Pursuing your dream, thanks to teachers who truly care…

As I was writing my blog posts, I noticed that I haven’t written any of my experiences of how I became a dancer. I got too caught up with students at the studio and totally forgot about myself, lol! So, I decided to write (in a nutshell :)) about my experience of how everything started.

Like many dancers out there, I always loved to dance. So after graduating from college, and stabilizing my job etc., I wanted to dance. At first, I was just looking for a hobby and I found Astoria Ballroom which was close to my work place, so I joined their beginner group class. One class was 45 minutes and I learned a few steps of Rumba and Waltz. Honestly, after this 45 minutes class, I was wanting for more action!! I understand that it’s a beginner class, but seriously, 45 minutes wasn’t enough for me 🙂 So, I continued to attend group classes every week and my feeling of wanting to learn kept growing….

One day, the owners/instructors asked me if I have time to talk for a bit. I was like “ok…” wondering what’s going to happen. The owners/instructors explained about different options in the dance industry. They told me that if I wish, I can compete, become a professional, start to teach and make dance my profession. Or, I can continue to take classes and private lessons, and dance will stay as my hobby. But of course, I told them “I want to compete!” So, I started to take private lessons and practiced every day because I was so excited to learn! Seriously, I was at the studio after work until 10pm or 11pm every day, even on the weekends! It was crazy, lol! After 1 month of taking private lesson, my teachers told me that we’re going to prepare for competition which was in 1-2 months… I was very worried, not knowing what’s going to happen, but I continued my practice and kept my focus with my teacher’s guidance. As a result, I won my first competition and I was super excited!! From there, I continued to compete and place in the finals and top 3 of major competitions. It was like living my childhood dream of wanting to become a dancer 🙂

Time flies so fast when you’re enjoying and focused on what you like to do in life. When I noticed, I was already teaching, helping with the business of the studio, while continuing my training to move forward in my dance career as a competitor. I must say, I couldn’t have done it without my teacher’s guidance, patience and belief in my potential as a dancer. Yes, we all have our ups and downs in our personal life (job insecurities, relationship troubles etc.), which may distract you from achieving your goals, but my teachers were very supportive during all of those struggles in both my personal life and dance career. They were there for me at 11pm at night listening to my problems, they were there when I needed a shoulder to cry, and they were there encouraging me even when I almost gave up on my passion and childhood dream = DANCING.

Right now, I’m still training and practicing every day to improve my quality of dance. I believe in continuous learning and being persistent with what you love to do. As you can probably tell by now, I’m not the type of teacher who stops their own training just because you’re already a teacher. I believe that I can become a better teacher and that I will be able to offer more knowledge and insight for my students by further improving myself. I would like to thank my teachers and thank all of the teachers in this world who supports their students wholeheartedly. You guys are amazing! To everybody out there: don’t get caught up with what others or what society expects you to do or become. It’s your life! Why not find your passion and continue to pursue your dreams?

Improving posture and body awareness can be a life changing experience…

Recently, a young girl name Marina came to visit our dance studio from Japan to learn and improve her body awareness since she has been experiencing a lot of pain and problem with her body lately. During her stay, she was at the studio every day, training how to walk, improve her posture, learn correct body alignment, and exercise how to engage and use her muscles in different movements. She was determined to improve and reduce her pain naturally, so she can be pain free and also improve her overall quality of life.

Marina found her passion in life and fell in love with acting and theatrical performances when she was in high school. She majored in Arts and Theater Performance in college and moved on to pursue her dream in that field. Currently, she works full-time to support her passion for theater arts, plus take lessons, audition and perform on stage whenever she has a chance. However, recently she’s been experiencing strong pressure on her lower back and foot and now it has accumulated into severe pain which started to affect her daily life as well as her performances. Then, she found out that her mother is a friend of our studio owner/instructor who specializes in Pilates and natural ways to heal body to decrease pain or pressure.

Here’s a little bit of background information about how this Pilates class started at our dance studio. One of our instructors started this Pilates mat exercise class for the general public and for dancers. The reason is because she constantly saw people with pain or problem with their body when teaching dance. During her dance lessons, she noticed that there are many people who are struggling from pain caused by previous injuries, exercising too much, unknown causes, pressure from incorrect body alignment etc. Those experiences lead her to want to help others achieve a pain free life. In addition, she thought her own experience of recovering from a traumatic injury and naturally healing post-traumatic injuries can help others to continue their life style without surgery or medication.

During the 1st week of Marina’s stay, she learned how to correct her posture and learned how to walk without putting any pressure on her foot, ankle, or knees. She learned how to place her foot and transfer her weight evenly when she walked. It may sound so simple and some people might think “why do you need to learn how to walk?” but sometimes, these small adjustments can have significant impact on your body in the long run. For example, did you know that you can have sexy, nicely shaped calf by changing how you transfer your weight to your foot when you walk? I know that some people will say “wear high-heels and it’ll shape your calf!” And it might work, but the problem with that is, you can easily break your posture when you walk in high-heels. But if you learn and understand how to place your weight properly on your foot, then you can start to use your weight to develop certain muscles on your legs. Hence, you can soon develop that nice looking legs 🙂

And now Marina’s 2nd week has begun. She has much more to learn in this short period of time, but the amazing thing is that I already started to notice a difference in her walk. It looks more natural and balanced!! When she first came to the studio and took her first lesson, there was something unnatural about the way she swung her leg under her body. Also, her tracking of her foot didn’t have exactly 2 tracks (one track for her left foot and another for her right foot), meaning her legs kind of criss-crossed each other when she walked. Plus, her hips moved in an unnatural way when she walked. But now after 1 week of training and consistent practice, she is walking on our studio floor with great posture, confidence, and most importantly with no pain!!

It is truly amazing to see how someone’s motivation to learn can change their most natural habits of their body. It takes hard work, focus and determination to make such change, and watching someone go through that experience can be very inspirational. I am really glad to have met a young lady with such positive attitude and energy. Can’t wait to see how her 2nd week turns out!

To improve sense of rhythm for any Latin dances

Astoria Ballroom Dance Studio of Costa Mesa, CA is known for its unique method of teaching that focuses on improvement of body movement and coordination. Yes, we can all learn steps and technique, but establishing an understanding of how to use our body will take your dancing to a whole new level by adding richness and quality. Since 2013, Astoria Ballroom Dance Studio started a new type of class where students can improve their sense of rhythm and coordination of body in any Latin dances. The class is called Latin Rhythm exercise class and it is held at Astoria Ballroom Dance Studio (369 E. 17^th St. #10 Costa Mesa, CA 92627), on every Monday nights at 7:00PM.

In our Latin Rhythm exercise class, an instructor will lead participants through simple dance steps of Salsa, Mambo, Samba, Rumba, and Chacha. Moving to Latin music will get you comfortable moving to any Latin dances in no time. This class was put together because we see so many people take lessons to learn steps, but the common problem with that is, the quality of movement and the character of the dance is being forgotten. Yes, there are many people who have great rhythm in their body, but not everyone is born that way. Especially the popularity of the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars” has introduced many different dances and Latin dances always look very flashy and fun J But if you don’t learn how to use your body, then you won’t look as good, lol! Repetition and practice does help, but from our experience, we suggest students to take a short-cut by learning these movements, so they don’t waste time practicing incorrect movement, and at the end of the day, they can actually look like dancers!

Latin Rhythm exercise class doesn’t require any dance experience or partner. Just bring water, a towel, wear workout clothes and comfortable shoes. If you’re interested in more exercise classes based on dance, Astoria Ballroom Dance Studio offers Zumba® Fitness, Pilates mat exercise, and Dance Fitness classes. More information on these additional classes can be found on Astoria Ballroom Dance Studio’s website: Dance Exercise Programs.

Relationship Series (Part 1): Developing Partnership Through Dancing

Are you trying to find someone who you can connect with, communicate with, share similar passion, and enjoy being with that person as a life long partner? I’ve been there and I believe many people (unless they like to be alone… :)) has thought about it, too. Well, dancing is THE activity that requires a partner. With another person, you need to learn how to move, make your dance look beautiful, practice together, and spend a loooooot of time with that person to develop the quality of dancing you are trying to achieve. Yes, it is very very difficult, lol! So how can we develop partnership in dancing as well as regular life? What do Dancers go through to improve their relationship with their partner to make their dancing look so beautiful? Here is my first introductory story for the relationship series called “Developing Partnership through Dancing”.

Topic #1: Get to know yourself and be responsible for your own part

Typically in dancing, teachers tends to teach the men more steps, how to lead, and most of the time, women are taught to just follow the men. It could work if all men are so quick at learning the steps, timing, how to lead, what type of lead to give the lady, how to avoid traffic on the dance floor, stay on beat with the music etc. all at once. And, if the women doesn’t complain a thing and be patient with whatever the men does. But, seriously, where does that kind of perfect situation exist? How can a women just follow along everything what a men does in the world of dancing, when women are encouraged to be more independent at work or in real life? It could work for some couples and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I believe in a relationship where both people contributes their share to the relationship.

So, in dancing, I believe the man needs to learn his steps, timing, how to lead. And the lady needs to learn her own steps, timing, what lead to expect from the man, and what the lady can do to support the man when they dance together. After both people know their own part and is comfortable with their own part, then we can join 2 people together to create 1 unit. Yes, it might sound like more work to do for you ladies, but won’t you feel happier if you can contribute something to the relationship and the unity of dancing with someone important to you? The result will be much more rewarding and your relationship with your partner will dramatically improve for sure. Trust me, your man will feel so much easier to dance with you and feel more support and encouragement from you if you know what you’re doing!!

In summary, all relationships has their own dynamic between 2 people, and it’s the same in dancing. So whether you are looking to dance with your significant other, or just starting to learn to dance, or you might be an advanced dancer already, keep an open mind when learning how to dance. There is no one way to learn how to dance and the traditional approach of men learning everything and ladies following does not necessarily work for everyone. At the end of the day, Dancing is art. It’s created by 2 people dancing together in harmony. So why not both men and women contribute our own share to the partnership?

Stay tuned for the next topic!

Wedding Dance Story: Reenact Dirty Dancing (Part 1)

This year, I had more couples come to our studio wanting to create a performance for their First Dance at their wedding. I guess more and more couples are looking to create a fun performance for their guests. Which I think it’s totally awesome! There’s nothing wrong with a simple dance, but I personally enjoy watching a couple work on something together to create something special for the two of them. Afterall, it is the first thing your family and friends will see you do as husband and wife. Why not make your First Dance into something special?

So, a couple calls our studio and asks if they can learn the whole choreography of the performance from Dirty Dancing. Of course we were so excited to hear this and couldn’t wait to see the couple! Their first lesson was to try a couple of elements, get their moves down, and get comfortable with the music. Oh, by the way, their wedding is in 2 weeks!! So their first lesson went well, and we start the choreography on their 2nd lesson. Do you all remember the beginning of the dance?? When he asks her to come closer to him, does this roll, and touches her arm as they look into each other’s eyes. It’s very romantic!! But wait! It actually didn’t go that well during practice… Why? Somebody had bad breath that day… lol!!

So we skip the romantic first part and move forward to learning the rest of the routine. The couple has previous dance experience, so they remember the routine very well and the choreography is coming along really great! 1 week has already passed and their wedding is next week! Can’t wait to see their completed dance!!

I will post the second part of this story when their routine is completed 🙂

Wedding Dance Story

It’s summer time and it’s the most popular season for weddings now! Many couples come to our studio to take lessons to prepare for their First Dance. It’s a pleasure to see couples who are so much in love, happy to be engaged and in the process of planning their wedding. Let me share a story about a beautiful couple I met recently.

The couple walked into the studio with a smile and ready to learn to dance. They chose Foxtrot for their First Dance, their music a romantic French song, and so the lesson begins. During the lesson, it’s normal for mistakes to happen. In this couple’s case, when one person made a mistake (ex. forgot a step), the other person never blamed him/her, but was always supportive. When certain steps didn’t work out, or one person stumbled, they didn’t criticize each other for not doing it right, but they discussed and tried to figure out what went wrong during that step.

During all those moments, this couple kept their smile and laughter, and was always positive to each other. I was amazed to see a couple with such great communication skills and simply enjoying their time to learn how to dance together. And when their dancing started to improve and started to look like they are dancing as one unit, there are no other words to explain such great moment as an instructor. It’s very rewarding to have an opportunity to teach a couple like them. I wish them and anyone who is about to get married all the best in their future lives together as a married couple 🙂

For those of you that are planning a wedding and thinking of taking lessons for your First Dance, here are some tips:

1. Make sure you plan early. We’ve seen couples start to panic after learning their first step when their wedding is only 2 days from their first lesson day!

2. Don’t try to teach your fiance’. You’ll both have a lot more fun dancing if you let your instructor do the teaching. Also, be patient when learning. You don’t want to put pressure on yourself or on your fiance’.

3. Smile and Enjoy! Your First Dance is the very first thing you will be doing together as husband and wife in front of your family and friends. Why not make this into something special? This is your day and your moment, make it a special experience that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Share your wedding dance stories with us!