Good for the Soul

It is nice to be able to talk more about ballroom again. Had another lesson last night and worked more on the tango routine. Picked up most of the footwork but still need work on the timing and the shaping.

Mini used an analogy of a stack of marshmallows with four parts (head, upper body, lower body and feet). And that the various parts can be pointed in different directions. I didn’t quite buy the marshmallow thing but took the point. And we’ve got parts in this routine where the shaping gets a bit intense with different parts pointing in different directions. So that’s a challenge. Plus remembering to step and then shape and right now my body wants to shape in the wrong direction because it is fooled by the step. So still much to work on.

With all the upheaval going on this year, I have been thinking about ballroom and where it fits into my life. Losing two instructors during the year didn’t help. I have wondered if it is a sign from the universe that I should wrap this up and move on.

And then it just takes one lesson to relight the fire. Now, I’m starting to think way beyond the in studio Showcase in November. Getting back into some dances that haven’t been touched since the world shut down in March. Daring to think about a big Showcase in May. Things like that.

All that is good but a bit dangerous. I think the world has taught us a lesson this year about looking too far into the future. You just never know what is going to happen and what detours life will force you to take. I think it is better to stay grounded in the present and just enjoy the process of learning a new dance and being ready to give it my all in November.

There are times when I would really love to understand why ballroom has such a strong hold on me. I can come up with multiple different reasons but I’m not sure any one of them truly fits. Saying it is fun just feels like such an understatement. Yes, it is fun but it is so much more than that.

There is certainly the challenge part of it and learning new choreography fits that. Was watching OwnerGuy go through some of the steps at the beginning of the lesson and, as always, my first reaction is to think that is way above what I’m capable of doing. So when you get to a point where you can actually make it all work, it is a real accomplishment. That certainly a part of it but not all of it.

Also I do get the ego boost. I mean there is something about having people in the studio stop what they are doing for a bit to see how you handle something. This is the part that has to be kept in check because it is easy to start believing you are better than you are and, in ballroom, there is always more to learn.

Then, after thinking about all of that, I realize it really doesn’t matter. I couldn’t explain it to anyone else anyway. In the end, it is just about how it makes me feel and that is just something that can’t really be rationally explained or maybe even understood. So mostly, I just go with it and enjoy the ride.