Motions & Emotions

Now you would think that needing to wear a dress like this in public would propel you to work your body and lose weight so that at the end of the day you would look really good in it. But... I have to admit, no such thing happened! I didn't put in extra hours to go for walks in the morning or after work nor did I make a trip to the gym. Come to think of it, I don't think I would have even had the time!

D'Music Motion, the dance studio which I started with back in April 2009 recently celebrated their 6th Anniversary with a performance on 22nd October 2011. And one of the ways to celebrate a dance studio's anniversary would be to... put on a dance show! It was a celebration of all kinds and forms of dances showcasing the students of the studio as well as some other dancing friends. The show was called Motions and Emotions and I must say, throughout the whole time we dedicated to practice, there certainly was a lot of motion in learning the moves and getting them down to perfection and also emotions since some were thrown into stressful situations or their bodies were not accustomed to such intensity.

I admit, I like performing even though it freaks me out but you need to do something like this once in awhile just to shake things up. And since I committed my time and energy to it, it took a lot of my time especially the evenings. In the end as the weeks and days came closer, we were at the studio 2+ hours a night from 9pm onwards and sometimes needing to give up our Sundays. So no matter how much I wanted to look good in my dress, I was already physically exhausted from attending practice. What I enjoyed the most was building rapport with the other ladies and being able to see their own progress as they mastered the moves.

I was in 3 segments - Argentine Tango (like really, really basic Argentine Tango), Salsa (which I love to bits!) and Burlesque (a 'good girl' routine, a 'bad girl' routine and a bit of moves to support the jive). I never thought I could remember all the steps but I did! I was particularly proud of the 'bad girl' routine because it was just us 4 ladies doing some sexy moves and I still remember how hard it was for me to learn the moves because of the speed. The song was damn fast. But as always, with a good teacher and lots of support from the team, you start off slow, then you practice it over and over again to master it and voila! You bring it on the night!

Apart from the moves, I must say the costumes really got me the most. I say that because, I had to reveal my body in public. I have never worn a sleeveless dress (swimsuits not counted) in public, or a dress which is above my knee caps (I thought the shape of my legs didn't allow that) but I did. And when you're up there in front of so many people, with the bright lights on you, with a face that does not look like your own thanks to all the make up and thinking about all the hours of practice you have put yourself through with everyone else and how much the success and the reputation of the studio is at stake - you're bound to somehow look good in those costumes!

Photo Inserts:

Burlesque : Black dress with the purple frill skirt (comes complete with gloves, a blonde wig and a hairband)

Argentine Tango : Ladies in red with the ladies in the black Chinese (that's my interpretation of it!) inspired dress.

Salsa : The colourful fluffy layered skirt modeled by yours truly with the costume designer Roman from Philippines and flanked by the MCs for the evening in traditional Victorian costumes.

To me, the whole experience was truly about being comfortable in your own skin regardless of body shape and size and embracing another form of expression. It was an affirmation for me that I was able to do this with confidence despite making a couple of mistakes while dancing... but I am really proud of myself for having made my life more adventurous with dance!

Thank you for the opportunity! :-)