I Wanna Dance....

[PaulaAbdulFan]

But I'm not sure if I can. :(

I am short (5'1) and I am getting healthier and into better shape. (recovering from bulimia, doing well right now.) The thing is, I am short like I said, and have large breasts. (cup size C-D). I am medium-boned and could never healthily be stick-thin. (I tried, believe me.)

I know that dancers, contrary to popular belief, do not have to be tall and leggy and stick thin. (Just look at Ms. Abdul! I bet her old dance coach is weeping now.)

But can I be a dancer, possibly, with my body type as I described it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! 8)

[salsachinita]

Welcome to the forum, PaulaAbdulFan!

I know almost exactly where you are coming from, having nearly been there myself (aged 13-14).

I grew up as an over-sized, clumpsy girl who couldn't even find school uniforms to fit (ok, it was a loooong time ago on the other side of the world)......

Got kicked out of ballet school aged 7, because I had flat feet (I suspected the real reason was that I didn't make the group performance visually banlanced) & got told by doctors later that I could never dance.

When I turned 19 I fell in love with salsa music. I decided to at least give it a try (by this stage REALLY fed up with missing out on things :x !). I had two left feet & no confidence, but my love for the music (and the will to prove a point) made me stay.

My teacher saw something in me; he paired me up with a partner to train for a competition (for promotional purpose only, as hardly anyone knew about salsa 15 years ago). The comp didn't work out, but I ended up staying dancing. The rest is history.

Everyone here started somewhere. Sure some of us do have to work harder than others, but the transformation dancing has on a person can be life-altering :D !

There are so many stories you can read here, and so many supportive people to get advice from, so you are in the right place :wink: !

Re body shape: depends on what sort of dancing you want to do. For most of the dances we are talking about here, you don't need to be tall & leggy. Quite often having a lower centre of gravity is very beneficial....! (Think hip-hop....down and funky!)

[dancin_feet]

Welcome PaulaAbdulFan.

Don't think you can? Now let's get rid of that straight away. You can do anything you set your mind to. Bugger 'em if other people say that you are the wrong shape, size or whatever. People like that are not worth your time. Do what you love to do, or at least are willing to try.

Go for it!

[Sagitta]

Hi PaulaAbdulFan! Welcome to df, the df where we believe that anyone can dance/learn to dance :) To some people it may come easy, to some it may take a little longer, and to others it may be an excruciating process, but you can get there. We all started out somewhere.

For me, I still had no idea what i was missing at the end of 2001. By summer 2002 I knew what I wanted but I was a basket case. :oops: I couldn't keep to the beat, didn't know how to start...and this is a leader talking... Now early 2003 I know at least how to keep to the beat and a couple moves for salsa. If I can do it you can. :)

I think that body size, weight, shape...should not play a role in how well you think you can learn to dance. There are those who like certain figures, but what is important is belief in self and confidence in being in one's own body. Once you have that it comes through. I've seen some really big people dance and they can dance circles around me. I've actually seen all shapes and sizes of people who dance circles around me :oops: Who knows you might easily become one of those people, so go for it!!

What sort of dance are you interested in? If you are not sure, then what sort of music do you like? I suggest starting out with a dance where you love the music. That will keep you going, no matter what!! That's what latin does for me. :)

[Jmatthew]

Anyone can do any kind of dance!

Certainly some dances look a little different if you have a certain body type, but the nice thing is those dances kind of BUILD that body-type the more you do them. All dances are athletic on some level (some more than other) and they all push your body to change to some extant.

Lindy Hop is probably one of the more athletic dances, in the last 9 months since I started dancing it I've lost about 50 pounds and 6 inches off my waist. I started out looking kind of funny when I danced, but i"m looking better and better. Salsa and Cha-cha really tone your legs and abs. West Coast and all the ballroom dances really help your posture and strengthen your back and shoulders.

But all that is just a bonus. You don't have to be a certain shape or size to dance. Just go out and have fun. Be aggressive about meeting people and making friends and you'll have a blast. :)

[Spitfire]

PaulaAbdulFan, the answer is yes. I see dancers in all shapes and sizes. :)

[Sarah]

Hi PAFan

Let me point you in the direction of my photo album -
http://www.dance-forums.com/album/showphoto.php?photo=200&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

That's me in costume for a belly dance performance. You might notice that stick-thin I aint, and yet I've been dancing for years, mostly salsa, but with a tiny bit of swing and ballroom thrown in. If I can do it, you can. Go for it.

Cheers
Sarah

[Vince A]

Keep saying: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
After 3 months say: "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."
After that first year, you'll be saying, "I did it, I did it, I did it."

Believe that you can and you will!

[PaulaAbdulFan]

Thank you soooo much, everyone! I really feel like I can do this now! :D I may never be Miss Abdul, but hey, there aren't many of those. lol.

To answer your question, sagitta, I would love to learn to do the type of dancing that Paula does - choreography. Also interested in: hip-hop, Latin, etc. I just wanna dance!!!

Anyway, thank you all again, any more advice you can provide would be sooo appreciated! 8)

[pygmalion]

Oh, PaulaAbdulFan. This thread brought tears to my eyes.

You CAN dance. Yes, you can. Body type has nothing to do with it. You, my friend, are beautiful as you are. And don't forget how Ms. Abdul got bulimia herself -- people told her she didn't have "a dancer's body." :shock: What!?! So what the heck was all the dancing and choreography about? Obviously, she could do it, and you can too.


btw, check out the "Dancers' Bodies" thread, and take a look at the Mambo Mamas link. Now those are some BIG, BIG dancers. Somehow I doubt you're anywhere near that big. And still, these women are dancing, enjoying life, and inspiring us all. You can too.


Hugs.

Jenn

[PaulaAbdulFan]

Oh, PaulaAbdulFan. This thread brought tears to my eyes.

You CAN dance. Yes, you can. Body type has nothing to do with it. You, my friend, are beautiful as you are. And don't forget how Ms. Abdul got bulimia herself -- people told her she didn't have "a dancer's body." :shock: What!?! So what the heck was all the dancing and choreography about? Obviously, she could do it, and you can too.


btw, check out the "Dancers' Bodies" thread, and take a look at the Mambo Mamas link. Now those are some BIG, BIG dancers. Somehow I doubt you're anywhere near that big. And still, these women are dancing, enjoying life, and inspiring us all. You can too.


Hugs.

Jenn

Thank you so much, Jenn. :) *hugs* You're right, I am nowhere NEAR as big as those ladies. I am 5'1 and (at last weigh-in) 138 lbs. :oops: That feels like so much to me... anyway like I said thank you! You are so sweet. I will be a dancer, as soon as I turn 18 and my parents can't keep me from it. :roll:
Meanwhile, I hope you guys don't mind if I come here and listen to all you awesome dancers discussion and ask questions. :wink:

THANKS again!!!!!

btw, yes, I am VERY familiar with Ms. Abdul and her courageous fight with bulimia - she won! w00t! So will I. That, and like I said in my previous post... I bet you anything that crazy dance coach who told Paula when she was 8 years old that she didn't have a "dancer's body" (what kind of idiot does that anyway?! she was a child!) is weeping now!!! GO PAULA!!! :D

[Sakura]

:shock: Eek! Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm too late to add anything to this post..... *sweatdrops* But, I can try anyway, right? :roll: :wink:
You should never let anything stand in the way of your dreams! If you want to dance, then that's all that matters. Believe that you can do it and work hard towards making your dream a reality. We all have obstacles we have to overcome in doing this, because it's not easy, but just remember, that for your dancing, at least, you have all of us here at DF just waiting to back you up and help you through tough times! :D =^_^=
I'm sure you'll be a great dancer someday if you just keep working at it! If you need any help with anything (even though I've only been dancing for a few months myself), just let me know, okay? ... And then if I can't help, we'll both go running to all of the wonderful people here! :wink: :lol: 8)
*lots of hugs* Never loose your confidence!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

(PS- Do you read Megatokyo?! I noticed that you used 'w007!' and I was really happy! You're so l337! =^_^=;;)

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Wellcome to the DF PaulaAbdulFan!

I have but one thing to say to you:

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee should not be able to fly, but it doesn't know that, so it flies anyway..."

Regards,

[Sakura]

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee should not be able to fly, but it doesn't know that, so it flies anyway..."

That's a very interesting quote Salsero! :) But, I forgot to mention one very important thing in my earlier post! :oops: I feel bad for not saying it, so here goes: *lots of hugs* Welcome to DF, PaulaAbdulFan! It's great to have you here, and I look forward to seeing more posts from you!

=~_^= I thought it was kinda important to get that out. =^_^= Bai!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[pygmalion]

Yup. Hugs, PaulaAbdulFan. You are welcome and loved here. 8)

[PaulaAbdulFan]

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee should not be able to fly, but it doesn't know that, so it flies anyway..."

I love that!! I am gonna type it out and hang it in a frame on my wall. :P

And thanks so much to everyone -- you guys are so sweet!!! *huge hugs* Thank you again!!!!! :together: