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Dancing to Travel, or Traveling to Dance

By Brian Lam

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Nerves and excitement ran through me as I sat in my bedroom, scrambling for all the potential things I would need for my week in New York and New Jersey. I checked off my list of items one at a time: Latin shoes, smooth/standard shoes, running shoes, dress shoes, and flip flops. I remember considering for a brief moment, “Why do I need so many pairs of shoes?" Running through the list again I justified every pair. Five nights, five pairs of shoes, how ridiculous. Why did I need three pairs of non-competition shoes in one carry-on bag? I was dancing to travel.

There are two types of situations that happen when you travel and dance. You either are dancing to travel, or traveling to dance. I wanted to talk about the differences between the two, and I will start with the latter. I’ve had this happen exactly twice, both with the University of Minnesota Competition Team (notice the lack of “traveling" team title). This was the epitome of traveling to dance.

It was a fifteen-hour bus ride to Ohio. We started early at 6 a.m., and arrive at the hotel at 10 p.m. Friday night. The agenda for the whole trip was to bus, sleep, dance our hearts out, and then get back on the bus. That was the first time I competed at a serious ballroom competition. I was unsure but convinced it was both the team, and my competitive nature, that drove me to love my first collegiate nationals. While with the team, it was very satisfying to just go and compete. I didn’t feel the need to see anything else in Ohio. My team, and the competition were what I was there for. So was I squandering opportunities?

I have never seen Columbus, Ohio. Maybe there’s nothing to see, or maybe the whole world is there. It was one of those unopened box conundrums. Some might say you can’t really miss something you didn’t know existed. Traveling in this manner definitely saves a lot of time, and as a college student in the middle of his studies, that was the best option. If I had the time I would have wandered around the city a little.

Before Summer Sizzler all I did was wander around New York. I arrived on Tuesday, and spent the evening in midtown with my two dance partners, and it was great. The next day we mucked about some more in midtown, and went to catch "The King and I." I think musicals are some of the greatest onstage performance styles. The following days included Brooklyn, Central Park, and the Met. We even stopped by Blair Waldorf’s penthouse from "Gossip Girl." On Saturday we competed, and did well in the New Jersey qualifiers. But that was really just a side thought.

Although the true purpose of the trip was really to qualify for nationals, having the time to actually go out, and explore a city while you are there, is what made it really special to me. I face my two dance partners for hours in a room of mirrors, but on this trip I saw, and learned a lot more. The large travel aspect of this away competition was really welcomed during my break from school. Both ways of traveling, and dancing are great in their own respects, but I would love to find time to see every city I compete in. Is there a preferred way you like to travel and dance?

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