Difficult Decisions.

Even though there’s still some summer left, I already had to face a difficult decision concerning the coming fall. There is a huge probability that I won’t be in Helsinki (nor Finland) after the Christmas holidays for quite a long time, at least 6 for months, and this of course has an effect to my after-summer-life. After checking out the uni courses I have to complete during the fall term to be able to do this, I am afraid that studying is going to take so much of my time that there won’t be much time left for dancing anymore. Honestly, I’m not that keen on the idea of changing my life I have been enjoying so much, but I guess life isn’t always a bed of roses (or, what we Finns say and would better suit the context, dancing in the roses).

So, my Zouk group is going to continue with two classes per week after the summer and I had to face the cruel reality: I cannot continue with the group any more. Since this week ended the summer season’s classes, I had my last Zouk classes this Wednesday and Thursday. I hate doing things for the last time, especially when I know I’m going to miss doing them! I know it is not the end of Zouk dancing in my life, but there won’t be regular and progressive teaching any more. All of this is making me sad because I have been enjoying the classes so much and I can really see the huge positive effects they’ve left into my dancing. But hey, at least I can take some drop-in classes every now and then and there is always the weekly practicas where I can still dance with the Zouk group members and try to learn from them. Trying to think positive here! What made me happy though, was that everybody were so understanding when I told them about my decision. Thank you.

It is hard to even think of my life without having this big proportion dedicated to dancing. It has been some kind of counterbalance to my studies and work, something that gives me energy to keep on going even when really tired or sad. On the other hand, it has become an addiction I cannot live without. An addiction that sometimes can take over my life leaving no time to think anything else. It is too easy to fill up my calendar with dancing and use that to escape the reality. In the end, I want to have something else important in my life than just dancing. Then again dancing had given me many friendships that would last even if I stopped dancing for good. I doubt that (stopping dancing) would happen though.

Dancer N:o 267.

Ladies, warning: I danced with this guy last night. Recommended to avoid:

Nah, just kidding! I just happened to say to him that I rate every new dancer I dance with here in my blog, so I was able to make him to give some crazy dance poses for me. Best way of getting new followers! No really, it was nice dancing with you S.

Anyway, yesterday I did something exceptional: I skipped my Zouk class and went instead to a dance party organized by Helsingin lavatanssit. Its a group of people who started organizing free-of-charge Finnish style ballroom dance parties (lavatanssit) in Helsinki this summer. Lavatanssit has been a thing for old people for too long time already, so the parties are targeted for young people who like dancing and having fun. What's the best thing about these parties is that they are held in my neighborhood, like one kilometer from my apartment! Really, nothing ever happens there. I always have to travel one hour to get somewhere and now I was back home in 10 minutes, awesome! Actually it was me who suggested them to contact this place, Lava, where the party was held. How great it would be if they started having also dance classes there after the summer?

Before the party started we had 1,5 hour class of Argentine Tango which was my second time I tried the dance. I really liked the class and made me wonder if I would have time to take some basic classes of Argentine Tango in fall (surely I won't have time to learn all the dances I would like to but this is something I have been thinking already for a while). I was lucky to get one dance from the teacher during the class and got good feedback from my following. However, I think it would be quite impossible not to follow his incredibly clear leading.

The party itself made me really happy that I decided to skip my dance class. Everybody seemed to be in a great mood, the place was nice (though a bit small), I danced with couple of new good leaders and it was simply refreshing to dance ballroom for a change! I'm definitely coming back in August.

Hey, I haven't told about this Zouk flash mob we're doing! Its actually pretty cool because many countries around the world are participating at the same day! The date is set to 16th of September and our practices are primarily on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm at the Opera. Come and join! Here is the choreography for the dance (from the wonderful Alisson&Audrey!!) and a video from our first rehearsal couple of weeks ago. If you won't participate yourself, come at least see the flash mob. I'll let you know the exact place later on. This might actually end up to Guinnes World Records!

Voguing.

Ever since I went to my first Vogue party and got my first glimpse of this dance – it was some freezing cold night last winter – I have wanted to try dancing Vogue myself. Last week I finally had a chance to do this when Dance.fi organized a summer camp with different kind of dance styles. I can’t remember when was the last time I have been in a solo dance class, or if I actually have ever really been in one, so this was something different that I have been craving lately after dancing almost only and nothing but Zouk.

Voguing was definitely something that forced me to step out from my comfort zone: big, still and angular hand movements were quite the opposite of the flowing Zouk dancing. For those who don’t know about Voguing, it is a dance style originally from New York’s drag queen scene, so many movements are exaggerated, dramatized and either really feminine or masculine. In addition to dancing Voguing consists of runway walking, posing and battles between other Vougue dancers. There’s three styles called Old Way, New Way and Femme, from which the two latter have taken influences from ballet, acrobatics, jazz dance, yoga etc. All in all, Voguing is an imposing and even militaristic-looking dance that can easily capture the viewer’s attention with the Vogue dancers’ I’m-way-better-than-you-bitch attitudes.

The four beginner classes I took introduced New Way and Femme styles that have quite a different feeling. I’m glad they started with the very basics since it was really hard to keep my arms and wrists in straight lines, hard meaning both challenging and tiring. We started with hand movements keeping rest of the body as still as possible (sounds easier than it was!), did some runway walking and posing, tried dancing in the floor and went even to some acrobatics. All the time we were supposed to imagine someone taking pictures of us, so in every second you had to look gorgeous and give poses to the camera following the music’s beat. Even though I had no idea what I was doing I was having heaps of fun doing it.

Later on, me and Big O., who I dragged along since I was too nervous going alone, tried to combine Vouging into Zouk which worked surprisingly good. He was right saying that solo dancing did me good and that is something I want to start doing after the summer. I was thinking of Ballet but then again Voguing would be something only few could do. I think it would be much more interesting to say that I dance Zouk and Vogue than, let’s say, Salsa and Ballet, don’t you think (or at least it would cause some sorry-but-what?!-responces)? Besides, for an attention-loving girl like me Voguing wouldn’t be that bad idea.

Summer of Dance.

I apologize for my low profile lately. I didn’t think that June would go so tremendously fast and I simply haven’t had time to sit down, go through my thoughts and write them down. If for some rare reason I happened to come home relatively early (that is, before 9-10 pm), I have been too tired to do anything but crash to bed. Actually writing this down makes it sound bad. Am I pushing it too much? Would it be better to stop and calm down?

No, I’d rather like to think that since far I have been enjoying my summer to the full, and isn’t that how summer should go? Enjoying every moment, every warm sunshine, every dance step I take. The summer has already made me feel so good that I feel like I just might come apart from pure happiness, and dancing has had a lot to do with that feeling. I have fallen in love with dancing all over again!

I haven’t been holding on to my decision to cut down on dancing during the summer, but I have been able to change my attitude into a summer mood. I don’t want to stress out if I’m not progressing with my technique or following but to rediscover that ultimate enjoyment dancing can give. I want to relax my mind and let my body follow the good feeling. I still do pay attention to the main things I should work on, like controlling my energy and finishing my moves beautifully, but I forgive myself when I don’t succeed or do the best I could. I fell in love with this aphorism I came across the other day: “When you stumble, make it part of the dance”. If I wouldn’t stumble and fall down, how could I learn to get up from the ground? This kind of a mindset have actually made me more confident dancer.

So, a lot of dancing has happened during the last month. What comes to my normal week days, I have been spending every Wednesday and Thursday evening in Zouk classes, and had one-to-one Zouk practice at least once a week. Sunday evening is the time to go dancing Salsa to the Opera, and there has been couple of nice dance parties (and after parties!) going on in Helsinki during the weekends. I’ve spent two weekends in dance festivals, first in Berlin and second in Tampere, and danced my feet sore in both of those. I had maybe the best birthday party ever when me and Michaelo rented Helsinki Salsa Academy’s studio and threw a dancing party there. The evening was simply perfect and it made me into an intense dance flow, the best I’ve had for a long long time. On top of that, our choreography was received with huge cheers and I danced my first own roda with an amazing feeling, not even mentioning the after party that lasted early to the next morning! On the Mid Summer I had a quick peek in Finnish lavatanssit, and last weekend I did my fist dance in the rain in Pihlajansaari 24 hour Salsa party. What an amazing feeling it is to dance in warm summer rain, wow. One other thing I started doing this summer, was going back to the gym club I used to go before I started dancing so much I didn’t have time to do anything else. Going back there has given me a great opportunity to challenge my body in a total different way to dancing. The only thing I haven’t been doing really, is sleeping enough. Mondays have gone half sleep at work, and for the first time in my life I have been drinking coffee. Despite that, all these active moments counterbalanced with chilling out, having long lunch breaks and sleep-overs with my friends, the summer has offered me many reasons to smile non-stop, and that’s what I have been doing. Even thinking about all the special moments I’ve had puts a big smile on my face right now.

Even though a lot has happened, the summer is far from being over yet. I’m planning on continuing to enjoy every moment it brings and every dance I dance. You might hear from me from time to time, but don’t except as frequent postings as before the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing my dance feelings but I just love more making those feelings and living them through. This summer is here only now, and it’s going to be over sooner than you notice.