Confessions of a Dance-A-Holic

dance May 23, 2023

My salsa dance addiction started in 2002, at the beginning of a 12-year divorce from hell.

Dance was my exercise. My escape. My solace.

I lived in Toronto, within minutes of salsa socials and studios. I was a single working mom with a live-in nanny for my then one- and three-year-old kids. When they went to sleep, I went dancing, five nights a week.

It was as if I had another life: Working by day, dancing by night. No matter how badly I felt, all my stress disappeared on the dance floor. Dance changed everything in my mind and body.

Twelve years ago, I shelved salsa and transitioned to west coast swing dancing, which was gentler on my aging body. West coast swing is an improvisational, playful smooth partner dance to music ranging from blues to pop. The dance features an extension-compression style of partner connection.

Now separated and single again, I’ve added salsa back to my dance repertoire. I love moving to the beat of Latin music. I needed something uplifting to take...

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Embracing Vulnerability: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone to Find Yourself in 2023

dance self-care Jan 23, 2023

As human beings, we all want to better ourselves. Now, how that betterment translates for you will be different than what it means for your child, neighbor, colleague, partner, friends, etc.
 
Of course, though our journeys may be different, there are universal themes that remain the same: We, as human beings, cherish and strive for many of the same outcomes i.e. love, acceptance, connection, happiness and a sense of meaning and purpose. 
 
In order to achieve these outcomes, we have to be vulnerable and open ourselves up to new experiences. To this end, I took on a new challenge: I participated in a 20-day salsa “warm-up musicality marathon " in November 2022. While this was a team challenge, the focus was on solo freestyle dancing. Spoiler alert: My team won the challenge! 

 

"Frigid Freestyler" -- My Journey to Vulnerability

My goals were to embody musicality and become a more improvisational and creative dancer. I aspired to move my body like...

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Unleash Yourself: How A Salsa Challenge Changed Me & How You Too Can Benefit In 2023

dance self-care Jan 09, 2023
 
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