Popping in quickly to let you know that a VERY limited quantity of A Journal for the Whole Dance Journey is now available on my Ko-Fi shop and Amazon! I first published this journal in 2019, which I’m shocked to realize was 5 years ago!? After creating The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing to help dancers like myself keep up with their dance training in between lessons with teachers/partners, I created this journal to be a singular place to record and easily reference notes and reflections on any and all areas of the dance journey – lessons, coachings, practice, competitions, showcases ..read more

Photo provided by Michelle Fox Dance enthusiasts, please welcome Michelle Montanez Fox to the blog! She is the Area Director of the Northern New England region for Fred Astaire Dance Studios (FADS) and the owner of the first FADS dance studio in Maine. Michelle started her ballroom career as a professional dancer and teacher at a FADS studio in Massachusetts and gradually worked her way up to studio manager, studio owner, and finally director of an entire region. Her passion for dance is matched by her passion for teaching adults and providing a truly positive and fulfilling experience for bot ..read more

I was overwhelmed during my first rehearsal for the ballet Coppelia, but as they progressed through the month of February, I realized that despite my minimal ballet experience, I brought a lot to the table as a dancer. My skills and experience from dancing styles like ballroom, salsa, swing and even Zumba, proved to be extremely valuable as I learned and rehearsed a ballet routine. In the corporate world, they would be called transferable skills. In this case, I guess they would be transferable dance skills. I guarantee you have some of these skills as well, even if you’ve only been dancing a ..read more

I’m pleased and honored to be able to share another side of my writing with the dance publication, Stance on Dance. Click the image to read my poem It Feels Wrong to Dance, a reflection on the value of dance in tumultuous times: Illustration by Sarah Groth ..read more

Photo by Kuya Yus on Pexels.com Over the next two months, I’m embarking on a new dance adventure, something I’ve never done before as an adult dancer. Even though it’s a new experience for me, that very fact makes it fit naturally into my lifelong dance journey. While dance has always been a source of great joy for me, it has also served as a vehicle of personal growth. Every time I try a new dance style, attempt that challenging move one more time, or push myself outside of my dance comfort zone, I improve my dancing skills while also gaining confidence and self-awareness. I’ve learned how to ..read more

In case you missed it, all books and journals in my Ko-Fi shop are 20% off now through Cyber Monday (November 27, 2023) with code BACKTODANCE. Click below to have the discount automatically applied: If you’re looking to step up your dance practice, The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing (available both in print and digital formats) is the way to go AND it includes practice session summary worksheets to help you track what you worked on, what questions you may have for your next lesson, and your triumphs along your dance journey. The Choreography Journal (available in print forma ..read more

Well hello there, dancers! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve visited our home here. I hope our paths have crossed elsewhere and it hasn’t actually been that long. If you’ve missed me, I am on Instagram most frequently as of late. It’s easy to upload a quick reel of the sunset or the beautiful views around my home without feeling like I lose too much time actually experiencing said sunsets and views. While I continue to write, the words don’t always turn into pieces that I wish to share with the world. They are more for my own musings, or story ideas still in their infancy. It’s been a long ti ..read more

Greetings dancers! I recently did an interview with the online magazine CanvasRebel in which they asked me about taking risks and what resilience meant to me. I had previously interviewed with their sister magazine VoyageLA. The current chapter of my story looks significantly different, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story as it’s evolved, as well as how my perspective has shifted on what it means to be a creative in today’s world. In 2021, I moved from Southern California to the state of Maine – literally from one corner of the country to the opposite corner. It meant leav ..read more

As humans, we like our routines and our comfort zones. It’s where we feel safe. It’s where everything is familiar. As dancers, we’re constantly pushing ourselves out of those comfort zones in order to achieve our goals, stretch ourselves artistically, and grow in our craft. Stepping out of that comfort zone is by definition uncomfortable, but it also gets easier the more often we do it. The comfort zone expands, and we’re able to explore new areas of our movement without inducing an anxiety attack. Something about August had me pushing myself in all sorts of directions! I finished the month fe ..read more

Leads and follows, please welcome to the blog: Colette Marotto! She is a mother, a businesswoman and an Open-level pro-am competitive ballroom dancer. Though you may better recognize her from her recent role on the show Dancing Queens.  As I wrapped up my series on Dancing Queens, I sat down with Colette to talk about the impacts that dance has had on our lives and vice versa, as well as her experiences on the show. Let’s jump in! Catch a Tiger by the Toe Colette described her decision to try ballroom dancing as “eeny, meeny, miney, moe.” She was looking for something to do to get her ou ..read more