Friday, April 15, 2011

Picture Fridays!


In honor of Fridays and all they mean I have decided to post an interesting picture I took either new or archived! Hope everyone enjoys! Also I am going to change my layout sometime soon but just trying to figure out the kinks of blogger.

These are my favorite hangouts on campus! This is in a cove near the Humanities building and the Art building. I love that is hidden and has a Japanese feel to it! It seems to be maintained by a group on campus because there sometimes is a guestbook to sign and comment on.


Below is in front of Zimmerman library. Sadly the fountain isn't always on.


Monday, April 11, 2011

A Dance History

Question: What songs did you grow up dancing to and what are you go to dance songs now?

Recently I realized how much I missed dancing. This may sound quite silly, why would I miss it you ask? Well for a while I was not dancing because I felt like I wasn't a good dancer, this I think most people will say is false. However, I am definitely not the best partner for dancing because I can tend to lead sometimes. It is something I cannot help unless you are forceful. This has lead to some rather disheartening experiences o the dance floor where I am suddenly confronted by better dancers and guys who refuse to dance with me. Happily, though, I have decided to not care anymore.

A brief history of my dance record: As far as I can remember I have loved to danced to music and when I was little my mom would always play La Bamba by Ricky Valentino on my birthday and I would so dance my butt off! I would also dance at every wedding and similar celebrations.

Some point in elementary, I fell in love with Ballet like your typical little girl. Let's face it who doesn't love watching the Nutcracker Ballet or isn't transported to a different time. It may seem cliche but even the NYTimes wrote an article about how popular it is and has been countlessly rethought n reproduced every christmas year. Sadly this was the start of my awareness of how I was just mediocre as I wasn't as flexible as some of my fellow ballerinas but I still enjoyed the classes. However, I realized I wouldn't be a professional ballerina nor did I ever have a professional ballet recital as I didn't go to a professional dance studio but a community one that kept switching teachers.

At the same time, being born in a Latin family, there were plenty of opportunities for going salsa dancing with relatives and salsa,meringue, and the like became my dance repoitoire of choice.

Come college time, I am introduced to swing and soon come to love it as well. At first I feel I am just as good as when I was little as the rhythm guides my steps and I can usually fall back on my partner to lead me, but as per usual I find people that are better and soon find myself being a wallflower watching others dance wishing I never lacked a partner.

In college, I also have taken Ballroom Dancing and Flamenco classes all which have greatly improved my dance skills but because I don't exceed well in them, I am a bit discouraged and as they are partner dances I have not many opportunities to practice. Yet the basic lessons learned have sticked with me.

Soon after most of my friends graduated, I found myself dancing less and less until I pretty much stopped dancing. So when I went to a friend's wedding last New Year's and there was music playing, I suddenly had an urge to dance but there weren't many people dancing on the floor (sadness) and then my present crush was there and I really wished he would ask me to dance - but he didn't and I didn't have the courage to dance by myself. So I ended up leaving the wedding on a sad note because suddenly I realized how much dance was a part of my identity so to speak.

Fast forward to another friend's wedding this spring, there were plenty of single dancing friends and even one outstanding little dancing girl (she did some impressive worms) and so I felt very comfortable dancing like no other person on the floor with all my friends who were encouraged to dance by my dancing. That's when it dawned on me, that dancing is something I could never give up.

So when another friend decided to have a dance party, I jumped on board! It was such a blast! I met some new people and danced until I couldn't stand, got complimented on my hair after my bun fell apart as well as on my dancing, even danced with my crush for the first time ever! After that party, I came home with such a dance high that I couldn't stop smiling and even still can't stop thinking about it! There I usually had a dance partner or dance group to continually dance.
I did not feel at all self-conscious about my dance skills and supremely enjoyed myself despite some dirty dancing going on =P. I went to just dance and dance I did.

As if that weren't enough proof (for myself mainly) that I can't give up dance, my first major crush was a ballroom dancer, my second major crush was a former ballet dancer, and well I danced with my current crush. So needless to say, dance will from this point on continue to be a major part of my life. Did I mention it is really great stress relief? So I can't help but to dance/ move to the rhythm of music even sitting down and am now dancing to Lady Gaga's Just Dance which kind suits the dance party I went to!