It's happening...

Update time! This is way overdue but nonetheless, I am here now and ready to review my last few weeks. R.Evolucion Latina has truly becoming a blessing in my life. The choreographers/teachers that have come in to teach us have not only expanded our minds through dance but also mentally. They come full of wisdom and allow us to assess ourselves on what we have done or how we have gotten to where we are today. One of the most recent conversations that really stuck with me was when Peter Schabel, our ballet teacher, was discussing training and the true understanding of practice and performance. I sometimes beat myself up for not taking as many classes I think I should because over a year ago, I was taking almost 30 classes a week. That, to me, was my understanding of how I can improve. I thought, the more classes I take, the more I dance and the faster I improve. But what really matters is what you are doing in the classes. If you are continually doing the wrong thing or just flat-lining in performance, you are actually wasting your time/money and not improving. Some people can take a series of classes for years and never see improvement. When Peter Schabel was discussing this with us, I really had to stop and think about the classes I was currently taking and what they were doing for me. I came to the conclusion that I don't need to take 30 classes to feel a difference or improve, I need to work at 100% and however many classes I can take. I now take pride in the fact that I'm only taking a handful of classes these days because I know that in that smaller amount of time, I have more to focus on. Before each class, I now think about what I am taking and what I'm going to work on. Class doesn't feel like "just a class" anymore, there's a purpose and I really don't think I would have realized this had Peter not said anything because my focus was in the wrong place. It's conversations like this that I become even more thankful for R.Evolucion Latina. The workshop is not just about taking extra dance classes, it is SO much more beyond that.
 The last 3 classes we've had in workshop have all been incredibly different but produced the same result. The teachers were Ricky Tripp, Marcos Santana, and Luis Salgado. Last week, Ricky Tripp came in to work with us and boy did he work us! He, just like several other teachers that have come in, immediately went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye! I'm starting to think that this is a character trait of a dancer. He came like a tornado and just pushed us the entire time, from warm-up to the combination. While I was dancing, I started to feel this little burst or burn in my heart (clearly not in a medical way). It was like my heart was screaming with excitement and it felt so good. That aftershock you feel after dancing while your trying to catch your breath is unlike any other emotion I've felt. I had this personal moment of feeling so good that my eyes started to tear up a bit. I didn't know what was happening initially but I knew that it was a good thing.

Marcos' class was unlike any other class I've taken. Guys, he is the FUTURE of dance. This guy is just above and beyond, so innovative. His class was a fusion of latin and hiphop. Trying to explain what he does won't do justice for him. I really started to think about choreography and how one has the ability to fuse anything and everything they want. Simple things like the Latin basic step became unrecognizable to the untrained eye when Marcos translated it into his own style. I usually shy away from choreography but Marcos expanded my perception of it and actually made me curious to see what I could come up with(which  becomes relevant because I actually need 2 8counts for next week).

Last but not least, yesterday we had class with Luis Salgado who is the brain behind this WHOLE organization. Initially, I wasn't even going to come to this class because of the weather and all the drama surrounding this "2010 blizzard," but I really wanted to come in because we have a commitment to this workshop. Thinking back, I'm so glad I came in because it turned out to be another one of those 'pivotal moments in my dance career' days. Just like Ricky Tripp, as soon as the music for the warm up came on, we hit the ground running. There was no time to think, we were just moving. I've grown to love classes like this because it forces me to STOP thinking, which is my biggest barrier in life. With Latin dance, prior to some of the classes in this workshop and the classes I've been taking with Maria Torres, I thought it would be my worst enemy. It's a completely different style in terms of placement and the 10 different things your body is doing at once. But, the thing that I love about Latin dance is that you really don't have to think because your body is telling you what to do. It's a domino affect/effect. The sway in my spine moves my back which moves my arms. The sway in my spine moves my hips which moves my knees while my feet are moving. Latin dance is all relative and all connected, I love it. Another thing that I love is that because my mind is free, I find myself connecting more to the music and enjoying what I'm doing. I feel like I'm LIVING while I'm dancing. It feels so good. The combination that we did yesterday was so fast but it was full of energy! It reminded me of Centerstage(I know, bad reference) when the main character goes to take a class at "broadway dance studio" and at the end they are just moving, moving, moving and eventually just drop to the floor. That energy is exactly what I felt yesterday and I still feel it today. The saddest part is that the workshop ends next week. I need to capture these feelings and hold onto them so that wherever I go, I can remember the feeling and use it.

I have so much more to talk about but this is WAY long. Auditions are coming up and I'm definitely going to give it my all. It's 2010, it's my time to shine.