So, I was thinking…

WordPress changed their blogging setup, and I’m still not comfortable with it. Eh…it’s time to dance right? So…thoughts recently.

Pivots. This has been in my brain a lot. In part because I’ve started writing a class on couples dance. I believe it was five and a half years ago I started with Spirit Light Dance Company. My first experience in dance in SL. Back before Spot On existed, or the performance director. Barre was around but my company used a manual hud, every animation, every mover movement was a click. I had to learn coordination, I had to practice for hours. Every dance was in the moment. Because everything was manual and there were no dance groups on the hud, it was almost always a joint effort. I began by making the frogs jump and shimmy. I’d do the walks, I had to coordinate with the other hud operators for the dance. I’m glad I learned this way.

One of the directors, Caryl, who still leads SLDC today taught me about pivots. By changing the perspective of an animation – turning the dances a quarter turn, eighth of a turn could *dramatically* change the animation and how dancers “related” to each other. You suddenly add a new energy, a new “picture” of the dancers on the stage. We frequently see mirror animations used – but don’t be afraid to pivot your dancers on the stage using waypoints!

One of my favorite sayings: The stage is your canvas, the dancers your paint.

I shared on dance queens a post about my recent burnout, and my crawl back into finding the magic in dance again. Honestly – it’s a little scary to reveal something so personal, so imperfect. I am not perfect and will never pretend to be – but nor am I weak. Is it society that teaches us that we must be “strong” all the time? What is strong by the way? And who says so? I’m so very thankful for the people who stuck by me. Who never stopped believing in me even when I had nothing new to give.

I’ve moved to a new sim, new structure for the teaching area but it feels gooood. Less is more – especially in this age of SL gadgets and such. (I’m a gadget geek.) Slow and steady, ears to the ground and following my heart. Onward and upward!

Ok, that’s all of those euphemism things I’ve got. Happy dancing – and never lose your inspiration!

~ Eva