The Art of Happy Dancing (or dancing happily)

When I began writing my blog in 2008, I wanted to document my journey to becoming a professional dancer in Europe. It was a difficult point in my life, and there were moments I didn't think I would ever make it, but now, looking back on a successful and fulfilling dance career, I'm glad I captured those memories in writing. In fact, I think writing this blog helped me to see things objectively and allowed me to keep moving and to stay positive even when things got tough.

Now as I start from the beginning once again, I hope to look back after another decade only to read about how short-lived my worries were. This time, it will be less of a documentation, rather a deeper dive into several themes in dance that interest me, in a way pushing me to learn so that I can help dancers, dance students, dance leaders and dance lovers find a way to live a happier dancing life. I'm interested to see what comes out of this, and what I'll think of it all in another decade.

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There isn't only one truth. (An interview with Christina Mertzani)

Warm, kind, generous, open, loving . These words come to mind when I think about Christina Mertzani. We first met when she came as a guest trainer to the company I was working with at the time. Her presence in the studio was like the sun coming out after a long, grey German winter, and she always exuded such a positive and warm energy. Her classes left me feeling so motivated and inspired to move, and she managed to bring out the dynamic and confident side of me which very few teachers or choreographers have been able to do. That’s why I’m so grateful that she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions in regard to my previous post about dealing with drama and bad behavior. She has been an inspiring mentor to me since the beginning of my new journey, especially because her approach to her work is through encouragement and kindness. © George Terzis Even though I only managed to scratch the surface of her wisdom and experien...

Mindfulness before Pliés?

It's a strange time for all of us, but personally COVID-19 couldn’t have come at a better time. As disappointing as it is that all my classes for March and April were cancelled, I have the opportunity to use this time in isolation, apart from giving virtual ballet classes, to reflect on my teaching method and philosophy. The intention of my writing is not so much to provide information, rather a way to reflect and question myself in order to improve my skills as an educator as well as a person. A lot of what I write is based on my own opinion, and on what I have experienced so far on this new journey as a dance teacher. So here goes nothing. Mindfulness You will find a multitude of information online about mindfulness, as well as different mindfulness tasks and practices, so I’m not going to use this blog post to describe what it is. I will, however, attach some links at the end of the article. I first discovered mindfulness in 2018, while I was in-b...

Overcoming the 'How'.

As I traversed the eastern Alps last year, I started and finished Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. My uncertain future loomed beyond those rugged and regal mountains. My career prospects were, in the best sense of the word, non-existent, and I was running out of unemployment support from the government. On the bright side, I knew what I wanted to do with the next stage of my life but I had no idea how I was going to do it. Then, almost like he knew what was going on in my head, Frankl quoted Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live can overcome any how ." Piz Boe in the Dolomites Once we were back home, I decided to contact some people who had inspired me during my dance career, and one of them was Christina Mertzani (read my last blog post ) She graciously agreed to have a video chat with me and gave me great advice on how to start on this new path I had chosen. One of them really resonated with me and was so aligned with both Nietzsche and Frankl: before goin...

The Art of Happy Dancing

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