It doesn’t matter how hard it is … I just keep scratching along trying to further my dancing. I was going to have a major cut back, but after a long conversation with Teach about my dancing and the future, we are continuing with a slight cut-back. I’m laughing when I think that now that dance is getting really interesting, I’m at my lowest point financially that I’ve been in a while — 😆
My biz is slowly starting to take shape. Can I tell you I’ve learned a whole lot about working with local government and codes and red tape and connections? Not to mention the egregious amount of paperwork. But, there might be a light at the end of this long tunnel. I’ve been able to make some key connections and partnerships, so this little old space of mine might actually be going strong by the summer! If I’ll be making so much money to bankroll my habit remains to be seen.
Valentina came back for coaching at our studio a couple weeks ago and it hurt me not to be able to learn from her. I did take her master class and enjoyed that. The value of private instruction …. Sigh.
I wish I had a little more time to be more active on this blog. I haven’t been able to keep up with everyone’s journey lately and so many interesting things have been happening in your lives it would seem. I also just found I had some messages from people I’ve missed and now I gotta get all caught up. Sorry if I missed something from one of you!
At my space there’s a healthy amount of line dancing, lindyhop, blues dancing. I’ve tried to join in, but there’s so many other things to do and I miss the ballroom world!
I teach a class once a week at a retirement community for their wellness department. We basically dance in a line to little routines I make up. I had a student in her late 80s show up to my class with a walker. She watched for a few weeks and then slowly started to join us as she could. Now, she actually dances the whole hour with us without using her walker at all. It’s very exciting. This last week she stayed after class and very shyly told me she had something for me. She had typed up a poem she had written to give me as a gift for coming and teaching them. It’s so adorable and I’m so proud of her, I have to share it:
Great, right? 😀
Well, the big news for me is that this last Tuesday I had my 7-year anniversary with Teach! I still can’t believe it’s been seven years since I walked into that studio and shook Teach’s hand. We’ve come a long way, baby! I need to come up with a special post about my seven years and hope to do that this weekend. But, here’s a photo that shows me right at the beginning of my time at the studio to my 7th anniversary. So many memories … Who knows what the next seven will hold?
Marian Condon said:
Wow, B.C.! Big changes for you! Congrats on 7 years of dancing’. The book/film Seven Years in Tibet comes to mind. Bet some great parallels could be drawn.
Major kudos for what you’re doing in the retirement community. I have something similar going. As part of what I call my Dance Ambassador Program, I make free presentations on the benefits of dance to groups of various kinds, including senior center and retirement communities. The presentation is based on my book (Thinner, Fitter, Happier: Dancing Will Change Your Life!) and is enhanced by slides and some video. I end the presentation by teaching a short line-dance. My groups love it too!
ballroomchick said:
That’s so great … Amazing to watch dance change people’s lives!
Marian Condon said:
Yep. While I’ve received no poems yet, one lady who was using a cane said, “I’ve love to dance, but I can’t.” I said, “if you can walk, you can dance.” She and her cane did the line dance together. She was thrilled.
BCBallroomdancer said:
I love reading your posts! I have nominated you for the Liebster Award–details can be found here–https://bcballroomdancer.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/liebster-award/
Thank you so much for sharing your journey!