After reading your posts, I think you are not as boring as you think!
How are your practices going?
- Thread starter latingal
- Start date
After reading your posts, I think you are not as boring as you think!
Happyhorsie
Well-Known Member
I also have to pretend like I’m playing a character cuz otherwise I keep flinching away from eye contact which is a no-no in latin lol. My coach keeps telling me to stop letting my eyes wander haha.
fatherdowling
Well-Known Member
My teacher today was like ‘it’s okay to smile.’ Lol.
I tend to have Resting B**ch Face so I probably need to work on a pleasant neutral face.
I tend to have Resting B**ch Face so I probably need to work on a pleasant neutral face.
flying_backwards
Well-Known Member
Happy News 
The beautiful spacious floor at a local gym has finally reopened for dance practice.
Cue the vintage 'Happy Days are Here Again' melody.
A couple years back when they closed it off to us we all lost out on the remainder of that year's membership dues but what saddened me most then was losing such an inspiring and convenient floor. So I promised them if they ever re-opened, I'd be back.
I wish I could report that I kept practicing but the sad reality is that yucky floors make it so unpleasant that I just did not have the discipline to solo practice like I used to.
Today feels all rainbows and birdsong and I cannot wait to resume daily practice. I just have to go out and buy practice wear 4 sizes bigger, at least til I get back in shape. OMG when I dragged out my old practice bag those sizes look like doll clothes. Was I really that tiny?!
Special shout-out to @Cal to whom I bow with respect that you can solo practice on a racquetball court. You're my hero.
The beautiful spacious floor at a local gym has finally reopened for dance practice.
Cue the vintage 'Happy Days are Here Again' melody.
A couple years back when they closed it off to us we all lost out on the remainder of that year's membership dues but what saddened me most then was losing such an inspiring and convenient floor. So I promised them if they ever re-opened, I'd be back.
I wish I could report that I kept practicing but the sad reality is that yucky floors make it so unpleasant that I just did not have the discipline to solo practice like I used to.
Today feels all rainbows and birdsong and I cannot wait to resume daily practice. I just have to go out and buy practice wear 4 sizes bigger, at least til I get back in shape. OMG when I dragged out my old practice bag those sizes look like doll clothes. Was I really that tiny?!
Special shout-out to @Cal to whom I bow with respect that you can solo practice on a racquetball court. You're my hero.
peachy0902
Active Member
you and me both ahahahha
joy
Forum Master
No labels smooth practice partner wants to perform our piece soon. It's probably at a "meh" stage, like not terrible, not great. But we are probably reaching the point where we are getting sick of practicing the routine so it's time to show it.
Over on the WCS side, I have a second teacher since he's been teaching me stuff that first teacher is for some reason not teaching me. So I have a Smooth Pro, 2 practice partners (WCS and Smooth), 2 WCS Pros, and my personal life that I am juggling. It's a lot of scheduling. I do feel like I have a gazillion men in my life each with their likes/dislikes/triggers. Grateful but also have to make sure I have zen time to center myself.
Over on the WCS side, I have a second teacher since he's been teaching me stuff that first teacher is for some reason not teaching me. So I have a Smooth Pro, 2 practice partners (WCS and Smooth), 2 WCS Pros, and my personal life that I am juggling. It's a lot of scheduling. I do feel like I have a gazillion men in my life each with their likes/dislikes/triggers. Grateful but also have to make sure I have zen time to center myself.
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
Well... there are some disadvantages to dancing with spouse too. But husband and I have decided we will bite the bullet and aim to dance Am-Am at Crystal Ball in June. We have not decided if it will be rhythm or smooth. (I think it should be rhythm. There is no disagreement. We just haven't discussed.)
That's really my main point. Dancing seriously with an SO is almost entirely downside, if you ask me!
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
I find it largely upside. But in my case they are usually dance partner before they become SO. This way you can make sure you marry the perfect dance partner.
Once again, I find myself green with envy!Happy News
The beautiful spacious floor at a local gym has finally reopened for dance practice.
Cue the vintage 'Happy Days are Here Again' melody.
A couple years back when they closed it off to us we all lost out on the remainder of that year's membership dues but what saddened me most then was losing such an inspiring and convenient floor. So I promised them if they ever re-opened, I'd be back.
I wish I could report that I kept practicing but the sad reality is that yucky floors make it so unpleasant that I just did not have the discipline to solo practice like I used to.
Today feels all rainbows and birdsong and I cannot wait to resume daily practice. I just have to go out and buy practice wear 4 sizes bigger, at least til I get back in shape. OMG when I dragged out my old practice bag those sizes look like doll clothes. Was I really that tiny?!
Special shout-out to @Cal to whom I bow with respect that you can solo practice on a racquetball court. You're my hero.
However, I have a couple of (lemonade-out-of-lemons) observations as to my current experience with my racquetball court practice space: (i) due to the size of the space, it’s way too small for me to do any full-size run-throughs of my routines, or even amalgamations, so now I pay more attention to transitioning between figures; and (ii) due to the hard, sticky floor, I have no choice but to pay a lot of attention to technique, so that I can avoid injury to my joints.
So, a couple of positive results of that: (a) I’m getting a lot more consistency in “rolling” through my knees; (b) I’m getting a lot more floor coverage in each figure; (c) during lessons, I can tell that the additional attention that I’m giving to technique is paying off in improvements to certain things that have been chronic trouble spots.
When I used to have the opportunity to practice regularly on a larger-and-sprung floor, I very, very often gave in to the temptation to do at least 2 back-to-back rounds per practice session (good for cardio); but, in doing that, it was way too easy to put-aside-for-a-later-time some less-than-correct technique that would creep in. But, now, no excuses for procrastinating about working on technique.
flying_backwards
Well-Known Member
THAT. Sooo true.
Rounds are fun, and fun is essential. But that's exactly what happened at my solo practice last night at the lovely floor I just returned to. All that space, it just begged for rounds. I did do a tiny bit of technique (lowering with control). And I did review the new timing concept from lesson Monday. And I certainly do need cardio. So, overall, a good practice.
I made a small glass of lemonade myself: After only 45 minutes my shoe came unglued. I wanted to keep dancing (fun rounds). So I became focused on that part of that shoe. This required precise and conscious contact between floor and sole, lest the sole rip off further. Tricky to trail heels in a feather or three step and only retain just barely enough floor contact to not peel off the shoe sole. (It was the back of the sole that came loose.)
So, now, it seems that a couple of disgruntled racquetball players might be trying to oust me from my racquetball court practice space.
I reserve a court EVERY time I want to practice. In the next-door court, there is a group of men who play racquetball, and often, when an “extra” is waiting to get swapped-in to a game, they spill over into the neighboring empty courts to bang a ball around. When I get there, I tap on the door and tell them that I’ve got the court reserved and they need to leave. Usually there is no problem.
But, yesterday, the “extra” guy banging the ball around the court I’d reserved, tried the bully-boy tactic. I tapped on the door and Bully Boy ignored me; tapped again, ignored; opened door and stated that I had the court reserved. Bully Boy planted himself in front of me and said “the courts are for racquetball.” I told him yes, I know that people play racquetball on the courts, but I’d reserved the court. He kept loudly arguing that the courts are for racquetball only; so finally I told him that I had reserved the court and he should go and complain to the management at the front desk. So, he finally left.
I doubt whether he’ll go to the trouble to complain to the Y about me. Even if he does, the Y knew right from the start that I planned to use the court for dance practice and didn't say I couldn't. But, just in case, I went out and bought a really cheap racquetball racquet and can of balls. If anyone tries to kick me off my reserved court, I’ll just tell them that I’m waiting for my racquetball partner to show up to play; and then I can pick up the racquet and start trying to hit a ball for a minute or two. I think the sight of a female (and leftie!) flailing around swinging a weapon at a projectile might be enough to get a complainer to back off.
I reserve a court EVERY time I want to practice. In the next-door court, there is a group of men who play racquetball, and often, when an “extra” is waiting to get swapped-in to a game, they spill over into the neighboring empty courts to bang a ball around. When I get there, I tap on the door and tell them that I’ve got the court reserved and they need to leave. Usually there is no problem.
But, yesterday, the “extra” guy banging the ball around the court I’d reserved, tried the bully-boy tactic. I tapped on the door and Bully Boy ignored me; tapped again, ignored; opened door and stated that I had the court reserved. Bully Boy planted himself in front of me and said “the courts are for racquetball.” I told him yes, I know that people play racquetball on the courts, but I’d reserved the court. He kept loudly arguing that the courts are for racquetball only; so finally I told him that I had reserved the court and he should go and complain to the management at the front desk. So, he finally left.
I doubt whether he’ll go to the trouble to complain to the Y about me. Even if he does, the Y knew right from the start that I planned to use the court for dance practice and didn't say I couldn't. But, just in case, I went out and bought a really cheap racquetball racquet and can of balls. If anyone tries to kick me off my reserved court, I’ll just tell them that I’m waiting for my racquetball partner to show up to play; and then I can pick up the racquet and start trying to hit a ball for a minute or two. I think the sight of a female (and leftie!) flailing around swinging a weapon at a projectile might be enough to get a complainer to back off.
@Cal - You are my heroine!
Regardless of whether you play racquetball or not, you have reserved the court and the organization has allowed you to do so without stipulations that you must be playing said game at all times.
My two cents... you could have a hopscotch or jacks game going and it shouldn't matter. You have the facility's permission and that bully could have reserved a court just like you to use for his raquetball related warm-ups.
Regardless of whether you play racquetball or not, you have reserved the court and the organization has allowed you to do so without stipulations that you must be playing said game at all times.
My two cents... you could have a hopscotch or jacks game going and it shouldn't matter. You have the facility's permission and that bully could have reserved a court just like you to use for his raquetball related warm-ups.