Hello Everyone!

My name is Shelli, and I’m here to answer your dance questions! But,  I guess the best place to start is to give you a little history about myself.

To begin, I wear a LOT of hats in life.  Like most moms, I am completely twisted and pulled in all directions, at all times.  I am a mother of 3 amazing kids (I know we all say that…but they really are).  My kids are very close in age but for the next month I don’t get to look completely insane and tell you that my kids ages are 21, 21, and 19.  Until my baby turns 20 March 2^nd.  Then the head scratching begins when I say my kids are 21, 21, and 20!  So yes, I did have twins (boy & girl) and a 3^rd just 15 months later.  They are a dancer/business owner, a senior at Chapman University (Graduating with top honors), and a sophomore at Idaho State who also plays football for them!

But aside from a mother of 3, I am a wife of 23 years, a business owner for the last 20 years and the matriarch of my entire family. I am also a grantie (yes that’s spelled right) of 5 nieces, mother to my 4 dogs, 3 cats, 3 bothers, 1 sister and sometimes my Husband & my father.  I am also partner in a dance wear business with my daughter, and the PR & Special Projects Manager for Discount Dance Supply.

So what does that have to do with my knowing anything about dance and dancers?  Well, I guess it begins with my daughter.  She’s an amazing young woman who has navigated her way thru the maze of being a student, a competitor, a protégé, a professional, a teacher, a judge and a business owner…all in the world of dance.  So without a conscious effort dance and the dance world have been a very big part of my life for 15 years now.

What I would like to accomplish with blogging is to talk.  About every possible subject in the world of dance I can  speak with relative confidence about.  I know that as a mother of a dancer, there were so many moments that I needed a friend…a confidant…an advisor who knew the road I was on.  Hopefully I can provide some of this to you.  I have been through it all as a mother of a ballerina and now out there watching it all from different angles in the business world of dance and competitions.  So feel free to comment back to me…ask questions…give me your thoughts.

I want to leave you with some questions to begin the conversation….

What’s your goal in dance with your child?  What motivates you?  What motivates them?

Ballroom Competition

As I said in my last post, I am 25 years old and have just recently become a studio owner of a ballroom studio in Orange County, CA. Having been dancing ballet, jazz, tap, etc. since the age of two, most of the people who knoe me thought this was somewhat strange. I had started ballroom dancing at the age of 15 actually after seeing a Dr. Pepper commercial with a tango couple. At that time in my life I tried out the “LA scene”, got the dance agent, drove to LA daily from the OC (which is never a fun drive) and was very diligent about getting myself involved with as many different styles of dance as possible. My mom happened to be taking ballroom at the time and slowing reeled me into it. I was a little hesitant at first, thinking that with my dance background thus far I would have no problem picking it up (there in lies my 16yr old mentality). After many frustrating months, I was now at the studio at least 4 times a week including my daily classes at my traditional studio full-time. The owner of the studio at the time must had seen some potential in me as he for the next 9 years put me under an intense teacher training program (basically grilling me daily until my feet wanted to fall off), and I am where I am now today because of him. He is getting ready to retire and has asked me to take his spot. I feel it is such an honor to be given an opportunity like this, although I must say if you had asked me a year ago if I’d ever own a ballroom studio at age 25, I probably would have said “no”. It is all such a blessing and a shock really. I will many things to keep you posted on as this is just one avenue that consumes my everyday life.

For those of you who are not familiar with ballroom dancing, please start! It is such a growing trend nowadays especially with “Dancing With The Stars” Season 9, and all of the ballroom required for the dancers on “So You Think You Can Dance”. I specialize in an International style of Ballroom which consists of two main groups…the first being International Standard which includes these 5 dance styles: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. The second main group is International Latin which includes these 5 styles: Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. In my next post I will gather some of my info. for you so you can see a little background on all of the different styles to help familiarize yourself with it a bit more.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little pre-cap of the beginning of my adventure into Ballroom…

Briana Haft