Why Partner Dancing Ruins Your Dance Life.

There has been quite a lot of writing about the health benefits of partner dancing: they say that it is good for both your mind and body and that it even makes you smarter. Yet another reason to start partner dancing! But I must warn those who are not yet part of us addicts: it ruins the rest of your dancing life!

What, why?! To put it simply: after you get into partner dancing, it is the only way to get the most dance pleasure out of. Suddenly, dancing alone gets boring. Are you one of those who loves dancing in the clubs? After starting partner dancing, you dance one song and start glancing around in hopes of finding another partner dancer to dance with. Maybe you're one of those who loves going to solo dancing classes? Well, we partner dancers go to those classes too, but just to improve or add something to our partner dancing.

I can dance the whole night through - seriously, from evening until the very morning - if it is partner dancing. The only thing that can stop me going is either the end of the party or unbearable pain in my feet after dancing so much. It is impossible to get bored, provided that you have many great dancers to share the dances with. I see it this way: every dance is an adventure. It might be amazing, it might be horrible, but the point is that you never know what is going to happen. It is out of your control. Even if you wanted or planned it to be something, it can turn out to be something totally different. You might feel tired and lazy but after the dance feel super energetic and very alive. Or you might be very excited about the dance and end up disappointed. Or anything in between, over or under. But that is the beauty of it. You never know, you just have to dance it through and take what you get.

Now when I dance alone, there is no such a big adventure. Everything is in my control and I can make the dance just the way I want to. No surprises, no secrets to be revealed. No way I can dance the whole night, I hardly manage couple of songs before I find myself bored! That is because I know there is something better, or to put it another way, that there is something essential missing. 

Let me reveal you something: the secret ingredient of the whole adventure is a dance connection with your partner. I'm not talking about the technical dance connection that they teach in classes but something that goes deeper: a physical, energetic, spiritual and emotional connection with another human being in that very moment. That is the one that is never the same, even if the dance steps were. The connection can be deeper, lighter, stronger or weaker, and it is always different even with the same person. Nevertheless, is is always there, developing and changing constantly. And that is not all: by connecting to your dance partner, you connect to yourself in a way that can't be done alone. If you open yourself, there is a world of millions of discoveries waiting for you, just by getting into the dance floor with someone.

I truly admire talented solo dancers. Every dancer is a solo dancer: it is you who have to make the work to grow your skills, develop your technique and connect with the music. But since I've experienced the better, I regard solo dancing is missing the secret ingredient that makes dancing the big adventure I want it to be. 

Here is the final warning: it is the knowledge of the secret ingredient that ruins the rest of your dance life. But that is the very same ingredient that makes you the most addicted to partner dancing. So, it is up to you: do you have the courage to give it a try?

Snow Coast Swing 2014.

The last couple of months I have been learning to take big dance steps because in Zouk leaving enough space between your feet gives so much better balance especially in the movements where you tilt your body in some angle. So this weekend I had to keep on repeating myself constantly: small steps, small steps. You see, I had my first WCS weekend for the year, Snow Coast Swing in Tampere.

I haven't been doing anything for my WCS this year: no classes, no practices, no parties, no youtubing, nothing. Some of the WCS dancers have been organizing regular parties in Helsinki so actually I would have had a chance to at least go there. But the whole dance somehow took a back seat in my dance life and I slowly started to forget why the dance got me hooked in the first place. I had forgotten it so badly that I wasn't really that excited about the weekend beforehand, but the weekend was the best reminder I could have gotten at this point. Good classes, nice socials, new and old friends and couple of those great dances in the dance floor that just makes your weekend worth the lack of sleep. It is always nice to see own improvement in a short period of time and I feel that I went at least a bit forward with my basic technique.

It is not nice to jump from more advanced dancer to the beginner level, and the fact that I still can't do WCS's basic step even in an unremarkable way, drives me nuts. I try and try, think and think, but no. But to be honest, and I don't mean to be cruel, I'm not the only one here in Finland. It is really awesome that there are a lot of people in the events like these, but the truth is that most of us are still quite lost. Lost in a sense that when you look the general view it looks so messy. However, it is great that we have opportunities like these to learn also from dancers outside Finland. It is not that I would say that I'm better than others but I've been in a scene with good WCS dancers in Brisbane and we're oh still so far from that. Anyway, easy does it.

I learned couple of good things to keep in mind when dancing WCS, most importantly that less is more. In our Zouk classes we have been learning to make big movements, use the whole body to those. Sorry, doesn't work in WCS. Better to keep everything calm and simple. Move only one part of the body at a time. I need to clam down my hands, calm down my body and hips. Maybe for the first time I had a object for the evening's dance party. I decided that I would try not to do any crazy movements, just concentrate on keeping the movement like a tranquil sea. Setting one goal like this is, by the way, a good way to get something into your basic dancing if you keep the goal in your mind the whole party.

The addictive part of these kind of events is that they make you want more. So, anyone willing to register with me to the FinnFest West Coast Swing Festival in June?!

Are You Committed to Dancing?

Life is about priorities. How you choose to spend your time, money and energy tells about your priorities. However, committing yourself to something tells about your priorities even more. How about committing to dancing – do your acts show that it is part of your priorities?

We had a great conversation about commitment in our choreography group the other day. Firstly, about committing to the group itself and secondly about committing to dancing in a broader sense. Of course the conversation was between us and therefore I will not share it here, so note that the thoughts here reflect just my own views and might not have any connection to our discussions. However, the discussion gave me something to think and write about.

I learned a big lesson about group commitment while I was living in Japan and that period of time dramatically changed my way of thinking away from the western individualism-emphasized viewpoint. To exaggerate a bit, being an individual is nothing in Japan unless you’re part of some group. Being a part of a group is not a matter of course, but you have to earn your place in the group. Earning your place doesn’t mean that you have something special as an individual to give to the group, but that you show your commitment and give your contribution to the group. When decisions are made, they are made inside the group and no one will dictate or drive their own advantages at the group’s expense – it is the group’s interests that come first.

A good example about earning a place in a group was when I joined a taekwondo group in my Japanese university. We had three-hour practices twice every week and even if you were sick, you were expected to come and watch. Even if I did do that, it took me around three months before others started to believe that I actually wanted to be part of the group and that I was ready to show some commitment. After those three months I was finally asked to join some evening socials and other group events.

I feel like a big honor to be a part of our choreography group. Yes, I got in partly because of my dance merits but also because I had shown commitment to dancing. Now that I’m in, it is the group’s interest that comes first to me. Even if I’m not going to our performance to Prague, it is self-evident that I’ll participate all the group practices and rehearsals. I'd do that even I had a terrible day behind me and the last thing I wanted to do was to go through yet again the same moves. It is self-evident that I’ll borrow my dress, or anything else that someone else in the group might need, or contribute in any other way that is possible for me. I wouldn’t really have time to this many dance practices weekly the moment when I should be giving my evenings to my thesis, and I would really need to get home earlier in weekdays to get enough sleep, but this is what I have chosen to prioritize. When I’m in, I’m in for the team. Not because I expect others to give something back to me but because I think that is what you should do when you decide to be part of a group.

When it comes to committing to dancing, I guess it is clear to everyone that dancing is not just a hobby for me. It is not either just a way to have my exercise, to spend my time or to meet new people. It is a way more than that. I plan my whole life according to dancing. All my holidays, trips, even my student exchange, are chosen according to dancing. Every time I go shopping I think whether the cloth is danceable. The first thing I did when I got my first paycheck this year and finally had money to spend was to pay my dance classes. All my friends have slowly changed to dancers; even my boyfriend is a dancer (even though I once swore not to date a dancer). All my weeks are planned according to dancing, all the parties I choose to go to are dance parties, all my other hobbies are chosen to support my dancing... The list could go on forever. If someone claims after all this that dancing is just a hobby for me, he must be out of his mind.

In partner dancing, committing to dancing is not only committing to your personal growth as a dancer; it is also committing yourself to your dance scene. You can’t expect to have a lively and vivid environment for your partner dancing hobby if you don’t give your part to the scene. There is no point to complain that there are not enough dancers, not enough parties, not enough teachers if you don’t make any effort to contribute in some way. As I see it, dancing alone can be fun, but dancing with someone can be magical. If you want to dance with someone, you need also to give to be able to get. The least you can do is to go to the parties, go to the classes, spread the word and support the people who make things happen. It is not just about you, it is about the dance community as a whole.

Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.” – Paulo Coelho

I choose dancing, how about you?

Dance World Problems.

Can you believe it is March already? I guess it is time to post some statistics of my dance month:
Dance practices: 6
Dance parties: 4
Dance practicas: 3
Dance classes: 6

It has been a great month dance-wise. I feel like I have been learning so much new in my Zouk classes! I love it that I'm able to concentrate on the small things that can make the difference. The only thing that I’m missing there, though, is more leaders. I have been thinking of taking the leader role in the beginner classes, but then again I might miss the many details in the follower part that I have been getting, and I’m not ready to lead in the intermediate classes. And you can’t really practice the moves by yourself while waiting for your turn. Nevertheless, I’m really satisfied with the content of the classes.

March is going to have a zouk-full start: next week I’ll have Zouk practices every day from Tuesday on. Our choreo group will be performing in Prague Zouk Congress and even though I’m not able to go there, I’ll be in the rehearsals so that I’ll learn the modified version for three couples. Since the congress is coming soon, we must use all the available times we can to make it work, which means at least two practices per week. What is also happening next week, for which I’m super excited about, is that Alisson & Audrey are coming to Helsinki all the way from Perth, Australia to give weekend workshops for us! Yes yes yes!! Their classes are so fun and energetic and I really enjoy dancing with Alisson. Plus I only met them once during my stay in Australia so I’m happy to have the opportunity to see them again this soon. Let’s see how much they make me miss Australia, probably quite a lot! One thing though: why, oh why, the workshop is at the same weekend as João & Giedre's Kizomba workshops? Now I'm facing a serious question: which party to go on Saturday, Zouk or Kizomba?! Arg so frustrating, why can't I have both?! A true dance world problem.

Oh oh oh, I have to tell you about this amazing Argentinean Tango performance I saw last Monday in Aleksanteri Theatre. What drama and emotions that dance can include! And the music! I haven’t been a big fan of tango music but the orchestra was simply breathtaking. One day I need to learn some more of this dance. Maybe that will work out with one partner I have been in contact with lately. Let’s see. But last Monday... ah, so magical, so captivating.

Oh oh oh, another thing! I just got my fullpass+ to Afro Latin Flow, a Kizomba/Zouk/Bachata dance festival in Helsinki on May. What amazing teachers they are having there this year! And there I will be able to attend both Zouk and Kizomba parties, ha!

Geez, more exciting things just keep coming to my mind. Tomorrow I'm going to Helsinki Yoga Festival to do yoga all day long. Nice! Talking about yoga, I started this morning with partner yoga with N Girl and I simply loved it. What a great way to connect to the partner; quite a different way what I'm used to in dancing. Thanks beautiful for the shared laughs and smiles!

Today I heard that my favorite yoga studio, Pranama, is going to close down. I'm so sad, where I'm supposed to get my weekly yoga fix from now on?

But now I'm off to get my beauty sleep before tomorrow's yoga marathon. Have a great beginning of March!