Before the lights came up, we were ready under our umbrellas.
In the routine
Hearing the judges comments.
The final lineup.
The best video we have so far, but stay tuned for a clip from the professional video when I get a copy.
Showing posts with label Kimberly Boggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kimberly Boggs. Show all posts
Sunday, August 8, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 20 - The Big Night
The big night, finally, after months of practice, Kim and I were ready for Dancing With the Brunswick Stars.
Before the lights came up, we were ready under our umbrellas.
In the routine
Hearing the judges comments.
The final lineup.
The best video we have so far, but stay tuned for a clip from the professional video when I get a copy.
Before the lights came up, we were ready under our umbrellas.
In the routine
Hearing the judges comments.
The final lineup.
The best video we have so far, but stay tuned for a clip from the professional video when I get a copy.
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 19 - Dress Rehearsal
On the morning of August 5th Kimberly and I practiced (out of costume) for the first time on the actual stage that was constructed at the Dinah E. Gore Aquatic and Fitness Center on the campus of Brunswick Community College. We were concerned about the floor size and surface due to our combination of tap dancing (slipping) and tumbling (room available so I wouldn't throw her off stage when she did the walkover in our routine).
Here's the stage we saw. Clearly they were going to great lengths to make the place look elegant and in keeping with the Hollywood theme.
This video, made the morning of the dress rehearsal, has almost our final choreography. It turned out that during the actual dress rehearsal that evening one of the tumbling moves just wasn't working right and there was too high a possibility of a fall, so we took it out the next day (Kim did). However, in this video you see what we originally intended (the first tumbling move is the one later removed).
Below Kimberly is seated during the dress rehearsal Thursday evening. This is, indeed, the costume she wore during the competition.
Here's the stage we saw. Clearly they were going to great lengths to make the place look elegant and in keeping with the Hollywood theme.
This video, made the morning of the dress rehearsal, has almost our final choreography. It turned out that during the actual dress rehearsal that evening one of the tumbling moves just wasn't working right and there was too high a possibility of a fall, so we took it out the next day (Kim did). However, in this video you see what we originally intended (the first tumbling move is the one later removed).
Below Kimberly is seated during the dress rehearsal Thursday evening. This is, indeed, the costume she wore during the competition.
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 17 - Our Fourteenth Practice
On July 23rd we practiced for the last time at Brunswick School of Dance.
We tried out what were intended to be our 'game day' costumes.
Below is the costume Kimberly ordered constructed for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars, though at a later date she changed her mind about it.
This video shows the near final choreography. Part of it is unfortunately off-camera, but most of what's here was in our final dance.
We tried out what were intended to be our 'game day' costumes.
Below is the costume Kimberly ordered constructed for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars, though at a later date she changed her mind about it.
This video shows the near final choreography. Part of it is unfortunately off-camera, but most of what's here was in our final dance.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 18 - A Tale of Four Costumes
With a nod to Mel Brooks, "A funny thing happened on the way to the competition."
My wonderful pro partner for Dancing With the Brunswick Stars, did, in the end, wear just one costume during our dance routine.
There were some questions and choices along the way.
Before I post the videos of the dress rehearsal and final competition, see if you can figure out which was the actual costume she wore.
I'm not going to ask which you like best, because they're all nice, but the variety is interesting.
Oh, and I'm only showing myself in one costume, which is indeed what I wore.
My wonderful pro partner for Dancing With the Brunswick Stars, did, in the end, wear just one costume during our dance routine.
There were some questions and choices along the way.
Before I post the videos of the dress rehearsal and final competition, see if you can figure out which was the actual costume she wore.
I'm not going to ask which you like best, because they're all nice, but the variety is interesting.
Oh, and I'm only showing myself in one costume, which is indeed what I wore.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 16 - Our Thirteenth Practice
It's two weeks till the competition on August 6th. The excitement and tension around having a great time and putting on a super performance are growing as we practice our routine.
Here's Kim before we started practice:
And, as you can see in the short video after practice, we both worked hard:
I had a few things to say as well:
And here's our weekly Not-What-We're-Really-Dancing video:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Here's Kim before we started practice:
And, as you can see in the short video after practice, we both worked hard:
I had a few things to say as well:
And here's our weekly Not-What-We're-Really-Dancing video:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 15 - Our Twelfth Practice
Another week another fun practice. We're getting down to the wire, just three weeks left till August 6th!
Kim had a great surprise for me today - some new steps! I was delighted because they replaced some of the steps I'd already mastered, so this way the entire routine will be fresh. Actually, her new steps are really cool and I'm excited to see how they look once we really get them.
Of course, we're still not unveiling the actual routine we're going to be doing during the competition, but at this practice we did practice some cheering.
And Kim and I also had a few things to say about each other:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Kim had a great surprise for me today - some new steps! I was delighted because they replaced some of the steps I'd already mastered, so this way the entire routine will be fresh. Actually, her new steps are really cool and I'm excited to see how they look once we really get them.
Of course, we're still not unveiling the actual routine we're going to be doing during the competition, but at this practice we did practice some cheering.
And Kim and I also had a few things to say about each other:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 14 - Our Eleventh Practice
New location, same dancers, and a new 'not-what-we're-really-doing-in-the-competition' video.
Dance pro instructor Kimberly Boggs and I are a team for Dancing With the Brunswick Stars. This week we moved our practice site from Brunswick Community College to an off-site location so we can go full out during the final month of rehearsal and preparation.
Here's Kim:
Last week we did the hula, this we we decided we needed to get tougher.
Kim explaining what we were just doing.
My just catching my breath.
So we had another good workout and are getting closer to the big date (August 6th). Today we also talked about costume and other preparations.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Dance pro instructor Kimberly Boggs and I are a team for Dancing With the Brunswick Stars. This week we moved our practice site from Brunswick Community College to an off-site location so we can go full out during the final month of rehearsal and preparation.
Here's Kim:
Last week we did the hula, this we we decided we needed to get tougher.
Kim explaining what we were just doing.
My just catching my breath.
So we had another good workout and are getting closer to the big date (August 6th). Today we also talked about costume and other preparations.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 13 - Our Tenth Practice
Our practices continue as Kimberly Boggs and I get ready for the Dancing with the Brunswick Stars fundraising competition for Brunswick Community College on August 6th.
This shot was taken by Melissa Everitt, from the BCC Foundation office, who came to shoot a promo video for the college.
At yesterday's practice we captured this quick video at the end of our 'real' practice. It should be apparent to anyone who's following this series on my blog that the videos we put up are NOT what we're actually doing in competition. So rest assured I won't be shaking it in a hula in August. We do have fun with these quick videos, however.
We had another video shot on Friday when Melissa Everitt of the Brunswick Community College Foundation came to our practice to capture some footage of us welcoming people to the competition (it will be shown that night). Melissa also got about 15 seconds of us practicing our 'real' routine. (At least that's what we told her.) In the photo below are Melissa Everitt with Kim Boggs.
In this short take video I comment on our workouts and practice and on Kim's moving parts during the hula.(Don't worry, it's safe for work.)
After Melissa shot the promo video I got to pose with her as well.
Kim invites all of you to Hawaii!
Next week we'll start practicing at a new location. So far we've had all our practices in one of the exercise studio rooms at the Dinah E. Gore Aquatics and Fitness Center on the campus of Brunswick Community College. Starting next week, however, we're taking it to a 'secret' location off campus so we can start to practice full-out. Even though I've never shown any of our steps or parts of our routine in these blog posts, we have finalized our choreography and are now ready to go full-tilt (I think we'll even start to wear our 'costumes' in a week or two).
Of course I'll take still shots and capture videos at each practice session for this blog, but Kim (who is clearly in charge, right Kim?)insists that no footage of our real routine goes out, so we'll have to come up with other dances to capture. Any suggestions would be appreciated. (I was thinking one of those 1930s style synchronized swimming routines would be fun but Kim told me our new 'secret' practice studio doesn't have a pool).
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
This shot was taken by Melissa Everitt, from the BCC Foundation office, who came to shoot a promo video for the college.
At yesterday's practice we captured this quick video at the end of our 'real' practice. It should be apparent to anyone who's following this series on my blog that the videos we put up are NOT what we're actually doing in competition. So rest assured I won't be shaking it in a hula in August. We do have fun with these quick videos, however.
We had another video shot on Friday when Melissa Everitt of the Brunswick Community College Foundation came to our practice to capture some footage of us welcoming people to the competition (it will be shown that night). Melissa also got about 15 seconds of us practicing our 'real' routine. (At least that's what we told her.) In the photo below are Melissa Everitt with Kim Boggs.
In this short take video I comment on our workouts and practice and on Kim's moving parts during the hula.(Don't worry, it's safe for work.)
After Melissa shot the promo video I got to pose with her as well.
Kim invites all of you to Hawaii!
Next week we'll start practicing at a new location. So far we've had all our practices in one of the exercise studio rooms at the Dinah E. Gore Aquatics and Fitness Center on the campus of Brunswick Community College. Starting next week, however, we're taking it to a 'secret' location off campus so we can start to practice full-out. Even though I've never shown any of our steps or parts of our routine in these blog posts, we have finalized our choreography and are now ready to go full-tilt (I think we'll even start to wear our 'costumes' in a week or two).
Of course I'll take still shots and capture videos at each practice session for this blog, but Kim (who is clearly in charge, right Kim?)insists that no footage of our real routine goes out, so we'll have to come up with other dances to capture. Any suggestions would be appreciated. (I was thinking one of those 1930s style synchronized swimming routines would be fun but Kim told me our new 'secret' practice studio doesn't have a pool).
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 12 - Our Ninth Practice
Welcome back, Kim! Kimberly Boggs was on vacation for a couple of weeks so I held off on blog posting about my preparation for the August 6th Dancing with the Brunswick Stars. (Trust me on this, you don't want to watch videos of me doing our routine alone. I'm counting on all eyes being on Kim when we compete in August before judges and a thousand or so people.)
And here's Kim from Friday, as you can see she's ready to dance - she's even wearing the t-shirt!
So yesterday we practiced. And it was good. I can tell you flat out straight right now that the videos we've been putting up on this blog aren't quite what we're really working on.
But here's something we tried:
And then here are our usual quick commentaries. I'll go first (I've learned it's wise to let Kim have the last word):
And here's Kim:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
And here's Kim from Friday, as you can see she's ready to dance - she's even wearing the t-shirt!
So yesterday we practiced. And it was good. I can tell you flat out straight right now that the videos we've been putting up on this blog aren't quite what we're really working on.
But here's something we tried:
And then here are our usual quick commentaries. I'll go first (I've learned it's wise to let Kim have the last word):
And here's Kim:
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Friday, June 4, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 11 - Our Seventh Practice
So we practiced twice this week. Here's Kim!
We are still working hard at getting in shape and on our moves. Sashaying and pivot turning in the practice room.
So now here's Kim making stuff up about Bruce.
And Bruce telling the truth about Kim.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
We are still working hard at getting in shape and on our moves. Sashaying and pivot turning in the practice room.
So now here's Kim making stuff up about Bruce.
And Bruce telling the truth about Kim.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 10 - Our Sixth Practice
Kim and I had to skip practice last week (life happened to both of us) so we really needed to get prepared for this week.
Here was one thing we did.
And here's how we warmed up
And then Kim got a great idea and, gotta love it, she started right off selling it. I'm a big fan of people who are avid promoters and marketers, so I give her props for that part.
And then Kim got a great idea and, gotta love it, she started right off selling it. I'm a big fan of people who are avid promoters and marketers, so I give her props for that part.
However, I have a slightly different take on her suggestion.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
Brown - out!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 9 - Our Fifth Practice
If you've been following this blog/journal about preparations for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars, you might already guess what Dancing Pro Kimberly Boggs was saying when I took the photo below:
"Come ON, Bruce, you've got to work with me here!", says Kim (quite often).Check us out as we work hard at practice this week:
And of course, we just might change direction from "Dancing with Swords." Here are our current thoughts on the matter:
Mine first (only because Kim insists):
And Kim's:
I guess the jury (really meaning Kim, because she's in charge) is still out on The Minuet.
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
And here's a ballot for voting for Star/Pro combinations. Feel free to print it and vote (hint).
Brown - out!
Friday, May 14, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 8 - Our Fourth Practice
Today was our 4th practice for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars. The real dancer, Kimberly Boggs, who's generously donating her time every week teaching me how to move around the dance floor, is doing an awesome job of keeping me motivating and teaching me steps. It's certainly good exercise and I know I'm having fun.
Here's a clip from today of us practicing. You can certainly see we have energy.
And also, in the spirit of the expose' video clips on lots of reality shows, here are some short clips. Mine is full of lies and exaggeration. Kim's is the truth, cuz Kim doesn't lie!
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
And here's a ballot for voting for Star/Pro combinations. Ffel free to print it and vote (hint).
Here's a clip from today of us practicing. You can certainly see we have energy.
And also, in the spirit of the expose' video clips on lots of reality shows, here are some short clips. Mine is full of lies and exaggeration. Kim's is the truth, cuz Kim doesn't lie!
And in case you haven't heard about it before, Dancing with the Brunswick Stars is a serious, big deal fund raiser for Brunswick Community College. This year will be the third and final year of this event. Last year they raised more than $330,000 in scholarship money for students at BCC, so you can see this is a pretty big event. The actual event will be held August 6th, but you can go to the website today to vote, buy tickets, or even become a sponsor for the event.
Check out this website with photos of Stars and Pros for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars.
And here's a ballot for voting for Star/Pro combinations. Ffel free to print it and vote (hint).
Friday, May 7, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 7 - Our Third Practice
Yesterday was our third practice for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - the actual event is August 6th at the Dinah Gore Aquatics and Fitness Center on the campus of Brunswick Community College in Supply, NC.
My professional partner is Kimberly Boggs, pictured below in pink and blue. I'm the guy further below in black and blue (in more ways than one). Kimberly coaches the College's dance team and has been a teaching dance professional in southeastern North Carolina for two centuries (well, at least for part of two centuries).
We took the two photos below at the end of our practice yesterday. We needed three people to help get my leg up like that. For Kimberly it was easy.
Now what you can't tell from these photos is that after Kimberly stretched a bit more she left me with my leg up on the Step risers and took off. Fortunately one of the Aquatics center trainers walked by the studio and helped me down. Notice Kimberly's evil grin - you know she was planning the whole thing!
So here we are practicing our routine. You may notice that I talk a lot and try to be funny. That's my way of attempting to distract Kimberly from noticing that I'm not doing the steps correctly. It didn't work. I suspect that Kimberly's leaving me with my right leg stuck on the risers was her subtle way of letting me know that indeed she did notice I wasn't doing the steps correctly AND that she wasn't distracted for a moment by my mindless chatter.
Be sure to follow my weekly Adventures with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars. It's for a good cause (raising scholarship money for students at BCC) and a lot of fun (for me anyway - well, except the being stranded in the studio with my leg in the air part).
Check out our 31 Days Mastery Books on Amazon.com
My professional partner is Kimberly Boggs, pictured below in pink and blue. I'm the guy further below in black and blue (in more ways than one). Kimberly coaches the College's dance team and has been a teaching dance professional in southeastern North Carolina for two centuries (well, at least for part of two centuries).
We took the two photos below at the end of our practice yesterday. We needed three people to help get my leg up like that. For Kimberly it was easy.
Now what you can't tell from these photos is that after Kimberly stretched a bit more she left me with my leg up on the Step risers and took off. Fortunately one of the Aquatics center trainers walked by the studio and helped me down. Notice Kimberly's evil grin - you know she was planning the whole thing!
So here we are practicing our routine. You may notice that I talk a lot and try to be funny. That's my way of attempting to distract Kimberly from noticing that I'm not doing the steps correctly. It didn't work. I suspect that Kimberly's leaving me with my right leg stuck on the risers was her subtle way of letting me know that indeed she did notice I wasn't doing the steps correctly AND that she wasn't distracted for a moment by my mindless chatter.Be sure to follow my weekly Adventures with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars. It's for a good cause (raising scholarship money for students at BCC) and a lot of fun (for me anyway - well, except the being stranded in the studio with my leg in the air part).
Check out our 31 Days Mastery Books on Amazon.com
Thursday, May 6, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 6 - Before our 3rd Practice
I'm thinking at today's practice we can maybe watch videos. (I'm also pretty sure Kimberly won't think it's a great idea.) I tried to find a YouTube clip of just Evan Lycasek and Cheryl Burke dancing the Argentine Tango on the "real" Dancing with the Stars this week, but no luck.
I did, however, find this pretty cool video of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise dancing.
Kimberly and I are NOT dancing the Argentine Tango, and we're not dancing whatever that was that Katie and Tom did.
I worked out kinda hard this week and after being up for two hours I can finally just move my shoulders (a bit) from yesterday's weight workout. So I'm really hoping maybe today's practice can be about the "zen" of dancing.
Check out our 31 Days Mastery Books on Amazon.com
I did, however, find this pretty cool video of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise dancing.
Kimberly and I are NOT dancing the Argentine Tango, and we're not dancing whatever that was that Katie and Tom did.
I worked out kinda hard this week and after being up for two hours I can finally just move my shoulders (a bit) from yesterday's weight workout. So I'm really hoping maybe today's practice can be about the "zen" of dancing.
Check out our 31 Days Mastery Books on Amazon.com
Sunday, May 2, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 5 - Second Practice
Friday morning Kimberly Boggs and I had our second practice. I had a great time and even though I didn't have all the steps down from the first practice, Kimberly was gentle with me, and patient. And she showed me again how to do the basic steps. I have a distinct feeling that if I don't improve quickly, though, the obvious steel that is Kimberly Boggs will figuratively sit me down and we'll have a talk. So I don't want to experience that.
Here's a confession. I'm actually taking great advantage of this whole Dancing with the Brunswick Stars thing. I'm using it to get in shape! Ya see, in the past three years, since April 2007, I packed on about 45 pounds! Youch! I'd actually gotten to my ideal weight for my 5'9" height, which is 143 pounds, on April 20th, 2007 after working at it for a good while. Unfortunately, in my zeal to make that weight, I injured myself by overdoing one exercise.
It's no secret that when I like something I REALLY like it and if I enjoy something I want to supersize. Well when I was on my previous getting in shape/losing weight regimen back in early 2007 one of the exercises I enjoyed was pushups. I mean, who doesn't like cut triceps, right? You can have a sloppy belly and a sagging butt and people may not (and hopefully won't) see them. But if you have cut triceps you can find lots of opportunities for people to notice, including yourself. And I don't mean by wearing a muscle shirt, but just ordinary golf shirts and such.
So I was rockin' along doing well with pushups, and doing them right, not ripping them off as fast as possible, but taking them nice and slow (try that sometime, the slower you go the more work it is and the more benefit you get). Anyway, I gradually worked my way up to 50 pushups. I thought that was way cool.
So two days later I did 100.
It hurt a LOT the next day but then everything seemed to be okay - although I for sure didn't do any more pushups because they still really hurt. And then about a month later I rolled over in bed one night and something that attaches one of my right tricep muscles to the bone let go with an audible pop. The next noticeable noise was me screaming. You've heard the expresson, "Ridden hard, put away wet.", right? Well apparently what's unhealthy for horses wasn't too healthy for me either, and I'm still recovering.
Been to a selection of helpful folks, notably Dr. Matt Bradshaw at Leland Health Center who finally got me some relief through a combination of cold laser treatments and Active Relief Therapy. Anyway, to keep this short (HA!), I can cope now and seldom have pain in that arm but have been very very gradually starting to build strength again (which you can imagine has dwindled significantly in four years).
So right around that same time in 2007 I decided it would be okay for me to eat a little more freely than in the past because I'd just proved to myself I could get down to my ideal weight. Uh-huh! Within a year I was in the mid to high 180s. Last year when I went for my annual physical my physician, the ever jolly Dr. Matt Williams of Wilmington Health Center, said, "Next year I'd like to see a lot less of you." That hurt, but he was right - my reading that day was 186 (and I wish it were IQ but it was pounds). Since 161 pounds is my official "you weigh too much" level, another 25 put me in a not so happy place health wise.
My high weight, BTW, since I'm getting into all this, was 193.5 pounds in November 2009. I managed mostly to keep it under 190, with a couple meager efforts to control my weight and diet getting me down to the mid 180s, but then I went back up again. So finally, this March, I decided I was done being such a dork about this whole thing. I speak in public a lot and was already developing a consistent physical self-image I didn't like. I tell ya one thing, I sure wore sport jackets a lot and usually wore black shirts as well - I saw a few photos others took of me when I was speaking wearing a white dress shirt with no jacket and resolved not to let that happen again (I didn't lose weight, I just stopped wearing white shirts unless I had on a jacket).
So yeah, now I'm working out daily, eating correctly (for me), and getting stronger AND losing weight. The last two days my weight was 168.5 pounds. That's a bit extreme I know for two months, but I also know those were the easy pounds to lose - the next 25 will be much tougher as I work my way back down to 143.
But check it out. I've got a great incentive. A whole buncha folks are gonna be watching Dancing With the Brunswick Stars in early August. I want to do my best for the event, I want to be a good partner for Kimberly Boggs since she's so generously donating her teaching time, and for sure I want to look my best.
It would be marvelous for me to think I'm doing this just for my health. Hey, I know it's more healthy to be at (or even a bit below) your ideal weight, and I know I feel better when I'm in shape and stronger. But I also know I'm motivated by how I look. Call it vanity (because that's what it is), but it's still a motivator. And when I get where I want to be (again), this time I hope I find ways to continue to motivate to stay there - and not rip any more muscles off bones.
So I'm eating smarter, working out more (and being gradual in my increases in duration and intensity), and using an accountability partner in the process by sending daily practice reports to Kimberly (I just started doing it yesterday and I told her she could ignore them, but it will help me stay on track if I write when I practice). And yeah, by outting myself about this whole weight thing here I'll also be putting another check on my eating.
And now, back to the real subject of this journal, DWTBS. I can reveal the type of dance Kimberly and I will be doing.
But I think I won't. I'll just let this photo be a clue.
- Brown, Out
Here's a confession. I'm actually taking great advantage of this whole Dancing with the Brunswick Stars thing. I'm using it to get in shape! Ya see, in the past three years, since April 2007, I packed on about 45 pounds! Youch! I'd actually gotten to my ideal weight for my 5'9" height, which is 143 pounds, on April 20th, 2007 after working at it for a good while. Unfortunately, in my zeal to make that weight, I injured myself by overdoing one exercise.
It's no secret that when I like something I REALLY like it and if I enjoy something I want to supersize. Well when I was on my previous getting in shape/losing weight regimen back in early 2007 one of the exercises I enjoyed was pushups. I mean, who doesn't like cut triceps, right? You can have a sloppy belly and a sagging butt and people may not (and hopefully won't) see them. But if you have cut triceps you can find lots of opportunities for people to notice, including yourself. And I don't mean by wearing a muscle shirt, but just ordinary golf shirts and such.
So I was rockin' along doing well with pushups, and doing them right, not ripping them off as fast as possible, but taking them nice and slow (try that sometime, the slower you go the more work it is and the more benefit you get). Anyway, I gradually worked my way up to 50 pushups. I thought that was way cool.
So two days later I did 100.
It hurt a LOT the next day but then everything seemed to be okay - although I for sure didn't do any more pushups because they still really hurt. And then about a month later I rolled over in bed one night and something that attaches one of my right tricep muscles to the bone let go with an audible pop. The next noticeable noise was me screaming. You've heard the expresson, "Ridden hard, put away wet.", right? Well apparently what's unhealthy for horses wasn't too healthy for me either, and I'm still recovering.
Been to a selection of helpful folks, notably Dr. Matt Bradshaw at Leland Health Center who finally got me some relief through a combination of cold laser treatments and Active Relief Therapy. Anyway, to keep this short (HA!), I can cope now and seldom have pain in that arm but have been very very gradually starting to build strength again (which you can imagine has dwindled significantly in four years).
So right around that same time in 2007 I decided it would be okay for me to eat a little more freely than in the past because I'd just proved to myself I could get down to my ideal weight. Uh-huh! Within a year I was in the mid to high 180s. Last year when I went for my annual physical my physician, the ever jolly Dr. Matt Williams of Wilmington Health Center, said, "Next year I'd like to see a lot less of you." That hurt, but he was right - my reading that day was 186 (and I wish it were IQ but it was pounds). Since 161 pounds is my official "you weigh too much" level, another 25 put me in a not so happy place health wise.
My high weight, BTW, since I'm getting into all this, was 193.5 pounds in November 2009. I managed mostly to keep it under 190, with a couple meager efforts to control my weight and diet getting me down to the mid 180s, but then I went back up again. So finally, this March, I decided I was done being such a dork about this whole thing. I speak in public a lot and was already developing a consistent physical self-image I didn't like. I tell ya one thing, I sure wore sport jackets a lot and usually wore black shirts as well - I saw a few photos others took of me when I was speaking wearing a white dress shirt with no jacket and resolved not to let that happen again (I didn't lose weight, I just stopped wearing white shirts unless I had on a jacket).
So yeah, now I'm working out daily, eating correctly (for me), and getting stronger AND losing weight. The last two days my weight was 168.5 pounds. That's a bit extreme I know for two months, but I also know those were the easy pounds to lose - the next 25 will be much tougher as I work my way back down to 143.
But check it out. I've got a great incentive. A whole buncha folks are gonna be watching Dancing With the Brunswick Stars in early August. I want to do my best for the event, I want to be a good partner for Kimberly Boggs since she's so generously donating her teaching time, and for sure I want to look my best.
It would be marvelous for me to think I'm doing this just for my health. Hey, I know it's more healthy to be at (or even a bit below) your ideal weight, and I know I feel better when I'm in shape and stronger. But I also know I'm motivated by how I look. Call it vanity (because that's what it is), but it's still a motivator. And when I get where I want to be (again), this time I hope I find ways to continue to motivate to stay there - and not rip any more muscles off bones.
So I'm eating smarter, working out more (and being gradual in my increases in duration and intensity), and using an accountability partner in the process by sending daily practice reports to Kimberly (I just started doing it yesterday and I told her she could ignore them, but it will help me stay on track if I write when I practice). And yeah, by outting myself about this whole weight thing here I'll also be putting another check on my eating.
And now, back to the real subject of this journal, DWTBS. I can reveal the type of dance Kimberly and I will be doing.
But I think I won't. I'll just let this photo be a clue.
- Brown, Out
Friday, April 23, 2010
My Adventure with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars - Journal Entry 4 - First Practice
Kimberly and I had our first practice today for Dancing with the Brunswick Stars. The term "practice" may be sort of a loose usage since we spent the time with Kimberly teaching me some very basic steps.
Here's a short video of just me in the practice room before Kimberly got there
And here are Kimberly and I after the practice.
As you can see we were both still standing and both still smiling. (A friend told me that even if I don't get the steps, just keep on smiling, so I will.) Actually, I had a great time and look forward to the next session, and in the meantime will do what I can to practice on my own. (I think a lot of that should mean getting to the gym and getting stronger.)
Here's a short video of just me in the practice room before Kimberly got there
And here are Kimberly and I after the practice.
As you can see we were both still standing and both still smiling. (A friend told me that even if I don't get the steps, just keep on smiling, so I will.) Actually, I had a great time and look forward to the next session, and in the meantime will do what I can to practice on my own. (I think a lot of that should mean getting to the gym and getting stronger.)
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