I have been dancing for 1 year now and I am still taking classes. Just because I feel I have so much more to learn and because I am dedicated to improve myself. Besides the joy it brings me, dancing also teaches me 3 important things.

1. Connection.
   To feel and intertwine with my partner’s body movement and energy, to patiently wait for the next step on his guidance. To follow him and to go with the flow/motion.
2. Trust.
   To know he’s got me and he won’t let me fall. To not question his moves but to trust that he knows what he’s doing.
3. Flow.
   To not think and hold back, but to feel. To not dance with my mind, but with my heart. To not be so hard on myself by judging my mistakes, but to have fun with it as I’m learning and improving my dancing skills. To go along and hold position while at the same time relaxing my body, enjoying myself and having a great time.

www.GWEPA.com

I love all 3 aspects. Dancing teaches me a lot about myself. It’s good to work on not being in control all the time and to practice my patience. It’s a fact that there are fewer men in the scene than ladies, so I’m very lucky to have my own dance partner Shuraimy Bito patiently practicing with me every week while most of the time I drive him crazy by bickering with him until we get it right. I’m very grateful to have him as a dance partner. I love dancing with him as he makes it look smooth, fun and sophisticated at the same time.

www.GWEPA.com

But (besides my teachers and Shuraimy) there are also other guys who have helped me throughout this year with Kizomba and Bachata (Salsa is next on my wish list) and I would really like to thank them as well. Each and every one of them has been there *and are still* helping me become even better with every single track we dance social. They are always willing to help out with tips and moves and most importantly, they are friendly and approachable for rookies like myself which is so, so important in the dance scene! A welcoming attitude towards newbies only increases the vitality of the scene which is important if you want it to stay vivid. They may not like such a dedicating post and being put on the spot like this, but I just wanted to take this moment to salute them. They are the best.

Thank you.

Stephany Phelipa

STEPHANY PHELIPA

Guest Blogger

My name is Stephany Phelipa, 39 years ago I was born on Curaçao. At the age of 4 I emigrated to the Netherlands with my mother and sisters and grew up in North Brabant. After my study in 2002 I moved to Rotterdam where I lived until my remigration in August 2015. On Curaçao I run a plant based meals delivery service. I am married and have a 5 year old daughter. In my spare time I like to dance or I can be found on the beach.

Follow my blog and Facebook page