Taking a break from dancing

[danceguy]

Question for the dance veterans out there...have any of you taken a break from dancing, and if so for how long? I'm also very interested to hear how the time off was for you.

I'm not going to quit dance, but I'm at a wall with my current dance practice and I just feel like I need to take a break for a week or two and focus on some other areas of my life.

Hopefully in that time off I'll find the answer that I don't seem to have right now...but at least for the time being, I think this is a good thing for me.

Thoughts? Stories? Do tell.

Best,

SG

[NeoDevin]

I took a break for 10 years and I still regret it ;)

[Spitfire]

I think of doing so from time to time, but don't know what else I'd do.

I did take a couple weeks of in January, but this was due to surgery.

[Sagitta]

I am taking a break now and suprisingly am doing fine without it. :) Am teaching my cousin to dance a day here and there etc, but I don't consider that dancing. Does put things in perspective, and is good for a change. I get a chance to do things that I normally wouldn't do otherwise.

Also took a week off around christmas time. I found that it didn't hurt my dancing in the least. :)

[virginiadancegirl]

Took 6 yrs off...and can't at this point believe I did it! I realized once I started dancing again how much I loved and missed it.....

[etchuck]

I have told people I have been dancing off and on for about 10 years, mostly off for six of them. I don't regret being away for that amount of time. I had a lot of things on the plate (like a thesis), and that was one of the ones that had to go. I also had a gf who just wouldn't do dancing and got me involved in tons of other stuff that I also liked. Finally, I have other activities that I was involved with (and still am involved with) that I enjoyed because of the people associated with them, as opposed to what I felt was a very cliquish group of people in the dancing community. I wanted to be away from the weird personal confusion that existed which was an unnecessary and unenjoyable distraction from dancing. Once I broke up with the gf, got my degree, and changed jobs, I found a good group of people to associate with with dancing. But it really wasn't until this past summer though that I decided I was "stable" enough to return to taking lessons and really get better with my dancing. I would be careful with the weird interpersonal issues that could come up (read as: damn, why didn't these good-looking 18-year-old coeds do ballroom dancing when I was in college? Am I going to get arrested or slapped?), but as long as I had a great time learning, so much the better.

The hiatus gave me a better appreciation of being an organizer and a better club leader, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships on the ballroom team(s). Now I do my best to be proactive, circumventing and preventing those situations from happening rather than stewing in a passive-aggressive state as I get or see others getting screwed over.

I will agree: maybe it's a question of change-of-venue. The advantage that I like to take advantage of is that there are a lot of dances that go on around here that you can only choose one every week among: salsa, swing, ballroom... Durham/Chapel Hill or Raleigh. And then I have work at times which takes me away from home and I don't generally do dancing when I'm on the road. Unlike the people I know who just do salsa or just do swing, I like the fact I can change my mind and dance from place-to-place and still adjust. Frankly I don't always like going to salsa-only or swing-only dances because the variety of ballroom just doesn't always show up as often. (And I'm not even mentioning contra dancing or vintage dancing.)

[Vince A]

I decided to take a break from competition, but no way could I take a break from just dancing for fun. I just have way too much fun doing it! . . . and just think, SG, if you did take a break, all those thousands of females that "could" be missed by you not being around.

Seriously, may be just go out dancing once a week or every other week for a change. Try a new place, a new dance, some new clothes . . . thinking outside the box will get you "into one."

[Shamby]

I think you only need a break if you've been overdoing it. I once danced seven days a week for about a month or so. It was exhausting both mentally and physically. I cut back to about three times a week but I think I'd overdosed. I stopped dancing for about three weeks eventually then jumped in and danced again. I enjoyed it so much more and it didn't seem like a chore. My feet didn't hurt so badly and everyone suspected I'd found myself a new beau! :)

[dancersdreamland]

Between wedding planning, insane work demands, and a new found appreciation for church...I am in the midst of a dancing break. Have been for a couple months and it really stinks...

It seems like each time I'm going to get back to class, I have some excuse to not go. Not really sure what's holding me back...but I have to get pass it and soon. Hopefully, my Tuesdays will free up again soon so I can get back to belly dance...my true dance passion.

[danceguy]

DDL,

How have you been? So nice to see you around again...with so much going on I don't know how you find time to even post! I'm sure once things are settled you will find the time to dance again.

Will you be dancing at your wedding? I hope you share a few pictures. :)

All the best!

Sincerely,

SG

[dancersdreamland]

SG - Been busy...this is the first chance I've had to even read the boards. It almost makes me sad...wish I had more time to catch up on the boards and to get out and dance. Hmm...

Of course there will be dancing at the wedding...nothing formalized or choreographed...except the occassional line dance and maybe the chicken dance. It's a "Return to Childhood" theme, so there will have to be the ever famous hokey-pokey.

I will definately post pictures after the wedding...not till October.

Thanks, for the greeting, SG.

[Sagitta]

Okay now I have the time away from dance to really talk about this topic. I type this as my ears ring and salsa music webcast streams into my bedroom. I think a break is good. I didn't think I needed it, and lost some by not dancing for a month, and not listening to salsa etc for a couple weeks. However, I have got as many compliments since getting back as I got before going (Granted that I only started in the fall of last year, but still.), and I've only been back since the beginning of April. My dancing is fresh and I feel it.

I didn't need a break from dancing, I wasn't exhausted, or worn out, or not making progress, but it did me good.

I'll never take abreak from dance, but if life circumstances throw it my way I'll enjoy it know that though I come back knowing less, I'll still know more. They say that the more you dance the less you know. So why not ocassionally enjoy less and less dancing and learn more and more!! :wink: :) :D :banana: :banana: :banana:

[luv2dnc]

hi!
ive been thinking about taking a break from dance(ballet) for about a year..but i cant seem to bring myself to do it..my teacher told me to take one if i needed it becasue you put yourself through too much when you keep doing it and at the same time also questioning it...if you keep doing it when your not really sure..sooner or later you may lose your enthusiasm for it...you will never lose the passion..but it may seem more like work than fun.what kind of dance do you do?remeber, dont over work yourself...dance is a passion of mine..but its not worth losing the love for it! :D

[cocodrilo]

I've always enjoyed going to clubs and dancing, but since I got into salsa a few years ago, things have changed dramatically. Lessons 2-3 times a weeks, hourly long practice sessions at home, parties almost every weekend. When the cliques of people started to get to me, however, I slowed down a bit. I still love going to the parties and produce a latin dance event every other month or so. When the time is right(economic climate/trend climate here in Japan), I am hoping to start a latin dance club. That way, I can dance anytime I want, without having to wait for someone to have a party or go through the trouble renting a place out and dealing with studio owners, etc.

[LauraB]

check out the thread "coming back from a hiatus"