First training of 2025. In a separate post, I’ll go over one of my 2025 goals but in short: participate in the prelims of summer dance forever 2026! That is, 1.5 years from now, I’d like to stand up on that beautiful stage and be prepared both mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Summary

• Light warm up – 90 seconds of “jump roping”, 15 seconds single leg hops on each
• 2 rounds of 6 exercises, each exercise 30 seconds, with 10 second rest in between
• Rhytmic pattern training (30 seconds per round) of 6 exercises, 2 rounds (one pas de bourree and one cross step)
• After training for dance, stretched hamstrings, hip flexors, and quadriceps (and some calve raises and eccentric heel drops)

Motivational quote on practice

Stumbled on this quote that a fellow HN (hacker news) user commented:

As to progress — we don’t know how much progress we made, actually, but if you practice it you will realize — some day you will realize that our progress is not — it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, you cannot actually make progress. The progress you make is always little by little. It is like — to go through fog. You don’t know when you get wet, but if you just walk through fog you will be wet, little by little, even though you don’t know — it is not like a shower.

When you go out when it is showering you will feel, ‘Oh, that’s terrible!”. It is not so bad but when you get wet by fog it is very difficult to dry yourself. This is how we make progress. So actually there is not need to worry about your progress. Just to do it is the way. It is, maybe, like to study language. Just repeating, you will master it. You cannot do it all of a sudden. This is how we practice, especially Soto way, is to do it little by little. To make progress little by little. Or we do not even mind, we do not expect to make progress, just to do it is our way. The point is to do it with sincerity in each moment. That is the point. There should not be Nirvana besides our practice.

Video Log

Reflection

• First time dancing after taking 2 weeks off to allow rest and recovery from plantar fasciitis (not fully healed)
• (Right) foot felt no pain in heel throughout exercise but afterwards, felt a bit sore so I walked on my indoor garden gravel and then stretched afterwards
• Felt a bit anxious during physical warm up, hesitating as to avoid reinjuring myself
• Proud that I did not go 150% percent (my default mode) and limited the entire practice to just under 35 minutes
• Avoided using ankle weights since that additional load likely contributes to the plantar fasciitis and in fact, during the exercise where I jumped side to side, I felt instability in the ankle and knee

What went well

• Was able to recall the rhytmic exercise that Mavinga provided
• Mostly on beat
• Just showing up and putting in the quiet work

Areas of improvement

Below section will serve as input for next training (TBD)

• Practice “around the world” move – when the prompt from random generator (software I wrote to help train transitions) spat out “around the world”, I ended up performing the setup move. In a nutshell, forgot how to execute the move
• Relax arms during dodger (and more generally) – was only bending right arm. After checking some videos online to compare, I like the aesthetic of bringing both arms up into 90 degrees (relaxing the wrists) during the first step, then lowering both arms in sync during the last step of the move
• Hold the 3rd rhythm a bit longer during cross step rhythmic practice – doing so distinguishes one rhythmic pattern to the next. Being compassionate with self; in the past, I would’ve berated myself for having to “relearn” this since I had cleaned it up previously. But that’s neither here nor there. Next session
• More tension / energy all around – make the moves look more crisp and clear. For example, during the “Bart Simpson”, contract the hamstring and glutes for more aesthetically pleasing movement
• Increase knee bend with Drunk Walk
• Drunk walk backwards
• Freestyle – I was gased and wanted to not push too hard so didn’t freestyle. Something I may be able to do in between next training session