I am a Dancer

It surprises me how many dancers travel to Lisbon to 'learn how to dance' or study dancing. Last Summer the parking lot in front of Jazzy Dance Studios (the biggest and most known dance school in Lisbon) was crowded with caravans. The location is absolutely perfect, its physically on the brink of Rio Tejo and therefore the scenery is a-w-e-s-o-m-e. And its most probably pretty cheap... Imagine living in a house wagon. Whaaaaat? Pretty cool.

I am going to briefly explain some topics related to dancing. This is the first time I am stating my opinion. Anybody is free to be of another opinion and also state it. But I ask, please keep it civil. No attacks on me. Obrigada.

1st A dancer is a dancer Anybody who dances can call him/herself a dancer. You dance = You are a dancer. If you run, you are a runner etcetera. Got the picture?
After dancing for some years and various styles, I can honestly say that you do NOT need a seniority, experience, status, accumulated years etcetera to be able to present yourself as a dancer. You dance? You are a dancer! Congratulations.

2nd Dance classes If you choose to attend classes for any reason; to know more about the style, to get exercise, to find peace, its a hobby.. you need to respect co-dancers. Again. Even if you would be the "best" dancer in the school or you have danced X-amount of years or you are in a crew, you cannot take space like you own the place, or walk in front of another dancer. Respect others. Believe in Karma.

3rd Learn the foundations I am the worst in this. When I freestyle, I want to do everything else (or my body wants to). Learning a dance style is like learning a language. You need to master the foundations before building your own style on top of it. It means millions of hours of repeating the same move. This applies to any style. If you skip the foundation the dance style looses its meaning. For example: English, if you do not know the basic grammar and have vocabulary, how can you have your personal way of speaking English? Omg you would sound Mongolian.

4th Enjoy! Have fun! There are people who have the grimmest face when dancing. Its about becoming the best (my personal experience). For years I danced 15-20 hours a week. Because I needed to be able to call myself a dancer. And I needed to become the best. But I had no goal, no one I looked up to, I didn't want to become a professional either...Then I lost motivation.
Have fun!! If you have a goal, try to reach it. But remember what brought you to your very first dance class or what made you groove the way you do. The more you enjoy, the better you get.

5th People are different There are the fanatics. Respect. Then there are all the people who come and go. Feeling based. Time based. Personal reasons etcetera. We co-live the community. Let's build it together. Everybody does not have the energy to put every breathing moment into dancing. But when dancing together, lets build the future of dance. Through foundations, por favor. Lets learn from each other.

6th A freestyle dancer and a dance class dancer are both dancers. Now I stepped on toes. These are two branches of dancing. Respect each other.

7th Anybody can dance or state an opinion. I am sorry to say this, and I am sorry to read people attacking each other for the opinions/styles they have. If I choose to dance Hiphop combined with Irish Dance steps (Mastering foundations), it is my way of expressing myself. Let me be.

Finally, dance is a veeeeeeery big word. Think about dancing as a tree. The tree is called dance. The roots are the foundations, the thing making dance what it is and the one keeping dance alive. The branches are the categories, sub-categories and styles. Finally leaves are the dancers. The tree is always growing, new branches are forming with new sub-branches and leaves. But dance cannot survive without the roots.

Peace
Heidi

Outono = PSL e Dia das Bruxas

Omg, it arrived. The fall. I was not sure how long I would be able to take the pressing heat. It is actually nice to have some semi fresh air in the lungs. I said semi fresh because it is nothing compared to the Northern fresh air. Fall is my favorite time of the year.





Lunch walk


Vertical Rain. Fall here is not only colorful leaves, but a never frickin´ ending vertical rain. Normal outfit consists of: raincoat, rubber boots, umbrella and a water proof hat. Never forget the outfit! Otherwise you will get soaked, sick and unhappy. Like me for the past week…

Fall equals to October which equals to Halloween which equals to Pumpkin Spiced Latte. PSL FOR LIFE!! I had already two of them. Not going to miss any chance to obtain more. October also means cold, which means that we (I) need an extra fat layer. Hello love handles. (Duly noted, the over consumption of PSL…)

Besides PSL, I love Halloween (Dia das Bruxas). That is why I organized a Halloween party at work. Because I cannot party in my own house (sensitive neighbors who own cats). I decided to benefit of work. HA. I am going to be dressed as Dracula at 8am sharp. (The party starts at 3pm). But a Vampire is always sharp...I can work on the red eyes by intensively staring at the computer screen for eight hours before the party. And then I travel home by buss. If someone stares too long I bite.

On the contrary to love handles (which will appear latest at Christmas), I bought a Jawboneup2, it’s an activity band alright. The smart device tells me when I have been sitting for too long. After 45 min it vibrates. I jump from my chair like a bolt of lightning and take a walk around the office. If someone thought I was weird before, now they certainly do (they don´t know about the band). Power walking back and forth. The up2 also measures my sleep, food consumption (paired with Lifesum) and overall steps during the day. It’s a-o-k. I am walking extra much this week because we are making cinnamon buns (korvapuusteja) on Saturday. I had cardamom from Finland.

 

On the pictures you see me power walking during lunch break, taking evidence (pictures) of the fall in Lisbon...  

Gymtastic Portugal

Sit tight folks, this is funny... for the Finns.

Ok, so it sounds like this is going to revolutionize your world. It's not. Portuguese people go to the gym, like the Finns.

During my last visit to Finland I noticed the "fit" culture. People of all ages are in very good shape. I suppose it is for "the summer". In this case, IF the sun comes out during the two Summer months Finland has got. You can never be too prepared!
Meanwhile in Portugal, where the sun has been intensive for the past four months and you practically live on the beach, people have floppy bellies and eat potato chips, cookies and other such things for lunch. A swear word for the Fit-Finland culture. If you eat a potato chip and not a goji berry. YOU TAKE IT TO THE GRAVE.

So back to the gym. Working out is fun, the people around you are fun, the place is fun. But mind me the crazy Brazilian Personal Trainer who sometimes persuades me to train with him, which after I cannot feel my legs, arms..face.. toes..fingers. Once he carried me away from training area because my legs did not respond. This is good, in his opinion... myself have severe pain and the usual, toilet seat sitting-standing issue.

To the shower. Flip-flops is a must. In Finland I have not experienced the mandatory flip-flop issue. In Portugal, you are considered a very filthy person if your bare feet touch the floor. Not even the two second rule applies. So you are very contagious if you touch the floor. Like the hot lava game when we were kids, the floor burns!
However, contrary to good old Finland, it is completely normal to depilate every single hair on your body in the shower. And leave it there. To clog the drainer. Now I see why we need flip-flops...

To the sauna. It's a common workout and stretching area. When the Finn is sitting post-workout in the sauna breathing the hot air in and sweating out the stress of the day, the Portuguese is doing push-ups and abdominals beside you..or yoga.. or drying his sweaty workout clothes. It is also common to throw a liter of water on the stones, and then sit on the lowest bench or on the floor, and casually eat a post-workout meal. Or escape the sauna altogether and leave the Finn inside. SISU.

Otherwise, I love my gym and I am willing to recommend it to anyone visiting Lisbon looking for a good workout. I can even hand you over to the Brazilian Personal Trainer.. he will make you cry for mommy.

Beijinhos!


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