Wednesday 15 June 2016

Back to basics

Whilst I was in Copenhagen for the lindy exchange earlier this year, I got talking to some dancers on a rather interesting topic: does having all the moves necessarily make dancing any more fun?

I remembered when I first started dancing, I didn't know any fancy swing out variations (hell I didn't even know a basic) and I still had really fun dances.

Now, although I still have absolutely amazing dances, I find myself thinking 'what crowd/lead pleasing variation can I do next?' I can't help but wonder, am I over complicating things?

In a bid to encourage other dancers to ask for a dance (because let's be honest, it's fine asking for a dance but it is rather lovely to be asked) I'm essentially peacocking. But sometimes I've been a victim to my own attempt at flashiness, mistiming a variation and totally missing a beat.  

I find myself panicking when I dance with a lead who throws in every move in their arsenal and often find some of my favourite dances are ones where the lead uses a few select moves but executes them really well.

Maybe it's time to strip back my own dancing and stop peacocking for any Tom, Dick, or Harry.

Friday 3 June 2016

Well heeled

There was a time when the thought of dancing in heels left me in a cold sweat. In fact I even wrote a whole blog post here about it! But I have to admit that I was wrong because I am now a dancing in heels convert.

I remember the weekend it happened. It was at GNSH this year. Saturday night. I'd been dancing in heels since 9pm and it was now midnight. Not only had I not fallen arse over tit but my feet didn't hurt and I actually found my dancing was improved wearing them. I didn't want to jinx it, despite the rising excitement, I kept it to myself. By the last night, feet still not aching and arse not covered in bruises, I told my friend - the excitement was real! It's kind of like the first time you go from wearing a training bra to wearing a real bra - I was a real dancer now.

The Anita shoe didn't quite work out for me
Much to the delight of  my already heel wearing friends who had tried to persuade me for some time to wear them, now when I head off dancing the heels are in the bag before anything else (and certainly before the fan which, despite the fact I own eight, have made it along to precisely one dance...one.)

The thing that made me see the light so to speak were the Miss L Fire (I am beyond obsessed with their shoes, the Loretta - in both colours!! - being the latest additions to my collection) Vista flapper shoes, bought in the boxing day sale for the absolute bargain of £45 at good old Lakeside.

My first pair of dancing shoes were a Remix pair, the Anita 1930s shoe. The were beautiful shoes but when I bought them I didn't know you were supposed to buy a size smaller than you needed as the leather stretches - so as you can imagine, after one night's out dancing I was sliding around in them like nobody's business - not ideal!
This was the weekend, in my hotel room at GNSH when my heel dreams came true...

So now I have found a pair that work for me (at the London Lindy Exchange I had them on one night from 8pm until 5.30am!) they have become like shoe royalty in my collection, despite the fact I own much more expensive pairs. They get kept in a special shoe bag (bought at the Copenhagen Lindy Exchange...got to have a souvenir) and they get cleaned to keep them in tip top shape.

I still dance in flats on the odd occasion; by the end of the Copenhagen exchange the thought of putting heels on could have made me cry - I'd gone straight to that exchange from the London one so by the last night I'd been dancing for ten days straight so I think it's allowed.

And on a totally vain note, heading out dancing in a nice dress looks so much nicer (in my opinion - each to their own before anyone shouts at me) than my skanky white pumps.