Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Latin Ballroom Dance and How To Add It To Your Training

Transcript

Latin Ballroom Dance and How To Add It To Your Training · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: As the competitive dance scene continues to change and evolve, so do the class offerings in studios and at conventions.
0:29
SPEAKER_00: One new style that's been introduced into the competitive world today is Latin ballroom dance.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: And we're excited to learn about the many ways that ballroom styles can enhance competitive dance training for all ages.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: Hello, dance world, and welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I am here, of course, like always, with my fabulous co-host Leslie Mueller.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: Hey Courtney, happy holidays.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: Happy holidays.
0:59
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, it is the holiday time.
1:02
SPEAKER_01: I'm in the holiday spirit.
1:03
SPEAKER_01: Are you?
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Are you ready for it?
1:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm so ready.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: I, as as this episode drops, I am home in Georgia, visiting my family and enjoying time with my niece and my nephews.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: So it's gonna be a great holiday season.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: And hopefully, you listeners are listening on your way to grandma's house or in the airport or wherever you might be.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: So we just wish you happy holidays, happy belated Hanukkah, and happy belated Kwanzaa, and Merry Early Christmas.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: Yes, Merry Early Christmas.
1:31
SPEAKER_01: I will be in Baltimore, Maryland, where I grew up for the holiday season as of this episode release and spending time with my family and loved ones.
1:42
SPEAKER_01: And then I'm actually Leslie like this.
1:44
SPEAKER_01: I don't even think I've told you yet, but I'm actually heading to teach at commercial dance intensive.
1:49
SPEAKER_01: What?
1:50
SPEAKER_01: Yes, literally right after the holidays.
1:53
SPEAKER_01: So like on the 27th of December, I'm going to North Carolina.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, fierce.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: Well say hi to Casey for me.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: I will.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: I get I'm so excited you get to meet her in person.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: I know me too.
2:04
SPEAKER_01: And if any listeners are out there listening and you still want to sign up, you have a few more days.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's some room left if you want to sign up for that.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: But CDI intensive sells out real quick.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: That's true.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait to meet Casey.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: She was on our podcast last season and she's so fabulous.
2:17
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, can't wait to dance this holiday season.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait to open lots of presents and spend time with my kitties and my family, and sending love to all of the listeners out there as well.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: I hope you're having a lovely holiday.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: All right, so we are talking about Latin ballroom training today for competitive dancers.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: So I'm sure many of you have seen ballroom being introduced into the competitive dance world and the convention world a little bit more, as well as being ri on TV all over the place.
2:48
SPEAKER_01: If you've seen Dancing with the Stars, that is ballroom dance right there.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: And because of its exposure on television, it is now opening up into our dance industry a lot more.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: So we wanted to talk about it early on and just kind of gain some more knowledge on this beautiful style of dance and how it can be beneficial to add it to your training as a competitive dancer.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: So I can't wait for you to meet our special guests that we have here with us today.
3:15
SPEAKER_01: But before we do, we want to tell you about our sponsor, Dance Costumes by Urzua.
3:20
SPEAKER_01: Dance Costumes by Urzua and Urzua Dancewear offer custom and semi-custom costume options for dancers around the country.
3:28
SPEAKER_01: Urzua Dancewear believes it's important for dancers to feel and look their best on stage and in the classroom.
3:33
SPEAKER_01: So they offer five different size variations in all of their dancewear and semi-custom costumes.
3:39
SPEAKER_01: Slim, narrow, medium, curvy, and wide.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: You can make specific requests on your customized costume or dancewear, and you can view all of their very unique designs now on their website and Instagram.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: Use our exclusive promo code IMPACT15 at checkout to receive 15% off your entire order.
3:57
SPEAKER_01: And be sure to check out our exclusive Making the Impact Dancewear line from Urzua Dancewear now.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: Head on over to dancecostumes by Urzua.com to learn more.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: If you have listened to our podcast this season, you know a little bit about our new Buy Me a Coffee opportunity for our listeners to support the podcast.
4:15
SPEAKER_00: If you love what we do, if you love our free service that we offer on the weekly for the whole dance season, you can show your support by visiting us at kofi.com/slash making the impact to donate as little or as much as you would like.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: All of your financial donations go directly into producing the podcast.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: And if you would like to give us a little support, maybe you don't have the cash right now.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: The holiday season does hit people hard, me included, we get it.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: What you can do for free is go over to Apple Podcasts and write us a five-star review.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: Leave us a five-star rating, write us a five-star review.
4:48
SPEAKER_00: Do both for us because we like to have both.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: But we do appreciate every little bit of support we get from money, from reviews, from sharing, from talking about it, from meeting us at conventions and competitions.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for your support this year.
5:03
SPEAKER_01: And we've received some fantastic reviews lately on Apple Podcasts and in Kofi that we would love to give a shout out and share with you all.
5:10
SPEAKER_01: And first comes from TLC Mom4 on Apple Podcasts.
5:15
SPEAKER_01: And they said, great podcast.
5:17
SPEAKER_01: Such a great podcast for parents, dancers, and teachers.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: You cover such a huge spectrum of dance from different points of view.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: I am enjoying it so much, and so is my 15-year-old dancer.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Yay! Thanks, TLC Mom 4.
5:30
SPEAKER_01: And our latest, one of our latest Ko fee donations is coming from Christine Petrella.
5:35
SPEAKER_01: And they say, I enjoy listening to the podcast on my weekly drives to visit my father.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: I appreciate the insights.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: Yay! I love hearing from all of the fans, and I love that about the Kofi donations is that you can leave a little message for us that we get to see as well.
5:49
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna keep sharing all of those donations.
5:52
SPEAKER_01: And if you want to send us a donation now on Kofi.com, we will also mail you some Making the Impact stickers.
5:58
SPEAKER_01: So take advantage of that.
6:00
SPEAKER_01: Head on over to Kofi.com slash making the impact.
6:02
SPEAKER_01: We appreciate all of your support.
6:04
SPEAKER_01: All right, y'all.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: It is time to jump on in and meet our very special guests who are joining us today on the podcast.
6:10
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to get to know them even more.
6:13
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait for you all to learn a lot more about Latin dance and ballroom on this episode.
6:20
SPEAKER_01: So the very first guest that I would love to introduce is a dear old friend of mine.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: I've been teaching alongside of this lovely, extremely talented educator and person for the past few years on Revel Dance Convention.
6:34
SPEAKER_01: She teaches ballroom and she is so fabulous, has the best, warmest heart and spirit, and I cannot wait for you all to meet her right now.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm happy to welcome Miss Randy Strong to the podcast.
6:47
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Randy.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm so happy to be here.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: Yay! I know I'm so happy that you could squeeze this into your schedule.
6:55
SPEAKER_01: You are so busy.
6:56
SPEAKER_01: You're all you were literally just performing last week, you said.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: I did.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: I just got off a show.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: But I told you, I told you, and I'll tell the listeners this as well before we started recording.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: I've taken busy out of my vocabulary and we have replaced it with big.
7:12
SPEAKER_02: So I'm living a big life right now.
7:14
SPEAKER_02: Yes, girl.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
7:16
unknown: Yes.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
7:19
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm so happy that we uh connected through Revel together.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: And I I love watching your classes.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: I love what you're doing there.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: And I would love for you to share a little bit more about who you are, where you're based, where you grew up, what your early life was like, uh your dance training, and then any career credits that you'd like to share with all the listeners.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
7:42
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
7:42
SPEAKER_02: I know.
7:43
SPEAKER_02: Well, my name's Randy Strong.
7:45
SPEAKER_02: So I am from Oram, Utah.
7:47
SPEAKER_02: I trained at the dance club for 16 years, 15, 16 years.
7:52
SPEAKER_02: I trained there in all things like ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, you know, tumbling, hip-hop.
7:59
SPEAKER_02: I was that uh convention kid growing up.
8:02
SPEAKER_02: I grew up in the competition world.
8:03
SPEAKER_02: I started competing very young.
8:05
SPEAKER_02: I was an assistant on tour for several years for a couple of different conventions.
8:10
SPEAKER_02: And then I turned pro when I was 17, officially, I guess.
8:15
SPEAKER_02: Went East Coast, Radio City, did East Coast for a while, then decided I was more of a West Coast person.
8:22
SPEAKER_02: So then uh moved to LA and continued my career there.
8:25
SPEAKER_02: So you think you could dance was probably my big break?
8:28
SPEAKER_02: I don't know how old your listeners are.
8:30
SPEAKER_02: I think you said there's a lot of like moms and dance teachers.
8:32
SPEAKER_02: So some of them will remember.
8:34
SPEAKER_02: This is back in 2009, season uh season five.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah is when I was on that.
8:40
SPEAKER_02: I want to call that OG.
8:41
SPEAKER_02: I think we can say OG now, right?
8:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think we can.
8:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
8:44
SPEAKER_02: 2009, we can call it OG now.
8:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but then after that, you know, I mean, obviously like a lot of ups and downs and a lot of learnings, which we can dive into later, but I don't know.
8:56
SPEAKER_02: Major credits.
8:57
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I was on tour with Zara Koff.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: I danced with um uh Cheryl Burke on Love on the Floor in Tokyo, TV credits like X Factor and Gilmore Girls and Fuller House and kind of a lot of random stuff like that.
9:12
SPEAKER_02: Um couple of couple of movies with incredible choreographers.
9:15
SPEAKER_02: I was in vice with uh Andy Lake dealer, which is incredible.
9:19
SPEAKER_02: And now I uh I teach a chance invention now.
9:22
SPEAKER_02: I run my own production company that started in 2014, so I focused on a lot more of the production side, which I absolutely love.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: Again, carving out time for things like this because I I love talking about I love talking about the path, the the journey, I guess you could call it.
9:37
SPEAKER_02: But dance will forever remain in my life.
9:40
SPEAKER_02: Even just dancing last week in a show is the first time I've performed on stage in in a couple of years, you know.
9:46
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, everything's kind of gone crazy.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: And it just it felt so good.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: It it just warms your soul.
9:54
SPEAKER_02: I don't know how else to say it, but I think anybody who's experienced performing on stage, you you fill up in a way that's maybe indescribable and just kind of reminded me of my love for dance and movement and and connecting with people.
10:09
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, so that's uh that's what I do now.
10:12
SPEAKER_02: And I I just recently moved back to Salt Lake City where I still do exactly the same thing I was doing in LA.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: Traveling, producing, teaching, and probably most recently in the last couple of years, I started working with figure skaters around the world.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: So I coach and choreograph for US figure skating and also other teams outside the US.
10:31
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
10:32
SPEAKER_02: And I travel and do movement coaching and performance coaching with them.
10:36
SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
10:37
SPEAKER_02: Versus, what a cool like transition.
10:39
SPEAKER_02: Just pivoting.
10:40
SPEAKER_02: I I call it pivoting, like just through life.
10:42
SPEAKER_02: You know, I feel like Ross Geller.
10:44
SPEAKER_02: Every time like I'm doing counts, I'm like pivot, pivot, yeah, pivot, you know.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: And so I think my life is just a I don't know, a sequence of pivots, maybe.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's choreography, it's just a lot of pivots.
10:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: I mean, how appropriate, right?
11:00
SPEAKER_02: I was like, does anybody want to know a real pivot or just like a metaphorical?
11:04
SPEAKER_02: Right.
11:06
SPEAKER_02: I can teach you both.
11:07
unknown: Yes.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, Randy, thank you so much for being here today.
11:12
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to chat with chat dance with you for the next hour.
11:16
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: All right, and our next special guest is actually a competitive dancer, a current competitive dancer.
11:25
SPEAKER_01: And I am just now meeting this lovely lady right now on the podcast.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: I've been admiring her from a distance on social media and watching her beautiful dance training come to life on Instagram.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: And I just knew that she would bring a different perspective as a current student into this episode.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: So I'm very excited to welcome Ruby Castro to the podcast.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Ruby.
11:52
SPEAKER_04: Hi, thank you so much for inviting me.
11:54
SPEAKER_04: I'm so excited to be here today talking to you guys and just thank you again for welcoming me.
12:01
SPEAKER_01: Of course.
12:02
SPEAKER_01: Yes, we're so happy to have you.
12:05
SPEAKER_01: And I know that you are based in Florida, and you're gonna tell everybody a little bit about you.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: But what's so special about you is that you are such a stunning, gorgeous, competitive dancer in all styles of dance.
12:20
SPEAKER_01: But then you strap on those Latin heel and those ballroom heels, girl, and you just you go and oh, it is so impressive.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: It is Thank you.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: Everybody needs to go check out some of her videos of her in her element.
12:33
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to hear all about your backgrounds uh shortly.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: So we'll definitely link a few videos of Ruby in action into the our show notes for this episode.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: But Ruby, if you wouldn't mind telling all of the listeners out there a little bit about more who you are, where you're based, a little bit about your training and your background and what you're what you're up to now, maybe also what's coming in your future.
12:57
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
12:58
SPEAKER_04: Uh my name's Ruby Castro.
13:00
SPEAKER_04: I live in Miami, Florida, and I dance at my parents' dance studio called Dance Town.
13:06
SPEAKER_04: My parents are Manny and Lori Castro.
13:09
SPEAKER_04: And my ballroom coaches growing up and still to this day are Loretta and Yvonne Muliafka, which is a hard last name to say.
13:17
SPEAKER_04: Oh yeah.
13:18
SPEAKER_04: Um but I've grown up in all styles of dance in ballet, jazz, uh contemporary, point, ballet.
13:26
SPEAKER_04: I already said that, and all you know, everything in between.
13:30
SPEAKER_04: But as of recently, I've really been like focusing into my Latin training as well as everything else.
13:37
SPEAKER_04: I still compete in all these competitive competitions, uh, but at the same time I compete in my warm competitions, which is sometimes like a little bit uh it's hard to juggle and balance those two things.
13:49
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
13:49
SPEAKER_04: But I definitely think it has benefited me in both ways because they're both so different in performance, in training, in like mentally to prepare for those both things.
14:00
SPEAKER_04: They're so they're really complex in each in their own beautiful ways.
14:04
SPEAKER_04: But I I think being able to do both has definitely uh made both of my careers elevate faster.
14:12
SPEAKER_04: I've been dancing since I was like five years old.
14:15
SPEAKER_04: I basically grew up dancing and with my brother as well, who uh was also a barm dancer, but right now he's in a contemporary company in England.
14:23
SPEAKER_04: Cool.
14:24
SPEAKER_04: Um, so yeah, that's uh pretty much it.
14:26
SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
14:27
SPEAKER_01: Uh and what are you uh I you're 18 right now, is that correct?
14:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I'm 18.
14:32
SPEAKER_01: So what's what's the future hold for you?
14:34
SPEAKER_01: What's what's happening after uh you graduate?
14:38
SPEAKER_04: It's it's a tricky road because I really love all styles of dance.
14:42
SPEAKER_04: My heart kind of favors Latin bomb dancing and also contemporary dance.
14:47
SPEAKER_04: So I'm at that point in my life right now which uh I feel like I'm supposed to choose whether I want to continue to be a Latin dancer or I would like to go off into the company world, kind of like follow my brother's um footsteps.
15:01
SPEAKER_04: But I don't really think I could let go of either.
15:03
SPEAKER_04: So I think paving this like pathway for myself that includes uh both styles of dance that are so completely in different worlds is gonna be difficult for me, but I think it's uh in the end gonna be really worth it.
15:16
SPEAKER_04: And because I really love both of them so much, it's gonna be tricky, and I think it's definitely gonna be whatever opportunities come to me at the time.
15:25
SPEAKER_04: I'm just gonna take them and see where that leads me.
15:28
SPEAKER_04: But I still I plan on dancing both styles for as long as I can.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
15:34
SPEAKER_01: And it sounds like that you have um you're gonna have a lot of options.
15:38
SPEAKER_01: It sounds I hope so, yeah.
15:40
SPEAKER_01: I hope so, I really do.
15:42
SPEAKER_01: That we talk about it all the time on the podcast.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: Versatility will keep you working and you have it already.
15:47
SPEAKER_01: So that's thank you.
15:49
SPEAKER_01: That's really exciting.
15:50
SPEAKER_01: Well, I can't wait to continue to watch you throughout the years with your beautiful career that's up and coming.
15:56
SPEAKER_01: And we're so grateful that you are joining us on the podcast today.
16:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
16:01
SPEAKER_01: All right, y'all.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: Let's do it.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: Let's go.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Let's go.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: Well, all right.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: So, my understanding of Latin ballroom is about yay big.
16:09
SPEAKER_00: Very small, small little pinch there.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: I worked briefly for Capizio and we were beginning to uh revamp their line of of ballroom shoes about two years ago.
16:20
SPEAKER_00: And that was my first entrance into how very big and complicated the just you can't just say ballroom.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean one thing.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: Ballroom means like a thousand different things, depending on where you are in the world, depending on where you are in the country, depending on what style you're talking about.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: So I guess well, since we're here, Ruby, we'll start with you.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: You gave us a little bit of idea about how long you've been dancing, but so specifically in Latin ballroom styles, what is your background?
16:48
SPEAKER_00: What styles are you trained in?
16:50
SPEAKER_00: And when did you start?
16:51
SPEAKER_00: And how was your childhood training in Latin styles?
16:53
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I started dancing Latin ball, which is like cha cha, samba, rumba, passo doble, and jive.
17:00
SPEAKER_04: Um, those five dances like make up the Latin technique.
17:04
SPEAKER_04: I started dancing all of those when I was seven years old, so very, very young.
17:09
SPEAKER_04: And then I also grew up dancing standard ballroom, which has like walls, tango, foxtra, beanie's walls, and quick step.
17:18
SPEAKER_04: And I did that from when I was about like nine years old till I was about 14 or 15.
17:25
SPEAKER_04: It was kind of just like an add-on to my training, but my heart was a little bit more towards the Latin side of dancing.
17:32
SPEAKER_04: But the two worlds of those are completely different.
17:35
SPEAKER_04: Um like in a formal barn competition, you would dance both of them, like could be like one and then after the other, the next category could go.
17:43
SPEAKER_04: But the way that the teaching and even the shoes and uh the way the male and the female dancer dress are completely different, but they're both really really beautiful styles.
17:54
SPEAKER_04: But what we do in like more convention atmosphere is just like Latin bomb dancing.
17:58
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: And then when you're when you're l when you were little, would you say that like uh is seven years old about normal for most kids to start in Latin styles or is that early or late?
18:08
SPEAKER_04: I think with ballroom, it doesn't really matter at what age you start.
18:13
SPEAKER_04: I think uh my bomb teacher in specific, he started dancing Latin bomb dancing when he was 18 with no uh previous dance training.
18:22
SPEAKER_04: I think bomb is very uh complex.
18:24
SPEAKER_04: And so sometimes when you start at a young age, it's kind of hard to understand like uh the complexity, the technique, it's a little bit uh it's kind of like you can kind of start at any age.
18:36
SPEAKER_04: But I think that uh the fact that I had ballet and jazz training previous to balm dancing also helped because it just kind of it taught me how to be a student, it had it taught me how to be in a classroom, how to take direction.
18:49
SPEAKER_04: And so that uh when our barm teachers moved to the studio because they lived um somewhere else previously, and then they moved to the studio, we could really take advantage of all the lessons and all the technique they were teaching us because all the students in the studio already had uh previous dance training.
19:05
SPEAKER_04: So I think being a dancer in other styles prior to barm dancing has a lot of benefits and also that it doesn't really matter at what age you start because bomb dancing is so complex that sometimes when you start at a really young age, it's kind of hard to understand until you get older.
19:22
SPEAKER_04: Go over your head a little bit.
19:24
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, there's plenty of like adult dancers that start dancing when they're already like mothers and fathers that they start dancing then and they still compete at that age.
19:32
SPEAKER_04: So it's really great.
19:34
SPEAKER_04: Nice, I love that.
19:35
SPEAKER_02: I will tell you that I did not grow up training in any kind of ballroom, any kind of partnering.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: It was not offered at our studio.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: Like I said, I grew up at the dance club and we just didn't do that.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: Uh now we're really close to center stage and they did that.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: So there were a lot of people growing up that had that.
19:53
SPEAKER_02: But back when I was competing, you know, convention competition didn't have ballroom in it.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: Like we it wasn't a thing.
20:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, maybe center stage came with a couple of numbers and we always thought it was so cool, right?
20:06
SPEAKER_02: But we we just didn't know.
20:07
SPEAKER_02: Like it wasn't a world that we understood, it wasn't a world that I even knew or knew that I wanted to know, you know.
20:13
SPEAKER_02: So I actually didn't start ballroom until I was on a tour after Say You Think You Can Dance, and it was called Ballroom with a Twist.
20:21
SPEAKER_02: And it was all these um champion ballroom dancers that had come in on the show.
20:26
SPEAKER_02: I had come from So You Think, and then we had American Idol singers.
20:30
SPEAKER_02: So is this American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance tour?
20:33
SPEAKER_02: So here I am on tour as a contemporary dancer or jazz dancer, whatever you want to call it, on this tour, and I'm surrounded by like all these amazing ballroom dancers.
20:41
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, Can you see will you teach me how to do that?
20:44
SPEAKER_02: Like, what is what's a what's a lockstep?
20:46
SPEAKER_02: Like I had no idea, right?
20:48
SPEAKER_02: And here I am, I'm 25 at this point.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: Really?
20:51
SPEAKER_02: 25, 24, 25, something like that.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: I love this.
20:55
SPEAKER_02: So at that age, I was like, well, maybe I can just learn because here I am on tour with all these people.
21:01
SPEAKER_02: Why would I not ask questions?
21:02
SPEAKER_02: Right.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: And so over the years, I just started getting put in more of the ballroom numbers.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: And and still to this, even last week when I was in rehearsal, I would grab someone and be like, hey, can you can you just show me this or help me with this or correct me on this?
21:16
SPEAKER_02: So I would just go around and I'd be like, Hey, show me this.
21:18
SPEAKER_02: Hey, is this right?
21:20
SPEAKER_02: Is are my hips doing the right thing?
21:21
SPEAKER_02: Or, you know, and and they would just teach me like while I was on the road.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: And so I really learned in a very unconventional way, I guess.
21:30
SPEAKER_02: And then I just I remember the first time I got a cha-cha solo in the show.
21:34
SPEAKER_02: It was a big moment.
21:35
SPEAKER_02: Everyone calls me Tina Sparkle because that's my she's like my alter ego.
21:40
SPEAKER_02: Tina Spockle.
21:41
SPEAKER_02: I just wanted to be Tina Sparkle.
21:44
SPEAKER_02: That was like my goal in life.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, I I learned on the road.
21:48
SPEAKER_02: Literally on the road is is but I learned from like, you know, world class ballroom dance writers.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: And then I started partnering and then I started teaching.
21:59
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it was it.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: All a very big whirlwind, but I think it's it's more that concept of just saying, kind of like what you were saying, Ruby, like things come to you and you just say yes, because they've obviously come to you for a reason, and then you know, really, really going for it, just taking a leap of faith of like I can do this, I can learn, I can, I can learn something new.
22:19
SPEAKER_02: My body, like I know I have body awareness, you know, and I was really teachable.
22:24
SPEAKER_02: Like you have to be, you have to be teachable and be a really good student just forever.
22:29
SPEAKER_02: It never it never ends.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: Totally.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't end like when you hit 18.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: Right.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: It's like, oh, I can't learn anything anymore.
22:34
SPEAKER_02: Right.
22:34
SPEAKER_02: We're always students.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, always be a student.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: It's fun, you know, it challenges your brain to to think differently.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I think, you know, hearing the two different perspectives of like training from day one in these styles and then learning, kind of learning as you go, you know, as Courtney and I both worked on cruise ships, and the the little ballroom experience I have is choreography.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: And of and like Courtney said, like I can totally give me choreography.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: I'll I'll do your choreography and I'll be great at it.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: It'll look amazing.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: But when you put me with a partner who knows what they're doing, and then I'm like, what's the what's a lockstep?
23:07
SPEAKER_00: What's happening here?
23:08
SPEAKER_00: Like, but I I've taken or I've tried to take a few classes here in the city because I would love to learn how to do Latin ballroom.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: I think I'd be a great jive dancer.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm short, I'm small, I'm spunky.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: Once my ankle is better, I'm gonna go take some class.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: But what's also hard about that is that most people who go take an adult ballroom class possibly don't have any dance experience at all.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: They may or may not know their right or left foot from the other.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: Whereas I can pick up your choreography.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: So I'm so envious, Randy, of like your on the job learning because you already, you're already an amazing dancer.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: You already booked a job.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: Now it's just learning this style, but you're able to learn it at an accelerated pace because you know what a ball change is.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: You know, you know how to step together step and make it look stylized, and all you have to do is do whatever with your upper body, you know.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: Right.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: So jealous.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: And this is this is something that I teach a lot on convention because those are, I understand what you're saying, like someone who has no dance experience, which to me, all that's saying is they have no body awareness.
24:06
SPEAKER_02: Right.
24:06
SPEAKER_02: It's kind of what it is, unless you train in something else that provides that skill set, right?
24:12
SPEAKER_02: And so I always say this in convention.
24:14
SPEAKER_02: It's like you already you have so much body awareness.
24:16
SPEAKER_02: You already know how to hold your back, you already know how to lock down your shoulders, you already know how to like close your ribs, you already know how to like open without everything else opening.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: Right.
24:26
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
24:26
SPEAKER_02: You you know how to lead with your toe, you know what a plie is, you know how to put your heel down, you know how to twist your hips, like you're you know how to do an isolation, right?
24:34
SPEAKER_02: Like a rib isolation.
24:36
SPEAKER_02: You already have the facility, and then it's just applying it different, right?
24:40
SPEAKER_02: Right.
24:40
SPEAKER_02: But we're so when you're classically trained, you know, we talk about the square, like with your shoulders and your hips, right?
24:47
SPEAKER_02: No one can see me, but I'm giving you a diaphragm of like the square.
24:51
SPEAKER_02: And I think that that's probably the hardest thing for trained dance.
24:54
SPEAKER_02: I don't know, Ruby, maybe you you can dive in that, but like it's going from square to all of a sudden completely rotated, and it's just like kind of messes with your head a little bit because you're like, I trained so long to get the front of my hips flat, and then all of a sudden, like you don't do that in a jive, for instance.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: You know, you're completely anyways.
25:13
SPEAKER_02: It's it's just interesting learning from a different perspective, but also having that base of body awareness to then accelerate you forward in a different kind of capacity.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: Right.
25:24
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, to add on to that, I definitely think I even have so many like weird habits as being just a ballet, jazz, contemporary dancer that I still to this day have to like rework around my turnout and rework around my alignment of my spine.
25:41
SPEAKER_04: And there's like so many things that it like she was saying, you have to you take so long to learn, and then one day somebody's like, Yeah, so just do exactly the opposite.
25:50
SPEAKER_04: Right.
25:51
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
25:52
SPEAKER_04: So even like when we have a class in the studio where we go from one style like very quickly to the next, sometimes it like takes a second for me to like realign myself and like remember things.
26:04
SPEAKER_04: And it's just it uses very different muscles, and it's just that's why sometimes like when you learn when you're a bit older and with no like body awareness, it's not the worst case scenario because those habits of turnout and those habits of keeping your alignment proper, like you do in ballet class, are really hard to break.
26:24
SPEAKER_04: But at the same time, you can coordinate steps and you can like mimic pictures and you can hear music and count.
26:30
SPEAKER_04: And so it has its benefits, but at the same time, there's certain things that make it a bit more difficult to make it look like ballroom dancing as opposed to making it look like jazz dancing for that word.
26:42
SPEAKER_04: That makes total sense, yeah.
26:43
SPEAKER_01: Like you're a contemporary dancer trying to do ballroom, exactly.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just I see that all the time whenever I'm teaching jazz.
26:50
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, you're a contemporary dancer trying to do jazz.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: I need you to be a jazz dancer, please.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: Like exactly, you know, shift gears, transform into it.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, wow.
26:59
SPEAKER_01: This is so this is like so eye-opening to me.
27:01
SPEAKER_01: And I just love that we have two completely different like journeys of how how you both like broke into the Latin ballroom world and your training.
27:12
SPEAKER_01: I very much like I'll just chime in like just like with Leslie.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: I don't I never ever ever learned it.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: I actually learned it kind of like you really, like once I got the job.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: And like for me, my um, I'm sure hopefully everybody that listening that's listening now should know of the show called In the Heights or the movie In the Heights that came out this summer.
27:33
SPEAKER_01: And if you haven't watched it, please watch it.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: It's like a fantastic dance show.
27:37
SPEAKER_01: And Linman, well, Miranda uh wrote it and he was in it on Broadway.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: But back when I first moved to New York, like that was the show on Broadway that I finally saw, like Leslie and I saw it together actually.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: And we sat in we sat in the theater and I watched like Latina dancers up on stage doing something that wasn't cheesy musical theater.
27:56
SPEAKER_01: Like they were actually doing like Latin ballroom dance and hip hop on Broadway, and I was like, whoa, I need to be in this show.
28:03
SPEAKER_01: So after that, it inspired me to want to learn how to do that.
28:06
SPEAKER_01: And my I feel like the first introduction to any type of Latin dance was in a final callback for In the Heights, Broadway.
28:13
SPEAKER_01: And I just had to wing it.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: And luckily, I just finished my cruise ship with Leslie.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: So I had a little bit of partnering experience, but that was more like disco and like here's a lift here, and let's do a shoulder, a shoulder sit.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: But even understanding grips and weight sharing with someone else is and just that tension you have to have, you know, you can't just like extending your arm.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: Like understanding that was something that the cruise ships taught me because I never grew up partnering at all.
28:42
SPEAKER_01: And then once I got into the audition room and now I'm doing like salsa, I don't know what I'm doing.
28:47
SPEAKER_01: I'm just following their direction.
28:49
SPEAKER_01: But at least I had an understanding of the grips.
28:52
SPEAKER_01: And I think that was the hardest part for me.
28:54
SPEAKER_01: And after that, I started doing more Latin shows and learning from those choreographers.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: So and they trained me, but I'm never that kind of person that could like enter the floor in the a salsa club and like kill it.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, uh-uh, absolutely not.
29:08
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't believe you for one second, Courtney.
29:11
SPEAKER_00: I know, right?
29:12
SPEAKER_00: You'd probably get slung around and it would be amazing.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: Oh my god, I wish.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: I want to be that person so bad.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, I just want to what is that?
29:19
SPEAKER_01: Is it is it just called like what is it called when you're just like is it freestyle?
29:22
SPEAKER_04: Like, what is is is there a name for that when you just like uh I guess it would just be like a like a salsa club, like a bajata club, like a social club.
29:30
SPEAKER_04: Just like social.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, social.
29:31
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you do a lot of things like that.
29:32
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: That's what I need.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: I need to learn a lot like the foundation and the like the basics of being able to survive in a social like club atmosphere.
29:42
SPEAKER_02: Get yourself get yourself a good partner.
29:44
SPEAKER_02: There you go.
29:45
SPEAKER_02: That's what I need.
29:47
SPEAKER_02: That's what I need.
29:48
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
29:49
SPEAKER_01: It's just it just seems it's just so hard.
29:51
SPEAKER_01: I can do the authy and I will make it look like that.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: I've been training in this my whole life.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: Just like I mean, Randy, you're unbelievable when I get to watch you, and it's I had no idea that you learned so later, like at 25 years old.
30:05
SPEAKER_01: Like that is so exciting.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: It is exciting.
30:09
SPEAKER_02: And you know, I say this a lot too.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: I I don't like the the saying fake it till you make it, because that implies that you don't really belong there.
30:18
SPEAKER_02: And instead, fake it till you become it, right?
30:20
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, did I fake it at first?
30:22
SPEAKER_02: You bet I did.
30:23
SPEAKER_02: Just like I faked a lot of things to get places.
30:26
SPEAKER_02: But once you're given the opportunity, then you know, like I have coaches, I take class, I take lessons, I practice because I don't think that you ever can know everything, you know, and and so it's almost like you have to prove that you belong there.
30:42
SPEAKER_02: And maybe I'm just proving to myself.
30:44
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
30:45
SPEAKER_02: I don't I don't feel I have to prove to other people, but to prove to yourself, like, yeah, I I really do belong here.
30:50
SPEAKER_02: And I may have been faking it at first, but then you have to you have to learn the skills to back it up, really, you know.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: Well, and then it's kind of like your duty almost.
30:59
SPEAKER_00: It's like you're inhabiting this space that maybe you did fake it till you made it to get there.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: And now now that I'm here, it's it's my job to learn how learn all the things that I'm missing, you know, the little pockets of information.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: The details.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Totally.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, totally, totally.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: So I'm curious to hear sin since you started incorporating Latin ballroom training into your dance training as a whole, do you feel like that it it has helped you in other styles of dance in any way?
31:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of curious uh to hear the benefits of it, if anything comes to mind.
31:34
SPEAKER_04: I definitely think that ballroom dancing has helped many styles of dance, but I think more than anything, it's helped it's helped me with like I guess not being more feminine.
31:46
SPEAKER_04: I don't want to say like feminine or masculine, but because borroom is so complex that you can be a leader or a follower, and it doesn't necessarily mean you have to be feminine or masculine.
31:56
SPEAKER_04: But I think it's definitely helped me uh discover how I can dance in a masculine or feminine way, whether that be in jazz and contemporary dance.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: But it's it's helped me kind of explore that realm.
32:10
SPEAKER_04: Whereas when I take ballet class, I don't necessarily feel those two different roles so separate.
32:16
SPEAKER_04: The same thing in contemporary dance or in jazz dance, but it's like kind of changed my uh perspective on okay, I can do this uh jazz combination in a bit more feminine way, or I can do it in a more masculine way, and they can both still be a very true version of myself.
32:32
SPEAKER_04: So I think um born dancing has a very big role as to masculine, feminine, or leader and follower.
32:40
SPEAKER_04: Um, in that case, which can be a male and a male, a male and a female.
32:43
SPEAKER_04: But it's just made me think of things very differently.
32:46
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's helped my training as well, because as well as learning, say, the girl steps in a class, I also learned the men's steps to one day say if I had to teach somebody a man the men's steps, or if I were to just practice those steps myself to further understand what the lady's doing.
33:04
SPEAKER_04: So I think it's just helped me realize that even though I'm a girl, I can tap into those uh different feelings besides just uh learning the girl steps and being the girl side and the person who's getting lifted.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: Dance costumes are the final touch to make your vision come to life on stage.
33:28
SPEAKER_01: Whether you're looking for a simple and sleek design, or maybe you want to be covered in rhinestones from head to toe.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: Dance Costumes by Urzua is here to make your custom costume dreams come true.
33:39
SPEAKER_01: If you're still finalizing your costumes for the upcoming competition season, contact Dance Costumes by Urzua now to receive a quick quote and they'll get started on creating your one-of-a-kind costume.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: Dance Costumes by Urzua is also offering an exciting promo featuring our exclusive Making the Impact Dancewear.
33:57
SPEAKER_01: For every customer who spends over$150, you will receive one free Making the Impact Leotard with your order.
34:05
SPEAKER_01: This offer is only valid until December 25th, 2021.
34:10
SPEAKER_01: So head on over to their website at dancecostumes byerzuwa.com to view all of their designs and dancewear.
34:24
SPEAKER_00: Well, side side question to this.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: When you speak about like the leader versus follower steps, is it is it less just like somebody's doing it backwards and more is it something completely different?
34:35
SPEAKER_00: Or is it more just like you're moving in different, you know, backwards or forwards, depending on which one you are?
34:41
SPEAKER_04: I think it changes, um, but for the most part, the steps are like almost completely different.
34:46
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
34:46
SPEAKER_04: Um, they're very like measured out, whereas like if the woman takes a half turn, the man takes an eighth of a turn.
34:53
SPEAKER_04: Like it's very formulated so that the the pieces and the steps that so they fit together so that when you do these figures, whether you're facing the back of the ballroom, the front of the ballroom, you do it fast or you do it slow, everything is supposed to kind of work together.
35:09
SPEAKER_04: So if you were to dance it with somebody else, it would still work the same way.
35:12
SPEAKER_04: Ah, okay.
35:13
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but you could also you can do those steps like we do in convention classes.
35:17
SPEAKER_04: We do the steps by ourselves.
35:19
SPEAKER_04: We can do the guy's version of the steps, we can do the woman's version.
35:22
SPEAKER_04: But yeah, that's why being a leader or a follower, which they're both they switch roles at times, is they're both very different worlds.
35:30
SPEAKER_04: And so sometimes like my partner can be doing one step next to me, and I'm like, wait, what are you what are you doing over there?
35:36
SPEAKER_04: Like, and I can have like absolutely no awareness to what he's doing.
35:41
SPEAKER_04: So it's helped me further my partnering and further how I feel about what steps I'm doing, masculine or feminine, and all different styles of dance.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: Cool.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: I would just, I would just add on to that.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: It's so I love hearing, I love hearing Ruby's side of because I didn't have that, I didn't have this experience.
36:00
SPEAKER_02: I wasn't that age, I didn't, I didn't grow up training in both.
36:06
SPEAKER_02: So for me, it what it did for me was not only allow me to explore maybe my body or movement or like just a different way of moving, but on a completely another level, it allowed a profession, it allowed livelihood, it allowed more jobs, it allowed like, yeah, I can partner, yeah, I can do salsa, yeah, I can do ballroom, yeah, I can do contemporary.
36:30
SPEAKER_02: It became this whole other world because you know, you have to think back in 2009, 10, 11, this is when contemporary dancers explode.
36:39
SPEAKER_02: It's like there was a gazillion contemporary dancers.
36:43
SPEAKER_02: So at that point it becomes, okay, well, how do I how do I make a sustainable dance career?
36:50
SPEAKER_02: And for me, that came via learning a new style, learning ballroom, learning partnering.
36:56
SPEAKER_02: And it allowed me, yes, it felt good on my body, it was fun, it was new, it was sensual.
37:03
SPEAKER_02: You know, I had never felt that before.
37:05
SPEAKER_02: And so then so not only was it fun and allowed me all these things, it it provided money and jobs, yeah, and and a life that I didn't even see coming.
37:16
SPEAKER_01: Right.
37:16
SPEAKER_02: You know, that's yeah.
37:18
SPEAKER_01: Great way to look at it too, yeah.
37:19
SPEAKER_01: Cause like I said, versatility.
37:21
SPEAKER_01: I mean, the more versatile you are, I think that's another perfect reason why dancers should should start training in it.
37:30
SPEAKER_01: Because if you do hope to be a pro one day, you're going to partner someone at some point in your professional dance career, in any style of dance.
37:41
SPEAKER_01: And like I was just talking about, just weight sharing and what that resistance is supposed to feel like, the give and the take, and understanding the basic mechanics of that in in something simple in any style of partnering is crucial.
37:57
SPEAKER_01: I can't tell you how many par people I've partnered with in so many different professional in shows that don't have a clue how to partner somebody.
38:07
SPEAKER_01: And can I'm 5'2 and very lightweight.
38:10
SPEAKER_01: I hold myself up when I like I support my partner and they're still struggling.
38:16
SPEAKER_01: It's like, what else can I what else can I give you?
38:19
SPEAKER_01: Like it's just clear that you've never partnered before.
38:21
SPEAKER_01: I'm not even talking lists, it's just like, you know, just anything.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: Well, and and I'll add to that, Courtney.
38:28
SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't know that for sure any show that I've ever produced or casted has had partner work.
38:36
SPEAKER_02: Every show.
38:37
SPEAKER_02: And I really can't think of a professional job that I've had, I mean, ever, that did not include partnering in some capacity.
38:46
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
38:47
SPEAKER_02: Even if it's just like a roll-in, dip, roll out.
38:49
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
38:50
SPEAKER_02: And it's I would I would compare it to like every dancer knows when you hit a pirouette, say you you just hit four or five and you could feel it.
38:57
SPEAKER_02: You're just on.
38:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:57
SPEAKER_02: You're like, yeah, I nailed that.
38:59
SPEAKER_02: When you find that with a partner, when you find that give and take, when you find the center of the because it's really like your spine sharing your center.
39:07
SPEAKER_02: That's all it is.
39:08
SPEAKER_02: When you find that and then and then start dancing and lifting and doing, you're just like, oh my gosh, this is heaven.
39:14
SPEAKER_02: Like this just feels clicks incredible.
39:17
SPEAKER_02: It clicks.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it clicks.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I think what's what's so frustrating is that, you know, I would guarantee most, not even to mention the men, like I don't even know about their experience, but for most women, most of us do graduate from high school having not partnered with anybody, even in ballet.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
39:35
SPEAKER_00: Like, and ballet partnering is is a whole nother world from social dance partnering or Latin dance partnering or a hustle or swing or any of those kind of styles.
39:46
SPEAKER_00: And what a disservice to everyone wanting to work.
39:49
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
39:50
SPEAKER_00: And like, yeah, and so I think, but what's what's accessible?
39:54
SPEAKER_00: Now, Latin ballroom is more accessible, probably.
39:56
SPEAKER_00: Like, where am I gonna go take a swing class as a 15-year-old?
40:00
SPEAKER_01: Right.
40:00
SPEAKER_00: Is that like, how am I how am I gonna find a guy?
40:03
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
40:03
SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of the issue too, as even as an adult woman with some dance experience in New York City, the beginner Latin ballroom classes are filled with Joe Schmoes who are like, maybe I'll meet a lady and not a dancer who knows how to partner me.
40:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
40:16
SPEAKER_00: You know, so like it's a big struggle.
40:18
SPEAKER_00: And so, like, I I do think that hopefully with the initiation of Latin ballroom study in convention world, it might spark some studios to say, you know what, let's hire a Latin ballroom teacher.
40:30
SPEAKER_00: Maybe this will get some boys interested.
40:32
SPEAKER_00: Maybe this will get some partnering going at my studio and even girl, you know, girl partnering.
40:38
SPEAKER_00: Like, that's if that's what you gotta do, that's what you gotta do to get the experience.
40:41
SPEAKER_02: It's important for well thank thank thank you, thank you, Jojo and Jenna, for bringing like girl and girl partner to dance with the stars.
40:48
SPEAKER_02: Like that just goes to show you that it doesn't, you know, can be anybody.
40:52
SPEAKER_02: It can be anybody.
40:53
SPEAKER_02: Learn, learn, learn the concept, right?
40:55
SPEAKER_02: Learn the concept of partnering.
40:56
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
40:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
40:58
SPEAKER_01: That was it, that was so huge.
41:00
SPEAKER_01: And yes, dancing with the stars, I mean, it's brought the ballroom style to everyone's living rooms.
41:08
SPEAKER_01: Like pe people have never even seen this style of dance before and now dancing with the stars, and you're watching celebrities learn how to do it.
41:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, if they can do it, anyone can do it, and especially young dancers who are eager, who are hungry, who want to expose themselves to all different styles, who are in the peak of their training to be introduced to something new like that.
41:32
SPEAKER_01: And that's what I really I really do applaud the convention scene for incorporating it in, you know, easing it into um this beautiful dance world that we have here.
41:41
SPEAKER_01: But another thing I'm curious to hear about for both of y'all is dancing in heels.
41:48
SPEAKER_01: So we actually have an episode which I'm really excited about later this season, all about dancing in heels and the different styles of dance that you would do in heels.
41:59
SPEAKER_01: But because in Latin ballroom styles, majority of the time you are in a type of heel, what was how has that experience been?
42:07
SPEAKER_01: I know Randy, you started later, so you have probably already danced in heels many times, but Ruby and you started at age seven, so I'm sure you had that cute little tiny baby kitten heel on.
42:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I did.
42:19
SPEAKER_01: And then when when how do you know when it's time to progress to a higher heel height?
42:23
SPEAKER_01: Is there like are there rules for this?
42:25
SPEAKER_01: Share the info.
42:27
SPEAKER_04: I was dancing in like little kitten heels, little Cuban heels, um, for a while.
42:32
SPEAKER_04: And then uh once you become a junior in the Latin Bown world, you kind of you have the option to start to wear higher heels, which kind of everybody does.
42:42
SPEAKER_04: Of course, you're not gonna go to like the three-inch heel.
42:45
SPEAKER_04: You like gradually make your way up there.
42:46
SPEAKER_04: And also it has a lot to do with if your partner is taller than you, if he's shorter than you, because if you have a shorter partner than you and you put heels on, it's kind of like it's a little it's a little hard to dance with somebody who's much taller than you, but it's kind of more the decision of your teacher as well when you're younger.
43:04
SPEAKER_04: It's kind of similar to when you go from a ballet flat to point shoes.
43:08
SPEAKER_04: It's kind of when you feel the dancer's ankles and like body is ready to handle those things.
43:14
SPEAKER_04: I was about 11 when I started wearing heels.
43:18
SPEAKER_04: And I kind of just came into my warm lesson one day and my teacher was like, put them on.
43:24
SPEAKER_04: And I was like, okay.
43:25
SPEAKER_04: And I just put them on and she was like, Go.
43:27
SPEAKER_04: And I was like, Oh, wow, okay, that was that was quick.
43:30
SPEAKER_04: There wasn't a lot of explanation.
43:32
SPEAKER_04: But I just remember the first day I felt like it, I was like, like I was shaking, like it was really difficult.
43:39
SPEAKER_04: But over time you get very used to it and also the kind of shoe you have.
43:45
SPEAKER_04: But over time you start to kind of get used to it and you find which shoe works for you.
43:50
SPEAKER_04: It's very similar to going from a ballet shoe to a point shoe, but it's also done a lot of hard but kind of painful injury wise things on my feet.
43:59
SPEAKER_04: I have A lot of foot issues because of it because it's so demanding.
44:04
SPEAKER_04: And in competition, sometimes we're on our feet, and our issues are standing or dancing for like five, six, seven hours.
44:11
SPEAKER_04: And so it's kind of hard.
44:14
SPEAKER_04: I do a lot of like physical therapy on my feet, and I I like I take care of myself because I realize like without those without those bad boys, my bomb dancing is impossible.
44:24
SPEAKER_04: Also, nobody like competes in a flat foot.
44:27
SPEAKER_04: Like you have to dance in bomb shoes.
44:29
SPEAKER_04: It's not really an option.
44:30
SPEAKER_04: And sometimes I also practice in like men's bomb shoes that are like shorter and more covered.
44:36
SPEAKER_04: I also practice in that a lot because I have to practice like three, four hours every day in bomb shoes is like kind of uh impossible because it hurts a little bit.
44:43
SPEAKER_04: But uh at times because you get so used to it, I find things sometimes easier because I don't have to go from flat to relevant, right?
44:52
SPEAKER_04: It's not such a big difference.
44:53
SPEAKER_04: It's just like you're already on relevant pretty much.
44:56
SPEAKER_04: And also it helps you kind of find awareness in your legs and be able to like feel out your hips and your spine, and it really uh it changes where your weight is and where your center is.
45:05
SPEAKER_04: So I think that trying to dance bomb without shoes is a bit difficult because it changes so much of the way you stand and how you dance.
45:14
SPEAKER_04: But I definitely think dancing in heels is uh a really, really, really big uh it's it's a very big thing because uh, like you said, a lot of jobs you're gonna partner and you're gonna wear heels.
45:25
SPEAKER_04: And if you haven't done it before, if you have to do the two at the same time for the very first time, it's gonna be quite difficult.
45:32
SPEAKER_04: But I even we have like many dances in the studio where we dance jazz and heels, where we dance musical theater and heels, because on Broadway and stuff, they do the same thing.
45:41
SPEAKER_04: You dance in heels.
45:41
SPEAKER_04: It's it's not very often that you dance in like flat shoes or in socks or anything like that.
45:47
SPEAKER_04: But it has added an another layer to my dancing that I think is very helpful.
45:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I would say, I mean, listen, I'm a lot older, so I I love dancing in heels.
45:56
SPEAKER_02: How about that?
45:57
SPEAKER_02: Like I I will use any inch of height that I can get.
46:01
SPEAKER_02: But same as Ruby, like I'll I'll dance in like my practice shoes.
46:04
SPEAKER_02: That's what I usually teach in, that's what I practice in.
46:07
SPEAKER_02: Because yeah, the wearing a heel strapped to your foot for nine hours a day, you're like, I can't feel my feet.
46:13
SPEAKER_02: But the the thing is, is is kind of also what Ruby you said, it makes you hold your body different, right?
46:18
SPEAKER_02: So anybody that's done a photo shoot, the photographer will usually say, put on a pair of heels because you you hold your you hold your spine different, you can feel your body different, your weight is different.
46:31
SPEAKER_02: So as opposed to like being so far back, it it almost pushes you forward, right?
46:36
SPEAKER_02: So you hold your your center differently.
46:38
SPEAKER_02: The biggest thing that I see, so for any dancers or or teacher, anybody out there, is it's very apparent when when students are in heels for the first time.
46:48
SPEAKER_02: It's very obvious.
46:50
SPEAKER_02: And the biggest thing is is like just in a normal releve, you can't roll to the outside of your foot, right?
46:55
SPEAKER_02: Like you would never releve on your pinky, on your pinky toe, right?
46:59
SPEAKER_02: It's got to be a little more in.
47:00
SPEAKER_02: So like my shoes are really worn out on my bevel, like on the inside of my big toe, because that's where you should be applying pressure, like to give yourself a bevel and an S curve.
47:11
SPEAKER_02: You cannot be walking like on your pinky toes in a heel, right?
47:15
SPEAKER_02: So I encourage dancers, even if you're not doing ballroom or whatever, to wear a heel because again, like what's already been said, you most likely will never do a professional job not in a heel, whether it's a character heel, a ballroom heel, and it could be hip hop, flottes, tumbling.
47:33
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's literally all in heels.
47:36
SPEAKER_02: So knowing how to dance in a heel and how to hold yourself and how to transfer your weight, it's really important.
47:43
SPEAKER_02: And so I hope that, you know, in and like what you were saying, Courtney, like it is coming mainstream.
47:48
SPEAKER_02: It's taken a little bit to get the ballroom on conventions.
47:51
SPEAKER_02: But it's like when I first started with Revel in season three, it was like, I always ask, who's taken ballroom before?
47:57
SPEAKER_02: Who's you know, is this your first sauce, whatever?
47:59
SPEAKER_02: And it was like, no one, right?
48:01
SPEAKER_02: And now here we are, season six.
48:03
SPEAKER_02: And and most of the time you get about half the room, maybe 75% of the room that has either taken ballroom, is in a heel, right, the skirt, at least they're the skirt, yeah.
48:12
SPEAKER_02: At least they're going for the look.
48:14
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
48:15
SPEAKER_02: Like it's all it's it's definitely becoming way more mainstream than it was like when I was in convention.
48:21
SPEAKER_01: Do you feel like like adding the the outfit helps the dancers get into it more?
48:27
SPEAKER_01: Like, do you think because I think a lot of people are like, Do I need a skirt?
48:31
SPEAKER_01: Like, do I need a fringe skirt?
48:33
SPEAKER_01: Where do I even get that?
48:34
SPEAKER_02: Like Okay, would you would you ever show up to a would you ever show up to a ballet class in sweats?
48:39
SPEAKER_02: Or would you ever show up to a to a hip hop class in pink tights?
48:44
SPEAKER_00: Right.
48:44
SPEAKER_00: Like for me would, but should you okay, yeah, you know what?
48:49
SPEAKER_02: Okay, good for you for being able to overcome that mental block.
48:52
SPEAKER_02: But for me, like for me, I I will dance good if I feel good.
48:57
SPEAKER_02: And I feel good if I look, like I it's a it's a part, it's like do your hair, do your makeup for an audition, whatever, whatever it does to make you feel good about yourself.
49:06
SPEAKER_02: Why would you not do that to give yourself the best chance of succeeding?
49:11
SPEAKER_02: If all it takes is putting on a fringe skirt to make me feel more of like a ballroom dancer, then that's what I'm gonna do.
49:17
SPEAKER_02: Totally.
49:18
SPEAKER_02: Right.
49:18
SPEAKER_02: And and and do that for every class, right?
49:21
SPEAKER_02: But but look the part, you know?
49:23
SPEAKER_00: Totally.
49:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: Well, I was gonna go into the question of in the convention world, how are those classes approached?
49:31
SPEAKER_00: Because it's a convention, it's possibly somebody's first time, as opposed to how a studio like ballroom class would be approached.
49:38
SPEAKER_00: Because I feel like they're probably different.
49:40
SPEAKER_00: And I just am for the people who've never taught taken it before in any capacity, like what could you expect walking into, you know, a revel ballroom class for the first time?
49:49
SPEAKER_02: Well, I will say it's a lot more general on convention, as opposed to like if I go teach in studio, because it's obviously a lot smaller, a lot one on more one-on-one.
49:58
SPEAKER_02: And I I generally go, we'll go back to that studio.
50:01
SPEAKER_02: But like in convention, you have one hour to not only teach choreography, but to give a basic of uh and you know, you it'd be like, can you learn all of ballet technique in an hour?
50:13
SPEAKER_02: Probably not.
50:14
SPEAKER_02: I can show you a plie, I can show you a tondu.
50:17
SPEAKER_02: We could probably throw a bama in there, right?
50:19
SPEAKER_02: So on convention, it's more of a generalized learning.
50:23
SPEAKER_02: The biggest thing that I tell, because I know all these dancers, they come from the same place I do.
50:27
SPEAKER_02: They come from jazz and contemporary and ballet training.
50:30
SPEAKER_02: The biggest thing that I say is not only the mind shift of saying, okay, I'm a ballroom dancer right now, shifted.
50:37
SPEAKER_02: That's where I'm at, is keeping everything a lot smaller than we're used to, right?
50:44
SPEAKER_02: And keeping it's not so turned out.
50:47
SPEAKER_02: We're not leading with our heels, we're not stepping with our heels.
50:50
SPEAKER_02: It's a lot more parallel.
50:52
SPEAKER_02: It's like a bad first position.
50:53
SPEAKER_02: That's kind of where you live, and keeping it there and everything small, that's generally what I start with, you know, and then we'll see how they do, and then we'll move on to like more things.
51:03
SPEAKER_02: But that's like the biggest general comment that I can give is just keep everything really small and a lot more parallel than what you're thinking.
51:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
51:14
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think convention bourb is just compared to like a regular lesson or a regular class in a studio.
51:21
SPEAKER_04: I think in general, it's just much more fun.
51:24
SPEAKER_04: I think for dancers, just starting out to dance borum, it's more important to make them fall in love with borum dancing than it is to necessarily teach them properly.
51:35
SPEAKER_04: You usually have like 45 to an hour with them, and you can't really expect somebody to learn a whole new style and do it properly in an hour or in 45 minutes, that usually gets cut off.
51:46
SPEAKER_04: So like half an hour.
51:48
SPEAKER_04: But uh I think it's yeah, I think it's much more having fun, having fun music, being able to go in groups, being able to support each other.
51:56
SPEAKER_04: And then if they do fall in love with the style and fall in love with the class or the teacher or the steps that they can go and seek uh further training in that style.
52:06
SPEAKER_04: But I think uh the convention atmosphere has just kind of brought ballroom to the surface as like an option.
52:13
SPEAKER_04: Like this is a thing, this exists this world, you have a place in it.
52:17
SPEAKER_04: It's not just for ballroom dancers, but you can also try it and it can also further benefit your dancing.
52:23
SPEAKER_04: But I think it's like she, like Randy said, it's just very general because you can't you can't really do much in half an hour, but you can kind of open up the style and make them fall in love with it for probably like the first time for some of them.
52:36
SPEAKER_02: And so many people do, like so many kids will come up and even their moms or whoever they're like, oh my gosh, that was my first class.
52:42
SPEAKER_02: I had so much fun, I had no idea what I was doing.
52:46
SPEAKER_02: And for someone to have fun and not know what they're doing, like be okay with being uncomfortable, you're like, great, you had fun, you like it, and then like what Ruby said, now okay, now go train.
52:59
unknown: Yeah.
53:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
53:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
53:02
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think it's so interesting because y'all make a such a good point that like conventions assume that you know ballet, conventions assume that you know contemporary or jazz or hip hop.
53:12
SPEAKER_00: But ballroom is really the one thing, you know, that that lives in the convention world now that maybe nobody knows anything about.
53:19
SPEAKER_00: So, like, like you said, you can't teach a whole style or five whole styles within the Latin world, you know.
53:25
SPEAKER_00: There's just it's impossible in an hour.
53:27
SPEAKER_00: But to bring it to light and to say, hey, maybe I want to do this.
53:31
SPEAKER_00: Like, if you can do that within your hour, Miss Randy, at Revel, like you've done your job, you know.
53:36
SPEAKER_02: Well, and and it's definitely it's definitely geared a lot more commercially too.
53:41
SPEAKER_02: Sure, you know, so this is definitely like a commercial ball room, like something that you would go do on a job, you know.
53:48
SPEAKER_02: And it is, it's fun.
53:49
SPEAKER_02: The music's fun, the moves are fun, it feels good, you know.
53:53
SPEAKER_02: So at the end of the day, like if you're having if you're having a good time, if you had a good experience doing said thing, then you know, job done.
54:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, totally.
54:03
SPEAKER_01: Ruby, do you feel like that there's a have you been noticing or seeing more crossover, like competition dancers crossing over into that ballroom world lately?
54:14
SPEAKER_01: Or do you feel like you're one of the few?
54:16
SPEAKER_04: Like some Yeah, I feel like I have seen a lot of convention dancers or just regular ballet jazz dancers start to compete in ball ballroom, whether that's with a partner or with their teacher, um, just trying to get that like outside exposure.
54:34
SPEAKER_04: And then a lot of uh ballroom dancers as well.
54:37
SPEAKER_04: I feel like have been for some reason bomb dancers really love hip-hop.
54:41
SPEAKER_04: I don't know why.
54:42
SPEAKER_04: I have a lot of barm dancer friends that like really love hip hop, like the royal family is just like the best thing they have ever seen in their whole life, which I agree.
54:52
SPEAKER_04: But and so they have like started to like go to places like Millennium and Los Angeles, or like there's so many other studios there that they've started to venture out into like the hip-hop world and the contemporary world.
55:05
SPEAKER_04: And even some of like the pros on Dancing with the Stars that are uh primarily just bomb dancers have started to venture out into contemporary and have started to do jazz and hip-hop and things like that.
55:16
SPEAKER_04: So I feel like the worlds are starting to slowly collide, but they also still have a very strong place of their own.
55:25
SPEAKER_04: You know, it doesn't like mesh too much.
55:27
SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I think it's it's it's a good, I think just for so long it was so separated.
55:34
SPEAKER_04: And I feel like for so long, like so many convention dancers didn't even know what Balm was or they knew what it was, but didn't feel like they could reach it or like where do I take this class?
55:44
SPEAKER_04: Like, how do I figure this out?
55:45
SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know where to find a partner, like nobody's gonna want to partner me.
55:49
SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't even know how to dance ball.
55:51
SPEAKER_04: But there's so much opportunity in the Ball world and the same thing vice versa.
55:56
SPEAKER_04: So I think it's overall just benefited dancers a lot because this is a lot more of what they're gonna see when they become professional dancers rather than dancing ballroom alone or doing another jazz combination by yourself.
56:08
SPEAKER_04: Whereas in the professional world, you are gonna do it with somebody, with a group of people, with one person.
56:14
SPEAKER_04: So I think it's it's really helped a lot.
56:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, love that.
56:18
SPEAKER_01: Yay, for ballroom coming through and making an appearance in this competitive world and people appreciating it and loving it.
56:27
SPEAKER_01: I think that's one of the most important things is being exposed to something new.
56:31
SPEAKER_01: And isn't that why we go to dance conventions so we can be exposed to new styles, to new teachers, to something that we've never done before, take new risks, learn something new, and ballroom's the perfect thing to be adding to that world?
56:45
SPEAKER_01: And like you guys said, I mean, it's just an introduction.
56:48
SPEAKER_01: It's like an introductory class that you're getting at a convention.
56:52
SPEAKER_01: But to kind of round this out, do you do either of you have any advice to any of the teachers that are listening or any of the studio owners that are listening to this episode, like feeling inspired, feeling like, yeah, that's a great idea.
57:04
SPEAKER_01: I want to offer ballroom styles to my dancers, but what if they don't live in a major city and maybe it's not as accessible to obtain a ballroom instructor?
57:16
SPEAKER_01: What are some are there any other options out there for those studios?
57:20
SPEAKER_01: Or what would be the best way for studio owners to bring that into their studio space?
57:26
SPEAKER_02: Well, I I think if anything that we've learned in the last couple of years as is that a lot of teachers and styles have become more accessible via Zoom.
57:36
SPEAKER_02: I know that's not ideal.
57:37
SPEAKER_02: However, it is it is a means to an end.
57:41
SPEAKER_02: If you do live in a rural city and you can't get anybody in, you know, then you get on Zoom or Dance and Co.
57:46
SPEAKER_02: You know, Val and Max Prakowski have Dance and Co.
57:49
SPEAKER_02: Or, I mean, there's a lot of there's a lot of options out there.
57:53
SPEAKER_02: And as far as like being inspired to do it, like think about the think about the benefit that you're giving your students, you know, even if they don't go on to compete in ballroom, at least they have a skill, at least they have an idea of what it is.
58:07
SPEAKER_02: You know, put them in heels, get them, get them uncomfortable, get them being okay with being uncomfortable, you know, because that that sometimes is what holds people back, or I'm too old to learn it, or I'll look stupid, or I'll feel funny, or people will look who freaking cares what you look like or who is watching.
58:28
SPEAKER_02: And if they're watching, then you better put on a good show.
58:31
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
58:32
SPEAKER_02: Like, who cares?
58:34
SPEAKER_02: You know, so I love the idea of it becoming more mainstream, and most people I know, like if you reach out to them on Instagram, they're gonna write you back.
58:43
SPEAKER_02: They want to teach, you know.
58:45
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I also think, yeah, there's so many like great opportunities online now.
58:50
SPEAKER_04: There's so many different programs run by amazing bomb dancers.
58:54
SPEAKER_04: There's a program called Koros that's primarily barm, another one called Soulmates that's also just bomb.
59:02
SPEAKER_04: And those are some of the teachers that I even travel to take lessons with.
59:06
SPEAKER_04: And sometimes, you know, barm dancers they don't live in the same cities as their teachers.
59:12
SPEAKER_04: You can live in Utah, and your teachers can be in New York, and most of the time they take their online lectures or classes, or they go online and just watch videos.
59:23
SPEAKER_04: Sometimes the game of imitation is is not the worst either.
59:27
SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I think definitely there's a lot bomb lives in a lot more places than we think.
59:33
SPEAKER_04: But if finding a bomb teacher is very, very hard, which is very true.
59:38
SPEAKER_04: Like in Miami, finding cat teachers are like non-existent, which is very, very sad.
59:44
SPEAKER_04: But sometimes it's really hard.
59:46
SPEAKER_04: But going to seek that, like Randy was saying, seeking outside, put them in heels, take online classes, you know, like invite teachers in.
59:55
SPEAKER_04: Um, I definitely think just as much exposure as they can get would is just it's it's gonna help them a lot in the future.
1:00:03
SPEAKER_01: Love it.
1:00:04
SPEAKER_01: Sweet.
1:00:04
SPEAKER_01: Leslie, feeling good?
1:00:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm feeling good.
1:00:06
SPEAKER_01: This was great.
1:00:07
SPEAKER_01: It's covered everything.
1:00:08
SPEAKER_01: So great, so informative.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
1:00:11
SPEAKER_01: I learned so much.
1:00:13
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I need to get into my heels and go to my my first real for real board.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_02: I am glad to see you in my class, Courtney, on the next revel city, and that hold you accountable, accountability partner right here.
1:00:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, in my like if I am not teaching at the same time as you, I will be in the world.
1:00:31
SPEAKER_01: I'm holding you accountable to this.
1:00:33
SPEAKER_01: I actually at an audition right before the pandemic hit, it was for On Your Feet, um, a musical, Gloria Estefan, and we were Latin partnering in the audition, and I had my my heels on.
1:00:47
SPEAKER_01: I think they were three inches.
1:00:49
SPEAKER_01: We were partnering so hard that my heel completely fell off the shoe and it was dangling.
1:00:57
SPEAKER_01: And I was still partnering on the balls of my feet with a little dangling.
1:01:01
SPEAKER_01: Oh, it was tragic.
1:01:03
SPEAKER_01: But luckily, I still have another pair, but they're three and a half inch high, and they are too high.
1:01:09
SPEAKER_01: Wait, were these Laducas or were these like shoes?
1:01:11
SPEAKER_01: No, these are my like my Latin heels.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_01: Oh, you're okay.
1:01:13
SPEAKER_01: Oh no, yeah.
1:01:15
SPEAKER_01: So like I got a free pair from a friend, and they're like three and a half inch, and I'm like, okay, maybe I need to buy a new pair of three inches before you can.
1:01:22
SPEAKER_02: But I am a solid two and a half incher.
1:01:25
SPEAKER_02: Like I I used I used to put three and a half because I was like, oh, look at my legs.
1:01:30
SPEAKER_02: Like, yes, three and a half inches.
1:01:32
SPEAKER_02: I feel fabulous, but no, you know what does you know what doesn't look fabulous?
1:01:36
SPEAKER_02: My back.
1:01:37
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_04: I stick around uh like a three inch, two and a half if I'm like not feeling it that day.
1:01:45
SPEAKER_04: But definitely I'm in practice shoes a lot because it is just it's very painful sometimes.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but when you put those heels on, wear them so to you, too.
1:01:57
SPEAKER_00: Like ballroom shoes are meant to be like yeah, like snatched onto your foot.
1:02:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:02:03
SPEAKER_01: And they're like not supportive at all because like you're on the floor.
1:02:06
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, actually, when I wear barm shoes, like some people like wearing them like over time, like after you wear them for like a good week, they start to like feel good.
1:02:14
SPEAKER_04: But like my favorite time to wear barm shoes is like the first hour of brand new shoes.
1:02:19
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because I don't have blisters yet, right?
1:02:21
SPEAKER_04: But they're like so supportive, and then after a week they feel like they're all like soft and wiggly, and it's just it's not as good.
1:02:28
SPEAKER_00: Just like point shoes, yeah.
1:02:30
SPEAKER_04: Exactly, it's exactly the same.
1:02:32
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they're just they're so expensive that you can't really buy a new pair so often.
1:02:36
SPEAKER_04: Like ballerina's getting new point shoes like every week, but not not with arm shoes.
1:02:41
SPEAKER_04: So I just gotta I gotta stick around those wobbly little shoes all the time.
1:02:46
SPEAKER_01: Well, this was so great.
1:02:47
SPEAKER_01: I hope listeners, you enjoyed this discussion because it really we really talked about we covered a lot.
1:02:54
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure we could talk even about more.
1:02:56
SPEAKER_01: We didn't even really get in depth about each different style and that.
1:03:00
SPEAKER_01: So maybe we'll do a 2.0 next season or this for this episode.
1:03:05
SPEAKER_01: But guests, you're so fabulous.
1:03:06
SPEAKER_01: It was so lovely meeting you, Ruby, and so great hearing more about your life, Randy.
1:03:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, and also I'm just gonna go stop Ruby as well.
1:03:15
SPEAKER_02: So there you go.
1:03:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you have to.
1:03:18
SPEAKER_01: I know we've never met.
1:03:19
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I know your parents, but we've never met.
1:03:21
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, you're gonna you're gonna like be floored by her fabulous.
1:03:26
SPEAKER_02: I love meeting, I love meeting new people and and also just people in the industry, you know?
1:03:31
SPEAKER_02: Like, yeah, you got you gotta love it to be in it, otherwise we're just be crazy, right?
1:03:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_01: And that's why we love this podcast so much.
1:03:40
SPEAKER_01: We connect with so many different dancers from all over the place and introducing new relationships as well, and just chatting dance up here on the podcast.
1:03:49
SPEAKER_01: So, uh, since you both are new guests, the way that we always have our guests lead us out of the episode is just sharing one final thought or a little bit of advice that you'd like to share with all of the listeners out there.
1:04:02
SPEAKER_01: Final thoughts on ballroom dance for competitive dancers.
1:04:06
SPEAKER_04: I think overall, my biggest advice that I can give anyone that's uh trying to come from a more convention background into the ballroom dancing world is just uh do your research, watch videos.
1:04:20
SPEAKER_04: There's so much that you can learn from watching professional dancers.
1:04:24
SPEAKER_04: There's so much uh that you can see the way they dress, the way they perform, the way they compete, you know, the uh the shoes they wear, the how they dance with their partners.
1:04:34
SPEAKER_04: There's so much you can see just by going on your phone, going on YouTube, uh going online.
1:04:39
SPEAKER_04: There's so much available.
1:04:41
SPEAKER_04: And with all of them, you see these uh patterns of the way the women hold themselves and the way the men lead them.
1:04:48
SPEAKER_04: And there's just so much you can learn without even being introduced to a teacher or being taught steps.
1:04:54
SPEAKER_04: And it's really it's a world of its own and it's really complex and it's really beautiful.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_04: And I think I wish I could share it with everybody as much as I could.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_04: So just I advise every dancer to try to step their feet into the ball world as much as they can.
1:05:11
SPEAKER_02: I think my biggest piece of advice for this particular audience is to is to just take action.
1:05:20
SPEAKER_02: You you have to take responsibility.
1:05:22
SPEAKER_02: You you are a very powerful person taking action of like, do you want to learn ballroom?
1:05:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, then get online.
1:05:28
SPEAKER_02: Just take look at a thing, go buy the heels, sign up for your class.
1:05:32
SPEAKER_02: What is it that you need to do?
1:05:33
SPEAKER_02: Like, what's the first step that you need to do in order to achieve what it is?
1:05:38
SPEAKER_02: It is your goal to learn ballroom?
1:05:40
SPEAKER_02: Is that what the goal is?
1:05:41
SPEAKER_02: Then, okay, then what are the steps?
1:05:43
SPEAKER_02: Well, you need the shoes, you need the teacher, you need this, you need that, you know.
1:05:47
SPEAKER_02: So just taking action and taking responsibility for your life.
1:05:51
SPEAKER_02: That whether you're 12 or 42, I don't care.
1:05:55
SPEAKER_02: And whether it's in ballroom dancing or writing a book or making up with your mom, or I don't care what it is, you know, just just taking action and and taking responsibility for your life, you know.
1:06:06
SPEAKER_02: I would wish that for everybody.
1:06:09
SPEAKER_01: We hope you enjoyed this week's episode all about Latin ballroom training in the competitive dance world.
1:06:16
SPEAKER_01: Be sure to follow our fabulous guests on Instagram.
1:06:19
SPEAKER_01: You can find Randy at Randy Strong and Ruby at RubyLCastro.
1:06:25
SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to follow Making the Impact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcast, Google Podcasts, and pretty much everywhere you listen to podcasts.
1:06:35
SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check out IBA affiliated competition, Diva Dance Competition.
1:06:40
SPEAKER_01: Diva Dance Competition is America's live judging competition.
1:06:45
SPEAKER_01: Their live judging format is extremely unique in the industry.
1:06:48
SPEAKER_01: Dancers are asked to stay on stage following their routine.
1:06:52
SPEAKER_01: Each of the judges, provided exclusively by Impact Dance Adjudicators, will provide immediate feedback live over the microphone.
1:06:59
SPEAKER_01: This format allows for a very personalized and educational experience, where the dancers are able to apply their critiques immediately to their next routines, with the purpose of improving as the day goes on.
1:07:10
SPEAKER_01: Something else that makes Diva different is that they are a competition with the cause.
1:07:14
SPEAKER_01: Diva was born as a way to raise awareness for the CDLS Foundation, a rare genetic syndrome that Jack, one of the owner's sons, was born with.
1:07:23
SPEAKER_01: Jack was the inspiration for Diva, and you may be lucky enough to meet him at one of their upcoming events.
1:07:29
SPEAKER_01: And last but not least, Diva provides all routine photos and videos absolutely free.
1:07:36
SPEAKER_01: For more information on Diva Dance Competition, head to their website now to register for an upcoming event in their 2022 season at divaComp.com.
1:07:46
SPEAKER_00: Season 3 just keeps getting better with some new and exciting episodes coming your way.
1:07:50
SPEAKER_00: Stay tuned for Theater Etiquette for Parents, our next studio spotlight episode, and injury prevention.
1:07:57
SPEAKER_01: Making the impact with love to wish all of the dance families around the world a very happy holiday.
1:08:02
SPEAKER_01: Stay tuned for next week's episode, our final episode of 2021.
1:08:06
SPEAKER_01: Until then, keep dancing.