Dance Princess.

Australia is treating me well - so well that  just might get spoiled if it keeps on going like this! I now got everything arranged: timetable for my uni courses done, all the everyday practicalities sorted out, my new perfect apartment found and, most importantly, the local dance scene checked out! Today I was already thinking if I should change my flights so I could stay even a little bit longer. How can I be worried of leaving a place where I just arrived a week ago?

I must say that the local dancers have the best way of welcoming new ones to the crowd. Seriously, people were lining for me on Saturday's dance party! This is how teachers must feel in the festivals when there is no chance for breaks or hardly even time to get a zip of water! Just to make sure, this is not complaining, I absolutely loved it. I've never felt so - what could be a good word for it - popular in the dance floor. It was like being a dance princess jumping from one prince's arms to another's. Surely its mostly because I'm the new girl so everyone wants to give me a try (and soon I'm going to be old news) but I have to admit that it made a nice boost to my dancing confidence. And that's not all: everybody are always saying something nice after the dance, like "it was really lovely"or "you're such a great dancer" or "that was awesome!". Something much better than the cold Finnish thanks you usually get.

Sunday was a great fun too. There was a Zouk event in Portside from 12 till 6 pm that gathered many dancers during the day. It was a warm and sunny day - a little bit too warm for dancing outside - but it didn't stop me dancing the whole time through. It was a funny feeling having Kadu and Larissa popping by since I've mostly been admiring them from youtube videos. Like suddenly running into a celebrity on the street. There were also quite many photographers taking pictures so here's finally some illustration for the blog:

There would have been another Zouk party later that evening but I was too exhausted even to think about it. What a perfect weekend it was.

P.S. I'm going for a short trip to New Zealand tomorrow so don't worry if you don't hear from me here for a while. I'll just be mountain hiking, downhill biking, sea kayaking and, you know, those kind of things.

Hello Brissy!

Here I am: in Brisbane! Good bye the horrible cold weather in Helsinki and hello the nice warm Australian summer days. Well, my first days weren't really that glorious as I imagined. I didn't spend my days on the beach nor partied with students, no; I spent my days house hunting, that is, browsing different adds with my iPad hoping to find the perfect place. I never thought I would come to Australia and feel so stressed! But you know what did the change? You got it right: dancing.

Before I got here I was emailing with Larissa if I could take any of their Zouk classes when I get here and she permitted me to come to their advanced class to see how I go. So Thursday night I headed down the Valley with my heart going wild. What if I'm so much worse than everyone else? What if they laugh me out of there? So I step in and there is this huge crowd of dancers. I got kind of a festival feeling; you know those big classes where you know no one and hardly can see the teachers - that kind of feeling! I shouldn't have asked around how long people had been dancing Zouk; I lacked five or more years to their experience. Great way to put some more pressure on myself! What we did in the class was quite challenging figure, something really different to F&A's figures. How did I do then? Well, I was invited to Kadu's master class on Monday so I guess I passed the test! I came home with a big smile that night.

I'm lucky to have friends in Brisbane with who I can stay before I find my own place and who introduce me to the locals. I got to know to one Zouk dancer who knew just what is happening in the dance scene. Every other Friday night they are having these Zouk nights in Rio Rhytmics in West End so that's where we headed last night. And bam, I'm back to the festivals. Room full of great dancers you never danced with not knowing where to start! Like a small kid in a candy shop! Before I noticed I was already in the dance floor not able to leave it. After couple of great dances I grabbed Kadu from the DJ booth really looking forward to dance with him again after a long time (last time was in Amsterdam one year ago and I still remember my big smile after our dance). He is a great dancer, no doubt about that. I was looking for Larissa too but couldn't find her.

I don't know if I made a weird first impression of myself in the party though. There was three girls having their birthday, which means birthday dance of course, and I thought taking part as a leader. Well, apparently girls don't lead around here! One guy even asked me later on when asking me for a dance if I danced with guys at all or if it was just girls! I sure made my appearance.

Anyway, the party was just great. People are so nice here and you wouldn't be sitting alone next to the dance floor for a long time. Even though there were lots of people same leaders came to ask me for a dance again, which always makes me feel like they must have liked dancing with me. There was one leader with who I especially liked dancing with; great connection from the beginning. When I was going home I thought: this festival is going to last for the next six months! How awesome is that?!

Well, I'd better get ready for tonight's party! Oh, and tomorrow there's going to be Zouk all day long, from noon till dawn. I sure picked the right place to come!

Bye.

It hit me couple of days ago: I'm actually leaving. Leaving my life as it is. Leaving already today.

What I dislike is doing things for the last time; it makes me heavy-hearted. That's why I try avoid thinking of it as much as I can. Not thinking about leaving worked quite well until two days ago. This time, however, I didn't feel sad but quite the opposite. Knowing that my life will never be the same again made me observe it more closely. This is my life, I noted. This is my life - and I love it. My life looks beautiful! My life makes a glowing smile to my face. Having farewell lunch with my girl friends, last day at work, hearing have-a-safe-trip-wishes again and again, hugging my lovely friends goodbye, dancing with everybody in my farewell party - everything gives such a warm feeling. This is a place where I'm glad to come back; even though my life won't be the same as I leave it now.

When I thought what would be the best way of spending my last night in Finland the answer was obvious: dancing. So I rented a dance studio, invited my friends and danced. And it certainly was the perfect last night in Finland. Warm and lovely feeling in the dance floor, spurt of adrenalin during the choreo performance, crazy fun after party in night club; what more could I ask? I was so happy to see so many people there having fun with me.

Now I'm off. The other side of the world is waiting for me.

Dancing Habits.

No one can say that I’m not open to try new things: last week I took my first ever Popping, Hip hop, Locking, House, Contemporary dance AND Ballet classes. Quite an achievement for one week isn’t it! I also went to couple of Fustra classes to find those tiny core muscles so important in dancing. Ouch, says my body and no wonder it does so: in addition to all the dance classes I had four Zouk practices (thanks Gaga, Michaelo, Carlos, N Girl and Big O. for those!) and finally Zouk practica on Sunday. Not mentioning Tuesday night in Havanna. As a balance, this week my dancing will be reduced almost to zero since I’m going to be out of town for most of the week, so I wouldn’t be expecting new postings about dancing for a while.

I have to tell you about this cute dance studio I went and fell in love with,Tamara Rasmussen dance school in Cable Factory. The school's main teacher is such a lovely person! The first thing she did was memorizing my name and making sure I feel welcomed and comfortable. Even though it seems that she is absorbed into her teaching, she is constantly observing all the students. Many times she came to me, pushed here and there to correct my stance or movements and didn't forget to encourage. "Yes Riikka, that's it! Very well done!". All classes started with simply walking around the classroom, but to walk correctly can be harder than you think. Feel all weight on my foot, push from the back foot, concentrate to the hip, find the balance, be ready, relax and breathe free, I kept repeating to myself. In the end of the class she turned to us, smiled warm and said: "it was such a nice class today, thank you all for making it so pleasant!"

What I liked most about last week was that trying totally new things made me realize some dancing habits I have especially in Zouk. You know, some of those things you just always make, maybe even without noticing. The problem can be that you don’t know what else to do so you just stick with the old and safe things. Or maybe your muscle memory is just stronger than your will; we all know how irritating that can be! Inspired by the new dance styles I tried to get something from them and put them into my Zouk dancing. Right, maybe many of them didn’t work but throwing my dance habits away for a while was quite relaxing and fun. I should make a habit out of challenging my habits!

Do you have any dancing habits?

The Perfect Me.

When I was finishing my previous posting on Monday I felt inconsistent: I wrote most of the post before Sunday and after that my mood had changed dramatically. Why am I writing about lack of inspiration when my heart is still bouncing from the previous night’s dancing?

Its funny how one event, even a small one, can change you. I encountered my turning point in the dance floor and it changed me from the boring and uninspired ordinary-me to cheerful and eager special-me, back to myself. But why it was this very Sunday that made this transition; after all I spend hours in the dance floor every week. Well, maybe this time I realized that the person holding me wanted to dance especially with me, no one else. I was special, precious, inspiring. And you know what: being special doesn’t mean being the best, having the perfect technique or the most outstanding styling. Being special is making the dance special for both involved, and to be able to do this you must undress your defenses and reveal the real you. It is natural to compare yourself to others, and with comparison you will always find someone better than you. But it’s not about being better. No one can be better you than you yourself. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you are special, that you are the perfect you.

Being myself is so much more fun. Even if I feel ridiculous doing some totally new dance style I come out from the class with a huge smile on my face. Even if I’ve had horrible and exhausting day at work I feel super energetic going to dancing right after. Even if stay out late dancing and barely wake up the next morning, I automatically collect my dance gear to my back and head half-sleep to office without questioning if I had energy to go dancing that afternoon. And when I hit the dance floor I have a blast.

It feels absurd how could have I forgotten how much fun dancing is. Remember when I used to go dancing to Havanna every single Tuesday? Even though I still remember how dead-tired I used to be every single Wednesday morning I obviously had forgotten why I still always went home too late those Tuesday nights; simply because I had so much fun I couldn’t leave. Last Tuesday's Bachata evening was like going back in time and made me wonder: why did I ever stop going there? One highlight of the evening was a sort of a reunion with one leader I haven’t been dancing with in ages. Yup, the connection is still there, a strong as it used to be. Damn, why did we ever stop dancing!

My new dance styles trial continues this week with dance school Saiffa’s free classes on Popping, Hip Hop, House and Locking, maybe even some Break. A small warning for those who plan to do the same though: the classes are super full of enthusiastic dancers!

Inspiration, Where Did You Go?

It has been obvious that I haven’t been quite myself lately. Mostly dancing is a territory that I can still remain myself during periods like these but this time I haven’t been able to be myself even in the dance floor. Many say that one of my biggest strengths in dancing is that I can easily through myself into the dance, get lost, go crazy, forget everything else, and losing that strength makes dancing somehow uninspiring. It feels that I have nothing to give and that dancing has nothing to give to me.

I appreciate friends who know me well enough to see these things in a glimpse and aren’t afraid to say things right to my face. Michaelo said it well: I have become ordinary; I have lost that something that makes me special. I have lost that spark of life that makes my eyes shine and heart jump, and there is only one person who can turn this change to better. So I stopped to look around. I don’t want to live an ordinary life; I don’t want to settle to conveniences. I need drama, rollercoasters, big feelings, action.

I can say that I have truly tried to find my dancing inspiration the last couple of weeks and most of my attempts have been more or less unsuccessful. A good start for my search, though, was a free dancing practice to random music with Michaelo week ago on Sunday: at least I felt more like myself in the Zouk practica after our practice. Last week I took advantage from DCA’s open doors week and I stepped out of my comfort zone with different dancing classes (btw, this week they are having open doors week in Saiffa if you're interested of street dances). Some of them, especially Voguing classes, did make me feel excited to learn more and try new things, but some classes made me simply feel like I didn’t belong there at all. Looking at the young girls at the dance school made me ask myself why, oh why didn’t I start dancing ten years ago! I also realized once again that something I really want to learn is competition dance technique. That’s what I started with and that’s what I have been secretly missing all the time. Oh, one cool event I went was short dances in this old city owned building, Hietaniemen paviljonki, that might be pulled down in which some dancers organized dance event to demonstrate this act. Nothing special dance inspiration-wise but a nice cheer-up anyway.

Maybe it is just so that life goes in periods. You can’t be super passionate and excited about one specific thing all the time, even if it’s dancing. Maybe it’s because of my budding trip that makes me feel somehow unconnected with everything. This whole month has been kind of a transition period from my old life to new, and it feels hard to take hold from neither of them. I still have dozens of things to do before my departure and I just can’t move myself to get them done. But hey, I still have three weeks, right?

One thing that I managed to cross out from my to-do-list was checking out the Zouk classes I wanted to take in Brisbane, and you can’t believe my luck: Kadu and Larissa are going to go to their three month European tour just when I arrive to Australia! I mean, come on!! The one time that I actually live where my first Zouk idols teach they happen to come here. What have I done to deserve this tragedy? Okay, the good thing is that apparently they have taught their students well and that the scene should be pretty good in Brisbane. And well, I’ll just take their classes when they are back (but this still sucks badly!).

Going back to the dance inspiration topic, I just have to tell you something that happened yesterday. Something that I haven’t been experiencing for a too long time; something that gives you a never ending pool of inspiration and passion; something that makes you lose your sense of time and space; something I have been searching these weeks but never thought it would come out this intense. After a long long break from dancing in Havanna, must be over six months or so, I stepped there for a Kizomba evening and, suddenly, unexpectedly I went to a dancing heaven. Hours of constant pure pleasure in the dance floor. Every single move made me want more. This is why I dance, these magical moments.

So, ultimately, I did it, I found it and found myself, even if just for a one night.

New Year, New Dance.

Every New Year I make three New Year’s promises. Last year I promised to find a dance that feels my own and that’s what I did. If I think of my dance year 2012 Zouk was definitely the dance I danced the most, got most enjoyment from and in which I improved the most. One of my promises for this year was that I’m going to learn a whole new dance. I don’t know yet what dance this will be but it must be something new and different; a way to challenge myself to find new perspectives to my dancing.

In the end of a year it feels natural to go back to the year passed and think through what has been happening in life lately. This time the end of the year feels even more like an end of some period in my life because of the big changes in my everyday life. If you go back in my blog to see what I did one year ago in the turn of the year, I was just starting to dance Zouk and was shocked to see the first video of my dancing. Since that I have been videotaping my dancing almost every week to find things to correct and improve. I also had just finished dancing in Spex and was feeling confused for not dancing every single day. But the biggest thing dance-wise one year ago was that I was having a big battle finding a balance with my dancing life. Dancing had become too dominant force and I needed to take back the control. I could say that now dancing isn’t spinning me around but that I let it to put me into spinning when I so want. One year ago my life seemed totally empty without dancing; now dancing makes my life much richer and more beautiful but I find happiness and excitement from other things too.

A more intensive dance period before the holidays was a good choice: no dancing for 13 days now. This might sound a bit contradictory to what I just said, but today I started to fill up my calendar with dance practices to compensate this break. However, having a balance doesn’t mean that I couldn’t spend much time dancing. By the way, beginning of spring and fall are good opportunities to find some low-priced or even free dance classes when many dance schools are having open doors weeks or introductory offers. I found at least these options for the coming days: DCA’s open doors week 7.-13.1. (free admission to all classes that has availability), SalsaStudio’s introduction week 7.-13.1. (all classes 5 €), StepUp’s open doors 6.1. (free classes all day), Etnofitnes’ super Saturday 12.1. (9 €/1 class, 12 €/2 classes, 18 € /3 classes, 22 €/4 classes). Also Unisport organizes introduction classes to most of their dance courses on January. All in all, January is a good timing to try something new! I’m more than happy to explore different dance styles so let me know if you know any more open door events.

Yay, busy dancing weeks coming up!

Excuse Dancing.

You know the feeling when you are supposed to do something not that exciting, let's say study for an exam, you always find out other things you "have" to do, like doing dishes or cleaning your apartment. Lately, I must admit, I've been doing some excuse dancing. You see, since my rental contract runs out in the end of this year I still have one “small” task to do before my Christmas holidays: to pack all my belongings and take them along with me to my mum’s place in Jyväskylä.

Lots of dancing things happened last week even though I was super busy with finalizing my studies before the exchange, the most significant being of course the Zouk show in salsa school Baila Baila’s Christmas party.  Even though my performance wasn't the best I could have done, I'm still really happy how it went. No performance can be perfect, there is always something to improve. I’ve got some feedback that it stood out in a positive way from the other shows and that it looked professional. The best feedback I've got have been, however, that we were able to express the feelings strong. One of my friend even said that she almost cried when she saw the video!

What comes to ballroom dancing I spent my Thursday evening last week in HOT's classes: first two hours of free dancing followed with a two-hour class of Lindy Hop. Geez, swing dances are so hard for me! I almost gave up in the middle of the class but then I reminded myself how important it is to step out of my comfort zone every once in a while. That paid off and in the end of the class I was finally able to get a small hang out of the dance. After the class I even got a surprising question: "You must have been dancing Lindy before, right?" Also HOT's Christmas party on Friday was great, as expected. This time it was held in Otaniemi and we had a live band, Hurma, playing music for us. The evening went as usual: I went to the dance floor and five hours later I noticed it was already time to go home. So unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the party this time.

Last Sunday then again, we had the last Zouk practica for the year. We had a reason to celebrate not only because how great the year 2012 was zouk-wise but also because F&A had been granted a permission to stay in Finland. I am so happy for them! And happy for all the Zouk dancers in Finland! It is amazing to have these professionals here to teach us. In addition we had a Jack and Jill competition that was super fun!

Cheers!

The tough judges.

The finalists...

Who all became winners! Congrats!

This week... well, I was supposed to pack but I haven't even started! Somehow I managed to book dance practices for each evening: CI/Zouk on Monday, Tuesday Zouk practice with Carlos, Wednesday leading and ladies styling with Gaga and Thursday practice first with Mr A. and then with Big O. Uupsie! And soon I'm heading for last ballroom dance party for the year. Its going to be a busy day tomorrow!

No regrets though. Dancing is the best excuse there is.

I Do Everything The Man Does, Only Backwards And In High Heels!

When I was encouraged to practice leading, first I didn't get excited about the idea at all. I thought that there was enough to learn with the following already, and since following was something I simply enjoyed doing why would I want to do something else, I thought. In a way, I kind of wanted to keep it old fashioned: it was a man's job to lead and lady's task to follow him. However, it was something like the end of summer  when Big O pushed me to the world of leading by insisting me to lead him in our Zouk practices every now and then. I was so unsure about everything in the beginning but after getting the basics I gained some confidence and started to lead some others too. A nail in the coffin was when I started practicing different figures with Gaga. Now I must admit that I have become quite enthusiastic about leading!

The other perspective to couple dancing has been quite interesting one. Actually it helps to realize some things that make someone a good follower and that is a good lesson to learn for all of us who want to improve out following skills. Leading practices has also made me listen to the music different and more careful way, not only when I dance but whenever I listen to Zouk music. What bothers me though, is that I still need to concentrate so much to the leading I can't focus to my own dancing at all. I'm also quite impatient to go to the level where I could interpret the music better. However, I've already got some good feedback from my leading. I was so happy to hear that it feels really nice, gentle and pleasant. This kind of feedback is exactly what I need at the moment. Something to keep me motivated to keep on going.

I remember wanting to write a post about leading ages ago and I started writing this "ten tips how to lead a girl" posting but I never finished or published it. Now I had to go back to the draft and check those ten things I thought were important for leader - and how do I see those requirements now that I’ve tried leading myself.

My requirements were quite tough actually, and I can’t even say that I as a follower would fill all of those. I had some good points though, like Dance with a feeling or Dance with your partner, not with yourself. These are surely important but takes a certain level to accomplish. Or do they really? I've danced with beginners who put great feeling into their dancing, so at least I could relax a bit and try to dance with a feeling also when leading. It's all about the attitude. Adapt your leading to the different dances then again is something that I should take care of whenever I dance. Zouk has started to dominate my dancing so much in every other dance styles that it is getting irritating really. One tip I wrote especially caught my eye: Never blame the girl. Really, dancing doesn't include blaming anyone! Everyone dances with her/his own level and style. This would be a better tip: never blame myself. My dancing level is different when leading so I just have to be patient. It will get better with practice.

Anyway, leading has given me some new perspective to dancing so I'm glad that I was encouraged to give it a try. And I really do love the challenge and opportunity to put my own ideas to the dance. Finally I must say: damn everything is so much easier for us followers!

Seize The Moment.

There is one more thing to add to my most memorable dancing moments.

Thank you Michaelo for sharing the beautiful moment with me. You are the best dancing partner I could ever wish for.