Moving?

[NeoDevin]

I could use your thoughts on this.

I put an add up on dancepartner.com a while ago, and I got an email from some girl in the states. She says she's competed successfully in gold level latin, among other things. She wants me to move there and dance competitively with her, she's willing to teach me, and I'd get to take lessons from her coaches who are apparently among top 10 in the world. I'd then be transferring to Cornell University (which I'm told is good for sciences) to finish my degree. She says I'm the perfect height/weight/build for her.

I've really got nothing holding me in this city next year. My Dad lives in Vietnam, and come summer my Mom will be joining him. My siblings are here, but I hardly ever talk to them anyways. Aside from the obvious of checking out what she told me to see if its true, does anyone here have any suggestions, anything I should consider, or possible other options. I hadn't really considered leaving here until she suggested it, when she did, my first reaction was "what the heck, I can't leave Edmonton", but then I stopped and thought about it, and realized that I can't think of a single thing holding me here. I've spent 16 years in this area, and don't have a single thing to hold me here! Anyways, I figured it's a major decision, I should get as many opinions on it as possible, and perhaps one of you has been in a similar situation. Other ideas for where to go next year are welcome, as are thoughts on this particular situation.

... Moving to the States where the drinking age is 21 could limit my stripping carreer (which I have yet to start), when I'm not allowed in any clubs :P

[brujo]

I would say go for it. But keep in mind that school in the states is a lot more expensive than in Canada, and you might have to go through loops to be able to find work and get your visa status approved.

The sheer number and quality of instructors in New York will simply blow the land of massive malls out of the water. And if you think you will become a much better dancer, then go for it.

I would do a little fact finding trip down south first, though, to see if you and the girl both click and she is what she claims to be. I am sure that you already have the steady stream of emails and whatnot going for you.

What's that song that went 'Live in New York once, but leave before it makes you hard'...

I am sure our folks from NYC can give you a good perspective on their own city. Oh, and about the drinking thing, I'm sure there are a couple of fraternities in Cornell that can help you solve your 'problem'

[SDsalsaguy]

Devin, have you checked up on her coaches "credentials"? In NY they certainly could be top 10, but I know of way too many people with, to put it nicely, "creative" ways of calculating such things. Feel free to PM their names if you want...

[pygmalion]

Tough decision, NeoDevin.

I think SD is right about finding out who these great coaches are, first. Top ten in the world is a rare thing, so verify the claims before you believe them.

Also, some other rhetorical questions to consider:

How serious are you about dancing? Are you willing to sacrifice lots for it? Is it your ultimate career goal?

Who is this girl? Do or will you and she have the kind of relationship (platonic or otherwise) that warrants you uprooting your life for her?

What about these world class coaches? Would they be willing to work with you, a relative beginner? How much is it going to cost you?

What is the potential impact on you of transferring in the middle of your university career? Whatever it is, can you live with it?

No naysaying here. This could be a great opportunity for you. Think about it carefully, check out the details, then go for it.

[dragon3085]

IF you can afford to do it, then I say go for it. It sounds like your in the great college time of your life when you can do things like this without too much trouble. Once you out in the "real world" and I use that term loosely its much hard to just to pick up and go somewhere else, especially if you have started in a good job and such.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Hi NeoDevin,

I think Pygmalion touched on some really good points.

How important is dancing to you? Do you plan to compete at a serious level? What are your main goals/priorities in life?

I think one should go after their goals if there´re really important to us. If it´s just a hobby, or a temporary craze, I would be more careful.

Anyway, any important decision in life, whatever it may be, should be taken without pressure and with consideration to the advantages and desadvantages.

Regards,

[SDsalsaguy]

One more thought Devin: if dancing really is a priority for you than you may very well want to take this opportunity... to get to NY if nothing else! The concentration of top notch dancers and coaches there is unmatched anywhere else in North America.

[Sagitta]

Sounds like a great opportunity Devin...Just as the others have said I would check out the coaches, check out how well/easily you could switch into Cornell, come down to check out the area and see whether you and your dancepartner click, make sure that you are willing to invest the time & money required to do this...figure out what would you do if it somehow didn't work out after all that - it's always good to have contingency plans..Then there are the visa/work requirements. I'm sure the frats can help you out with your drinking. I don't really drink anymore, ever since I started dancing so you are out of luck with me. There used to be a great coach for the Cornell ballroom team, but he left at the end of last academic year, and I'm not quite sure what is going on right now with the team. I do know that the classes the social club has are not the same and it doesn't have the energy of what it used to be like when the coach was there.

If you visit here and need a place to crash, my place is available, BUT the exact details of what this entails is not something I'd care to discuss publicly. PM me if you are interested and we'll see if we can work something out. :)

[dr daffy]

NeoDevin,

I just thought i'd add a little something even though i'm probobly not the most credible source since i'm kinda young lol. I agree with everyone else in that you need to consider how important dancing really is to you. Also, you need to weigh your options... like what would happen if you do move and what would happen if you don't, you know? it might help you in your decision. Of course, no one but you can decide whether you move for sure, but i can say that if you're serious about dancing then, go for it. Cornell University is a wonderful school and you would have a lot of fun.

Just my input :P

[NeoDevin]

I intend to check everything out, and I've already invited her up here so I could get to know her... don't know if she'll be able to come or not though. SD, thanks, I'll get some names and run them by you for the instructors.

At this point in my life I don't have a clue what I want to do with the rest of my life, I don't even think I want to do physics for a living. Another thought I've considered is just working, dancing, and trying stuff out for a year, see if I can figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Also, does anyone know what kind of dance comunity there is at Cornell? If things didn't work out between me and her, I'd like to still be able to dance at school.

[SDsalsaguy]

SD, thanks, I'll get some names and run them by you for the instructors.
OK, just PM when you have some names...

Also, does anyone know what kind of dance comunity there is at Cornell? If things didn't work out between me and her, I'd like to still be able to dance at school.
Sagitta? This one's your department... :wink:

[Sagitta]

Also, does anyone know what kind of dance comunity there is at Cornell? If things didn't work out between me and her, I'd like to still be able to dance at school.
Sagitta? This one's your department... :wink:

There is a great dance community at Cornell...Swing, tango, salsa, ballroom are hopping!!

I already said something to Neo via pm, indirectly in response to something else, but let me do full justice to this question here since it is dance related. Since I am a generalist I am going to ramble on about a variety of dances. You can do searches on only the Cornell web pages for the dances that you specifically are interested in...www.cuinfo.cornell.edu

While the Cornell ballroom scene may not be as hopping as it was last academic year it is pretty good, and I've found that people in all the dance venues are friendly. Joining the dancesport team definitely will benefit your dancing, and then if you do the Cornell ballroom club you can get even more out of it. There usually is an opportunity to dance every weekend or every other weekend, organized by the club/team...plus there usually are open practice sessions for team members in a dance studio a couple times a week...Link below to club and dancesport team...

http://www.rso.cornell.edu/ballroom/classes.shtml I believe if you are interested there are photos somewhere.

There are a couple ballroom dances organized every semester...Valentine and Thanksgiving balls, are the ones that I remember as I attended them...

Then there are other dances...there is a banghra club, international folk dance club, Israeli-Latin folk dancing, a couple swing dance clubs (one is into jump swing the other into lindy)...many clubs that enjoy doing their particular style of dance, and are very welcoming to new visitors. I was amazed at the response I got when trying out Israeli-Latin folk dancing this past Wednesday.

Swing -- free sessions downtown, two blacks away from my place every Tuesday night, plus WCS night one Monday night every month. Last Friday of every month a swing dance in the big red barn, on campus. Then practice/dance sessions held on campus by the two swing groups

This semester there are argentine tango practice sessions held every Thursday night on campus with all levels welcome, plus milongas held downtown on Sundays.

Salsa...I cannot resist!! Every Tuesday night is Latin night at Commonground. I give you that it isn't on campus, but the scene is better then the surrounding area and bigger cities like Syracuse and Binghamton....I would say that you would have to drive over two hours to Rochester to get anything that matches it. Occasionally, on Wednesday night there is a latin night held on campus...

My new routine as a generalist is:
Sunday -- night international folk dancing (I just got invited by one of the instructors who taught me lindy at a course that I took at Cornell, to drop in one afternoon, if I wanted, when I expressed an interest in getting back into Lindy and perhaps participating in a performance in the Ithaca festival in June, so maybe that one of these days...) one evening every month I do zydeco downtown
Monday -- Cornell ballroom club classes
Tuesday -- Salsa -- dancesport team meets this day thsi semester, and so one of the reasons I'm not joining it this Spring.
Wednesday --- Israeli-Latin folk dancing
Thursday -- Rueda practice
Friday-Saturday rest days unless I can find a dance somewhere.

Let me end by saying that if dance wasn't as good as it was I would probably be on my way out of Ithaca now.

[NeoDevin]

Cool, I'm looking forward to moving there now, I hope everything checks out with this partner, and I can figure out someway to afford it... Ah well, if I really want it, the finances will work somehow (that's the way life goes, isn't it? ... isn't it? :| )

Hopefully sometime in april I'll be able to make it down there, see some of the sights, and meet her. If everything goes well, I'm pretty sure I'll go for it.

[TheArchon]

OK, I can't figure why would anyone want to move to cooprate rules USA :roll: :?:

I want to leave my country, cause I can't stand the injustice, prejudice and capital that rules that country, it’s a problem in every country, but there are degrees.

I always had a problem looking in thing locally, I always look at things globally, and I try to change things, but sometimes I think ppl should sink in their own slim for a while, then maybe they will turn out better.

Anyway Canada is a much more better place to raise children the US, think about it, unless it only a small venture that will help you appreciate the place you live in.

BTW, i live in Israel.
Oh, and on next election, don't forget voting ESSO for presidency, oops, sorry, my mistake i meant Bush.

[Sagitta]

Didn't get that last post!! :? :oops: Early morning ramblings? :?

Actually Ithaca in 2001/2002 got all sorts of accolades as one of the top places to live/raise children etc...

[pygmalion]

Cool, I'm looking forward to moving there now, I hope everything checks out with this partner, and I can figure out someway to afford it... Ah well, if I really want it, the finances will work somehow (that's the way life goes, isn't it? ... isn't it? :| )

Hopefully sometime in april I'll be able to make it down there, see some of the sights, and meet her. If everything goes well, I'm pretty sure I'll go for it.


Cool, NeoDevin. And, btw, very few people know for sure what they want to do with the rest of their lives when they're only nineteen. They just do what you're doing -- gather as much information as possible, then make the best decision they can, based on what they know.

[pygmalion]

TheArchon does make a good point, too. When you consider a move this big, the dance implications aren't the only ones to consider. Politics, culture, finances, family, even climate might all impact the success of your move. I know we're just talking Canada vs. US, so there is probably a lot of commonality. But there are probably also lots of diferences that might not be immediately obvious. My former SO made a similar move (New Brunswick to Miami) in the middle of grad school. Do you want me to ask him how it went, and what the plusses and minuses were?

[pygmalion]

I talked to the SO. A few things to consider.

1.Visas. As a student, you will likely be on an F1 Visa, which means that you will not be authorized to work, even part time, in the US.

2. Tuition At least when my SO was there, university tuition was heavily subsidized in Canada. Not so in the US. And, to make it worse, since you're a Canadian citizen, in the US you'll be considered a "foreign student," and your tuition will likely be at a much higher rate than American citizens, even at a private university.

3. My SO circumvented this by changing universities with his advisor, but as an undergrad, you may lose a significant number of credits, depending on which schools you're tranferring from and to.

4. Heathcare is heavily subsidized in Canada, but not in the US. While there are public healthcare programs, many states have recently restricted access to those programs by non-US citizens.

Uuugh. Lots of financial and political implications of this decision. :x

[NeoDevin]

Ok, I've started the application process to transfer to Cornell... wish me luck everyone.

So much work to change schools :roll: but hopefully so much fun afterwards :D

[pygmalion]

Good luck, NeoDevin. :)

[Sagitta]

That's great!! :)

[Pacion]

Is there an update for enquiring minds :wink:

[NeoDevin]

Is there an update for enquiring minds :wink:

For the nosey (;)) minds out there, I haven't heard back from Cornell yet, so I don't know if I'll be there next year, but I'm going down for the summer. If I can go to Cornell, then I'll be staying after the summer, otherwise I'll be back here, and trying to figure something else out. I'll spend the whole summer dancing probably 3-4 hours/day, and taking private lessons. Hopefully will be able to get some competitions in too :D

I'm leaving the country June 6 or 7.

Wish me luck with Cornell!!! :D

[Pacion]

I'm leaving the country June 6 or 7.



:twisted: Sorry this "nosey" mind asked now! Cornell = New York?

Guess what? I might be in NY the weekend before that so will just miss you :oops: :lol: If I hadn't have asked the question, I wouldn't have known. Oh well :lol: Maybe I should stick to Googling :D

[pygmalion]

Good luck, NeoDevin. :)

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Good luck, NeoDevin. :)

Good Luck Neo!

[SDsalsaguy]

Cornell = New York?
Yup! :D

...and good luck Devin!

(P.S. The lessons this summer will be with the various people we'd discussed, yes?)

[danceguy]

Best of luck Neo! Don't chase too many girls while you're over there. :D

SG

[NeoDevin]

Thanks for the luck everyone :)

(P.S. The lessons this summer will be with the various people we'd discussed, yes?)

The lessons will be mostly with one pair of them, once in a while others. If you ever show up on AIM ;), I'll talk to you about it.

[NeoDevin]

Don't chase too many girls while you're over there. :D

You don't want me to have any fun at all do you?

[Genesius Redux]

Cornell = New York?
Yup! :D


Well, just for the Brit--Cornell=Ithaca, NY, which is kind of like Oxford=England, if Oxford were on the Scottish border. Cold, snowy wasteland!

Good luck NeoDevin!

Genesius

[NeoDevin]

Ok, Saturday (the 6th), I got a letter of rejection from Cornell University.
The plan for the rest of the summer was to bus to South Dakota, go horseback riding in the badlands, then drive east with my dance partner and her mom, and spend the rest of the summer on their farm in PA.
What actually happened was somewhat different.
I got on the bus saturday night/sunday morning (12:30), and got into Rapid City, SD at 9:40, monday morning. Met up with them right away, and went riding in the black hills. Next day (tuesday), we went riding in the badlands. Wednesday afternoon we started driving east to PA. Thursday afternoon at about 2:30 or so, we stop somewhere, I ask what we're doing here. Her mom turns and says "We're dropping you off, it's obvious we're not getting along, I'm not going to go into details as it'll just make more hard feelings". As far as I knew, up to that point, we'd been getting along fine. They dump my stuff on the sidewalk in front of the bus station, don't even help me pack, and drive away. Once I got my stuff packed up, I went into the bus station, figured out where I was (Davenport, Iowa) Since I didn't have much choice, I bought a ticket on the next bus home. Bus was supposed to leave at 9:15, didn't leave until 9:45, too full, had to stand an hour and a half to Iowa City. When we got to the border, turned out there were a whole bunch of foreigners on the bus, so it took us like 3 hours to get through customs. Ended up too late into Winnepeg for my transfer to Edmonton, so had to catch the later bus, ended up home at about 9:45 pm, Saturday evening.

So, now I'm back home in good ol' Alberta.

[Chris Stratton]

Damn, that sucks.

Did you even practice together, or was this 'not getting along' just based on hanging out? Was it the girl, or her mother who made the decision?

Anyway... if it was't going to work probably best that you were free of them as quickly as possible.

If you actually wanted to try NY city that would be an entirely different setting from Cornell. I almost moved there this spring to continue a dance partnership, but it didn't end up working out. NYU and some of the other teams there are rather short on guys...

[NeoDevin]

Damn, that sucks.

Did you even practice together, or was this 'not getting along' just based on hanging out? Was it the girl, or her mother who made the decision?

Anyway... if it was't going to work probably best that you were free of them as quickly as possible.

If you actually wanted to try NY city that would be an entirely different setting from Cornell. I almost moved there this spring to continue a dance partnership, but it didn't end up working out. NYU and some of the other teams there are rather short on guys...

We didn't practice together. It was the mother who made the decision, it was supposedly me and the mother who weren't getting along. I thought we were getting along fine though.

[Chris Stratton]

Ugh... bad luck to start during the summer with mom around then, rather than during the term when the isolation of Cornell would let the two of you figure it out. But still, if her mom runs her life... not sure you'd really want to be dealing with that.

There should be a word for the dance partner equivelent to a mother-in-law ;-)

A printable word, I mean.

[BettyB]

.

There should be a word for the dance partner equivelent to a mother-in-law ;-)

A printable word, I mean.

"mother-out-law"? ;)

[bjp22tango]

There should be a word for the dance partner equivelent to a mother-in-law ;-)

A printable word, I mean.
:lol:

I think it's even worse than that..."showbiz mother" :twisted: :evil:

[pygmalion]

I'm so sorry, Devin. Maybe you and the daughter were getting along TOO well. Moms can be like that sometimes, when protecting their young. :( Good luck with the next new partner, who I'm sure will come along when you're ready. 8) Hugs.

[Sagitta]

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes ND!! At least it has happened, is done with, and you can now move on.

[Pacion]

As Pygmalion said, maybe you and her daughter were getting along too well?

Sorry to hear that. Whilst it may not have been the most pleasant of experiences, in a way, you are probably lucky that she did it that way. Goodness knows what it could have escalated into and it would have been your word against the two of theirs?

Maybe there is an even better dance partner coming your way, so you had to return to Alberta. How far away are you from Nanaimo, BC? Josie Neglia has just returned there after living in LA. If you can, it might be interesting to see what classes she is doing and do some with her. Her website is: latindance.com From recollection, she has a degree in dance, studied Dancesport Latin and eventually found salsa. She has done a number of things which might be in line with what you would like to do.