Friday, September 23, 2011

A sore shoulder and a roll of packing tape!

So, I haven't been exactly diligent with my updates on my Dancing With the Starts progress. I apologize, but there hasn't been a whole lot to report!!! About 3 weeks into rehearsals, I pretty much had a meltdown (a private one!) because I just didn't seem to be getting "it"! I remember the first time I competed how awesome it felt as each week went by and I felt like I was learning more and more and getting better and better. But this time, it was just frustrating for the first little while. After that little meltdown, I had to take a step back, get back to basics and refocus. I have put so much pressure on myself to "defend my title" that I was psyching myself out right from day one. I've really had to remind myself that this event is not about me and the trophy, it's about raising money for a great cause and putting on a great show for the audience.

Don and I practicing our quickstep!
So, with that renewed focus in mind, I've been practicing my butt off and feeling more and more confident in the past couple of weeks. I have such an amazing dance partner who is so patient and our choreographer/trainer/mentor/amazing woman Trish, has been fantastic throughout this journey. So, I'm thinking I'll be ok! My dances are coming along nicely and we still have 3 weeks before the show. Now it's all about the finessing of the details and really committing everything to memory. Although, last night we did a complete run-through of the show to prepare for tomorrow's dress rehearsal. I did have a mishap and ended up falling and smashing my shoulder blade on the floor! I'm hoping that's just a one off occurrence that I won't repeat!

Which leads me to the real challenge I'm facing... I have a new dress this year for my rumba. Let's just say it's small! And let's just say I'm kinda wishing I'd laid off the chips and dip for the past 6 months!!! And let's just say I'm a tad worried about a possible wardrobe malfunction. So... I am now in possession of just about every brand of costume/dress tape and am armed with a brand new roll of packing tape, which I'm told works wonders!!! A little birdie told me that's what lots of dancers use under their costumes!

So, wish me luck tomorrow as I perform for about 100 seniors at the dress rehearsal. Hopefully there are no falling mishaps. And here's to hoping that the tape all holds up and I don't give any of them a heart attack! I'll report back to you tomorrow!