Feminist reflections on fitness, sport, and health
It has been four long years since I entered you. Four years of ballet classes via Zoom, while holding onto a chair and then a portable ballet barre in my living room. I missed having a live musician to accompany us. Sometimes the technology was pretty dodgy. It was harder to get feedback when you… Continue reading Hello Dance Studio!
On a March evening in 2020, I stood in front of a mirror and inspected my outfit. The shiny faux leather pants and ruby red, sequin-covered asymmetrical top was not part of my usual wardrobe, but I had to admit that I loved the spicy vibe of my reflection. My hair was slicked back in… Continue reading Dance Like You’re Watching
Well, I resolved to try a new class at the gym, possibly Zumba. And I did. And it was Zumba. OMG. That was hard. But also a lot of fun. On the hard side, wow, there is just no way for me to keep up with those dance moves. It was pretty complicated (for me)… Continue reading Sam, her new knees, and her Muppet dance moves, survive Zumba
I just got back from a long-awaited photography tour of Ireland for a couple of weeks and there were so many memorable moments with new friends and beautiful places. But one stand-out experience that delivered an unexpected blast of sheer joy for all concerned was an Irish dance class in Galway, taught by Siobhan, who… Continue reading Guaranteed fun: Irish dance class in Galway
Hey, it’s another Saturday group blog post here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. I asked the group, “What’s your fitness focus for the holiday season? I’m curious about our different approaches to movement as things get busy. What are you going to let go? What are you going to hang on to?” Here’s our… Continue reading Embrace the December Dance: A FIFI Bloggers Guide to Festive Fitness
Last weekend I went to an event sponsored by a local medieval club and found myself sucked into the rabbit hole of dancing. I’m usually too busy in the kitchen or working on crafts to think about dancing, but this time it was a small event, I had plenty of time, and someone was teaching… Continue reading Renaissance Dancing for Fun and Fitness
I am interested in how dancing connects us with others, such as when dark dancing provided a community for dancers during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, dancing with others can also inhibit us, especially when we fear that others see us as bad dancers out on the dance floor. Today,… Continue reading Dancing Alone
Before you read this post, I dare you to make some space in your body by: Okay, now that you have a little extra space in your body, let’s get back to making a little extra space in your future for you. What can you put in place now (or at least soon) that will… Continue reading Making Space 2022: Day 30
This weekend in New England, fall is letting us know it’s here. But it’s doing so gently and nicely. We’re enjoying blue skies and autumn sun and delightful daytime temps (low-mid 70s/22–24C), with sweater and jacket temps at night. Friday evening I went to a bookclub backyard birthday party for my friend Lisa. There was… Continue reading Catherine’s spontaneous backyard dance party weekend
A recent CTV article was very excited about a new Disney short called Reflect, about a young ballet dancer named Bianca, and its body positivity message. As the resident fat ballerina on this blog, I had to watch it. Hilary Bradfield, the creator, says “I feel like I’m a body positive person in principle, but… Continue reading Reflect
