Riot and Frolic

18 Signs You're a Ballroom Dancer

Ballroom dancers are an odd bunch.  Sterotyped as "Dancing With The Stars" wannabes while spending much of your income on a very subjective sport/art/pastime will make you quirky... and awesome.

Here are some signs you have gotten in the "swing" of things:

1. You can no longer get funky.

2. You call your sad attempt at getting funky as "freestyle dancing", but it still feels a lot like Cha Cha.

3. You have to think hard about what size you wear in non-dancing shoes...

4. ...which you call "street shoes"...

5. ...because all your dance shoes are in international sizes...

6. ...for which you have a complicated AND COMPLETELY LOGICAL rotation of practice, performance, competition, and social dancing pairs.

7. You cringe at most dance scenes in movies... [even the ones with J Law and Will Tippen]

8. ...but THIS movie was legit about invigilating, not to mention EVERYTHING ELSE.

"NO NEW STEPS" - Strictly Ballroom

9. You have a list of songs that NO ONE ELSE CAN DANCE TO, because you claimed them as your future Showdance songs.

 10. You count out every new song you hear, hoping for a new practice song.  

11. You refuse to add up how much you spend on lessons, floor fees, costumes, makeup, and the like, because... ouch.

12. Pedicures are worthless: they have a short life and remove all those hard-earned calluses.  

 

13. People "love" or "hate" you by giving you an X... or not.

14.  You only own black socks.

15. You Shazam songs in the elevator.  

16. You know fishnets are not only for Halloween costumes and hookers.

17. You own a lot of makeup.

 

 

18.  The next person that tells you you should be on "DWTS" is going to get this:

 

Boom.  Happy Friday.  

One year ago: Ideas I Like, in which I blow off things.

Two years ago: Chai It, You Might Like It, in which I make drinks that aren't coffee.

 

I'm All Choked Up

In an effort to TOTALLY DEPRESS you, I'm sharing all the songs I can't sing through in their entirety BECAUSE I'M CRYING HALFWAY THROUGH THEM.

Regina Spektor's "The Call" from "Prince Caspian" (the Chronicles of Narnia movie)

Because REGINA and HER VOICE and THE STORY of the song.

 

The Fisherman's Friends "Mary Anne"

Because FRIENDS and THE STORY of the boys.

 

"Say Something" by A Great Big World

Because PIANO and LONGING and SADNESS and VIENNESE WALTZ.

 

"The Only Exception" by Paramore

Because HAYLEY and ACCEPTANCE and again with the VIENNESE WALTZ.

 

"I See The Light" from Tangled

Because there had to be one Disney one, right?  And ZACHARY LEVI.

 

"Where or When" by Harry Connick Jr.

Because THE VOICE and HARRY and ROMANCE and FATE and THE LIVE VERSION THAT I CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE.

 

Elbow's "One Day Like This"

Because it's great.

 

Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know"

Because DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN and 25 and WINNIE THE POOH.

 

"The Scientist" by Coldplay

Because WICKER PARK.

 

 How about you?  Are there songs that tear you to pieces?  That MAYBE you listen to repeatedly when you're In A Mood?  

One year ago: I Made Them, in which I make something.

List of Last Month's Labors of Love - Return of the Jedi

Hi.

Long time no see.

Let's get down to business:

- at the beginning of December, we signed a lease on this place:

ye olde Oddfellows Hall

- after we got some money, we spent the last two weeks in December turning that space into this:

la nouvelle Mill City Ballroom

- but let's face it, we didn't do most of the work:

St. Paul is exempt from child labor laws, right?

- our help was generally over-dressed and couldn't reach the 12' ceilings.

they also wore their shoes on the wrong feet

 

- The high parts were up to us.  

totally not awkward or scary painting position

- On January 1, we opened Mill City Ballroom.

delicious design by Gretchen

- A River/Rainbow Banshee (weird inside joke, I digress) helped me cater the shindig, because I didn't have enough on my plate already (see what I did there?).  

food on a stick - a Minnesota tradition

- People came.  People danced.

more than our estimated 22 people

- We danced, too.

life is better upside down

 

- 10 days later, we went to the Snow Ball Dancesport Competition where everyone won everything and the whole weekend was delighful and well-organized. 

The G and his ladies

 - our token male for the weekend, the fab Marty.

he's a gentleman and a scholar and a goofball

 

sparkles not included in day to day performances

- to finish off the weekend, our friend got stuck in an elevator and we called in the calvary. 

yes, firemen

- 8 days later, we hopped on a plane, boarded a cruise ship, and danced and played with a bunch of charming people for our "working" vacation.  I don't mean to brag, so I'll just show you these:

Puerto Rico kicks ass

Half Moon Cay ain't bad either

So, how's 2014 treating you?  Are you going to come visit our ballroom?  Are you planning vacations to escape The Vortex?  Are you eating bon-bons and watching soap operas?  I LIKE ALL THOSE IDEAS.

Two years ago: Jobs I'd Be Bad At, in which I describe horrifying jobs.