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?