I started dancing International Standard for the first time on Saturday. Erik and I are planning to compete in the standard scholarship in Las Vegas this December. The scholarships are different at each competition, and in Vegas, the standard scholarship is a 3-dance, consisting of Quickstep, Foxtrot and Waltz.
We started with Quickstep. Erik taught me the basic steps, the rise and fall, the lock step action, the chasse, etc. And during this, I almost immediately started giggling. It was just intensely FUN! I’ve felt for some time now that I would really enjoy Standard, and that Viennese Waltz and Quick Step would become some of my most favorite dances, and I don’t think I was wrong on either count!
I’ve been dreaming and thinking about Quick Step ever since, and I actually even got to dance some that same night at Ryles (never did I ever think they’d play Quick Step at Ryles)! I have this very deep wish that I could just dance it with Erik all day long!
The cool news is that we’re scheduled for a standard/smooth coaching session tomorrow night, so I’ll get to dance it again soon, and should get some really great, and very technical feedback on how I can improve. And that is super exciting, because it will give me a better understanding of how to do better, which will give me more to focus on and work on, more pieces of the puzzle to put together in just the right way — bringing me great joy all along the journey, and also bringing me closer to my goal of dancing like Erik and Victoria do in the videos (of the same name [not chris & joan rumba]) here:
Watching them dance just makes me feel happy. That really is the kind of dancing I aspire to; to be able to at the same time feel completely full of joy, and also radiate that same feeling to everyone watching.
And, on top of their dancing, the dress Victoria is wearing is even the exact sort of dress I envision myself feeling comfortable in (one day, when I reach that point :)) – very elegant, minimally flashy/minimally revealing – simply beautiful.