Let's say you're interested in becoming a professional ballroom dancer.  If you haven't read my long-standing and still totally true posts on the myths, the pros, the cons, and the expectations, please do so now. I'll wait… But how does the ballroom dance industry work?  Or how does one become part of the professional side…

Recently, I was on the panel of a ballroom dance critique event.  You know, one of those competition-like numbers that's not a competition, but where you get written feedback on your dancing? Good times. This one was mostly collegiate dancers and therefore, generally new to ballroom dancing and… broke.  Considering that a very decent collegiate…

First of all, there’s no “I” in “group class”, but there is in “private lesson”. Did I write this whole post just to use that line? Yes. BUT SERIOUSLY… It is a group.  You are part of a group.  You are one of 3-100 other unique individuals who are comprising a party of participants. You…

What is "dancing out of category"? Should I avoid it? Run head first into it? OR SHOULD I CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL? This is based on a blog post from March 13, 2020 called "Dancing Out of Category". My favorite podcast is The Thrilling Adventure Hour. The ISTD is the unfortunately-acronymed, blue-ribbon standard (STATE FAIR JOKES!…

This is what is called "click bait" in the internet age.   Aimed mainly at my dearest dear darling collegiate students and suspiciously self-sufficient amateurs, this one's for you. Things you can learn the week of a competition What times do I dance? What does the floor look like in the ballroom? Who is judging?…

Hey babes, I'm going to leave this here and then come back later with OPINIONS and FACTS. Go forth and practice.

I've noticed a phenomenon in syllabus levels of ballroom dance competitions where a couple (or a student, in a pro-am situation) will make several cuts in competitive events and as they get closer to the final, their dancing changes.  Their dancing becomes MOAR.   MOAR ARMS. MOAR SMILES. MOAR HIPS. MOAR BIG. MOAR DANCING. And…

Happy Blogday (like Happy Birthday, but for the birthday of my blog).   11 years ago when Gordon was at Emerald Ball, I decided to start this ol' thing.  And just because I haven't posted for a second doesn't mean I have any less thoughts on what happens on the dance floor.  So let's get…

  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1812019/10265654-gold-digger.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-10265654&player=small What the heck is Gold anyway? Now that we've talked about Bronze and Silver, let's cover the ye olde Gold.  I have se-ve-ra-l (yes, four syllables) issues with my previous blog post. Where I talk about the Wild West of ballroom: VHS to digital Where I relate the Sam story: Open(er) Choreography This…

To tell you too much about me, I am a INFJ and Enneagram One and I rank "exceptionally high" in conscientiousness in various personality tests. In other words, invigilation might be my favori;;te thing. In the ballroom dance competition world, invigilators observe syllabus events (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) to ensure that competitors are dancing the…