Congress/Festival Survival Guide

Congress season is upon us, well for some of us! I have already been to 2 congresses and 3 festivals and there is something to be said about being prepared. My first congress, the Orlando Salsa Congress, was amazing, but a disaster. I ended up overwhelmed and exhausted, and then a week later sick.

So learning from that experience has given me a few tips to share with others, and now doing a 3-4 day festival is no big deal. And I try to attend a little of everything, workshops, performances, pool parties and social dancing. Throw in an afterparty even.

These is my survival guide for making it through unscathed.

1. Pace Yourself.
- Remember it is normally 3 full days and 4 nights of entertainment. You won't be able to make it through everything if you attack it "balls to the wall" style. Know your limits and listen to your body. Also do not push yourself into classes that are not to your level, push yourself for sure, but dont jump in feet first into advanced if you've never tried that style of dance.

2. Plan Your Day Carefully
- There are a lot of workshops everyday, pick and choose which mean the most to you. My first congress I tried to take as many workshops as possible, and ended up retaining almost nothing. Also remember to plan in time to EAT and relax. Some congresses allow a lunch break, some do not.

3. Find Downtime/Rest
- Pool party time is a good time to get in some rest. Grab a lounger in the shade and take a rest, or hightail it to your room and get a power nap for 30-45 mins. If you can sleep in - awesome - but if there is a 10am workshop you really want, remember that at the end of the night, there will always be an afterparty tomorrow.

4. Do your Research
- Figure out if the hotel has restaurants or cafes, and check prices. Check nearby restaurants available. Also check your accomadations, Fridge and Micro in the room is a god-send. Is there a cheaper hotel within walking distance, anything to help shave off some of the costs is always a good idea. Can you share rooms with others and bring the costs down.

5. Eat Well/Take Care of Yourself
- The drinks tend to flow pretty freely at most congresses I've been to, and people tend to grab food when they have to. Taking the time to stop and really eat well, will reward you in the long run. Eat a good breakfast, one of my favorites is the oatmeal from Starbucks and a banana. Drink lots of water, and take some Emergen-C every morning. Eat a decent lunch - and make sure to include fruits and veggies, not just burgers and fries. You dont want to crash. I do tend to eat pasta or a baked potato for energy. Pack little snacks in your dance bag to keep you going. This is where the fridge comes in handy.

Hopefully this will help someone get through Congress, especially those who do not know what to expect. It's exciting and hectic, but with a little planning you can really get the most out of the experience.

Injuries, Smingeries

So here is something that I have noticed in the past year. Injuries are common and most dedicated dancers will have some nagging injury or another. In the latin world its pretty common to come home with bumps, bruises and broken toenails. Ballet dancers are known for messed up feet, knees, hips, and ankles.

I myself have a nagging knee injury. But does it stop me? No. A good friend of mine dances in a cast on her arm. Another has a broken finger, thanks to a collision with my elbow. How come dancers are some of the stubborn patients and refuse to stop dancing even when the dancing is the reason for the injury? Is our passion for the music and escape that the dance provides so strong that not even pain will stop us?

Is there a cure for that kind of addiction? I had an MRI taken and am awaiting the results and trying to take it easy is torture. Dancing itself is torture, yet I can't sit it out and watch others in my place.

What is a girl to do? Right now I am trying to push through it and ignore the signs that I will have to take some extended time off. I spend money on heating pads, ibuprofen, and Icy Hot to ease the stiffness and pain.

Hopefully my prognosis will be good, because they will have to drag me, or cut off a limb to keep me off the floor for long.

Here's to getting started

So I should have started this when I started getting serious about dancing. That would have been about a year ago. But back then I didn't realize where I would be end up. Dancing was a fun social thing I did to meet people, not a passion yet.

I started dancing in January 2009 at Salsa Heat Maitland here in Orlando. I went to their classes alone to make new friends and get out and start a hobby. I caught on quickly and was told that I would be a "rock star" on my first night. I haven't looked back since. That first class led to two classes a week, then Friday nights at Samba room. Then Saturday nights at Cuba Libre, socials and workshops.

In May of 2009 I started taking regular Bachata classes with Christian Sola and Tate Blomquist at Avalon Dance. I started devouring every class I could get my hands on. So two salsa classes a week and one bachata class, plus dancing on the weekends.

Orlando Salsa Congress was when I knew that this is what I really wanted to do. Since then I have joined a few teams, performed in Reno, LA, Miami and Atlanta (besides local performances)

My daily life now revolves around dance, from health and beauty secrets, clothing, nutrition, exercise etc. I hope to share my daily life in the hopes of helping or entertaining others.

All opinions are my own, and advice as well. I do not claim to be a professional yet, but I have been in the scene for a while and getting the hang of this! Please feel free to contact me regarding anything on this blog or anything else for that matter.

Here's to the future!

M