as easy a pace as a Salsa can get... and away we went... the whole thing was so much better than anything we'd danced to that point... and since I'm used to conversing mid dance I pointed out "Clearly I've spent the most time on this..."

"Yeah you do kinda come more alive."

I can even still execute two consecutive spins fairly well... used to be four..but I'm happy with the two...

True to my current stamina I didn't make it all the way through the song...and I knew I was getting to be a heavy follow before I finally said I had to stop...but oh I got to Salsa! We even joked about swivels and #9 from the chain studio syllabus... See... every lesson should end on such a high!

I am telling you folks... I have had over five years lesson experience with some pretty awesome instructors across chain and independent studios... I've taken group classes with "uber" pros and famous Dancing With The Stars cast members..... loved them all, but I really think that for a social dancer such as myself, looking to get a really solid education in dance and motivation to improve.... Steve wrapped it all up in one really nice package! I was WICKED impressed! I can not wait to get on the floor again!

See... I knew back in 2009 when I attended a little impromptu group class of Steve's and after chatting with him some at a few of the ballroom competitions he used to compete at, that I could work with him... I love it when I'm right. :-)

Anyone out there have a dance that makes you feel like "the elephant in the room?" What about a dance that just makes you feel like a clutz? What's YOUR way of dealing with it?? Leave a comment, drop an e-mail, let me know!!

So... you mean I get to dance again? Introducing: Get On The Floor Dance Company!

Oh dear readers!!! How I've missed you! Welcome back to Ballroom Dancing: Changing My Life One Step at a Time!

This blog, a journey that started waaaay back in August of 2007 has been through ups and downs for sure, and your dear writer has gone up and down with it. I had closed the blog two years ago because I had to leave the Ballroom world behind. Financially and emotionally I just couldn't do it anymore. (Anyone who has spent significant time in a chain ballroom studio will pretty much come to the same conclusion I assure you.) I left the blog published because it has done a lot of good for a lot of people, no one who has ever lost confidence or had to face something they are unsure of EVER feels like they are "with" anyone else in their feelings. For me Ballroom was the big challenge, it embodies so much of what I LOVE about the theater world, and especially with my former studio a lot of what I HATE about corporate BS. So once I said goodbye to the old studio I said a BIG GOOD-BYE to Ballroom.

How could I walk into a ballroom competition and not take part in the social dances, not have a pro to cheer for? How could I go out dancing with my friends, all of which are still dancing at various independent studios, and not feel like a failure when my skills aren't up to par? (If you think this sounds a lot like the "pre-dancing Kat" you'd be dead on right).

Then one night a few months ago I said to myself "enough is enough" and accepted an invitation to go line dancing with some friends... line dancing I'm not huge on, two-step I like, but with ballroom people every dance floor becomes a ballroom dance floor anyway. :-) So I went, I sat and watched the line dancing... you know they have a line dance for EVERY SONG EVER right?!? It's crazy! One of my friends did ask me to dance a Rumba early on and I declined....because I'm a big dummy who didn't want to feel like she was making a fool of herself. As the evening progressed my chest began to get heavy...not in a dangerous health way (although, with the way my health had been progressing...) no, in a very melancholy way, hindsight tells me now that my heart may have been breaking a little at not getting out there to dance.

Later in the evening I finally accepted an offer to Hustle with the same friend I'd declined earlier.. Hustle is easy right? Well... not when you're out of shape, wearing street sneakers, and trying to dance to the latest Will.I.Am/Brittney Spears release. I made it maybe two minutes before I was just dying for air. I thanked my partner and went back to our table. I couldn't tell which was worse, that I'd gone out and tried...did okay but couldn't last or that I possibly just made it so said friend never asks me to dance again.

What's a Ballroom Studio without a little sense of humor?!? :-)

While there, I spoke to two ladies (friends of friends) who were looking for more opportunities to dance all over the area. I do still keep my eye on any independent studios that pop up (because you know, 2-5 years from now I might be able to dance again.) and one came to mind immediately... Get On The Floor Dance Company (GTF) was started about 2 years ago by a pro dancer I'd known off and on because he used to dance with my original pro's girlfriend, and I'd seen them dance in St. Louis, and all over Chicago back in 2009/2010 ish. He had always struck me as a good soul and a great teacher, so I took the opportunity to mention this to the ladies. I know they found GTF on Facebook (Get On The Floor Dance Company on Facebook) as we were sitting there. The night ended, my heart broken over my lack of dancing, but I did resolve to work out more (which I have been doing in earnest for a bit now).

A week later, I was out for drinks with some dance friends and I was lamenting about how my heart just ached because I wasn't dancing anymore. While they tell you it's not healthy to rely on things outside yourself... I don't care, Ballroom Dancing had been the grain of inspiration for every thing I'd ever done on the floor or off since June 2006. Without it I'm often times lost for inspiration, and I lack motivation. Despite not liking the chain studios anymore (feel free to ask me why) I love to help other people discover ballroom!

I decided I would reach out to Steve, the owner of GTF and just let him know that if two ladies said some red haired chick told them to check GTF out, it was me. I didn't even think he'd remember who the heck I was, and I didn't intend for it to be more than just letting him know where his business leads might be coming from. (If these two ladies ever went, I don't know and sadly I can't remember their names). I seriously never even envisioned setting foot in a ballroom before fall 2014 at the earliest. So Facebook message sent, I went back to my ho-hum life.

Cut to some of the most prolific and expansive Facebook e-mailing I have ever done with anyone outside my normal crew. (It wasn't that expansive, slightly prolific on my part because I tend to over share, but I come from the chain studio land of "A Student must never communicate with his/her professional instructor outside studio property" so it struck me as unusual) This went on for a couple of weeks, just a few things about what GTF is offering like Beginning Ballroom classes on Sunday nights, a Holiday Showcase coming up on Dec 15th, Private lessons that are a full 60 minutes for $75 (ahem, yeah, you read that right!) First studio in Chicago to warmly welcome same-sex dance partners and how they are offering a position called "Student Ambassador" (read: Referral Program) to certain individuals...and then Steve asked....

dun dun dun...

Why I wasn't dancing anymore.

Which just made my stupid heart hurt more because my reason, aside from financial, is really mostly pretty lame (said the girl with a gazillion excuses). While we were becoming efficient online communicators, we were also trying to see when the heck I could make it into the city to see his space, meet his business partner and just figure out a way to get me back on the floor. Which was AWESOME... not since Largo/Aleks (RT not withstanding of course), but seriously, not since Aleks first went independent at a time I couldn't afford anything, had any professional in the ballroom world really taken what seemed to be a genuine for-the-love-of-dance interest in bringing my rear-end to the dance floor! Gotta tell ya, when small potatoes social dancers like myself get the attention of a pro with 10 years dance experience and then said pro says actually wants to teach you... like seriously teach, lessons, in ballroom, and SALSA...you go... well first you become speechless, and then you GO! You ignore all the negative voices in your head and you make an appointment to meet him on that dance floor as fast as your schedules allow, that's what you do, and that's what I did!... aside from that first dance lesson I ever took ever, and maybe getting involved in all this blog business... BEST BALLROOM DANCE DECISION EVER MADE - PERIOD. 

Who's with me?? Anyone else want to "Get On The Floor" too??

thump thump "Testing...1...2... Testing... Is this thing on?!?"

Let me hear from you! Who's still dancing? Who needs to get back on the floor? Who wants to meet me at GTF's home location? My e-mail is still the same: StageKat@Gmail.com and you can always comment below!

Happy Dancing!!

Coming up... What it's like to have a ballroom lesson for the first time in two years...