What if you didn't dance?

[SDsalsaguy]

Here's one for all of you dance fanatics out there....what would you spend all of your time doing if you weren't dancing?

Personally I know I'd be doing more photography (well, at least more non-dance photography!); and I used to go camping on the weekends on and off, but there are so many dance happenings on weekends...

[MissAlyssa]

I'd probably go stir crazy...lol, no, I'd probably be a movie critic or something :lol:

[DanceMentor]

If I hadn't picked up dancing, I'd be the shy person I knew 12 years ago. I would probably still be single as well.

I think I would spend more time being involved in outdoor activities like hiking and saving the environment if I didn't dance.

[SDsalsaguy]

I think I would spend more time being involved in outdoor activities like hiking and saving the environment if I didn't dance.
OH-NO! So you're telling me that dancing is bad for the environment? :lol:

[DanceMentor]

OH-NO! So you're telling me that dancing is bad for the environment? :lol:

Yep, I organized Earth Day 1990 and started a recycling program at college. It's been downhill from there. :lol:

[Spitfire]

More time engaged in my other interests such as ghost towns and sports.

[MissAlyssa]

More time engaged in my other interests such as ghost towns and sports.

well you live in the right place to find ghost towns huh? :D

[SDsalsaguy]

...I'd also do more traveling in the sense of just checking places out, not just breezing through them with the competition circuit. As a German photographer said to me last summer, "We get to see the insides of ballrooms, hotels, and airports all over!"

[Spitfire]

More time engaged in my other interests such as ghost towns and sports.

well you live in the right place to find ghost towns huh? :D

That's for sure. Was doing that before I learned to dance.

[Allison]

I just took up dancing, but I box in my spare time and I love photography.

[DanceMentor]

I just took up dancing, but I box in my spare time and I love photography.


Cool, my wife wears a t-shirt to her kickboxing class that says, "You fight like a girl!"

[Allison]

Thats funny!

My training partners would appreciate that, I'm sure. I think its degrading enough for some of them to get beat by someone 50 lbs lighter than them. Its so funny when those new guys come in and refuse to "hit a girl". That doesn't usually last very long.

[youngsta]

I would have had no social life, I mean zero during my teen years if I couldn't dance! It's scary to even think about this...but I would probably be writing a lot more and I'd be a 5.0 tennis pro by now :lol:

[MissAlyssa]

I'm not sure...but I'd be BORED.

[SDsalsaguy]

...oh, almost forgot this one: watch waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too much TV!

[MissAlyssa]

and catch up on some ZZZZs

[SDsalsaguy]

and catch up on some ZZZZs
Nahh, takes too much effort!

[verrronika]

Hm - I agree with Alyssa.. Life'd be totally pointless. Same stupid rubbish every day - work, school, and nothing else.
Life here is impossibly still. It's amazing how people don't notice it. I guess they've never seen anything better. But that isn't a good excuse either as far as I am concerned.
Anyways, if I had the money and the time, I'd travel, I'd learn the languages that I want to know, and I'd sleeeeep.. I'd read and write more too. I'd check the forums out more too :lol:

[dancersdreamland]

I have absolutely no idea what I'd be doing...probably just watching TV. It seems like almost everything I do revolves around dance in some fashion...

practice
class
choreographing
watching dance movies
watching dance tv shows
working on my dance site
reading dance books
researching dance on the web
reading dance magazines
talking on dance forums

Is there anything in life besides dance? (I know...I'm a bit obsessive...someone really should create a self help group...but please, no steps...I have enough from dance already! :wink:)

[MissAlyssa]

Hey my day goes

Wake up
check forums
get ready
check forums
leave for work
dance
check forums
go home
check forums
eat
check forums
sleep

it's neverending

[pygmalion]

None of us has any balance in our lives! It's sad.

Here's my day.

Wake up early.
Check forums.
Dance Practice.
Check Forums.
Make Breakfast.
check Forums.
Go To Gym
Check Forums.
Go to work.
Check Forums.
Pretend to work.
Check Forums.
Go to Dance Lesson.
Check Forums.
Go Home.
Check Forums.
Make Dinner.
Check Forums
Go to Dance class.
Check Forums.


Anybody notice a pattern?

Actually, I have a pretty well-rounded life, just a little too much forums. :lol:

[Vince A]

None of us has any balance in our lives! It's sad.

Here's my day.

Wake up early.
Check forums.
Dance Practice.
Check Forums.
Make Breakfast.
check Forums.
Go To Gym
Check Forums.
Go to work.
Check Forums.
Pretend to work.
Check Forums.
Go to Dance Lesson.
Check Forums.
Go Home.
Check Forums.
Make Dinner.
Check Forums
Go to Dance class.
Check Forums.


Anybody notice a pattern?

Actually, I have a pretty well-rounded life, just a little too much forums. :lol:
Mm-m-m-m-m-m, it looks like, you eat twice a day??? :?

[pygmalion]

Well. ... um ... sometimes I snack while I'm checking the forums. :lol:

[Vince A]

That's about the only time I do eat. It took an hour-and-a-half to eat my salad for lunch today because I was on this site so long!

Work? WORK? What's that??? Some new kind of candy???

[dancer at heart]

...oh, almost forgot this one: watch waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too much TV!

Oh yeah, I used to be a major insomniac. Despite 1-2hrs of running everyday (I was training for marathon), yoga in the morning, hiking and going to the movies, there was not much to do middle of the night other than stiking myself to the TV set. Now a days since I go out to dance at night, I am actually sleeping at least 4-6 hrs a night (even if it's in my car)

Dancing has definitely rescued me from becoming an antenna :lol:

[pygmalion]

Hey!!!!



You need to join the insomniacs are us club. You may be doing something unimportant like watching movies or sleeping. Guess what we're doing? Watching the forums. Very entertaining at 3:00 AM. You must try it! :lol: :lol:

[dancer at heart]

:lol:
Believe it or not, I actually do stay up & read the forum, (took me a while to figure out that I actually need to log in to the other forums too in order to post...and to think after all that college training it still took me all this time to figure something so simple out :P I must have been mistaken for one of the "guests" lurking in the sea for the longest time

hehe...Insominacs are us club, count me in :wink:

[SDsalsaguy]

Ok, next time I see you meandering about the forums at some insomniac -apropriate hour I'll sign you up!

[MissAlyssa]

heeeeeey..I only have time to eat twice a day also.. :?

[pygmalion]

Just keep a bowl of chips next to the computer. You'll eat. Guaranteed! :lol:

[d nice]

Depends if I stopped dancing I right now I'd write more.

If I had never gotten hooked I'd probably either still be fighting or training fighters for MMA.

[dancersdreamland]

Alternative (to chips) quick snack options to eat while typing at the computer:

~ baby carrots
~ slide celery with peanut butter and rasins (ants on a log)
~ peanuts
~ grapes
~ sliced apple
~ goldfish crackers
~ trail mix (peanuts, raisins, dried fruit)

As a fellow dancer, I just thought I'd drop in a little promotion for healthy eating. :D It goes with the whole dance ambassador thing. :wink:

[Allison]

Depends if I stopped dancing I right now I'd right more.

If I had never gotten hooked I'd probably either still be fighting or training fighters for MMA.


MMA-my first passion.

I sent you a pm.

[pygmalion]

Alternative (to chips) quick snack options to eat while typing at the computer:

~ baby carrots
~ slide celery with peanut butter and rasins (ants on a log)
~ peanuts
~ grapes
~ sliced apple
~ goldfish crackers
~ trail mix (peanuts, raisins, dried fruit)

As a fellow dancer, I just thought I'd drop in a little promotion for healthy eating. :D It goes with the whole dance ambassador thing. :wink:

I was just joking about the chips. These are indeed much better food choices. You are so right about healthy eating going with any sort of athletic activity, like dancing.

[dancergal]

Actually I had a lot of hobbies before I started dancing like maniac. All my hobby stuff sits around the house waiting for me to have time to get to them. I really want to make time to get back to some of it. I really enjoy all my hobbies but since dancing took over my life, and I have to work to feed my dancing hobby, everything else is gathering dust. I have 3 cameras for photography, I make novelty candles and soap (mostly around Christmas time), I have tons of scrapbooking materials, stamping and card making, I love to sew, and garden. I have tons of cook books but don't have time to try any new recipes. Who has time to eat? :D

[SDsalsaguy]

What type of photography did you do dancergal? I actually got my photography start working at a portrait studio the year before I started grad school. From there I moved into doing scenic stuff, sunrises/sunsets/flowers/animals/landscapes/etc.,…all of which pretty much fell by the wayside once I started grad school. Then, about a year and a half ago, I realized that it would make a lot of sense to start doing my own ballroom photography, mostly of the people/couples I had interviewed...so I dug out my old camera equipment, wiped off 4-5 years of dust, and started shooting again.

[dancergal]

Hi SD, I took a photography class in my 20's, where I learned to develop and print photos, mostly B&W. Since my kids were babies at that time, most of my photos were of them growing up and artistic type photos to please the instructors. Then I just got too busy with the kids to develop film, but I've always taken photos of them growing up. I've recently gotten back into taking more scenic photos, especially since I've moved to Santa Cruz. I'm re-learning how to use an Minolta SLR since my cameras of late were all fixed snap shot type. I have a digital camera that's really cool to use, but I haven't has a lot of time to experiment with it. You can visit my photo album if you care to at: http://community.webshots.com/user/thatpam
I usually try to scan some of my photos for my online friends. (I'm always behind schedule doing that too!) I take photos of anything that interests me. The scrapbooking has developed from trying to put my photos in some kind of order. I would love to take photos of dancers dancing. I think it would be very cool, but I haven't tried that yet.

[SDsalsaguy]

Oh my G-d, some of those are absolutely fantastic!!! Geez, you have me inspired to want to get back to doing scenic shots as well... Geez, I don't have enough time for everything I do as it is... :?

[dancergal]

Thanks for the compliments SD. I appreciate it. I wish I had more time to explore the area around here, I just love ocean and beach shots. I keep seeing beautiful scenic shots and wish I could stop and take a picture, but I'm always rushing off somewhere. I promised myself when summer came I would take more photos, but summer is gone and I only have a few to show....but my dancing shoes call me and I must go..... :lol: (btw-check back on my albums from time to time. I'm always updating them whenever I get a few minutes to myself to scan my photos in)

[Vince A]

Great photos, Pam . . .

[Swing Kitten]

I really enjoyed some of those photos! They're awesome!!

[dancersdreamland]

I was just joking about the chips.

It's all good...I felt the need to mention something really for my own future reference. I DO tend to keep chips and licorice muncies by the computer. :oops: Very bad dance ambassaor...very bad. :oops:

[SDsalsaguy]

Actually had me thinking about the contrast in my fridge at the moment, sort of noticed it when I got home last night...

My roommate: whole milk, cheese, beer, whisky, chocolate...
Me: eggs, tofu, vegetables, workout recovery drinks...

And our cabinet:

Him: chewy granola bars, nesquwick powder, noodle cups, chips ahoy cookies…
Me: protein powders, misc. vitamins & supplements, whole wheat pasta, soy pasta, soy nuts, almonds…

:lol:

[pygmalion]

I guess we'll have to let you be a dance ambassador, too, SD. :D
With a fridge like that, you're obviously taking this stuff seriously. :D

By the way, if I make it to San Diego, I'm bringing my own chips! :lol: :lol:

[SDsalsaguy]

Honestly Jenn, when I got back from the Italian Open (start of July) I knew I was wrapping up my primary research phase and, as such, would actually have the time to find a partner and get back to competing. That's still a ways off, but I've really been working on getting into competitive shape. I'm not one of those genetically gifted types, so it's been hard... :cry: The nice side of it was when a whole bunch of people (including some I don't even know that well) commented on it to me at the USDSC the other week. :D

[SDsalsaguy]

Hey, wait a minute here....
I guess we'll have to let you be a dance ambassador, too, SD. :D You *guess* you'll let me be a dance ambassador??? :x Why I ought to... :wink:

By the way, if I make it to San Diego, I'm bringing my own chips! :lol: :lol: Don't be silly, you can always buy them here! And I do eat chips from time to time...they just happen to be soy chips, that's all. :wink:

[pygmalion]

Okay, okay. You can be an ambassador, too. Some people! :lol:

[dancersdreamland]

I agree...SD can defintaly be a dance ambassador. With a fridge like that...who can argue. :D

[suek]

This is interesting...here I may actually be unique. You see, i didn't dance for years, forever, until just about 3 years ago. So I know what I'd probably do; what I did then. Worked out (aerobix, weights, yoga) 5-6days per week. Walked some. And sat on my butt. Watched beaucoup TV. Socialized a little differently; now my social life revolves around dance, mostly.

I still like TV, and am glad to own two vcrs, for the stuff I just gotta tape. (Frees me up for classes and social dancing).

Am just now digesting my dinner and getting ready to get ready for the Sacramento Swing Festival weekend. Starts in just over an hour. Frankie Manning, other great teachers (including our Damon aka Dnice). I'm excited.

[pygmalion]

Yay, suek!

Have fun digesting dinner, and have even more fun at the swing festival. Tell Mr. Nice that the dance-forums crew says hey!

Enjoy your weekend. :D

Jenn

[Swing Kitten]

I thought I'd bring this back from the dead so are new folks can take a whack at it!

[pygmalion]

Or so old-timers can have another crack at it? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. A bad time, dance-wise, for the past couple months. Maybe I should just hang up the old Romas and do something else.


Truth be told, I've been busy doing something physical and something community oriented all my adult life, so if I quit dance, I'd still have lots to do. But I'd miss dance, in many other ways. Still thinking.

[Pacion]

Maybe I should just hang up the old Romas and do something else.

Or maybe you might want to consider doing more salsa to get you over these last few months :wink:

Seriously though, I suspect that you will have lots to keep you busy and if you didn't, you would find stuff to do :notworth:

[SDsalsaguy]

Seriously though, I suspect that you will have lots to keep you busy and if you didn't, you would find stuff to do :notworth:
You mean she might have *more* time to post??? :shock: :wink: :lol:

[salsachinita]

Hey! Don't revive old threads without yours truly :D ! I am still the official cheerleader of the Better-late-than-Never Club :lol: !

If I wasn't dancing I would be making more quilts and writing more instructions. More teaching time would result from this.

I'd also cook/bake more, as food is my other passion. Being lactose intolerant though, I can't eat a lot of things....so I love cooking for more people.

I would get more reading done too.....

[dancin_feet]

I don't even want to think about it. Living a life without dance is just unbearable to me.

[Genesius Redux]

Thanks to Swing Kitten for letting the newbies play!

Let's see, before I started dancing I was doing theatre, working full-time at a university, doing a lot of hiking with my dog, and working out in tae kwon do about three times a week. Since taking up dancing, I've worked out in tkd a lot less, and I can generally make it through several months without a bruised rib or broken toe! Not to mention no more black eyes! (Unless I really tick my teacher off....) :wink:

[Swing Kitten]

No problem... it's more fun this way

[pygmalion]

Seriously though, I suspect that you will have lots to keep you busy and if you didn't, you would find stuff to do :notworth:
You mean she might have *more* time to post??? :shock: :wink: :lol:

:shock: Not possible, SD. Not possible. LOL.

[Sarah]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...

[SDsalsaguy]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...
Ditto regarding my dissertation... :oops: :oops: :oops:

[Pacion]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...
Ditto regarding my dissertation... :oops: :oops: :oops:

You mean this isn't "research" time :shock:

I guess a point should come when you are either writing whilst you are "researching" or ... you stop "researching" and start writing :wink: :lol:

[Genesius Redux]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...
Ditto regarding my dissertation... :oops: :oops: :oops:

You mean this isn't "research" time :shock:

I guess a point should come when you are either writing whilst you are "researching" or ... you stop "researching" and start writing :wink: :lol:

ROTFL! If I'd had dance as a distraction back then, I *never* would have finished my dissertation!

Sarah and SDsalsaguy, take it from someone who's been there--the word is "done is good."

Good luck!

Genesius

[Swing Kitten]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...
Ditto regarding my dissertation... :oops: :oops: :oops:

and the procrastination thread is calling your names!! :lol:

[SDsalsaguy]

I'd be writing my thesis instead of browsing the dance forums...
Ditto regarding my dissertation... :oops: :oops: :oops:

You mean this isn't "research" time :shock:
:lol: that's the problem... I'm supposed to be in writing time! :D

[pygmalion]

Just for the record, folks. Today I decided to recommit to dance. I'd been having a really bad time, dancewise, for a few months (since I left my former coach). But today, for no reason I can understand, I feel just fine, and I know in my heart of hearts, that dance will be a part of my life. For the rest of my life.

[Genesius Redux]

Just for the record, folks. Today I decided to recommit to dance. I'd been having a really bad time, dancewise, for a few months (since I left my former coach). But today, for no reason I can understand, I feel just fine, and I know in my heart of hearts, that dance will be a part of my life. For the rest of my life.

Good heavens, I thought you were kidding when you mentioned that you were thinking of giving it all up before! Glad to hear that you can't walk away! :D

[pygmalion]

No. I don't kid about such things. Fortunately for me, I've always come to my senses in the nick of time, just before I give it all up.

[etchuck]

No. I don't kid about such things. Fortunately for me, I've always come to my senses in the nick of time, just before I give it all up.

Good for you. Of course I would have recommended taking different types of dancing and returning to it when you had a chance. That or moving to another city. 8)