Dance Doldrums

The title of this thread resonated with me, and I started to wonder if i'm experiencing it as well. i spent some time thinking about it, and i think it's more the extra driving that i have to do to get to my studio that is wearing on me, and the knee pain i'm suffering. It's hard to work out too, as i know i'll have to deal with the pain aftermath. so less about being in a dance clump and more about an injury slump, i guess.
 
[QUOTE="scullystwin42, post: 1109394, member: 4195"the knee pain i'm suffering[/QUOTE]

My experience with knee pain is that I have to be very careful. Some things I can work through, but knee pain deserves physical therapy, etc. (I have exercises prescribed to me from an earlier incident, but I don't always do them :eek:. I kick into gear if I start having pain.) I also have unconsciously protected my knee and developed bad habits that took eons to fix. If nothing else, try to be very aware of what you are doing!
 
Thanks, @RiseNFall :). This is stemming from an old torn ACL injury and repair from back when i was a teenager in gymnastics. early arthritis and some muscle group uneven-ness has been plaguing me for about 10 months, and i am on my second round of physical therapy in 4 months. i am right there with you with the being careful - i once made a visiting coach completely re-choreograph a show dance number because he put a bunch of drops on the leg with the bad knee. AFTER i told him i had a specific physical limitation. *eyeroll* it does put a damper on the energy and enthusiasm for dance sometimes, tho.
 
wishing for a "sympathy" button here. "like" kinda gives the wrong impression!
FancyFeet said:
It's pretty simple - I want to be out there too, and I've worked hard enough that I feel like I deserve to be
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It's a shame that the Pro-Am couples can't compete "hors concours" in open amateur.... and get marked so they have a comparison for where they would sit.... not an answer I know, sigh:sorry:
 
Well, I am so in there with everyone. Came back from Texas after Christmas and became a professional sofa sitter with remote control. Literally didn’t budge out of the house.....at all. January passed, first part of Feb, DH gently asked.....what’s up you haven’t even visited the studio for any reason. Just now starting to wake up and thinking about new challenges, maybe Bollywood, really, fast/furious and good exercise. Serious “don’t care and glad I’m not competing” vibe going on.
 
SwingingAlong said:
..... most days, being alive and well is enough.

Take that, Dance Doldrums:punch:
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And other days? Not so much. Got back from my holiday where I did heaps of dancing, and had a marvelous time with my family. And it has rained, and rained and rained..... I can't seem to settle back into how I was, with solo practices and the very occasional blast with DH.... somehow, just. not. working. Maybe the cold and damp that is making me achey is partly the cause, but there is a deep abiding sadness that I am not even part of a dance community, and I miss the interactions.
Sure, I could start running a social group again, but when it gets to the stage that its not covering the rent,....nope.
 
Not doldrums as such, but circumstances have dictated that I take a break for a few weeks. And right now I am OK with that. I needed the time to think about a few things. I was implementing a few changes in the plan before this happened, and this beak has given me confidence that I'm going in the right direction.
 
Reviving this thread because I am in the doldrums again. I really would like to dance, but current circumstances make it really difficult. Between the long drive to the studio 45 minutes (each way) in good weather, having a difficult time finding a place to practice (not the studio, it is too far, nothing in my house works and the gym has classes during the times I can be there) and a challenging new pro I am not motivated to stay with it. Maybe this should be in the whining thread, but I am back to feeling like I don't want to put in the effort anymore. I need to find the fun again, and right now it is just work. Yes, practice is work, but there was always fun around practice for me. Not sure where to go with this, but need to work out a plan.
 
It sounds like you live in an area without a lot of ballroom dance options. If there is any way to try out new Pros, though, I would as a change may resolve a lot of your lack of enthusiasm.

In the interim, like Joy, I found that doing a different type of dance (in my case Salsa) that was more "low key" as far as expectations went but that provided several other benefits) was a good fit. I also danced a lot less frequently and relied more heavily on group classes.

You could also maybe think about what draws you to dance to see if something else could meet that (or some of that) for now. If it's the movement, maybe yoga or pilates or doing a fast walk or a bike ride; if i's the music maybe going to concerts or try taking up playing an instrument etc. It may not be a perfect answer, but it may give you a bit of time to figure things out.
 
jiwinco,
So sorry to hear this. Trying to brainstorm:

Finding suitable practice space is a bear. Is there a nearby park district that might have a facility with a decent-sized room? A nearby church with a multi-purpose room that you might be able to use (maybe if you provide a donation to them - [I know, that can get tricky])? Maybe there's some store/warehouse that is desperate to rent out space and you could work out a deal, lay a temporary floor, hang a mirror?

For lessons - it wasn't ideal, but I spent months and months during the lockdown taking lessons via zoom. Some Pros must still be willing to do that and you could try out some different Pros that way (thinking of scullystwin and her on-going lessons with her secret pro). I realize that if you don't have practice space, that also means that you'd be challenged to take lessons without space...

I wish I had some better suggestions for you.
 
Thank you for the suggestions! There aren't a lot of options for instructors in my area, especially for an open dancer. Cal I was looking for a gym in the area to join that might have a workable room. I was using my garage, no mirror, but it has been so bitter cold I can't stand being out there. Dance Redeemer & Joy, thanks for the suggestion. I had thought about switching to smooth, since there is a very good smooth instructor here. It's been a while since I danced smooth, but I have been considering it. He is strictly geared to competition, so not sure. I have never been much of a social dancer, but thought about going to a studio where I am friends with the owner. She runs a social studio. More to think about. I will try to focus on what I love about dancing and see if I can pull myself out of this funk.
 
SwingingAlong said:
Can you do more things where you are dancing but not reliant on a partner? I know you are doing Ballet, is there room to extend in that direction? I would hate to have to give up too. After my enforced 2 years where I did hardly anything, I am getting back into things. So pleased that despite the recent diagnosis of osteoporosis in my spine (it is 85 years old, according to the graph. I am still allowed to dance. In fact it is really good for the osteo. The doldrums are always with me - they rear up when I yearn for what I don't have (access to lessons more than once every 3 months, a comp partner, breasts) rather than focusing on what I do have (access to a free space to practice, a sometimes fun dance with DH, legs, and my life).

If you would like some advice, take a break. Save the money you would spend on lessons, and go on a really cool holiday.... or do something else with it to help yourself feel happy. I have dreams of one day going on a trip to another country and having lessons for a month with someone whose dancing I really admire....a long away dream, I don't even own a passport:rofl:
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How did they figure out the age of your spine???

And I totally agree with the advice of taking a break before any drastic decision making or even just any expectation of knowing what to do.

I took lessons in Hungary (where I'm originally from) and Austria, and it IS fun to take lessons abroad :).
 
10tmf said:
Not sure if this help at all as I haven’t had dance doldrums, but I used to get swimming/water polo doldrums when I played them competitively growing up. Towards my senior year of college, I’d have the exact same feeling of “I’m so glad I’m not doing that” when I’d go watch my friends compete in other meets or tournaments my team wasn’t a part of.

I knew I still liked both sports (I still play both today) but for whatever reason the thought of getting in the pool and competing grated on me so much that I thought about quitting constantly.

To make a longish story short, what got me through it was writing. I took 15-30 minutes just before bed and just journaled specifically about water polo/swimming. How my practices were going, what about them was good/bad, how I felt during them, etc. While it didn’t clear things up immediately, it did help me get to the root of my issue and once I found that out I was able to deal with it much more proactively.
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And so what was the issue?
 
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