Starting to Get Annoyed with Snow
Being a dance instructor has its seasonal fluctuations. It is sometimes hard to convince people, even people who love dance, to drive in the spring showers, or give up their summer walk, or miss a day of apple picking to take their weekly dance class. However the most challenging season of all is winter. The cold weather and early sunset generally inspires people to curl up on their couch. You know how I know this...because I feel it too.
Starting to Get Annoyed with Snow
Being a dance instructor has its seasonal fluctuations. It is sometimes hard to convince people, even people who love dance, to drive in the spring showers, or give up their summer walk, or miss a day of apple picking to take their weekly dance class. However the most challenging season of all is winter. The cold weather and early sunset generally inspires people to curl up on their couch. You know how I know this...because I feel it too.
It's Winter
As the weather starts to get colder and the first flakes begin to fall, I say, "It's winter". We happen to live in the temperate state of Connecticut, where all four seasons are well represented. Just as we enjoy the green of summer, and the spectrum of colors of spring and fall, so too do we enjoy the white of winter. In December, people are so excited at the mere mention of some snow for the holiday season. But, here we are in March and the snow keeps on coming.
Snow had a Schedule
This year, the snow storms were as predictable as a weekly dance class. The snow season in Connecticut really kicked off on Monday, January 26, 2015 with Winter Storm Juno, a strong Nor'easter that made governors in multiple states order curfews because of blizzard conditions. For us, it meant that we had to cancel our Week 4 Monday Salsa classes and Tuesday Hustle classes.
The following week, Winter Storm Linus arrived on Monday, February 1; once again, cancelling our Salsa class. However, the silver lining of this storm was that it gave Dance Dimensions, our "home" studio, a chance to replace their entire dance floor. Fortunately, we were able to have our week 1 Hustle class that week.
As if the weather gods had calendars, another winter storm laid its white blanket on the northeast on Monday, February 9. Did I mention that it canceled our Salsa class? Fortunately, we were able to host our Tuesday, Hustle class and Thursday, West Coast Coast Swing class in Norwalk, CT.
The following week (the week of February 16, 2015) was the first time in over a month that we had our full week's schedule of dance classes: Salsa, Hustle, Private Lessons, and West Coast Swing. The storm had occurred out of sequence on Sat, February 14 - like a guest arriving too early to a party. It was wonderful to finally have our dance classes back on the calendar, even if it was the third week of the month and we were hosting a Week 1 Salsa night.
Dance Classes Left Out In the Cold
However, the damage had been done. The consistent storms of January and February 2015 had wrecked the momentum required for learning Salsa. The snow, coupled with record-breaking cold weather, have made the beginning of 2015 one of the most challenging dance environments I have ever experienced.
Many people make New Year's Eve resolutions that are hard enough to fulfill with will alone. When the snow starts falling and the temperatures reach close to zero, its very difficult to remove oneself from a warm home, and even more challenging to go to a dance studio.
But cold weather and snow is to be expected in December, January, and February but by March - especially this year - most people were done with winter. We were looking forward to the Week 1 classes of March. Salsa is now on hiatus, but were still ready for Week 1 of Hustle and West Coast Swing. But....no!!!! Another winter storm lined up for Tuesday and started to cover our Connecticut area in white in the middle of the afternoon, forcing us to cancel the first Hustle night in Norwalk, CT in March. I'm not sure how the rest of this week will progress, but we'll be ready for anything.
Perhaps we need some warming, a "Studio Warming"
I'm pretty tolerant of winter. I would love to learn how to snow board, but as a professional dancer and teacher of dance, I don't think it would be a good idea. I like seeing the pretty snow fall from the sky, and I even like an occasional blizzard to curl up with my family at home. But, this year's in-opportunistically timed, regular occurring, snow events have left our dance community twiddling their thumbs at home. It has derailed many dancers desires to improve their skills, to meet new people, and to just not feel trapped by "ol' man winter".
So, we're going to warm things up this week with our "Studio Warming". The Studio Warming will be a starter kit for partner dancing featuring Salsa, Hustle, and West Coast Swing. All of the classes will be basic/beginner and perfect for newcomers. We are doing this to inspire people to get out of their snow-bound homes and explore dance as a fun social and physical activity.
Our Studio Warming will be held at Dance Dimensions at 15 Cross Street (Route 1) in Norwalk, CT. We'll start the event with 2pm Salsa, followed by 3pm Hustle, and 4pm West Coast Swing. Our dance lessons will conclude with a dance from 5pm to 7pm combining all three dance forms. It looks to be a fun afternoon and early evening for all the attendees that are ready to break free from winter.
