You get it, you lose it, you try to find it again, you find it and then you lose it again … , Los Angeles, March 2016
Those of you who know me, know quite well how hooked I am on the topic of body feeling and perception. And as you might as well know, one can talk a lot about things, but doing it yourself and risking the experiment and making the experiences yourself is a very different story.
Last month when we were discussing 70.3 IRONMAN California in Oceanside and searching for a new concept to look at triathlon events beyond the classical sports photography, the idea just popped up in my mind to do something that improves my own body awareness.
Dancing has always been one of my great passions. I lost it over the years. Other things became the focus of my life. But as I turned 60 last year, I started to reconsider my life.
Being now connected with triathlon for 15 years, having accompanied the stars of the sport during these years I realized how essential body feeling is for being a successful athlete who is not prone to injuries and knows how to transfer power into movements.
Dancing for me is the perfect tool to achieve this goal. Ask Andi Boecherer. He is working with a dancer and this made him change a lot, he has got different leverages at hand now to put himself into motion.
Ask Sebastian Kienle. Also he will always stress that body feel is finally overruling all electronic devices.
On the internet I started looking for a dancing coach, always a risk, of course. I chose Darren R. Wong on Facebook by “gut feeling“, a really lucky pick or destiny???
The process of learning something completely new is fascinating. In the beginning I was just trying to get the basic concept of breaking’ following my coach’s steps like a copycat.
As long as I had his guidance things seemed to progress, but then left alone I suddenly got stuck with the most simple steps. My consciousness and my subconsciousness were getting into trouble with each other. To reach the point where my consciousness is not intervening and blocking the flow of movements any more is hard and takes lots of exercising.
There is a point where you have got the step, but a slight change such as counting the rhythm yourself or listing to the music while doing your combos kicks you off. Sometimes it’s all there, the rhythm, the technique, you are perfectly on track. But the attractor is so unstable still, incredible. The more Darren withdrew and left me alone, the more I got stuck, irritated, helpless how to start the next movements and get the rhythm.
First counting the rhythm without music, and then kicking in with my steps … uff, difficult, finally I got it. Not stable yet, but they were there, the steps and simple combos. Then the next level, the music comes in and the confusion starts from scratch. I lost my steps again, I lost the counts … and again, everything from the beginning. I got it in somehow… happiness, euphoria… and a few seconds later everything had disappeared again, unbelievable. But Darren doesn’t let me give in. I have to reiterate the combo until I am back in rhythm. And after that you have to move your arms in the right way. The whole process of learning – so it seems to me – starts from scratch.
It’s hard to change learned patterns. But it is possible and feels so fulfilling, if you succeed. It is never too late for changing!
After one week I am happy to state that I am able to combine my top rock combo with the six step. It doesn’t look too beautiful and cool, my chest still crunches instead of being straight, my legs don’t fly but tend to stick to the floor again and again. But the rhythm is there and the steps too. Now it’s about training and drilling the pattern into my body-mind entity.
Great experience, I really love it!
Darren R. Wong is a great and patient teacher. I owe him a lot. He is insisting, he doesn’t let me be sloppy, but we also have lots of laughs.
The triathlon event in Oceanside from the weekend quickly disappeared in the mist of the past. Even though it was beautiful to be there and wonderful to touch base with my dear friend Sebastian Kienle, who unfortunately lost all chances to win this race due to a flat tire. But the North American Championship lies ahead of us and the cards will be reshuffled.
BIESTMILCH is official sponsor of this event. So my next trip to the US is just in front of my door step.
And here some impressions from the 4H Hip Hop event in LA organized by Cultureshock, a non-profit organization.