The Snow Monster

For the first time in a while, I will not be dancing this week-end. I'm actually driving up to a cottage in Lac Sainte Marie with some friends to party it up in the fresh powder. On the menu? Snow, games, food, wine and friends.

Regardless, it feels a little strange to watch most of my dance friends attend an event I will be missing. It feels like being the sick kid who can't go play on snow day... Except, I'm the only kid playing in the snow, while all my buddies are dancing up a storm.

Then, I remind myself: there will always be dances, events and opportunities. Sometimes, the social dance world can become all consuming. I'm not complaining but many of my non-swing friends wonder what the fuss is about.

I then come to realize that I haven't shot photos in over a month. I can't remember last time I had a full week-end with my university friends and I haven't used my snowshoes since I bought them last year. Has it been that long?

It's time... I must wake the snow monster in me. Clip those snowshoes and go explore!

There's only the present and I've been neglecting other areas of my life. I haven't even enjoyed the ONLY winter sport I do practice yet. I say I should make the best of this; there's always practice on Sunday anyhow. 

What my daydream looks like..

I love the feeling of the snow flakes melting on my cheeks, the sound of the snow crunching under my steps, the odd shapes my tracks leave behind and the sight of the powder that flies after me when I run.

I'm going home, packing my sleeping bag, warm clothes, my aluminum showshoes and Caleb, of course. I'm off for an adventure. While my friends will be enjoying the slopes, I'll be trail blazing with my DSLR, reconnecting with the non-dance Mercedes and with nature.

Some solitude, a change of pace and a bit of wine is good for the soul. At the end of the day, I'll be chatting it up with old friends over veggie dishes they are preparing just for me.

Time to be creative, time to be pensive, time to exercise, time to be social and time to gossip. That's what I call balance.

Cheers!

Second year in a row...

I think we can safely say that I'm a decent shagger now. I swear, I have a medal to prove it.

This past week-end, my competition partner William Ewanick and I took 2nd in the Advanced Jack'n'Jill Shag Dance division. Not bad, considering that last year, I competed in Newcomer and took 2nd as well with then, J&J partner, Jean-François Harbour. That's all fine and dandy, but winning in Newcomer most often means you're no longer a newbie and should compete with the big boys.



All The Cats Join In, Disney, 1937

 I garantee that is what Shag Explosion does to someone. For a whole week-end, I took workshops and learned about Shag moves and technique and of course, how to wrap it all up and make it look awesome on the dance floor.

People from all over come to this event; Toronto, Montréal, Québec, New York and Washington dancers represented. It was a wonderful sharing and growing experience for any shagger. More swing dancers should take time to learn how to dance Shag socially; it's a heart-pumping, calorie burning, pun-filled dance. Besides, what can you do on fast, rhythmic music? You Shag. It's the way to go really.

Congrats to my fellow competitors David Lee & Gabrielle Kern (1rst, Advanced J&J) and to Tony Fraser & Aimee Mannella (3rd, Advanced J&J). You guys made the competition juices flow, pals.

A special thank you to Swing Dynamite for organizing the week-end, to Montrealers Zack & Maryse for teaching, to our American friends who drove this far Tony Fraser & Jaime Shannon (NYC) as well as David & Chelsea Lee (DC). Lastly, thank you to my fellow swing dancers who are an inspiration.

Oh yeah... Bill... FASTER! Is this BLUES? Just messing with you.

Shag Explosion Week-end

I've got the jitters already.

It's almost here! The Annual Shag Explosion week-end. It's jam packed with workshops, dances and of course, competitions.

What is shag? Well, it happens below the belt and on a dance floor... It's a swing dance with plenty of fancy footwork! Basically, while Lindy Hop was danced by african-american kids in New York, the white college kids of the Big Apple danced this crazy style.

What does shag look like? A lot like this...

This Saturday is the Mobster's Ball, which is a night of social dancing, live jazz and shag contests. It's great entertainment even for non-dancers!

I'm left debating if I should compete this year... You see, last year I placed 2nd as a Newcomer. De facto, I can no longer compete in this category and am bumped into Advanced.

Shall I face my fears and try my hand at another title?