Shimmying away the rusty feeling

Mair · 05-10-2008, 07:11 PM

I haven't been dancing in about a year. Lately I just haven't had the time or money to devote to it, but every time I see a ME dancer or hear music, my heart does this little flutter, like "I really should get back into that, I love it." So I'm pulling out the practice DVDs which have been languishing and using them as much as I can. I'm also planning to take a few more classes over the summer with my old teacher, if it can be arranged. I'm also looking for a teacher in the Boston area, so I can continue to dance when I go away to college*.

Is there anyone else who's either gotten back into dance after an extended "break," or who is trying now?

*-By sheer coincidence, my roommate is a ME dancer too. Life is just awesome sometimes.

Reen.Blom · 05-10-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mair

I haven't been dancing in about a year. Lately I just haven't had the time or money to devote to it, but every time I see a ME dancer or hear music, my heart does this little flutter, like "I really should get back into that, I love it." So I'm pulling out the practice DVDs which have been languishing and using them as much as I can. I'm also planning to take a few more classes over the summer with my old teacher, if it can be arranged. I'm also looking for a teacher in the Boston area, so I can continue to dance when I go away to college*.

Is there anyone else who's either gotten back into dance after an extended "break," or who is trying now?

*-By sheer coincidence, my roommate is a ME dancer too. Life is just awesome sometimes.

Yep I am trying to get back.... I travel a lot and I dont often stay close to class.... I have just moved so trying to get in class!

Best of luck and lots of hugs!

Andrea Deagon · 05-12-2008, 03:17 AM

After a personal loss, I didn't dance for about 8 months, and when I did go back it was hard to find the joy. I forced myself to do practices in a fairly mechanistic way, as opposed to my previous free-form thing of putting on the music and working my way into whatever called to me that day. I worked on points of technique and after a while managed to get the endorphines back. I had to do other aerobic training to build endurance, because when I came face to face with what bad shape I was in while dancing, it would discourage me and too often I'd just stop.

Eventually, let's say another 8 months later, I regained the ability to actually just cut loose and have fun with it. But for my particular situation, where there was no joy to sustain me, I had to just stick with the mechanistic stuff to get my body and soul lubricated enough to really dance again. I had to trust that the pleasure would come if I gave it enough of a chance, and sure enough, it finally did.

Kharmine · 05-12-2008, 04:11 AM

I'm so preoccupied with quarterly deadlines (I've been hired to produce a nonfiction book) that there are times I can't think of anything else. Everything else seems like a distraction, a drag, an obligation to be met as quickly as possible.

But if I'm good at what I do it's because of all that I am. I have to limit the attention I give to dance, but ignoring it completely will take something out of me that I need, too.

Lately, I've been thinking that I need to promise myself something important and dance-related once I reach a certain point in this assignment. Don't know what yet, but it will be a way both to reward myself and keep a special place for dance in my life.

maylynn · 05-15-2008, 11:42 AM

I wasn't dancing much at all last year while I was living in Cambridge...the day job consumed all of my time, and opportunities were few and far between. However thanks to some lovely bellydancer friends having haflas and passing on some gigs I wasn't completely out of the loop... but it certainly did make me feel rusty too!

I'm getting back into the swing of things now that I'm back in London and am realizing how much I missed dancing (and teaching), but I also realize that it was actually good for me to have had a little break and become more objective about the bd community (to better understand the GP perspective), as well as think about where I want my dance career to go.

05-10-2008, 07:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mair Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 37	Shimmying away the rusty feeling I haven't been dancing in about a year. Lately I just haven't had the time or money to devote to it, but every time I see a ME dancer or hear music, my heart does this little flutter, like "I really should get back into that, I love it." So I'm pulling out the practice DVDs which have been languishing and using them as much as I can. I'm also planning to take a few more classes over the summer with my old teacher, if it can be arranged. I'm also looking for a teacher in the Boston area, so I can continue to dance when I go away to college. Is there anyone else who's either gotten back into dance after an extended "break," or who is trying now? -By sheer coincidence, my roommate is a ME dancer too. Life is just awesome sometimes.

05-12-2008, 03:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
Andrea Deagon Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 123	After a personal loss, I didn't dance for about 8 months, and when I did go back it was hard to find the joy. I forced myself to do practices in a fairly mechanistic way, as opposed to my previous free-form thing of putting on the music and working my way into whatever called to me that day. I worked on points of technique and after a while managed to get the endorphines back. I had to do other aerobic training to build endurance, because when I came face to face with what bad shape I was in while dancing, it would discourage me and too often I'd just stop. Eventually, let's say another 8 months later, I regained the ability to actually just cut loose and have fun with it. But for my particular situation, where there was no joy to sustain me, I had to just stick with the mechanistic stuff to get my body and soul lubricated enough to really dance again. I had to trust that the pleasure would come if I gave it enough of a chance, and sure enough, it finally did. __________________ "I am not contradictory, I am dispersed." (Roland Barthes)

05-12-2008, 04:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
Kharmine V.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Foot of the Rocky Mountains Posts: 1,248	I'm so preoccupied with quarterly deadlines (I've been hired to produce a nonfiction book) that there are times I can't think of anything else. Everything else seems like a distraction, a drag, an obligation to be met as quickly as possible. But if I'm good at what I do it's because of all that I am. I have to limit the attention I give to dance, but ignoring it completely will take something out of me that I need, too. Lately, I've been thinking that I need to promise myself something important and dance-related once I reach a certain point in this assignment. Don't know what yet, but it will be a way both to reward myself and keep a special place for dance in my life. __________________ What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

05-15-2008, 11:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
maylynn Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London Posts: 232	I wasn't dancing much at all last year while I was living in Cambridge...the day job consumed all of my time, and opportunities were few and far between. However thanks to some lovely bellydancer friends having haflas and passing on some gigs I wasn't completely out of the loop... but it certainly did make me feel rusty too! I'm getting back into the swing of things now that I'm back in London and am realizing how much I missed dancing (and teaching), but I also realize that it was actually good for me to have had a little break and become more objective about the bd community (to better understand the GP perspective), as well as think about where I want my dance career to go. __________________ http://www.urbanamazon.co.uk