Life, Work, and, Club J Salsa with HTDC

 Hey guys! 

A lot has been happening lately! This time of year is when everything happens all at once, and then this year I've got my salsa on top of it all.

My work has its presentation days coming up during February and March. And, if you are like me and insane, but also passionate about your job, you also agreed to direct one of the mini production students' plays for the second year in a row, which is A LOT of extra work, but also super fun and rewarding. The students had their presentation last Sunday and they were AMAZING, and I actually almost cried at one point because I was so proud of how well they did. Plus, all of my coworkers for the production department of my job are THE BEST. But, I AM TIRED.

Anyway, that was on a Sunday which meant I missed salsa which was also super sad. Sundays are when I have all 3 of the dance classes I'm performing in for Yes We Dance, so I reallllly don't like missing Sundays. 

Fast forward to Wednesday, I had salsa and bachata class after work, then after that, the teachers and me along with one of the other students decided to get a drink together, which was super fun! I have drank with them before but it was always at our social dances, which meant that I was too busy dancing to really drink or talk so much, so it was really nice to get a chance to just laugh, talk, and drink together. Then, the girl who was waiting on us (and also the store manager I believe) heard us talking about salsa and said she used to dance! She decided to come to the upcoming Monday open lesson and social, and then she ended up joining the class! 

Monday's Club J (HTDC salsa social) was so fun! Of all the different social dances I've been to around Tokyo, the Club J ones with Hiro and Taku are my favorite. I know almost everyone there usually, because it's mostly HTDC people and their friends, they are all good dancers and cool people, we can bring our own food and drinks, and it's a good blend of salsa and bachata music. I always feel safe, happy, and comfortable. I even made Valentine's Day chocolate to share with everyone!

I actually successfully danced on 2 salsa with Taku! I asked him to dance, and he was like let's try on 2. It felt good that I was able to switch to on 2 so easily =D I also had been wanting to ask Hiro to dance, and I finally did (twice) and she is an amazing lead! I love everyone here, it was a blast! I wish this was every week, this is seriously my happy place and the highlight of my week.

We also did the salsa dance circle thingy again, which I now know is called rueda de casino, or some variation of those words... Anyway, I wasn't super confused like I was the last time (also my first time)! I was dancing with Taku, and he was kind of looking around the dance floor, and I was wondering why, then he yelled "dame!" which is the change partners thing for the circle dance and I was like, ok, I think I got this! XD It's funny because in Japanese the word 'dame' can mean like something along the lines of 'nope, I can't deal with this anymore', or like 'don't do that', and then that's when we change partners for this dance XD Anyway, I also got my dance with Taku that I asked for after that XD 

I'm so lucky to have these people and dancing in my life

First Salsa Music Live Show

 So, my Saturday nights are usually dedicated to the Chuo-sen on 2 salsa in Nakano, but last Saturday, I made an exception to go to my first live salsa music event with my HTDC salsa friends.

First of all, I just wanna say how awesome they are, and how happy and thankful I am to have them in my life now! I'm so happy to have found such fun, sweet, caring people who love dance as much as I do. 

This event was at Latin Club Leon in Shinjuku, and they have this live music event on the first Saturday of every month. It was so fun!!! Dancing to live music just hits differently. Like, you don't just hear the music, you really feel it. The energy of the band fuels you, then your energy fuels them. 

I got there a bit earlier than I'd thought I would, and messaged the group that I thought I was outside, but I couldn't figure out where to enter and was scared to go in, so Yoshiko, who got there early came out to grab me XD 

I got in, got a drink and chatted for a bit, then the rest of our crew arrived. Me and Benjamin were the first to take the dance floor! From then on, it was almost non-stop dancing. The band members also danced during their (DJ-ed) break time and were amazing! And they played a few live bachata songs too! Me and Alisa almost thought we'd misheard when they said their next live song would be bachata XD And, she asked me to dance and she can lead a bit, so we danced together.

Then after lots of music, fun, and dancing, everyone was ready to go, and so we all left together. Everyone else was taking the subway and not JR trains, so to stay with the group, I went home a different way than I usually would XD. I got to talk a lot with Alisa, and just, like how did I get to be so lucky to get this many cool friends from HTDC?? My best friend introduced me originally, his wife who introduced him to HTDC is also super awesome, I practically worship the HTDC teachers, and they believe in my dancing abilities and actually like me, and then I've gained a whole community of dance-loving, good friends! I love my life <3

Sub Store Koenji

 Recently I went to this really awesome cafe called Sub Store in Koenji. I had no idea such a place even existed, but it's so cool! Me and a good friend I met through dance (of course XD) met up in Koenji! Actually she is living in Beppu, but she came to Tokyo for a swing dance event, and that's how we met.

She was visiting Tokyo again, so we decided to meet up in Koenji! We didn't decide where exactly to go. I suggested All C's Cafe which is super cute and full of giant teddy bears and cute sweets and cookies (and regular food too), but it was a bit close to their closing time. She knew of a place that I'd never been! She said she tried to go before but they were closed. They were open for us luckily!

The food they had was apparently Indonesian, which I'd never tried before. We got a tofu thing and some other soybean based food thing that I forget the name of, and some AMAZING chicken soup. It was all delicious, and the people who worked there (and I believe also the owner) were super nice and friendly, spoke English, and answered our questions about the food and drinks.

We had quite a few drinks, and we talked about Japan and life, and a lot about dance! We met through swing, but she can of course salsa too! I was excited to talk to her about how obsessed I am XD 

I Will Perform in HTDC Yes We Dance April 8th 2023!!!

 So, a few more lucky things have fallen into place!

I got the yes from my company to miss that one last class of my next semester Saturday schedule!!! But, even missing that class, I would have had to RUN to the train and make zero transfer mistakes, and have no train delays to make it to the hall at almost exactly 5:45, when the group of performances I'd be in are supposed to be starting (plus I'm now performing in 3 dances, which might not be possible if I arrive so close to the start time)...BUT, Taku said that the schedule of performances wasn't set in stone yet, and they could ask the stage people to change it to 6:30 (really, just for me?? 🥺)

Then Hiro said to me, after my regular Wednesday advanced salsa and bachata classes, that if I wanted to, I can also take the upper class, learn their dance, and possibly perform their dance also (which is why I'm performing 3 dances now), because they needed some motivation and a little push to want to go onstage (and I'm the genki-est, most happy, dance and HTDC, obsessed girl on this planet currently XD), so I joined it also! I helped 4, maybe 5 people to commit to and say yes to performing in YWD! 

And, so then Sunday Jan 29th, after my upper salsa, advanced salsa, and THEN bachata classes (so from 1-3:30 dancing?) I went home. And then, at about 2:30pm on Monday, all the dance group Lines got a message that the starting time was changing from 5:45 to 6:30! They actually got the starting time changed!! For me?!?! 

I feel so loved and thankful right now. Dancing and HTDC, and all my fellow dancers I've met, and also my job for supporting this dream of mine and helping make it possible, and also my non-dance friends who let me go on and on about salsa, and letting me show off my dance videos and planning to see me perform, and then my best friend, Sky, (who I met through my awesome job) who got me into salsa and HTDC to begin with.

Ummm, if you want tickets and are free Saturday April 8th, let me know! Come see the thing that has recently taken my heart, body, time, life, and money XD 

Yes We Dance is Becoming More of a Reality!

 So, I got an update about one of the many obstacles in the way of my being able to perform in the Yes We Dance salsa and bachata performances on April 8th. 

I hadn't even truly considered that I'd get to perform in this event when I'd started lessons with HTDC, but the more I practiced their choreography and gotten to know my fellow dancers and teachers (and actually gotten pretty good at the choreography too), the more I REALLY wanted to do it. The many obstacles (money, and it being on a workday were the main ones) are almost gone! The money is a close call, but now thanks to some strings pulled and a bunch of little things adding up, and being super extra frugal, and even selling some things, I think I can just barely swing it. The work thing was the next biggie.

Today I was working in the place I'll most likely (PLEASSSEE 🙏) be working at on Saturdays next year, and the person in charge of that area happened to be there. He came up to me and was talking to me about my last one-student class (the one that if I miss it, I can make it just in time to dance), telling me that the student might switch to a different class, and I would actually finish Saturdays really early, until (if) they add another class. I like, couldn't hold in my excitement and was literally jumping up and down and hugged him and explained that I was actually trying to figure out how to get this one class subbed or miss it once because of Yes We Dance, which I hadn't talked to anyone at my company with about yet besides my best friend who introduced me to HTDC, one of my other close work friends, and an email I sent asking if this is doable, that I will hear the reply to probably tomorrow (Jan 25th, she's off today which is the 24th, and I'm not gonna post this blog until the day I know for sure that I'm 100% good to go to Yes We Dance 😁). Anyway, he said they're probably gonna fill it with something eventually, but I told him, I JUST need April 8th, and he said it's fine! Even if the student does't change classes!!!! 😭💕 

But, he's not the ultimate person in control of my schedule, and there's still a chance that maybe I won't even actually be in that location next school year, though it is super likely I will...but there's another person on my side, supporting my chance to dance, and that makes me super happy!

I still can't get over my excitement from today, he just came up to me and started saying exactly what I had been wanting and wishing and waiting to hear without having any idea how powerful those words were to me in that moment XD

Please, universe, let me daaaaance!!!!

中央線でSalsa #2

 This was Saturday, and the beginning of a weekend full of dance!  I went to the 中央線でサルサ event again, and this time I tried more meringue, not so much bachata this time, and gave on 2 salsa more of a chance. I do on 1 style, so it’s like learning how to write with my left hand to do on 2. Anyway, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it, and the more different types of dance I learn can only make me an all around a better dancer! I’ve got the hips swaying and the body waves of bachata, the gracefulness and ability to spin and spot my turns from ballet, the posture, endurance, and quick feet from salsa (maybe a little bit from tap too), and the ability to read the lead and follow from swing!

 Anyway, the teacher was really patient and helped me pick up the steps at the social dance. We'd mostly danced on 1 cuz he can do both, and I requested it because I didn't feel ready to tackle on 2 on the dance floor yet and I wanted to dance freely and confidently (and I guess the Leo in me wanted to show off a bit before trying the dance I'm less confident in). Finally, I decided to try on 2 with him, and it really helped! Like I said in a previous post, ALWAYS dance with the instructors at any dance thing you do, they are patient, know how to lead beginner followers well, and you might learn something new. 

Anyway, I made a new friend! Of course I like everyone I met there already, but me and this girl just clicked instantly. She lived in Thailand and Australia, so her English is perfect, and she's bright and bubbly like me, loves dancing and wine, and she wants us salsa girls to hang together sometime!

Book review: Darren Shan

This is actually a post from more than a year ago, but I just realized I hadn't posted it, so here it is!

❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤

I’ve just finished reading the book series Darren Shan Cirque du Freak, and tears were literally running down my face. And I’m not one to often react strongly (at least not physically) to books even though I love reading. 

I used to read a lot when I was younger, and loved when teachers read stories to us in middle school (even though many other students complained). I’d stopped reading for years when life got in the way, as seemed to be the same for most of my friends who grew up reading a lot. I’d recently (like within the past year) only gotten back into it because I can read books on and have a whole library stored right on my phone! Yay technology! I’d been able to reread and finished series that I’d started and never gotten all the books for when I was younger, like Pretty Little Liars, and I finally read all of the Harry Potter books.

Darren Shan is not something I would chose to read on my own. My preferred genres are usually along the lines of young adult, dystopian futures, fantasy, and guilty-pleasure romances, along with some light novels and manga, like Tora Dora and Spice and Wolf. My husband, when I’d told him I’d really been getting into reading again, had been pestering me to read Darren Shan. It is popular enough that it had even been translated into Japanese (and many other languages). I was reading the Spice and Wolf light novel because I watched some of the anime years ago and loved it but never finished it. I finally caught up to the most recent one because surprisingly it’s still going on! On a whim, I finally decided to start reading the Darren Shan saga I’d downloaded to my phone a while ago.

It was NOT the right one…there’s another series by the same author and it started out…GRUESOMELY. I started reading it an early morning before I had to get ready for work, and after one chapter, I hated it. I don’t like horror, though I can handle some violence, if it’s for the greater good in my stories. I told him I hated it and already felt like I would have nightmares! It disgusted me (although I still can’t help to mention the fact that I was a little bit intrigued and tempted to read on). But then he asked me if I’d met Steve…well, I don’t want to give anything away 🤫 but that novel definitely was not the one he’d intended to recommend to me!

Anyway, it’s 12 books long and I started reading about a week ago and now finished, and I’m so glad I’m at home in a bath crying over this book, instead of on the train coming home from, or going to work! There were some points that were a tad…Grotesque…and hopelessly sad, but it was worth it in the end. I don’t even know why I was crying, but I couldn’t stop. It got me thinking about hope, destiny, and how much power we have with each choice we make in life.