This upcoming week will be especially gruelling. In addition to my four weekly lessons with my coaches, we will be having lessons with none other than Maurizio Vescovo. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. At the recent UK Open, he represented Canada and placed 7. We are so very honoured to have him. The video below is of his paso doble with his former partner (Melinda) - some may argue that his paso is his best dance.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
My New Favourite Samba Video
I don't know what it is about this video but everytime I watch it I just wanted to give my next round my all. All of the couples are amazing for various reasons. Someday I will master that hip roll Anna does (0:28).
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
When Scary Things Happen at a Dance Competition
You know that recurring nightmare one gets before an important event. All of mine run along the same lines. Showing up for a dance competition without shoes, running late for a competition, falling in a competition and the most dreaded - forgetting my routines.
Well at the Northern LIghts Classic in Edmonton last Saturday, the scariest of the scary occurred. Actually it was a combo - a 3 couple collision plus forgetting 2 of my routines. The samba started with us running into 2 other couples and it was just downhill from there. I was so incredibly mortified. I just couldn't hear the music anymore and I didn't know where to start again. I couldn't remember my routines! Where was I? What's next? I could just feel everyone looking at me with pity.
Eventually the ordeal ended and I hobbled off. I was fighting tears and my legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk. I sat in a stairwell crying, refusing to do the next event. My coach exercised tough love - ie. he was in my face trying to scare me into putting my shoes back on. It was also then that I was told that I somehow had made the cut for the finals. How did that happen?! Well, at that point I realized that the respectable thing to do would be to keep dancing. In the end, we did ok. We made the finals in both events, placing sixth. Not bad for my third competition.
The whole experience just goes to show you never know what the outcome may be, and being a perfectionist never pays off. I am always focused on doing my routines perfectly. Whenever something went awry during a practice I stopped. And when things didn't go perfectly, I didn't know how to recover. So here's to comebacks and keeping your head up when shit hits the fan. And I'm thinking that after that experience, things can only get better.
Also don't beg your partner to walk off between dances - in case your coach is like mine and can read lips.
I'm trying to find pictures from the weekend - but we were all too frazzled to take any. If some surface on Facebook, I will put them up.
Well at the Northern LIghts Classic in Edmonton last Saturday, the scariest of the scary occurred. Actually it was a combo - a 3 couple collision plus forgetting 2 of my routines. The samba started with us running into 2 other couples and it was just downhill from there. I was so incredibly mortified. I just couldn't hear the music anymore and I didn't know where to start again. I couldn't remember my routines! Where was I? What's next? I could just feel everyone looking at me with pity.
Eventually the ordeal ended and I hobbled off. I was fighting tears and my legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk. I sat in a stairwell crying, refusing to do the next event. My coach exercised tough love - ie. he was in my face trying to scare me into putting my shoes back on. It was also then that I was told that I somehow had made the cut for the finals. How did that happen?! Well, at that point I realized that the respectable thing to do would be to keep dancing. In the end, we did ok. We made the finals in both events, placing sixth. Not bad for my third competition.
The whole experience just goes to show you never know what the outcome may be, and being a perfectionist never pays off. I am always focused on doing my routines perfectly. Whenever something went awry during a practice I stopped. And when things didn't go perfectly, I didn't know how to recover. So here's to comebacks and keeping your head up when shit hits the fan. And I'm thinking that after that experience, things can only get better.
Also don't beg your partner to walk off between dances - in case your coach is like mine and can read lips.
I'm trying to find pictures from the weekend - but we were all too frazzled to take any. If some surface on Facebook, I will put them up.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Simple is Beautiful
Whenever I have seen great dancing - especially in a rumba, the term "oozing" comes to mind. There is tension in every move, and everything comes together to tell a story. However, I don't think "stunts" are really necessary to do so. Yeah, people clap when you spread your legs and reach for the heavens. Bur there is something beautiful when a simple routine is executed with passion and impecible technique. The following are two videos that exemplify the theory that simplicity can be exceptionally beautiful.
(Justinas and Anna)
(Allan Tornsberg and Vibeke Toft)
(Justinas and Anna)
(Allan Tornsberg and Vibeke Toft)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Shiny Costumes!
I have spent quite a bit of time perusing the internet for inspiration for costumes. Two of Elena Slikhova's (partner of Charles-Guillame Schmidt) costumes definitely caught my eye. I find the first black number to be quite sexy, while the second yellow number is really playful.
In addition to these, I fell in love with Dariya Chesnokova's costume that she was sporting at the Embassy Ball earlier this year. The second costume of hers is one she was wearing in November 2009. I really like the use of strings of stones - though upon enquiring, it looks like making a similar costume may require hours upon upon hours of stringing!
*Images of Elena and the second one of Dariya are courtesy of dancesportinfo.net.
In addition to these, I fell in love with Dariya Chesnokova's costume that she was sporting at the Embassy Ball earlier this year. The second costume of hers is one she was wearing in November 2009. I really like the use of strings of stones - though upon enquiring, it looks like making a similar costume may require hours upon upon hours of stringing!
*Images of Elena and the second one of Dariya are courtesy of dancesportinfo.net.
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