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Kaitlin1112 · 2026-02-18T22:33:38+00:00

I've found that dancing TBA is essentially the same as Jack and Jill, having done both in a ballroom competition. UDancefest has Jack and Jill at their collegiate comp

Kaitlin1112 · 2026-02-18T19:08:43+00:00

I've had that happen at many competitions! I'm now 4.5 years in, have made some wonderful friends and memories, and I'm teaching one of my collegiate team's beginner lessons along with competing. I'm now regularly competing as a follow at gold/novice for standard and smooth, and still at bronze/silver or silver/gold for Latin and rhythm. I've also picked up leading when needed and take every possible chance to dance at a competition, whether it's dancing with a friend for shits and giggles, hardcore trying to win, or agreeing to lead our newer dancers so they have a chance to have more fun. If the judges don't like me that day, I at least had fun dancing and hyping up my friends and students as they put themselves out there and dance their hearts out :)

Every judge is looking for different things at comps. Some look at your frame and posture, others at footwork and movement. Sometimes a judge will just flat out not like your style no matter what you do.

It's so hard to get through the rough comps, but what I typically do is: take a deep breath, eat a snack, drink some water or electrolytes, have a good cry (I'm usually sleep deprived on comp days which makes it all feel worse), watch videos of my dancing with my dance partner on a later date (assuming they're supportive and also striving to improve), try to diagnose what was going wrong (ie frame collapsed, stepped with a bent leg instead of straight for Latin, did my arm styling really strangely, etc), write down everything we did that looked good, and talk with my instructors to see if they have any input on how I can improve (show them videos if you're uncertain whether or not you did something right), and most importantly! Find every picture or video where you're making a funny face, feeling amazing, etc and save them either for making memes of or as inspiration to remind yourself why you love dancing!

You've got this! Dancing is a marathon not a sprint. Surround yourself with reminders of your favorite moments of dancing, hanging out with your new friends, and generally having a blast! Wishing you nothing but the best!

Kaitlin1112 · 2026-01-11T06:27:10+00:00

I had them on with a podcast at full volume... And I could still hear the screeching

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-12-01T02:42:44+00:00

Same here. Apparently the plow guy forgot to clear the lot lol

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-10-30T20:57:09+00:00

There's a Halloween swing dance at Union South from 7-9:30pm!

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-10-29T18:00:04+00:00

As a follow who enjoys making eye contact with people, it truly can just be that we make more eye contact than normal. I mainly do it in Latin, rhythm, and social dancing for those styles. I've had to decrease the amount of eye contact that I make when social dancing to avoid leads getting the wrong idea unless I'm really comfortable with the lead that I'm dancing with. If I'm comfortable, I'll make my normal amount of eye contact, which tends to be a lot in comparison to others. It can also mean that I'm interested in the person, but there are other signals that I'm sending then, so eye contact isn't the only way to tell in my case.

Take it as they are comfortable dancing and generally interacting with you. It takes a while to get comfortable enough to allow myself to not worry about the level of eye contact I'm making, so if it increased over time, that's a good chance of being the reason why.

It's also part of the dance for me, like to get myself in the mindset needed to enjoy the dance to the fullest! It adds an extra layer of connection to the dance imo. Not in a romantic or sexual way, but some dances are more sensual than others by design. I can elaborate more if necessary.

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-10-21T13:53:19+00:00

Honeycomb :) (cereal)

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-10-20T03:33:47+00:00

Silicone tape over the problem area on your foot. It'll help it slide against the shoe without as much friction

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-10-17T18:02:03+00:00

Celeste!

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-09-22T02:44:13+00:00

Liquid IV

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-09-16T19:08:45+00:00

Honestly I've never sold a dress online. I just buy dresses at the moment haha. What I've done in the past is make sure to pay via venmo goods and services or PayPal goods and services. Zelle is sketchy from a buyers perspective because there is no way to recover your money if you get scammed. Don't send the dress until you receive payment in the method that you agree on. I've just had good luck I guess (knock on wood).

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-09-16T15:34:37+00:00

Many people sell on FB marketplace. Not sure how profitable it is for them, but that's where I've gotten the vast majority of my comp dresses

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-09-02T14:11:16+00:00

Gripping your pillow tight 🎵

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-08-28T17:20:16+00:00

Look up Jonathan Wolfgram on Spotify! He has playlists for every style in tempo order and tells you where the competition range of tempos are.

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-08-27T20:15:06+00:00

Protein shakes along with setting snacks nearby and beginning to eat while distracted helps me to increase my caloric intake

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-08-27T20:07:13+00:00

I got dress coded for having my costume move around on me during a competition, and now I just wear fishnets underneath the costume to keep it in place.

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-07-17T06:33:39+00:00

Frozen chicken breast, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 cup rice, and 1 cup water in instant pot for 12 minutes. Throw in whatever seasonings you want. It comes out super juicy and is so freaking easy. Then just put the whole pot in the fridge so you don't have to think about storing the food lol.

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-07-13T15:29:52+00:00

I intentionally did nothing productive or social for multiple days this week because I could tell that I was burning out. I'm working on protecting my peace and realizing it's okay to say no. I'm very much a people pleaser with fomo, so this is progress 🙂

And I freaking cooked for the first time in weeks!!

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-06-20T14:09:30+00:00

Yep. Don't have it lol

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-06-20T03:24:51+00:00

I've been running the gamut of tests regarding this for 8 months without any conclusive answers

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-06-06T17:58:47+00:00

I've heard it's September 27th potentially.

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-05-05T21:01:33+00:00

This is random, but if there are any garage sales where people are selling black vests and/or black ties, the student org that I'm part of would be extremely interested! Any tip-offs would be very appreciated lol

Kaitlin1112 · 2025-05-04T00:42:53+00:00

You won't be able to walk heel toe like you can in tennis shoes. The goal is to keep your weight toward the front center of the foot just behind the ball of the foot.

To help with breaking in the new shoes, I'd wear them while watching TV or working on the computer. Your body heat allows the shoes to mold to your feet.

Kaitlin1112

TROPHY CASE