Worldanz

I went to my first Zumba class on a whim. It was my sophomore year of college and I wanted to try something different. All of my roommates were on a dodgeball team, and since I hated dodgeball, but needed something physical to do, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try something new. Nervous and skeptical, I left my dorm room and walked across campus to the main gym. As I waited outside, I saw the instructor, (well into her thirties) pass by by wearing an uneven combination of colors and her hair tied in pigtails, not helping my skepticism.

What took place between the time of me entering that room to me returning back to my apartment was hard to describe. It was as if all my adulthood worries melted away and formed themselves into a perfect path for my future. I had the best time of my life in that room. It felt like it was doing exactly what it was meant to do. The initial bizarre impression of the instructor didn't even phase me anymore, and, to my surprise she ended up becoming my mentor.

This is me and my mentor, Gina many years later. You can see the truly
valuable effect Worldanz has on people's lives. 

As time passed, I soon realized that I didn't really like Zumba at all. It reminded me of a cult in some ways, and seemed super unoriginal. What I actually liked was the teacher's choreography, style, and energy. She could really bring out the best in people during class.

This was just made to prove my point. 

So, I did what anyone would naturally do and became her shadow, following her around everywhere she went. ( Just kidding, I don't think anyone would naturally do that. I'm just over-anxious and relentless). She ended up introducing me to her own dance fitness style called Worldanz, a perfect combination of psychotic cardio, twerking, air-humping, and a remarkable exploration of cultural dances and rhythms from all over the world. Perfect for anyone with ADD or enough of an exercise addiction to not make it through a technical dance class. Needless to say, it was a perfect fit. I started taking classes every day of the week and as much as I could. I had never felt so good in my body and genuinely happy. 

Pictured in order from left to right: Russian Susan, my teacher, Gina, me , I can't remember her name,
Naseem. Taken after one of my first Worldanz classes ever. 

I loved it so much that I did what anyone just starting something would naturally do; I asked my teacher if I could become an instructor. ( Just kidding, again, no one would naturally do that. Usually, someone would actually study something for many years before teaching it. I'm crazy.) I had my reasons for doing this. First of all I was leaving for Spain indefinitely, and I didn't know if I would be back or if I would ever get to take a class like this there. Second of all, I was really sure that this was something that I wanted to do, so I might as well start now. The most surprising part of all of it was that my teacher AGREED and took me on as a personal dance transformation project. 

After years of no dance experience, and only months of dance experience, and hours of training, I became an official Worldanz instructor and took my skills on the road to Spain. 

But this was only the beginning....

( For more info on my journey teaching Worldanz in Spain, check out my other blog called "Here I Go Again)

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4531656654965715736#allposts/src=sidebar

For other blog posts related to my personal dance journey and Dancehall San Diego, visit my website at www.johannataylordance.com

Where My Journey Started

The truth is, when you start dancing as a child, it is much easier.

You don't have the same fears, the same aches and pains, the same pile of day to day stresses. You don't have to worry if you have enough money in your bank account to pay for training or if work will let you leave early to get ready for a performance. No one is judging you. YOU'RE not judging you. You're not comparing yourself to other people younger than you.

Starting dance as a kid means it is  actually a fresh start. You get to focus on what you're doing without the backlog of experiences and thoughts to add pressure. That means when you start dancing as an adult, you have at least 10 times the amount of difficulties as you would have had if you started as a child.

This is why most people do not start dancing as an adult. In fact, for most people, adulthood is where most creative pursuits end and where "practical" pursuits begin. Guaranteed, if you ask most adults in a room what their creative pursuits are, they will most likely say something along the lines of "that was something I used to do" or "I did that as a kid, but I quit." So, if you asked any other 22 year old with no dance background to take on a career in dance education and performance, they would think you were crazy.

I wasn't any other 22 year old.

As I have already thouroghly explained my short dance journey as a child, I won't start with that. I'll start at the place where most people leave and end their story.

I wish I could say that my reintroduction to dance was glamorous and awe-inspiring like an underdog scene from a movie, where the main character is struggling in life, but is taken under the wing of a master and becomes a star....but, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, my dance journey started in the last place you would think of......a Zumba class.

No, I did not grow up dancing.

For me, dance came later in life.

I didn't grow up taking jazz or ballet. (That's a lie, I quit ballet unexpectedly at age 5 because there was a boy in my class and I thought that was gross.) I never did a recital or competition, I never tied my hair into a tight bun, or wore age-inappropriate makeup, or went to a fancy school with the best training.

Me going to ballet class days before my dramatic exit from the dance world.

Part of this was because my mom didn't have the money or time to put me in these classes, and part of it was also because there was something about these forms that everyone else was doing that seemed boring and uneventful. I always loved dancing, but not in the way everyone else around me loved it. I loved rap music, and R&B, but it wasn't considered "normal" for a little girl to know and get down to all the lyrics of a Ludacris song.

Because of this, I only really dedicated myself to dance when I was in the center of a hype circle at school dances or performing for the showcase at the end of the occasional YMCA summer camp. I resorted to the practical.

If you would have asked my 8 year old self what she wanted to be when she grew up, you would have gotten one simple answer, " a corporate lawyer." While other kids were focused on what was the cool, magical thing to be, I was always aware of reality.

At 8 years old, I possessed a keen talent and dedication to arguing, getting my homework done as fast and efficiently as possible, and making money. Being a lawyer just made sense.

 I was also very shy. I spent most of my time in class listening and observing. Teachers often did not even know who I was until a couple months into the school year because I was so quiet. It wasn't until we were assigned a presentation, or debate, that I came alive and transformed into this confident, outspoken girl that they just came to know.

There was always a part of me that felt like a strong fire was constantly burning inside, but didn't always make it out. It was almost as if everything was bottled up until an actual space was created for me to let it out and shine. Sometimes I felt like I was two completely different people inhabiting the same body. I was artistic, but organized, serious, but playful, shy in front of a couple people, but bursting with energy in front of a crowd.

Proof of my artistic side. 

This photo showing my practical, logical side. Questions being asked in my head include:
1) Why am I wearing a costume right now?
 2) Where's the business aspect of what is taking place? Do I get paid for this photo you're taking of me?
3) Can I just do my homework? My friend is weird. I want to go home, eat my candy, and get some good rest.

When I got older, I began to channel this energy through musical theater and show choir. I got into the competitive theater program at my school, and at the same time, my mom was able to enroll me in a local theater company where I could take classes and perform in plays!

Me, getting ready for my big debut on stage 

Despite being casted as villager #7 in my first four musicals, I was IN LOVE. I eventually grew and began to thrive in this environment, constantly performing, auditioning, and training. I was confident, happy, and had an amazing group of supportive, artistic friends. There was something about being on stage, transforming into someone else that gave me an incredible high.

I even got married!......Kidding! This was my first leading
 role in the play Our Town.

No, I'm not actually high in this picture. I'm just really excited to perform.

I completely threw myself into this magical world for years, acting, dancing, and singing..until my practical side took over again.

Once my senior year of high school kicked in, so did the full reality of life. My struggles to get into the college I wanted to became very real. My auditions for two of the top schools in theater arts didn't make the cut. My theater teacher, the person who I was supposed to rely on for advice and motivation told me I was better off frying burgers than pursuing my dreams.

When I graduated high school and entered into my first year of college, I retreated back into my shell, my quiet side, all the while telling myself this story ( that so many of us do). You're not good enough, you need to do what is practical, you need to make money.

This story didn't bring me any good. I changed my major in school from Theater Arts to Politics, (two
areas that could not be more different). I fell into a deep depression, lost all my self-confidence, and gained a lot of weight. You know, all the amazing things that happen to you when you make the complete wrong decision. No one really knew me that well, so I also retreated to my shy self. It was almost like I lost my voice, and didn't know how to get it back, and all because I was listening to what other people told me was right, and what was socially "acceptable" to pursue! My fire was still there, I could feel it, but it DID NOT want to come out for this bullshit I was doing.

This was general attitude and state of being in the time period between my exit from the theater world and entry into dance 

But I guess it was really waiting for me to take a dance class.
To be continued....
-Johanna