“Judges, couple 239 is now on the floor. Competitors, your next dance is the Tango.” Already out of breath, we take the floor. It’s been a whirlwind of airports, hours, and frantic phone calls to get here–we’re just happy to have caught any of our heat at all. As we take our place on the …
Living in the digital age has done wonders for our sport. With syllabi easily accessible online and a wealth of information available to the new dancer’s fingertips, it feels like the possibilities for accessing dance resources online are endless. Even the music is much easier to find. What could go wrong? Well, any number of …
A month under the equatorial sun of Kenya will give you a couple of things: a nice tan, some great fossils, and an incredible dance performance. I’m enjoying the first two a lot; the third deserves sharing here. I had the privilege of attending the launch party of a local non-profit organization called CAITHS (Center …
It’s 4:30 a.m. and the beat is still pounding from the speakers next to the dance floor. I thank my current partner and make a beeline for another, and as the music starts and we begin to dance west coast swing, the wave of tired hits me. We finish the dance and I head for …
In general I try to explore the different feelings and experiences I have when dancing. I’m also curious about what goes on when I’m not dancing. When I won’t dance can be just as interesting as when I will. Tennessee, ‘The Volunteer State,’ provided my girlfriend Autumn and I a wonderful spring break to remember. We toured …
I’ve been thinking about my bookshelf for the past few days. For Valentine’s Day my girlfriend got me not one, but two books. They were both Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. One is for my place, the other is for hers. The idea is we can read them together, take notes, and become better …
“Well, I’m sorry you had to experience that,” she says as the song ends and we prepare to part ways. We’ve just had a fun foxtrot, a little rough around the footwork edges, but overall quite enjoyable. “No, no, no, that was great!” I respond. She shakes her head at the floor and turns away; …
I want to talk about starting new adventures. As many of you may well know, I’m moving to Los Angeles, California in July! We’ll actually be in a suburb just northeast of it but that’s basically same thing, really. I say ‘we’ because I’ll be moving there with my Autumn, my girlfriend and adventure buddy. …
When I dance, I’m usually not alone. You may not find that surprising, given that ballroom generally involves two people, but I’m talking about something else: a sometimes comforting, sometimes obnoxious little presence that I’ve become acquainted with. Let us, for sake of narrative, call it an elephant. Have you ever tried dancing with an …
How comfortable are you with your dancing? I’m not speaking in terms of reviewing your competition footage and feeling good about yourself; I’m asking about your experience within your own body as you dance. Are you complacent? In ballroom, and in life more generally, there are two types of mistakes: passive and active. We want …