The Essence of Social Dancing.

Dancing makes me feel strongly throughout my body. One of the best things about dancing is these strong feelings, especially the extreme positive ones, the joy of dancing. For me, it is the ultimate reward of hours and hours of practicing and learning dance-technical details. I tend to get these extreme feelings mostly from small but oh-so-wonderful moments of dancing with someone socially. There is just something very pure and unique about those moments!

As you have noticed, this is also what I mostly write about, because for me it is the most interesting and addictive part of dancing. It creates so much energy inside of me that I need to get it out and share it. However, there is another reason why I write so much about it. Sometimes I feel that writing my blog is the only way of releasing some of that energy, because talking about it might be too much for some to receive. It has happened many times that I feel I should be really careful of what I say or express. It can happen that I talk too much about my dancing experiences and others get bored of hearing about the same topic over and over again. Alternatively, my excitement might be misunderstood as arrogance: “oh I had this amazing dance and therefore I’m such a great dancer, better than you”, or “I had a great connection with this and this person and therefore he likes dancing with me the most”, or “I had mind-blowing dance with another leader, so now I’m comparing it to dancing with you”. But believe me, this is exactly the opposite of my intention.

Let’s make one thing clear: social dancing doesn’t include such thing as competition. Dance competitions are a totally different world with different basis. Social dancing is not about who is having the most fun or the best dances; even to measure these factors is impossible. Having a great dance with someone doesn’t take anything away from anyone. There is either no point of comparing one dance connection with another one, because each and every one is unique. Having an amazing dance with someone doesn’t prevent me, or my partner, to have other amazing dances with many others, and there is no point of feeling bad when this happens. Dancing with other dancers won’t take away the fact that what you had in that moment you shared with that specific partner was and always will be one of a kind and cannot ever be repeated.

I have to admit that I used to get jealous of other followers when they were having great time in the dance floor. “I wish he danced the same way with me”, I used to think. I had convinced myself that their strong connection would make me somehow worse off. It is true that I, as probably everyone else, like dancing with some dancers more than with other dancers. However, it is impossible to put those dancers in line and measure with who I like dancing with the most, second, third etc. More importantly, there is even no reason of doing such measurement, because each dance connection is separate in a way that they cannot take something away from the other. Amazing dance with someone doesn’t make another dance with someone else any less amazing (or rather, any less anything). On the other hand, an amazing dance with someone doesn't guarantee another as amazing dance with the same person. Now having this mindset, I can fully enjoy watching other dancers having the time of their lives in the dance floor, because I know it doesn’t take anything away from me, but rather adds more positive energy around me. A good example of this way of thinking was during the last weekend in WCS event FinFest. I was having a horrible night: it was one of those I felt that I couldn't dance at all, nothing just seemed to work. However, I was able to fully enjoy watching others having a great night without getting negative thoughts of them at all. Why would I feel bad seeing others having fun?

I feel bad if someone takes my dancing excitement negatively. It is not my intention to put anyone down or lift myself up with my hyping. I simply want to share what is so great about dancing: those tiny but precious moments. What I especially don’t want to, or can’t, do is to try to hide or block the positive energy I’ve received from dancing. I regard this energy should be shared and that this should be a topic that everyone should feel comfortable discussing. I don't want to be afraid of saying or showing how great I feel or how deeply I fell in love during a dance, and neither should you. After all, this positive energy is one of the best things in dancing.

So, share your energy, express your feelings, get excited, show your enjoyment and forget jealousy.

To finish off: Bruno&Eglantine's demo from their

Helsinki weekend. Enjoy!

Every Single Dance.

Last weekend we had the privilege of having a Zouk teacher couple coming over to give us workshops all the way from Brazil: Bruno and Eglantine. This couple amazed our Zouk scene already in Helsinki Zouk Festival last year, so a full class of enthusiastic students didn't come as a surprise. I truly love them both as dancers and admire the way they give their hearts to Zouk.

One thing that I highly appreciate in a dance teacher, or in any partner dancer for that matter, is the ability in social dancing to make every single dance special and personal no matter with who they are dancing with. This ability comes up normally when you find someone with who you have a strong dance connection, but can be extremely hard if that connection is weak. Since dance teachers are travelling around the world and dancing almost every weekend with a huge amount of different dancers constantly, I feel amazed if they can keep up this attitude. It is kind of spreading the love of dancing to everyone around you, but to everyone separately and uniquely.

Bruno is exactly this kind of a dancer and this ability of his didn't go unnoticed during the weekend. It didn't make a difference whether the follower was a beginner or more advanced, or whether the connection between them was stronger or weaker: every single time he was making a personal contact with his partner and created something unique form that connection and the music. Every dance seemed to be like an exciting exploratory expedition for him. He was open, he was right there. No wonder all that the girls were talking about was that how much they loved the personal touch he was giving to everyone. Everyone loved dancing with him - and he loved dancing with everyone.

There is no denying that he took also my breath away during our magical dances. He made me feel so special, like the most amazing dancer in the world. I was completely his and he was all mine during those moments. What more could I even ask for? Also, the way he counter-reacted to my reaction of his leading made him create new movements, just in that moment (as he, to my surprise, mentioned in our Sunday's workshop after our dances on Saturday's party). It was like a conversation, a flowing and intensive one, far away from a monologue, the kind of which we got completely absorbed in.

This made me thinking that why don't we all have this kind of an attitude towards dancing? Why don't we just give everything we've got and surrender completely for every dance, not just for those "special" ones? Giving your everything doesn't take anything away from anyone, but only spreads the love of dancing to all the people around you. Sure, the other person can block your openness, but is it the end of the world? Compared to the possibilities and energy it creates, I think it is rather a small adversity. Every dance has the possibility to be an adventure, but it will become one only if you let it - and this is what requires openness and surrendering. I'm not saying that only you should do it, but this is what I would want to learn. Giving my everything to every dance, making any dance personal and special every single time, no matter with who I dance with, no matter where or when.

After turning over these thoughts for a couple of days I realized that it is not only dancing where I want to implement this attitude. Why wouldn't I be open to everyone and to everything all the time? If I give all of myself in any situation, what harm can it cause? If I meet someone, anyone, why wouldn't I try to connect with this person open minded, and show them who I truly am? What is the point of hiding myself? What is the point of giving only fragment of all the potential that lies inside of me?

"I could see inside of you!", he whispered to me, smiling the wide and charming smile of his, after one of our dances. And I felt the same about him. It was truly an adventure.

Notes to My Dance Diary.

I noticed that I have been writing a lot about dance connection lately... and not much about anything else! To leave some kind of memory of my current dance life to this blog for myself, I think something about my everyday life should be in place.

Our spring Zouk classes came to an end last week. I haven't really had any regular practice partner to practice Zouk with, but still I feel like my technique has improved a lot during these months. This week I took a private from F&A as a kind of  a close up for the spring course and got some good tips for working with one of my biggest weaknesses: balance. It was nice to hear from them that I have been going forward with my technique really well. This week I also had a practice with JV and, for the first time this year, I videotaped my dancing. It has been a long break and I was prepared for the worst ("omg, do I really look that horrible!?"), but in the end it didn't look too bad! Actually, JV posted the video on his Facebook account and we got a lot of good feedback from it. Some could say it was a brave thing to post a practice video publicly in that way, since those always inevitably contain mistakes and flaws that you might not want to reveal to everyone. However, I got some good energy from it and it was nice to receive encouraging comments from our friends and even teachers. You shouldn't be too afraid of mistakes anyway because a dance will never look perfect in a video. And its the mistakes you lean the best from.

Last month I have had two practice partners with who I have been practicing weekly. With AK we've been doing lots of things, my favorite being lifts, balances and acrobatic exercises. He has also been teaching me some LA style Salsa while I have been teaching some Zouk in return. With PL it has been Finish ballroom dances, mostly Tango, Slow Waltz and Cha-cha. I hope that I can continue practicing regularly with both of them during the summer because it is good to have some variety in dancing styles rather than sticking only with one. In addition I should find someone with who to have Zouk practices to keep up with my improved technique during the summer break from regular classes.

I have been having time off from work on May and since that freed me extra time I decided to go through quite a radical diet for a couple of weeks period: I cut basically all carbs and put my body into ketosis. I have never done a diet like this and to be honest I was quite skeptical about it in the beginning. I nevertheless wanted to give a different kind of challenge for my body and to also put my focus into something else than what was going around in my mind. Despite my skeptical attitude, the two weeks actually made me feel really good and kind of purified my body. The diet gave me good energy for my dance practices and it made me think of my nutrition more carefully. As a dancer I want to have a strong and healthy body to dance with and a diet makes quite a big part of that. There is a good possibility that I'll make another intensive diet period like this later on summer.

Besides giving more thoughts to my diet I have been trying to strengthen my muscles, especially the core. I admit I have been a bit too lazy with my once-a-week work outs and I should increase those at least to twice a week, but yoga is something that I have found to be really good for me, both to my body and mind. I just don't like doing work outs that I have to force myself into: I rather do something fun and challenging at the same time. Now that there are no dance classes during the summer, I should use the time to make my body stronger. Anyone willing to become my work out buddy and to give us both more motivation for a better body to dance with? I also lined up for this rowing event for July, Sulkavan Soutu, in which teams of twelve row about 60 km, so I think I should prepare somehow for that.

Talking about my current dance life I shouldn't forget Monday nights that are nowadays dedicated to dancing in Uggla. I love the idea of connecting all Latin dancers in Helsinki under one dance party: you can do Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba and Zouk all under the same roof! Thumbs up that there are enough dancers to keep the parties rolling regularly.

One thing that I realized just now when I was browsing through my older blog posts (something that I enjoy doing every now and then - one of the reasons to keep up writing my memories here) was that, like an year ago, I'm living with Michaelo at the moment: last year he visited me in Brisbane and now I'm living at his place. This time, though, we're not having our morning Zouk practices as we were in Brisbane. It is a shame actually because I really loved starting my mornings with dancing! Well anyway, I'll be living with him only for couple of months before I find my own home. Let's see if I'll find a nice place with enough space to have my yoga and dance practices in!

Tomorrow morning I'm starting at my new work. How exciting! The only thing I'm worried about is that I'll start working long days and not having enough time for dancing. If you catch me doing that too much, could you just kidnap me to a dance floor, please?

Losing and Finding Myself through Dancing.

"I can see it so clearly from your face that you had a great time in the festival". I sure did, why should I hide it! I had such a great time that I don't even know if there are words to describe all the joy, happiness and other mind-blowing feelings I went through during the Afro Latin Flow weekend. There is so much to tell but I don't know how to even start the story. Still after couple of days I feel like I'm glowing this bright dance glow of mine that I have when I'm enjoying myself in the dance floor.

I could start by telling how much I liked the Zouk and Kizomba workshops I went to, or maybe how I somehow ended up doing an extempore dance demo in the first workshop with a dance teacher I had hardly never danced before. Alternatively I could start by telling about my lack of sleep, my sore feet and a pile of sweaty clothes as a prove of well-danced weekend. I also could start by telling how much I enjoyed the "Good2Great" master class and what new thoughts about dancing it woke inside me. These alone would have made my weekend amazingly good, but there was even a step further and deeper - and that happened in the dance floor.

I could say that there are different "levels" of dancing for me. The better connection I have with my partner and the music, the higher level the dance gets. The higher the level gets, the more I give myself up to the dance and the more I drop everything else. In the highest level there is not only a connection to my partner and to the music, but a further connection to myself, to my soul, to my partner's soul and into the whole universe around us. At this level there is no hesitation, no expectations, no faking, no barriers, no showing off, no fear nor thinking. There are not two, but one dancer. It is a pure dance ecstasy. The dance and energy just flows through us as it would be the most natural thing in the world. It is these magical moments that are the ultimate reason why I dance.

What made the weekend so special was that there were not only one but two amazing dancers with who I reached this stage of dance ecstasy. Gosh, I had forgotten what a dance connection can be in its highest stage! It made me speechless. Two really different dancers, two really different connections. With the other I had maybe one of my strongest physical dance connections and we were truly being a one dancer flying on the dance floor. It was so unbelievable, like a dream! We were so into our dancing that there were times when we tried to stop, gave each other tight hugs and thanks, but just kept on dancing just a few more songs. The other dancer I had danced before couple of years back and I was super excited to dance with him again, hoping to reach the same kind of connection we had before. When we finally met in the dance floor, I felt the connection immediately. With him it was different kind of connection though, like I had known this person, who really was a stranger to me, for a long time. Maybe I could describe it more like an emotional connection, or the similar way we both think and feel about dancing and the way we both connect with the music. One dancer later on came to tell me that she fell in love the way we danced together so much that she refused from dance invitations just to be able to watch us dance. What a beautiful thing to say!

Experiencing and sharing these amazingly strong connections also showed me a path to somewhere really deep into myself through the physical and emotional link. It was like exploring the universe inside me, finding something new and true about myself. I feel like dancing those dances changed something inside me, or rather that I was finally able to find that something and to bring it out. I still feel the warmth and glow coming out from my chest, spreading happiness and positive energy into my life. So, wow, I hope that these two special persons feel at least a small part of my gratitude that I'm sending to them for giving me all this.

On Monday morning I woke up with huge smile that has been following me persistently the rest of the week. However, I think the (way too) early wake up taught me an important lesson: never plan a dance practice for the following morning of any dance festival!

The First Dance.

There is no denying it: I've been having quite a hard month. But the good thing is that I have started to heal myself and learned both to let go and to hold back when needed. I have also started to enjoy my dance practices again (phew!!) and got back that joy of dancing on the social dance floor. In addition, there has been really great news in my career, which has really put my mood up. Really, the timing could have not been better.

I wanted to write some more of one specific new dance connection that has helped me getting back my dance joy. It was something like three weeks ago when we had our first dance and I felt from the very first move that it was going to be something special between us. You know who I'm talking about if you have seen a glimpse of our dance.

There is just something magical in a really good first dance. You have never met the other person, maybe changed only few words before the dance, and bam, you feel like you have found the missing part of you, like you two are born to dance with one another, like you can read each others minds and hearts. Everything else disappears, there is just you two and the music. Every single move is synchronized, there is no two but one, moving perfectly together, feeling the music exactly the same way. And when the music stops, you both are so overwhelmed of the surprise that just happened that you just stand there, stupefied, not knowing what to say or do. It even feels a bit awkward having revealed so much of you and having learnt so much of the other during the one single song, and there you stand, not knowing the other's name or anything else that you feel you should be knowing, and yet you feel like you know this stranger next to you in some special way no one else does.

Yes, it was exactly like this and exactly what I really needed, right now, right there. Maybe my craving for this kind of dance connection was one reason why I just let go completely. In just few seconds I felt like I trusted this stranger with all my heart and was ready to do whatever he wanted me to do. I had so many feelings going through me during the dance that I can't remember the last time I was able to feel so strongly in the dance floor. When the dance was over, I must have looked so silly, feeling kind of lost, little embarrassed and truly happy at the same time.

Interestingly, that was our only dance that night. It was like, if I try to put it metaphorically, having a first kiss, amazing and mind blowing first kiss, when saying goodbye; the kind of first kiss that wakes up the butterflies in your stomach and leaves them flying around. Not surprisingly, I found myself looking for him in the next dance party. When I finally found him, I was little nervous whether our second dance could reach the same level since now there were these huge expectations and no surprise factor putting the extra something into the feeling. However, the expectations were not let down and there I went again, surrendering myself into our dance.

I've learnt to appreciate these kind of strong dance connections because I know those don't happen often. The beauty of them is that every single one has been special in their own way and have brought up different things and feelings in me. I have been lucky to find two of those during the last six months, and even more lucky that both of them live in the same city and go to the same dance parties that I do. What a lucky girl I am.

I'd like to finish with one song that has been on my playlist a lot during this week. It just somehow hits me right now.

The Hardest Thing Is Letting Go.

I knew there was something blocked inside of me when I went to my beloved dance class and all I could think of the whole class was that I wanted the class to be over. The time dragged on as I just wanted to go home.

I took a peak inside that block and found overwhelming amount of sadness, more that I was ever able to imagine. How easy it is to fool yourself to believe that everything is okay? Regardless of the sadness I found, I'll need to dance through that block and everything else that comes with it and, little by little, I won't have to fool myself anymore. Now I just have to let go, and that is the hardest part.

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!