Breakdancing

"You can learn new things at any time in your life if you're willing to be a beginner. 
If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you." -Barbara Sher

I've been dancing salsa pretty regularly for the past year (actually, just over a year) and I've built some confidence in my skills and abilities. I can follow pretty well and dance in a social setting.

The idea of feeling bad at something is very uncomfortable for me. I like the idea of being competent and decently skilled at any particular activity. So as someone that has finished school, and have been doing a very familiar set of hobbies/activities for a long time, I haven't had that feeling of "being a beginner" for a while.

Anytime you learn a new skill - riding a bike, playing a new sport, playing a new instrument - its inevitable, you're going to suck at it - like be really really embarrassingly bad. "Sucking", at least initially, is a necessary step to eventual mastery of a skill. Embracing this attitude humbles us, and forces us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that if we continue working persistently at it with deliberate practice, we can get a level where we don't suck as much - we might even become good, or great at what we do.

For me the activity I "suck at" is urban dance. I've attempted hip hop before, bad at it.  I decided to take up breakdancing after trying out one class and really enjoying the class, teacher, and moves we were learning (top rock, down rock and freezes - beginner class doesn't cover power moves like windmills).

If someone shows me a set of choreography, I'm relatively okay at replicating it. For the first few classes we did a "monkey see monkey do" routine. The instructor showed us some moves and we copied it. Very straight forward, very non-threatening and comfortable.

What REALLY pushed me outside of my comfort zone was when we tried applying what we learned in freestyle. Our instructor introduced us to breakdancing "cyphers" aka a dance circle. We play the bboy music and take turns trying out different moves we learned together. All of us are beginners (albeit 1 or 2 I'm PRETTY sure had bboyed before) but we encouraged each other, cheering or saying "good job good job" if one of us messed up.  When it was my turn, I went into the circle and did my thing, and I was HORRIBLE at it. I felt eembarrassed self-conscious... all really unfamiliar, uncomfortable feelings.  However in spite of this, I was absolutely delighted and excited - for the first time (in a long time) I felt challenged. I went home thinking about how much practice I needed before I would enter the dance circle again.

Salsa Advanced Performance Winter 2014

I've finally got around to blogging about my experience with Salsa Advanced. I was also part of the Bachata Performance Team and a KPOP dance group. 

This term I was with instructor Martin, and this was the second semester I took a class with him. He focused on a lot of skills, fundamentals and technique so that we had a good foundation moving forward with learning choreography. Considering how I was dancing before, I've been able to clean up my footwork and incorporate a lot more styling. 

Bachata Performance Team Winter 2014

I joined the University of Toronto Dance Club's Bachata Performance Team for the winter term of 2014. It was taught by JP, a regular instructor and talented competitive dancer. We were partnered up with the person closest in height to us.

Social Dancing versus a Performance Team: I was really looking forward to joining a performance team particularly because I really want to be able to refine a lot of things I have been learning. I find in most classes I learn a lot of basic moves and how to follow. However, with a performance team the atmosphere is more serious, and you are drilling the same moves over and over again to attempt to get it to the standard of the choreographer. 

Performances: We performed at University of Toronto's Heart House Festival of Dance on March 28, 2014 and then at the End of Term Party on April 5, 2014. 

KPop Performance Group

I've never been particularly good at hip hop, much less korean pop choreography. This was my first time joining with the goal of performing at University of Toronto's Festival of Dance to showcase what we had learn. With three months as the goal and biweekly practices, we met up at a yoga studio to learn new steps and refine our moves.

My love affair with salsa

I had the opportunity to supervise two University of Toronto Dance Classes - Salsa (Advanced) and Salsa (Intermediate II). In addition to administrative duties for the classes I also take the classes too.

A gif of our instructor dancing with a student.

North Indian Music and Dance: Tabla and Kathak.

I had the opportunity to sit in a Tabla and Kathak performance with vocals this past week organized by Toronto Tabla Ensemble. It featured and was attended by Tabla and Kathak students. 

The traditional Tabla is a membranophone "drum". There are usually two drums, of different sizes. The musician uses the fingers and palms, with the used to apply pressure to the drum to change the pitch as the fingers produce the "tap" or "bol" that you hear (source):

Toronto Fun: Salsa (Advanced) at UofT Dance Club

Class: Salsa - Advanced

Instructor: Martin

Location: University of Toronto Dance Club

Cost: $40 for students for 7 classes

Time: Tuesday evenings 7:00 PM for one hour. 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UTDanceClub/
Website: http://utdanceclub.com/

They offer dance classes, practices and workshops as well as performance classes if you are more advanced.

Our salsa group

Our dance teacher Martin is on the far right. He also teaches Waltz, Tango and Salsa. 

Toronto Fun: Groupon Hip Hop Classes @ OIP

OIP Dance Centre Hip Hop Classes

Website: http://www.oipdance.com/
Price: $22 for 16 Hip Hop Classes (worth $200)
Class: Beginner Hip Hop
Instructor: Danny Davalos
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/oipdance

You sign up for one (preferably with a friend) and attend two classes a week for two weeks to make the most of the Groupon (to get your money's worth). There are different instructors at the Hip Hop Classes, and they are treated as "drop ins", so unlike other classes where you progress from class to class and learn choreography which builds from the last class; these classes are almost like "drop ins".

I come in with very casual gym wear (shirt, shorts) whereas others dress more urban:

{Hip Hop Designs}