Have you ever noticed that most dancers tend to be overachievers? That may be a dumb question since you’re probably one of them. I don’t know about you, but I’m rarely satisfied with doing just one thing. Instead, my interests are wide, my boredom tolerance, low, and my life… what else but constantly moving, going, spinning, soaring, jumping, tumbling, rarely sauntering? So, it may be no surprise to you that I have fingers, toes, and elbows in a little bit of everything at the moment.
My Story…
If you have noticed that it has been a little while since my last post, I sincerely apologize. The blog has fallen victim to the pull of some of my other commitments lately. Namely, I am deep in rehearsal mode and will be performing with Houston’s own Suchu Dance the first two weekends of March. I’ve been essentially working part-time hours on this performance project which has also been an adjustment for my family. You may know, I have a very young son with whom I stay at home, so I suppose you could say “homemaking” is currently my full-time gig. Sounds quaint, doesn’t it? I’m sure all of you modern mommies out there know just how big a job this really is.
I am also in career transition mode. This blog is a part of that. As a dance teacher, freelancing in studios, community programs, and other organizations, I spent many hours preparing for classes and physically teaching. I love teaching. However (as many of you are well aware) teaching and having a family life can be challenging. It’s often our husbands/wives and families that pick up the slack, isn’t it? Significant others working tirelessly so that we can afford to be involved with dance (which is not a money-making career… shocking, I know), getting dinner for themselves so that we can bolt to the studio, and unless your kids are coming with you to the studio, perhaps you start to feel like you spend more time with other people’s children!
My personal decision then, has been to transition from teaching being my primary job (lets face it, the performing I’ve done has never been what I’d call income) and move toward writing. I am truly only at the Start square in this game. Therefore, in addition to this blog (which is certainly not income at this point), I have been accepting writing projects elsewhere to get my foot in the door. The great thing is that so far all of my writing has still been about dance! I’ve had the great fortune to review some wonderful performances here in Houston and I am contributing to other dance sites, as well. But all of this, dear readers, is why there’s not been a lot of activity in the last week or so.
So, what’s yours?
We probably all have moments of feeling swamped. I recall that even in high school, when flitting from dance classes, to band practice, to youth group, etc., I felt challenged to keep up with myself! Maybe you’re in this situation right now with recitals coming up. So, let’s hear it: In the comments for this post feel free to vent or wax poetic on why you think dancers get themselves into so much at once.
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
