Monday, August 27, 2012

Dance Camp


I spent the weekend at Dance Camp.  Three days of dancing have left various parts of my body in pain.  I'm hideously sleep deprived after late night dance parties followed by early morning (vitally important) stretch sessions.  I have a giant pile of dirty dance clothes waiting to be washed.  But I'm utterly thrilled at having experienced it all and am completely inspired by just how brilliant the teachers were.

I could go on and on about how wonderful the weekend was, but here are a few of my favourite highlights:

  • Dancing till I dropped. I can't remember the last time I danced so much in such a short period of time.
  • Lazing in the sun.  It was sunny and warm all weekend and between classes I soaked up as much as I could.
  • I spent all weekend in comfy track pants, t-shirts and wore socks with my open toe heels - and I didn't feel daggy.  It is the outfit of choice among dancers.
  • The teachers were brilliant, funny and inspiring.  I feel so motivated, not only by the wonderful moves and techniques they taught but also to bring some of their tips into my own teaching.
  • Spending time with my dancing friends, on the dance floor, lounging between classes, over dinner, in the car.  There were so many hilarious and irreverent conversations that we had all the time in the world for.

For many years I let the nervous anticipation that precedes any new activity limit my life.  Before heading to camp this weekend I certainly had the butterflies and doubts, but I powered through them and had a truly awesome time.  I think it really shows that as real as the fear of trying something new is, it is important not to let it control your life.  Getting out of your comfort zone every now and then is a really positive thing to do.  Most of the time when you work through the nerves you come away with new skills, new memories and a fantastic experience.

Have you powered through nerves and tried something new recently?

6 comments:

  1. What a joyous weekend! I have two left feet and am very self conscious so I admire your adventures un dance.

    SSG xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was joyous! I am trying to remember that joy through the pain of muscle recovery though.

      Delete
  2. Yes! And it also involved dancing. In a Vegas nightclub. With vodka.

    It was amazing, and I don't feel too icky today, but I do wish my shoes had been as sparkly as yours.

    Your happiness makes me happy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hee hee, vodka and dancing are great for nerves. We drank scotch (don't tell anyone, it is an alcohol free venue).

      Delete
  3. What a wonderful weekend, and a wonderful post now. Congratulations :) I'm so glad you had a good time, and that you were able to power through the nerves to get there. I noticed when away last week that I was much more relaxed talking to people I don't know or semi-know and I'm quite glad that my ability to do that has got better with age.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really is something we have to learn over time isn't it? I still find my shyness is there, I just have tools to overcome it now.

      Delete