Ballroom Interlude

Please indulge me with this diversion–

I’ve been ballroom dancing for just over two years now, and outside of books it is my favourite thing.

I started dancing because I needed a hobby. My entire life at the time – work, play, extra-curriculars – revolved around books, which was ideal… but also exhausting. I decided I needed to do something, preferably something active, and for various reasons I settled on ballroom.

I got lucky and landed an incredible teacher, who took my “swing dancing sounds fun?” and proceeded to teach me a lot more. I love the smooth dances particularly; waltz is my favourite, but I have come to enjoy the Latin dances, too. As a result, I am a much more social creature than I was. My posture is better, and I am more spatially aware. I also think about movement much more (although mostly to ask ‘but how…?’).

Anyway, I recently completed my second showcase. My first (in the blue) was a foxtrot. Think Frank Sinatra, elegant, classy. This time around (in pink) was a mambo: full of attitude (theoretically), and out of my comfort zone – but I’m glad I did it.

Now I’m looking at a new chapter in my dancing, and since it’s much on my mind, it has ended up on this blog.

I’ve also been looking for books about ballroom, which seem to be QUITE hard to find.

I discovered Ballroom Dance and Glamour on my store’s database, which I was thrilled to acquire but turned out to be pretty academic in tone, and the photography somewhat amateurish.

There is a sweet book for children, Dance Till you Drop, part of the Silver Shoes series by Sue-Ellen Bound.

And if you have even a passing interest in dance, you MUST look at The Art of Movement; it’s not ballroom but it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Also, if you know of any good ballroom blogs, let me know? I called my dancing a hobby, but it’s closer to an obsession – of the best kind.

Until next time–