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The Double Meaning behind the blog title 'Dream Follower:'
First, for 14 years I was a ballroom & social dance instructor, and have studied both leading and following. I feel that learning to follow is full of nuance and is often misunderstood. I made it one of my personal goals to become a really excellent follow on the dance floor, and will probably talk a lot about the art of following - both in and out of the context of dance.

Second, I am a huge fan of author Michael Ende, probably best known for The Neverending Story. The book is incredible, and the first film captured some of the essence. (Please don't watch the other two films...I urge you to read the book though!) Anyway, at least twice in my life I have been caught in a storm of my own indecision, and my inner Moon Princess yelled to my inner Bastian...'Why don't you do what you dream?' I tear up even now as I write this little blurb. The tension between being practical, keeping my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds (at the risk of compromising my inner vibrancy, true self, and who knows what else)...and reaching for my true dreams (at the risk of losing everything) is still a very real struggle. In fact, one of those struggles lead to my 14 years of teaching dance, so we can see which voice won the battle that fateful day when I was staring at the want-ad...

And so I strive to be two kinds of Dream Followers in my life. One has to do with connecting with others, and the other has to do with connecting with my inner Moon Princess and the world of possibility that opens when I do...

Friday, April 18, 2014

Salsa Clubs; A Dancer's Rant


I'm on a ranting roll...so here we go...

Mild stuff to begin:
While I appreciate good hygiene (some guys need deodorant!!) my overall impression is that most guys are wearing more than enough cologne. In some isolated cases I didn't mind smelling his cologne even after I showered...but as a whole, TOO MucH of a good thing is just Too MUCH! Save some cologne for next week, too!!

Next...the pointy shoes. I don't really get it, but ok, they are the current "it" trend...and I don't mind them UNTIL you insist on holding me so close that I have no option but to kick my bare toe against your pointy shoe. Know the dimension of your shoes, and budget enough space for them so I don't get hurt, please...or wear normal shoes!

Next...thumbs...heaven help the next man that uses his thumbs to leverage/lead/squeeze or rub! Opposable thumbs are amazing and useful, but not necessary to lead me!

Lovely.

Next...the tricky subject of timing. I HONESTLY would rather do basic patterns and combinations on a steady timing (123,567 Or 234,678...I'm still learning On2, it's hard for me to move my slow) consistently...rather than be on 1 until the spin combo you picked up in class and suddenly we are on 3, and I have to keep switching the timing.

Do I sound mean? Demanding? Snobby? I really don't mean to...

Last little thing...realize that she may be tired, off balance, drenched in sweat, have wet shoes, a strapless shirt/dress, forgotten to wear dance pants, had one too many drinks, had a bad day at work or broken up with her boyfriend...so DON'T ASSUME it's you. If she doesn't smile, telling her she should smile won't cheer her up, nor will her fake smile soothe your bruised ego.

It could be a million things, and if 5 months later she smiles and asks you to dance, that might not be the time to exact your revenge for one bad dance.

This will need some editing in about an hour...but it sure feels good to publish (even just for a little while)


*Confession: I actually wrote this rant about three and a half years ago...Most if not all of it is still valid, which is why I'm posting it as is for now. Also I'm told it makes for funny reading, so I hope that is true. :)
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2 comments:

  1. ElGuapoApril 21, 2014 at 1:21 PM

    Took me a moment to realize this was about dancing.
    When I (briefly) took lessons, the woman instructing me was very clear about not jamming up against her toes.
    Lesson learned.

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    Replies
    1. DreamFollowerApril 21, 2014 at 6:00 PM

      Good point. It's *so* not about chips and salsa...maybe I'll adjust the title to make it more obvious. :) Thanks for the feedback.
      And it would matter less about the toes if we didn't insist on wearing cute open-toed shoes to the club. Fashion above comfort, I guess :/

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