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!