Blog Archives
Secrets of a Line Dancer REVEALED! / Newsflash!–Join the fun at the LA Hayride!
Yee Haw!! I’ve been added to the staff at the:
Louisiana Country Dance Hayride
– ON STAFF: Line Dance Coordinator
– ON STAFF: Teaching Line Dance Workshops
Alexandria, Louisiana
April 27 – 29, 2012
Ray Michiels – Event Director
WEBSITE: www.lacountrydancehayride.com
WOO HOO! I’m so excited to be headed to this event. My friends have told me so much about it…the good food, the social dancing, the great time they’ve had there. This will be my first time to attend. I can’t wait!
A big “Thank you!”to Ray who asked me to be his Line Dance Coordinator.
Calling All Line Dancers!
Be sure to check the website for updates to the line dance schedule. We’re working to bring you an awesome line up of great new dances and a couple of technique classes “just for line dancers.” It is going to be a blast!
Calling All Line Dance Instructors!
If you are interested in teaching a line dance or line dance technique workshop, then use my contact form.
SECRETS REVEALED!
Calling All ProAm Students and Couples Dancers!
Pssssstttt! I’m going to share a secret with you. Just between you and me. Don’t tell anyone…
I started out as a line dancer. When I started ProAm, the skills I acquired by line dancing were a significant factor and my secret weapon, through my whole first year as a Newcomer. Those skills and a lot of practice time, eventually garnered me 3rd Place at Worlds that year… My very first year as a ProAm Newcomer and I was on the podium! Read the rest of this entry
Dancing: How much does it cost?
In some of my posts I’ve mentioned as an aside, that competitive dancing is not cheap. Because of that, a couple of the readers of this blog have emailed me to ask “Just how much does it cost?” To which I must answer, dearest readers, without qualification, and without my usual drama:
“A lot!”
I. Am. Not. Exaggerating. This wonderful exciting, fulfilling, passion is very expensive.
But it doesn’t have to be expensive, at least not at first:
- I am a competitive dancer and I’m working hard to progress to a point where I can “Turn Pro” meaning that my costs are on the high end of a cost spectrum which actually begins at almost zero.
.. - For someone just starting, who is curious and just checking out “this whole dance thing” it is possible to start with little or no cost.
.. - And most importantly, the money I’ve spent on dance has been worth every single penny. I would do it all over again, absolutely, without hesitation.
A while back I heard on NPR (National Public Radio) an interview with Karl Pillemer, the author of a new book: Thirty Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.
I recall from the interview, that the number one piece of advice which Older Americans would like to pass on to younger generations is
“You shouldn’t wait to do something
which you really want to do.“
Do it now. And dancing, dear readers, all four of you who are actually reading this blog, is definitely one of those things which should not wait until “Someday“. Do. It. Now. You have been given a royal decree by my inner domestic diva. If you don’t go and do some dancing she may throw her bon-bons at you!
But I digress… Back to to the topic at hand. 🙂
If you are one of those folks who demand “instant gratification” then scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for the “quick and dirty answer”. But if you want a more developed explanation of the costs then keep reading: Read the rest of this entry
Another New Page on my Blog: I’ve turned “Pro”
Well, it had to happen sometime. I am officially a “Professional Line Dance Instructor” 🙂
I guess this means that I’m in it for the money! LOL
And I’m sure that I’ll be rolling in the dough like Scrooge McDuck within days. Right? Oh how nice it will be to be part of the 1% 😉 Yeah, right and if you believe that, let’s talk real estate. I have a lovely bridge for sale.
But I digress… I do that don’t I? Check out my new “Line Dance Instructor” page on my blog. You’ll find a list of the line dance services I offer along with the rates. And don’t let the hat fool you, yes, I can and do teach non-country line dances. You’ll also find a little bit of background on my experience and how I got into dancing. If anyone spots any typos feel free to let me know.
My blog also has an Event Calendar showing which events I’ll be teaching line dance workshops at this year. A *HUGE* thank you to the event directors who have put me on their line dance staff. *hugs*
Related Articles / Links
- Event Schedule (txcowboydancer.com)
- Professional Line Dance Instructor (txcowboydancer.com)
- TxCowboyDancer’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/txcowboydancer)
Sometimes life gets in the way of living…
Ah… the proverbial path littered with “good intentions”. I know thee well. It’s been about two weeks since I’ve posted.
First some housekeeping: I’m still trying to get back into the groove and routine of being on Jenny Craig. Notice that I said “trying”. *sigh* More on that in another post. Second, I’ll try to catch up the weekly progress photos and charts this weekend. I took the photos and I have the data but haven’t had time to post them yet. There is no real visible difference yet in the photos and alas, my net weight remains almost the same. 😦
The big news and the reason I’ve been not blogging is that I’ve had drama in my life: things going on at work, a couple unexpected car repairs and, dealing with the realization that I can’t afford to do ProAms at the UCWDC World Championships in Jan. Ugh. Bleech even! Paatooie! With all that, I’ve not had a lot of time for the blog.
I haven’t talked a lot yet about dancing here on the blog. So a bit of background for those of you who are not into the sport of Country Western Dancing: “ProAm” is a concatenation of two words: Professional and Amateur. The ProAm division is where a Coach or “Professional” dancer teams up with a student or “Amateur” dancer. Both dance together on the floor during the competition, however, only the student is judged in the competition and receives a score. The Pro’s job is to be on the floor with the student, dancing, and try to make the student look as good as possible and to help them out, if possible, during any glitches…things like the student forgetting what comes next in the routine. Not that has EVER happened to me! If you believe that then send me your credit cards and your bank account routing number so that I can deposit a kabillion-zillion dollars into your account. 😉
Anyway… I do digress at times don’t I? Moving on… So, when I say that “I can’t do ProAms at Worlds”, this… Is. A. BIG. DEAL!. *sigh* Read the rest of this entry




