Throwback Thursday | Rockin Robin

My first Throwback Thursday!

I found a recital CD from 10 years ago! Can you believe it has been 10 years!? That means this was taken in 2003! How time flies. So I decided to do screen shots of one dance in particular and maybe do some more in the upcoming weeks of the show because I did a lot of dances during this particular show. It is kind of nostalgic watching it and I definitely miss it.

This by far was my favorite from that show. The theme was Color Me Dancing and it was all about color if you couldn't guess. The dance was called Rockin' Robin and we danced to of course Rockin' Robin by Bobby Day.

I love the costume and I was getting tickled by the feathers all through the dance but you can't really tell. The skirt was just strings like the Hollywood version kind of thing. I loved the head piece the most and I remember begging my mom if I could wear it to school but she said no but I really loved the head pieces at the time.

This was a tap number and I loved the tap numbers the most. I also just realized that whenever I did tap I was always front and center. I did not know that before but watching my tap dances I was always put in the front and I was very tall for my age which you'd think they would put me in the back. It makes me proud to think that they thought I was a great tap dancer and to be given that honor makes me so happy. That is why I loved tap maybe because I had such passion for it.

And since I did that 'I Miss Tap Dancing' last Tuesday I thought this would be perfect to show off after doing that blog post because of how much I miss it!

I hope you liked my throwback. I can't wait to do more! If you want to see a studio picture of the costume I put one on my dance history post.

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I Miss Tap Dancing!

So I wanted to write this because since I started doing ballet I kind started to miss tap. I mean I was more of a tap dancer than a ballerina so when I'm in class I forget that it is ballet and my feet kind of just tap. Does that make sense? I know that some of the moves can be similer but I end up tapping it and I am so glad my teacher doesn't notice.

In my last dance diary. I said I brought my tap shoes to the studio to do some tap exercises and I loved it. The studio I go to doesn't offer a tap class and so this was new to them to see. There is only one studio I know of in my country that offers a tap class and it is across town from where I dance at now. The studio is pretty far and since I live in the country area the city is pretty far from me and both the dance studios would be a 2 hour drive for me if there is no traffic and there is always traffic. I'm still debating when after I graduate if I want to go and take a tap class. I sacrifice my Saturday's to go to my current studio already and if I went to both that would be a problem as for commuting there. It is just a thought for now though.

I was in the zone and the people just starred at me in awe. I liked it a little but it was kind of strange like I was doing something wrong. But tapping again was so thrilling. I enjoyed it so much and I felt special that I have this talent and can do it. Since it is rare for others to see I thought it was nice for them to experience it isn't common dance around here so that made me feel like I was the only one who could do it.

When I saw this on tumblr, my heart broke. I mean I am starting to see that tap isn't as popular as it was and it is sad because it is a beautiful art form just like ballet. My dream since I was a little girl was to become a dancer teacher. I know some girls dream to be a professional dancer or even a prima ballerina but mine was simple. I wanted to own my own dance studio and teach ballet and tap. I hope one day I could teach tap and get this dance more popular again. It would be nice to see more tap dancing and it wouldn't fade away.

I hope you liked my tap talk! I really miss it and I am trying my best to do as much. Maybe on the weekends I can start up my old tap routines and do them again but maybe without tap shoes since the neighbors might go crazy if I start tapping in my apartment. Well I'll see you in my next blog post!

xo
Jackie

Why I Quit Dancing?

This was kind of difficult for me to write but I decided to do it so I can get passed it and start anew. If you want to know more about my dance past before reading this one please head over to this post. So the question is, why did I quit dancing?

I quit because I moved. A very simple answer, yes. Well, it's kind of not that simple. I didn't move to a new town nor a new state. I moved countries and for a 15 year old girl that is very difficult. I had to move from the US to the Philippines with my mother's family I didn't really know. My parents were to follow but you can see how difficult it was to be in a whole new country which is like a whole new world. Plus my parent's were moving our stuff so that meant I didn't see them for 3 years. You could see how I didn't want to get back into dance.

I found a studio close to my house and that was the only one that was semi-close to our house. I went to check it out but when I got there it was tiny. They're were hardly any dancers and no tap classes. I offered to help out but they said they didn't need any. I was discouraged because for most of my life dance was the most important thing I loved.

I decided to give up all together and just deal with it. I wanted to dance in my spare time but I didn't have the will anymore. I let myself go and started to eat away my sadness which was all I could do. I gained a lot of weight and then lost some and then gained some. This made it more impossible for me to get back into dance.

During our art class my freshman year of college, we had to go to a play. I hated plays but when I found out it was the Peter Pan Ballet that was being put on by the country's national ballet company I kind of got excited. When I went I cried and not because it was a bad or a sad performance but it was because I missed being on stage. I wasn't there to perform, I was there as an audience member and that hurt me. I missed everything about dancing and it lingered on my mind for a while. When I got home I searched this ballet company and found out they had a dance school too but the fees were far to expensive for a college student budget and my dad didn't want to pay for the transportation since it was out in the city and I lived 2 hours away in the country. I got a little more discouraged again.

When I was in my third year of college we had to go see another ballet with the same ballet company. It was a requirement since we were studying Shakespeare and they were putting on a ballet about A Midsummer's Night Dream. I wanted to go but yet again I knew I would feel sad but I went and I enjoyed it as always.

I finished my third year and all my classmates were talking about internships and I still hadn't found one. I decided to email the ballet company and asked if they had internships but I didn't get a reply. I thought I should go out and found a new internship but as soon as I was going to accept an interview with a magazine I got an email saying they would love to have me intern for them. The ballet company wanted me and I was so happy. I will post more about this story in another post talking about my internship with them as soon as I finish it.

That internship made me want to get into dancing again and to end this sad story, I am planning on taking some ballet classes with them. That is why I wanted to start a dance blog is to share my experience with fellow dancers.

I regret stopping and I wish I could have found out sooner about this ballet company but I guess it was just planned. I quit for 5 years. I stopped at 15 and I am hoping I can start again and keep going. Those 5 years I was lost and I didn't do anything dance related unless it was for school but when I did that it wasn't like ballet or tap, some of it was modern dance that I didn't get fond of. I just wish I hadn't wasted 5 years but I can't go back now and I am learning to deal with it and move forward.

My advice to dancers who feel like they want to quit or have quit dancing. Please DON'T. You might regret it to and just get on by if you really enjoy what you are doing like I did. If you already quit and are planning on getting back then DO IT. I think if you miss it that much it will make you want to come back and you will feel amazing about it.

That was my story of why I quit dancing and I am glad I got it out and I feel 100x better. I hope you enjoyed my story and I hope I inspire anyone to not quit what you love doing.

*weheartit

xo
Jackie

My Dance History

Today I just wanted to share with you my whole dance history from beginning to I hope another beginning because I hope it won't end yet. I have done so many forms of dance and learned to love all of them.

I started dancing at the age of 3. I was an only child and so I wasn't a very social kid. My mother saw me dancing in front of the TV all the time and when a song I liked on the radio came on. I would always say to her and my dad, "Look, I can dance," And I would twirl around the living room. This is when my mom thought it would be a good idea to get me into dance class. She signed me up for a ballet class and that is when it all started.

I might have liked ballet but being social was still a problem for me. I was very shy and even if I did like dancing at 3 I was still not overcoming anything. I hesitated to dance but I never quit. I enjoyed it and I loved the movements. One day, the parents were invited inside the studio to watch our dance and see how we've improved. I still remember crying and not wanting to dance. Before that though I remember being so excited and picking out my best tutu for the class. I think that was my first time dancing in front of an audience so I guess I was just a little intimidated. My first recital though was a success. I remember even though I was in this huge place that was dark and yet so bright at the same time I remembered to twirl and dance. I might have been shy but I did and it made me feel so proud.

When I turned 4, my mom thought to add tap to the mix. I was already getting used to ballet and I didn't really quite know why she decided to put me in tap too. But now, I thank her. I love tap and it is my favorite to do. I discovered I was better in tap than I was in ballet. I loved that my shoes got to make noise and i wasn't really shy anymore. I was getting used to everything and slowly my stage fright went away. That recital was when I felt confident and so ready. I loved the costume and tap was so much fun.

After that, I moved studios because of a friend's recommendation. I took tap and ballet again and just stuck with that for a few years. I think I lasted 2 years before trying another class. I was getting older and so I made the decision to try jazz. I thought it was different and it looked more dancey than ballet was so I told my mom and she agreed. I tried that and continued on with it.

When I got to be 11 I got picked to be in the performing line of the dance studio. This was very prestigiuos and it was an honor for me to be in it. This was like a company dance role so when I found out I was thrilled and couldn't stop thinking about it. I was so excited when I got my contract and I read that thing from page to page. When I got my costume I was so happy and that was when it all sort of became real for me. I was doing great in dance and even though I was still intimadated at times during performance this was my life.

I got extra shows in recitals and other performances. Both my ballet and tap were improving and I was both a company member for both. The tap group had a name called "Tip Tap Toe" I thought it was so unique and I wanted to reach all the levels which were 3. I was starting out at the basic but it was my dream to go higher.

During that I decided to take hip hop because during our last recital I saw him perform and really wanted to try it so I did. I found out I wasn't really good at it and during class I would do tap and ballet movements more than I should. I was told to relax and it wasn't a proper dance but a fun and let go kind of dance. I took a year and a half of that I think.

After 2 years of that I was ready for the next level. I had mastered and practiced every move there was and was ready to do it all. When I found out I wasn't allowed on pointe for another year I decided to take a year off ballet and focused on tap. I still loved ballet and wanted to do more but I was so disappointed I couldnt get on pointe. I got to the advance level of my tap class which was good but I found out I wasn't getting promoted in the performing line either. ALl my dreams were not coming true and this made me sad. I worked so hard on this and even though I was now an advance tap dancer I wasn't getting a promotion to be in the next level of the tap company. I was sad and I decided that was going to be my last year there. I was there for 5 years and my mom said just stick it out till the end.

I had so many fun experiences with that company and so many opportunities. I got to perform places and go to competitions I never dreamed of doing and knowing that wasn't going to be happening anymore made it so much worse. I made so many friends and so many memories through that company.

My last recital and performance with that studio was very emotional for me. First off, I would be leaving behind so many good things and I got so used to everything and everyone. This was the first recital which I was old enough to share a dressing room with my fellow company dancers. I was always stuck in the green room with everyone else but that year I had my own light up mirror and chair and even a rack with my name to put my costumes on. I had 8 numbers that recital and it was hard since I had to change and run out there every 10 minutes. During the intermission, I was called by the owner of the studio and she apologized but couldn't do anything. She was the one who made all the decisions so I was really upset with her. She gave me a hug and after that I had to go on for my last dance. For our last curtain I felt really emotional. Usually I always did in the past but since it was the last I think I actually cried a little. When the show was over and I had to pack up my things I stayed in the dressing room after saying by to all my friends. I felt like it was my last time to do this and I just felt so bad. I took the summer off and since I just graduated from elementary I decided to just have a break for the summer months.

I had just entered junior high and I was so scared to. I didn't have a dance escape like i did before so it was new to me. After talking with a friend I begged and I mean begged my mom to let me be in that dance school. It was a 45 minute drive from our place which was pretty far but my parents finally agreed and I went. There I just took tap since that was what I was accelerating most in. I thought it was best for me since I didn't want the stress of so many classes like I did the previous year. It was a new dance academy and so I wanted to take it easy. I stayed for 2 years there and since we were in the process of moving to a new city anyways I just took a few classes.

At the new city I took a little time off. I admit it was probably bad but I think I only took 6 months off. I was enjoying school for the first time and I had friends and such a good school year. I was in 8th grade and I wanted to do what a normal 14 year old did which didn't involve dancing and training which took up all my time. I did go back and when I found a studio close by my house I felt relief. It was good getting back though. Since that time off I really missed the dancing and the hours of training. My muscles were a little sore but I got through it. I took tap again and this time I tried lyrical. I really enjoyed both of them and I really wanted to go to the recital but I didnt make the cut off time. I was some what realived yet bummed but my parents had other news for me.

So that pretty much sums up my dance history and what I've done. I will continue the rest and what I did when I was 15 up until now in another post since this one is way too long anyways. I have another post with why I quit dancing so that will clarify things up after this point.

I hope you enjoyed and learned a little about what I have done. Maybe you took the same classes as I did or have a similar story like me. If you do please leave it below and I'd love to know. So, thanks for reading.

*weheartit

xo
Jackie