Medal Ball Recap

Before we get to Medal Ball, I should mention I went to group class and party on Thursday. Since I didn’t have my lessons on Tuesday or Wednesday, I figured I might as well get some dancing in. Plus the group was West Coast Swing so I thought that would be fun. It was by the way.

Friday we just hit the rhythm dances – Cha-Cha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero and Mambo. Hadn’t done the Bolero in over a month because I did miss two weeks in September and we were working on other things. Did fix one little problem with the Cha-Cha and everything seemed to be in decent shape. I mean the reality is that if they want you to come to the event, then you are going to pass. I suppose the only way you might not would be to not do any of the figures in the level you are supposed to be checking out of. Wonder what would happen if you actually did that.

I did decide to go a little more casual than most of the people there. I know that this is a part of ballroom events but it just isn’t me. I wanted to be comfortable because I knew I would dance better so that’s what I did.

As is typical of events like this, once I get there, I tend to have a good time. I spend too much time just thinking about all the reasons I don’t want to go before I actually go. They ran the event different than the last one. Last time, they put some general dancing in between the heats so I had to wait even longer to dance. This time, they just powered through the heats. I think it was because they had food at this event which was something that wasn’t possible last time. So, to give us time to eat, they kept the heats on time.

I know OwnerGuy hadn’t originally planned to do a second Medal Ball this year but there’s been an explosion of students and I don’t think he could wait. They could have checked out of multiple levels but I think the studio likes to give the positive reinforcement and it was better to do it now rather than making people wait.

Part of what gives a studio a good vibe is how supportive the people are. And that is one reason why I do like attending something like this. If you’ve never done this, you probably can’t imagine how stressful it can be to have to dance in front of someone who is judging you. The fear of screwing something up runs high. So it is nice to be part of the crowd cheering people on. And there is just something about seeing people get through their first dance and realize that they can do this. Just a nice positive vibe. Plus, it feels like there is giant exhale when everyone is done and we can all just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

How’d I do? Honestly, I’m not really sure I care that much. I know where my weak spots are in the rhythm dances. I just went out and danced and had some fun. So, yes, it was worth going despite my reservations.