December Contest: What have you done, or what did you ever do, or what ever happened to you that improved your dancing or made dancing more rewarding for you? I have done a lot with my dancing, but recently the biggest thing that made a difference was getting into better shape. Write a short explanation of your experience and enter the December Contest. The winner will receive a FREE private lesson.

Serendipity, by Joe

The word that comes to mind is "Serendipity". I am a relatively new dancer, taking my first Latin and ballroom lessons in February-March of 2007. I'm discounting all the wild dancing I did as a teenager, the Twist and other dancing I did in the Air Force, the fast dancing, cha cha, and grinding I did socially along the way. I never really knew what I was doing, I just danced. Whether I looked like Texas Crawley, a country bumpkin, or somebody with saint vitas dance, I just danced and did get pleasure just moving around on a dance floor. Since getting involved with dance lessons, the miracle is that my weight dropped almost 30 lbs, and my stamina has improved tremendously. That was the serendipitous byproduct I got from taking lessons. And, yes, I feel much better about myself. However, I still found that I got a little tired, and I felt a little stiff when dancing. To help remedy that, I remembered the old concept of doing a lot more than your supposed to do, so that what your supposed to do comes in a more relaxed and facile manner. It's the idea of stretching the rubber band until it's taught, it never goes back to where it was before you stretched it. So now, to stretch my rubber band, I go to Bally's to get a good steam, some whirlpool, and I use the stationary bicycles, the elliptical machines, the stair master, and the treadmill to awaken and make my body more agile for dancing. I don't overdo it, maybe 5-15 minutes on each machine. For a total of maybe 30-40 minutes. I also incorporate some Yoga, as I found that stretching really improves muscle tonus and also helps with my body's agility. And, of course, PMA (positive mental attitude). Looking at everything that happens as a resource, and anything that doesn't work, viewed as just feedback, indicating that if what I am doing isn't working, just try something else, until I get the result I want. So, I invite you to stretch your rubber band.

The Dress, by Carol

It would be futile to suggest that becoming a better dancer can be accomplished without advancing technical skill, but is pursuing technical skill head-on the only path?  Ive found, quite accidentally, that there are other things that can make significant differences.  Maybe the most important for me was to decide to buy The Dress.  It was something that I didnt need even for dancing, that had no other use, and that had more financial impact than an extra trip to the grocery store.  It constituted an announcement that I am a dancer.  So, how good a dancer am I and what dress goes with that level?  No, no, no--I want something snazzier than that.  So, I picked the dress and was obligated to become a better dancer, so as not to look too out of touch with reality.  It became instantly clear that I did not expose myself to ridicule by not dancing fallaway slip pivots, but had better try to use that nice, posed top line throughout the whole dance.  I suddenly became much more interested in how CBMP actually works.  In the process, I also came to terms with what I can reasonably expect of myself and in what ways I care about how others assess my dancing.  The Dress opened a little door that let in some things that I already knew, some things that I was on the verge of knowing, and put me in position to take more risk and thereby learn faster.
Theres not much occasion to wear The Dress, but just having it refreshes the image that helps me; I am A DANCER. 
Carol

Isnt Sandras campaign for glamour an invitation for everyone to have a mini-The Dress experience getting ready for every lesson, class, and party?  And the effect isnt even limited to the wearer.  Dont we all stretch a little more when surrounded by just-a-little-bit-better-put-together people, by dancers?

 Shaping Up, by SFortuna

Whatever for? Well, I have a list of reasons. The one that seems to be pushed at people my age is, "Your health is everything." I don't mind my health measuring a bit better as a result of my shaping up, but it is not a real goal for me. For me it is all about looks. How do I look in these cool jeans, how do I look when I dance, that sort of thing. The second benefit is that I feel better in many ways. The third, and least of my concerns, is, I guess that I am slightly more healthy.  

It is it's own reward sometimes just to know that you have beaten the norm and you are not really overweight like most of the rest of the people you run into. I am naturally competitive and I enjoy knowing that I am able to acheive "normal weight" when I know that most of the population is overweight. I'm not talking about the dancers I see every week. It's no surprise that the people who attend classes and dance a few times a week are slimmer and more agile looking than the people I see in the stores or in the neighborhood.

It is also rewarding to enjoy dancing with less huffing and puffing, less likelihood of leaning on your partner and less trouble moving your pieces and parts because there is quite a bit less to move. I can dance a whole song with pretty good stamina now. At one point, even a foxtrot would be an effort once I got past the minute mark.

It is also rewarding to realize that dropping over 40 lbs. has freed me to feel more comfortable when I am on my feet for many hours. Burt says when you drop 16 lbs, that's the equivilant of losing a bowling ball. Imagine carrying around (while you're trying to dance) a bowling ball, or in my case two bowling balls and a gallon of milk. No wonder my bunions, heels, ankles, knees and hips were bothering me almost all the time.

It's very rewarding to shop in my attic for old favorites that haven't fit for a long time. Some of the old favorites are old enough to be almost back in style.

It's rewarding to never feel that my shoes are too tight anymore. Some of them are too big to wear, and the rest are just more comfortable.

I promised Jerry Harrison that I would wear an actual ballgown to dance pro-am with him as soon as I reach my goal weight. I am almost there.  Now imagine how fabulous it will be to dance without getting tired, no joint pain, no pinched toes, a little bit of a shape AND a real ballgown crusty with rhinestones. I'm sure to get compliments. None of the compliments will be, "Wow, you look very healthy!"  They will be, " You are looking good," or " You can still dance well." That's exactly what I want to hear.  Happy Dancing! Sandra at Universal