I believe that it is a luxury to take one’s time learning a new craft, and if you are lucky to have a good mentor/teacher by your side, take everything you can from them. Bellydance Superstar Boženka is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed dancer performing and teaching worldwide. Her distinguishing elegance and her classic and earthy… Read More Interview with Boženka
Every Monday and Thursday, before leaving for Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo class, I fold our doboks. It calms me, and it helps me get into the ‘learning zone’. What about you? What are your favourite pre-practise (or performance!) habits/rituals? Bonus geekery: The way of the Fold, by Marie Kondo
A short recap of the last workout/strength practise session of the month – in this case also our Taekwondo belt test preparation workout. This February has been action-packed, with lots of dance events (and thus plenty loaded carries!), but not as much time taken on Sundays for focused strength work. Nevertheless, we managed to squeeze in 2… Read More Strength for February
This week’s book (series) recommendation is a very practical one, as I am currently working with it for my TaeKwonDo forms and terms studies. I absolutely adore this book series, detailing TKD techniques and forms in words and images. It was co-created by Korean Grandmaster Kim Chul-Hwan and Konstantin Gil of Germany. The series consists of… Read More TaeKwondo Perfekt
I will share a bit of my progress here from working with Stacey Nemour’s online flexibility course package for dancers. The before-and-after pictures below were taken working with a specific course I review in depth here. I am especially happy with the arabesque and side kick height progress, as these are needed for ballet rehearsals and our… Read More Flexibility Progress – February 2019
As promised in yesterday’s post on hayfever, this is the meditation routine I am working with right now to relax my body before dance practise, as well as to lessen my seasonal spring sniffles. Note: I prefer to do this routine right before starting my movement/dance practise. You could however also try it at a… Read More Meditation vs Hayfever
Last spring my love for being outside was slightly impaired by a record-year of hayfeverish symptoms. I never had hayfever as a kid, but I do remember always reacting sneezily to dust, and feeling a bit itchy after playing in straw. A few days ago I started noticing familiar sniffly symptoms: itchy eyes, a runny… Read More Spring in my Nose
A few hours before writing this post, this affirmations card fell out of a stack of paper and landed right in front of me. I have the courage to follow my heart. A few years ago (time flies!) I was approached by fellow dancer Kyria of the Netherlands about collaborating on an affirmations project for dancers.… Read More Dance-Inspired Affirmations
This week’s TaeKwonDo epiphany is brought to you by quantum mechanics. Not kicking quantums – that is something that intrinsically happens. We’re always kicking quantums. Anyway. Recently, as I was struggling with a turning kick in Taekwondo, our Teacher made the remark that I will have to let go of trying to check what my… Read More Quantum Kicking
Strength training (or any training) is, in a way, like mending clothes. Or mending Taekwondo Doboks, in today’s instance. Things become stronger where they are repaired. Our bodies (and thus also minds!) work the same. If there is a pressure/demand put upon it, we adapt. When we lift a weight, we become stronger. When we… Read More Mending for Strength
