Just Dance

Just Dance

As the release of Dance Demons my third Young Adult novel draws nearer I thought it would be interesting to write about one of the activities I am passionate about. No need to guess as reading the title I have hinted at the answer.

I think we all need love and passion in life and I am not referring to this in a romantic way. In order to make something happen, loving what we do and the passion to follow through are key ingredients.

I love seeing people when they are totally immersed in an activity. This is what DANCING does for me. When I enter the dance studio I am instantly transported to another world. The spicy Latin beats fill the room as I watch people spin, sway and lock step across the polished floorboards.

Music and movement go hand in hand. There is something about music that just makes me want to dance. In the car I may tap my fingers on the steering wheel or at a restaurant move my feet under the table and practise my dance steps. And at the dance studio all I want to do is put on my dance shoes and DANCE.

I am totally immersed in my own world when I stand on the dance floor and am obliged to focus on the moment, concentrating on the steps. Dance seems to make the world of worries disappear. There is no time to think about the bills that need to be paid or the supermarket shopping, just listen and watch the dance teacher.

I think anyone who knows how to immerse themselves in something such as painting, singing, writing or playing an instrument just to name a few would be able to relate to the two key ingredients, love and passion.

To achieve a result passion and hard work are needed. Some people look only at the final product for example, attaining the medal or the completed book but fail to notice the process involved. Passion is needed to write every day, to be motivated when everything else seems to go wrong. It is passion that keeps people going when the end of the tunnel seems a long way off. When dancing, passion is needed to get through the endless nights of practising dance steps and sore feet when training. The people who are passionate about what they do, hardly ever make excuses. Passion and love outweigh anything else, the drive to want to.

Having competed my Gold Latin Cha Cha medal I can share that the journey towards obtaining the medal required the secret ingredients of LOVE and PASSION. Loving to dance and the passion to follow through meant turning up to class, listening to the teacher and practise, practise, practise.

There was a lot involved when I started training for my dance medal. Days, weeks and months of practise, on and off went my dance shoes, to the point the shoes nearly became an extension of my feet. Scrubbing the soles of the shoes so I did not slip on the floor, learning the routine and perfecting the steps.

The Gold Latin medal involves five dances Cha Cha, Jive, Rumba, Paso Doble and Samba. The dances can be danced over a period of time.

Flash forward to Medals Night and I am about to perform the cheeky Cha Cha, my first gold medal to be obtained on the dance shield. One of my dance teachers is about to partner me for the performance. Taking a deep breath, we wait for the music to start. Rocking to the side, stepping forward and back, spinning along the floor, the dance is performed at a fast pace. The final spin out indicates the end of the dance. After weeks and months of training, it is all over in a few minutes.

gold tow gold three

Yes, it is all over in a few minutes but the passion and love is never lost. The knowledge of the steps, the memories and the friendships remain forever.

Dance has added so much to my life, happiness, friendship, discipline, commitment and a sense of community just to list a few. Dance brings people together. It is a form of communication without words.

So why not find something to be passionate about. Let yourself slip into another world occasionally. Or better still JUST DANCE!

Best wishes in using these two secret ingredients and applying them to life.

Juliet x

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