Warning: Dancing Changes You!

I started dancing around six months ago. Sounds like a long time compared how fast the time have seemed to pass by. Still, I feel like I have learned so much during these months. Before I knew Nic was a dancer and that he wanted to dance with me, I would have never imagined to be able to fullfill one of my dreams of becoming a dancer. I believe in destiny and it has to have something to do in this. I always wanted to start dancing and Nic needed someone to make him dancing again. Somehow we ended up in the opposite side of the world which led us becoming dancing partners; this cannot be a coincidence!

 I must say dancing has already changed me enormously. Somehow it has made me feel more feminine. I have started moving differently, walking differently and carrying myself differently. My posture has gone better and I've learned how to behave like a lady. I have lost the extra kilos I wanted to get rid of anyways. I haven't been ill for the longest time: before I used to have flu every three months and every time I was slightly sick for weeks. Now that I think of it, I haven't been sick since I started dancing!

It is not just my appearance that has undergone changes. I have started listening different kind of music, started to get goose bumps whenever I see someone dance amazingly well (e.g. when watching movies like Black Swan, Take The Lead etc.) and started talking about dancing a lot (maybe until it gets even irritating to some!). Most importantly, I have found a passion that drives me forward and gives me huge amount of energy every single day. I have learned lots about myself, like that I am a damn good copycat and a fast learner, but also that I am even more self-critical than I thought I would be. I've learned that sometimes it is so hard to step out of my comfort zone and to not care how others view me. Maybe I have become even quite selfish in sense that I concentrate more on what I really want to do and not to what others want me to do.

It is quite amazing how much I have learned also about dancing. I already know basic steps and quite many figures to Slow Waltz, Foxtrot, Slow Fox, Quickstep, Jive, Vienna Waltz, Tango, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Samba, Salsa, Merengue and Bachata. That's thirteen dances, eleven of which I had never danced before! Now I wish I would have videotaped some of our first practices so I could concretely see how much I have evolved. Even though I still have lots and lots to learn, I have made a progress I can be proud of.

During these months I have noticed that there are two types of dancers. The first type is like me: I dance because how it makes me feel. Dancing gives me indescribable joy and it is a way of expressing myself. Dancing is a passion that goes deep inside my heart. I think dancing reveals your soul. When I dance, I cannot be anyone else but truly me. My dancing comes from my heart. I love closing my eyes when dancing just to experience the feeling in my heart more deeply. Dancing makes me go to a different, hidden world where I can find myself the way I am, with my flaws and strenghts, dreams and hopes, past and present.

The other type keeps on dancing because s/he wants to be perfect in it. Dancing is a series of movements that has to be performed flawlessly. This type pays enormously attention to the small details that matter so much and s/he gets fulfillment from being excellent in dancing. Being a good dancer equals to being a good person.

The second type might have a better technique than the first one, s/he might perform the choreographies better and rank higher in competitions. However, I personally enjoy watching someone who truly loves dancing with his whole heart. I think you won't be able to understand why some people dedicate their lives to dancing if you haven't experienced this feeling yourself. I am so happy I have been able to experience the feeling dancing gives me.

Today is the last time I go dancing with Nic for more than a month. This means I will not update my blog for a while but I'll start writing again in September. Anyway, we were planning on going to Coronita which, by the way, is closing down next month. This is just my luck: when I start liking some place they close it down. Well, I have to check out the new Havana when I come back to Finland after my travels. 'Till then, enjoy the Finnish summer and I'll see you again in September!

Love For Dancing.

I experienced a new feeling the other day. I didn't feel like dancing.

First thing I thought was: what is wrong with me? Me, who is always craving for dancing, anywhere, anytime. How can I not feel like dancing? Why am I not holding my breath for today's dancing practice?

Well, it will blow over when I start dancing, I thought. Then I went dancing and didn't feel like it.

I was devastated. Now there definitely has to be something wrong with me. Could I be sick or is it just the recent happenings in my life that are pushing me down?  I tried to close my eyes, tried to find the joy of dancing inside me. I tumbled with my steps, I got frustrated about it. Nic looked me with his worried eyes and tried to cheer me up. I tried to smile but I couldn't. I felt like I had lost something precious. Had I lost my love for dancing, I worried. How horrible idea.

Love is a mysterious thing. It can make your heart jump, stop and break. My love for dancing is so intense it made me confused. I haven't lost my love, it just tested me. I felt so broken because I was expecting me to always have an extreme heat for dancing. But I guess it is like with any other love: the heat evens out but leaves devotion and deep affection. Our love is eternal, after all.

Summer Dances Fast.

The summer has gone so fast. Next week I will leave to my Eastern European trip for one month which means a long break to dancing, the longest since I started dancing. It has been an awesome summer though and I feel like I have developed my dancing skills notably. Only two practices, one Opera Salsa and one Salsa party to go. Well okay, I am super exited about my trip and I know the time will fly during the next month. And who knows, maybe I will find myself in some Salsa club along my journey.

Then again it is a good thing that I have to keep a break from dancing for a while. Last night I went to bar Cuba for Tropicoco Salsa party and my once gone hip pain reappeared. To tell the truth, we have been dancing quite a lot lately so no wonder my body is responding to it somehow. Also my feet got really tired already after one and half hours, compared to the fact that I have no problems dancing two hours a row in our Monday practices! I think after the break my body will be ready for new challenges, techniques and dancing moves.

Yesterday was the first time we went to the Tropicoco party, maybe because we both have to work on Friday mornings. I have been in Cuba one before though, for Wednesday's after work party, and I liked the place. Last night started shortly after nine with two dancing lessons that I think are nice way to get people coming in early. First 30 minutes we danced a short choreogrphy of LA style Salsa followed with 30 minutes of Cuban Rumba. If someone says the word Rumba to me I connect it to ballroom Rumba so Cuban Rumba was quite a shock for me. I would call it Salsa rather than Rumba. Anyway I am open to new things and it is always fun to learn something different. I have no idea if I was doing anything right but at least I had fun and Nic said I did really well. Copycatting seems to work well for me!

After the dance lessons we hit the dance floor with Nic as soon as there was someone else dancing there too (I hate going to the dance floor first if there is no one there; I like attention but not that much attention!). We had so much fun dancing Salsa it was hard to stop! When we finally took a break during Batchata and Kizomba music we found ourselves so tired we couldn't reach the same fire we had before. When my hip started to hurt we decided it was time to head home. I don't remember when was the last time my feet were hurting that much as when we walked to the railwaystation last night.

Oh right, there was a raffle among the people who attended the dancing lessons and I happened to win tickets to Tampere Salsa festival's Saturday party. The problem is that I have a meeting this weekend I cannot skip so I cannot go there even though I really wanted to. This is so my luck to win this kind of prize, like I didn't already feel bad enough not being able to attend the festival! Fate is sometimes cruel.

Lift Me Up.

On Monday we practiced Samba after a long break. The reason we have been taking a break from the dance is my (and Nic's) back problems which are now getting better. It is not wise to dance Samba if your back is hurting even a little because the hip movement is so intense. I found out it is still hard to do the Bounce Action but I guess I am getting the hang out of it. I am also starting to get irritated if I cannot control my upper body and that is exactly what happens in Samba. It would be nice to know Samba better because it is such a fun and energetic dance. Well, all it needs is practice, practice and practice.

Nic has been getting excited about different kind of lifts lately so we tried out one easy but good looking lift we could do in Salsa or other Latin dances. I think Nic might have got the idea of the lift from Tango because I came across a picture of a Tango couple doing the same kind of movement in today's newspaper. In the lift I kind of jump into Nic's arms and cross my legs nicely. I tried to find an electronic picture of the lift but this is the closest I found:

The difference is that my right leg sits on my left leg. I am still thinking of the best ways to get back down from the position and I also have to practice the entrance so that I won't hurt Nic with my heels. If we try this out at today's practice we could use it already on Sunday's Opera Salsa! This Opera Salsa will be by the way my last one for this summer so I am hoping we can go to town on it.

Lastly, here are couple of pictures of some beautiful lifts. How inspirational!

Opera Salsaing.

So it is Monday again. One of my favorite weekdays because we have our long practice today. But I must say, wow, yesterday at the Opera was just simply amazing. I haven't had that much fun there yet! Lots of people, good music, great dancers, nice weather and happy feeling.

I had a great weekend behind me so it didn't really bother me that Nic went to this nice Salsa party on Friday without me. Actually one girl Nic danced there asked him if he had a dancing partner because she was looking for one. Sorry girl, Nic is mine and there is no way someone can steal him from me! Anyway, it is nice to know that even if Nic could get a way better dancer he still wants to stick with me. Now I don't feel worried leaving him for one month in couple of weeks for my InterRail trip. I know that when I come back I still have my dancing partner and we can start practicing soon after I return.

Before I felt kind of jealous if Nic danced with others. Somehow I felt like I would have to be better than all of them to be able to keep Nic happy. Now I have realized that this way of thinking is incorrect. It is not about how good you are or how good you can be. Its about having the same enthusiasm and passion for dancing. Its about sharing your heart and soul with each other. It is hard to find someone who thinks alike and shares the same values plus haves the same drive to dancing as you do. Nic is my first and only dance partner and I feel so lucky that our paths crossed one year ago.

Yesterday Nic was dancing with this amazing dancer and they looked so good together. I know Nic was being little worried of how I was feeling about this but I simply enjoyed watching them dance. It is always a pleasure to wacth a dance couple who knows what they are doing. The only thing that bothers me was that after dancing with her Nic was too exhausted to dance with me! Well okay, after a short break we were already making some cool moves on the dance floor, including one crazy bending that I really loved. I had the perfect feeling for dancing yesterday and didn't want to stop dancing at all (sorry Nic if I was so demanding!). We also danced some Batchata for a long time and the moment we started Nic asked: have you been watching some girls dancing Batchata here!? Yes, I am quite good copycat I must say!

While Nic was dancing with others one dance teacher asked me to dance. He is really talented and been dancing a long time. Dancing with him proved that I am still in the beginner level when it comes to dancing with others than Nic. He was really nice though and I am hoping to dance with him soon again. I don't know why but I am quite nervous when dancing with others and its hard to relax and just enjoy. I guess it is my perfectionism that is pushing through; hating of making mistakes and expecting to be better than I am from the beginning. I think I should just be brave and ask people to dance to get over this problem. So guys, come and ask me for a dance next time you see me (but be patient with my mistakes)!

Now that we have been in quite many Salsa events lately, we are slowly getting into the Salsa society here in Helsinki. I also noticed most of my postings have been about Salsa. However, we are still concentrating only to ballroom dances in our practices. Next step then is to get into the ballroom dancing circles!

BTW, here is a video about crazy Salsa dancing. Seriously, thats C-R-A-Z-Y!

Infecting The Dance Fever.

I spend my sunny yesterday evening with my new Polish friend. She is visiting Finland for couple of weeks and her host family asked me to keep her some company and to show how the young spend their free time around here. I was thinking hard what I could show her and since we were having our Wednesday practice in the evening anyway, I decided to take her along. I tempted one of my friend to partner her, and so the setting was done.

Either of them didn't have previous ballroom dancing experience which was perfect because we were able to start from the very basics with both of them and they didn't get bored of the slow progress. I suggested to Nic that he would teach them Salsa because the basic steps are easy to learn and today there is going to be a Salsa party in Cuba where I invited my Polish friend to come. So the first 45 minutes or so we practiced the basic step, lady solo and a basic turn for man. In the end of the hour Nic introduced Merengue to us. I haven't been dancing Merengue for a long time myself and somehow, even though the steps are really simple, I am quite uncomfortable with the dance. I have a feeling that they are not playing that much Merengue in Salsa events anymore, but it is more Batchata and Kizomba if not Salsa.

Sorry, I didn't remember to take pics during the practice, so these are taken after dancing.

Anyway, I got a feeling that both of my friends were enjoying the practice and at least for me the one hour went past really fast. I was talking to the Polish girl about dancing before the practice and she said that someone tried to teach her Salsa before but she didn't really like it. I took this as a challenge and after the lesson she was actually saying that she might want to take some dancing lessons when she goes back home. Dancing fever infected successfully! I am hoping that she will join me and Nic today in Tropicoco party to Cuba so she can see how it is like in Salsa parties.

Before the Tropicoco party I and Nic are going to the French Embassy, they are having some party there today. Cool!

Welcome To The Intermediate Level!

Wow, I am so excited about what happened at today's practice! I don't know what really happened but I made so huge improvement I cannot believe! I didn't do anything differently on purpose but everything just felt so much easier and more effortless from the beginning. Oh you should have seen Nic's face! He was being so surprised and proud and happy at the same time.

So we started with Rumba walks and I tried to keep in mind the main four things: move forward with hip first, imagine my spine going to the opposite direction, keep my body up straight and shift the weight slowly from one leg to another. At first I had to focus on keeping my balance so Nic gave me a good tip: when moving the weight to the front leg, try to push yourself forward with the back leg. After the last walk I made across the dance floor, Nic sang out: Welcome to the intermediate level! He said I'm starting to have this kind of aura around me. I couldn't help smiling.

I kept on the good work with doing the lady solo spin practice. Nic was looking at my legs with his mouth open. "That is so latin!" he kept on repeating while taking pictures for an evidence. I think dancing lots of Salsa lately has definitely paid off! I feel like I'm finally pretty balanced and confident dancing with my shoes. I am also more open on trying new things even though my attempts might be disasters. Before I was more buttoned up and always afraid of looking ridiculous. Dancing is about throwing yourself completely into it.

We also did some Dirty Dancing lifts again (we were able to keep it for 2 secs, yay!) and practiced a new move to Slowfox (the Great Escape, as Nic called it). What a successful practice all in all. I am so proud of myself! And I know Nic is also.

24h Salsa Party.

Yesterday I and Nic went to 24h Salsa party organized by Salsa Borealis, Helsinki Salsa Association. We took a ferry to Pihlajasaari around noon and headed to the camping area there. While the organizers were putting up the music and other stuff, I decided to take a small nap to recover from Friday night's party with my uni friends. The music started to play around 1 pm and because we wanted to enjoy the whole day dancing, we started slow and easy to Salsa. Because the sky was clear and weather quite hot, you wasn't able to dance many songs in a row anyway. But what a perfect day it was for this kind of Salsa event!

The camping area didn't have a dance floor so we danced on top of the rocks. First I thought it would not be an ideal surface to dance but after all it wasn't too bad! Well sometimes the sloping rock caused some tiny balance problems. As the day went on, more and more people joined the party and hit the dance floor.

Before dinner there was a Rueda session that attracted most of the people to dance. It was still too confusing for me but now I got the hang out of the main movements. People really seemed to love Rueda!

The time flew amazingly fast and soon it was already time for dinner. Even though I didn't feel hungry at all I was so out of energy at this point and no wonder - we had been dancing 4 hours already. The organizers had made delicious food: chicken, potato salad, rice and mango salsa accompanied with mojito drinks. Yum yum.

After refilling our energies we spent the rest of the day, surprisingly, dancing. Nic also taught me the right technique for different bendings. I cannot believe how fast the time went and soon it was already time for the last ferry back to Helsinki. We both were tired but really happy when sitting in a bus on our way home.

In addition to dancing, it was the people who made the day so perfect. You could see that everybody were just loving dancing as much as I do. There were also lots of beginners, actually lots more than I expected. It was nice when people came to talk to us. It is always nice to hear that it shows we know how to dance Salsa. I also experienced Cuban style Salsa for the first time. The hardest thing in it was that the rhythm is little bit different from LA style what Nic is teaching me. The guy who I danced with was really nice so I'm hoping him to teach me some more Cuban style some day.

Too bad that the event is organized only once a year. I could spend all my summer Saturdays like this!

 Like Saturday wasn't enough, we went also to the Opera Salsa this evening. I think I haven't danced this much in one weekend like... never in my life! Anyway, it was really fun and this time there were more than 200 people there. It's getting more and more popular every time! And today there were lots of awesome dancers, wow! I was already getting worried of losing my dancing partner but Nic said he was being really proud of me. He said I improved lots during this weekend, yay! We're definitely going back there next week.

Too Much Dancing?

Last weekend was full of dancing and having fun. On Friday I met some of my work colleagues and I drag them along with me to Coronita's Latin Beat club. I wasn't surprised that they didn't stay there for long but I had Nic there to dance with me. I almost left with my colleagues though, when Nic was paying more attention to other girls than me while we were dancing. If you go out dancing with me, you go out dancing with me. I made that quite clear to Nic after what he changed his behavior back to normal. We had to leave the party already around 1 am though because my hip started hurting again. This time I stopped dancing immediately when I felt there was something wrong because I wanted to be fine for Saturday and Sunday.

So, Saturday we went to the Opera for one Rueda event organized by Salsa Borealis. Rueda is a Cuban type of round dancing of Salsa. It is danced with pairs but the dancers form a circle and the dancing pairs changes constantly. There is a one person, a caller or a leader, who calls out the dance moves pairs are supposed to perform. The names of the moves are mostly in Spanish (like dame una, enchufla, sombrero) and I even though I tried to memorize the names, it was too much for the beginning. The moves included spins, clapping and different kind of ways of swapping partners.

Neither of us had ever danced Rueda so it was really hard trying to catch up with the others. There was an instructor teaching the dance but he proceeded so fast we weren't able to keep up with him, so we decided just to watch the others and learn from them. Everybody seemed to have lots of fun and I wish I will be able to join them some day soon when I'm less confused about the different moves. Nic didn't seem to like Rueda that much though; he said he is not a group dancer. The weather was perfect for dancing outside, sunny with a nice breeze from the sea, and once in a while we danced couple of Salsas. There was an after party in Caisa Cafe but I had to skip it because of my sore hip.

On Sunday I finally made it to the Opera Salsa and it was as awesome as Nic had described. Lots of people were just hanging around, having picnic and dancing every now and then. I really loved the venue and the atmosphere there, and we were having so much fun on the dance floor with Nic. The people were from lots of different levels so I didn't feel akward as a beginner there. I especially liked one beginner couple I met there. They looked so cute together and were enjoying dancing so much! We even asked them some advice of some cool moves they did.

This weekend is one of the reasons I like living in Helsinki. Where else in Finland you could have so many Salsa parties in one weekend? I wonder if it was even too much because last night I woke up to this horrible pain in my hip. I think the problem is lower back and my spine that isn't used to the kind of movement you do in Latin dances. The pressure has been there all week and I had to keep an eye of my back also in our practice. The last thing what I want is to make it even worse.

Other than that our practice this week was fun fun fun. We danced lots of standards (I wonder if Nic choose to do so because of my back problems) and did some cool stuff, like dirty dancing lifts. I found it hard to dance Slow Fox and Quickstep one after another because somehow I was mixing the steps. Not much technical things this week, except Wednesday a practice how to make lady solo (spin) properly.

This Saturday we are going to 24h Salsa Party to Pihlajasaari. The idea is to spend a day and night in the island and, of course, dance all day! I cannot wait!