dance blogger – Vicky's Not-So-Secret Diary

We are often so busy that we don’t get a chance to appreciate little things that happen to us. I have decided to start doing recaps as there is always so much happening and with me being so busy all the time I think it will be a really nice way for me to review everything that happened and take a moment to simply be grateful.

“It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy”.

TRAVELS & ADVENTURES

Snowboarding in High Tatras, Slovakia

I started my January very active. Two years ago since Nico was two years old we started a new tradition. We spend Christmas Day in Limerick and travel to Slovakia to spend the rest of the festive season with my family. After New Years we always go to the mountains for a few days – always the same spot in High Tatras. We spend five days snowboarding, skiing, eating great food and relaxing in a spa. Even though it can be tiring as you’re active all the time, I always come back feeling very motivated, full of energy and ready to take on the new year.

Surfing Weekend in Bundoran, Co. Donegal

Once again Sarah, Leah & myself road tripped up to our surf spot for a Valentine’s weekend- Bundoran. It was our third time there but once again this weekend left me thinking “Damn I love this little town, these people, learning how to surf, being salty and how lucky I am to be able to do this”. It was a weekend full of good vibes, good energy, fun and positive people, surfing and lots of laughs.

DANCE GREYSTONES

Dance Greystones had a three weeks break over Christmas and New Years time. It was probably the longest break we had and I’m not gonna lie, I really missed our weekly rehearsals and dancing. But break is also sometimes needed and we kicked off 2019 in a big style. Our first term ended up being fully booked as we took on one of the most popular musicals ‘The Greatest Showman’. And oh boy, we had fun. We jumped straight into the deep end and break-no break we went full on. Yes, we gave our bodies a bit of a shock after those three weeks of eating and not doing much exercise but we were all on the same boat and we all wanted to get back to a healthy routine.

“Endure the pain, enjoy the gain”.

We rehearsed our two songs: From Now On & This Is Me for four weeks and as usual we shot a dance video at the end of the term. I’ve got to say the costumes are always amazing at each shoot but this time round they were absolutely breathtaking. I found myself having a hard time to recognise some of the girls. Well, have a look for yourself.

For our second term which started the first week of February we chose a song Trip A Little Light Fantastic from ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ and it was one of my favourites up to date.

As you can notice we love musicals. They have something special to them. The costumes, the story, the fun element. And they are all so completely different too, so why not? We did our video shoot just last Sunday and as usual it was such a great day. It rained and it was cold, but it definitely didn’t dampen our dancing spirit. Everyone did an absolutely amazing job and once again I was one very proud teacher.

NEW VENTURE – STAGE SCHOOL

I am absolutely delighted to start my new venture with Xquisite Dance School alongside amazing Nicole Kelly & John Nolan. Every Saturday morning I will be teaching the dance part of the stage school and I can’t wait. The classes are for kids from the age of 4 up to teenagers. They will learn lots of different dance choreographies & also different songs with an amazing vocal coach Claire.

The classes run every Saturday morning at Xquisite Dance Studio at the Rink, D12 and they are open to everyone.

In July all stage school students will showcase their hard work in the theatre in Tallagh, Dublin.

With Xquisite Dance company continuously growing and the talent getting stronger, the show will be a spectacular event full of vibrant, entertaining dance routines, performed by our wonderful students. This show is an excellent opportunity to witness the great work, dedication and fun we have throughout the year. For more information about the classes, do not hesitate to contact me.

ZUMBA® NEWS

When I was writing my last blog (Q & A) and I had so many questions about when am I or if am I going to go back to Zumba®, it made me really miss it. It made me miss dancing to high energy music, letting loose and just shaking my booty 🙂

Every time I hear a song with a great beat I just want to dance. Since the New Year’s I have been playing with the idea of starting Zumba® again. I have recorded two choreos (attached below) with some of the girls in the past two weeks and it was so much fun, it made me miss it even more!

That much, that I’ve decided to start Tuesday morning Zumba® class again.

I’m currently working on choreographing new routines so I can start the class on Tuesday 19th March and I literally can’t wait to see you all.

The classes will run on Tuesdays at 10am in PureLight Dance & Yoga Studio (Shoreline Leisure Bray) followed by breakfast/coffee (optional).

If you’d like to see more of our videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZqKVyPLUXsGWt-XJ5FxJlg?view_as=subscriber

Or stay in touch by finding me via the social links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zumbaanddancewithvicky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dance_by_vicky_

Website: http://www.dancegreystones.ie

http://www.blogitwithvicky.com

Vicky x

“A happy employee is more productive, more energetic and more creative – hence the importance of creating a happy environment within every institution.” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Dancing is a powerful tool for building up confidence in your employees. It boosts up motivation and fitness levels which increases their productivity and it also teaches your employees how to improve their body language in a work environment.

There is no better way of getting all the members of your team working together, having some fun and interacting with each other in a way that would normally never happen in the office.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. – Maya Angelou

A short dance class once or twice a week will offer employees the option to have fun while mastering something new during the work week. It can be a very nice break for them as well as an opportunity to get the exercise boost they might need in the office. It’s been scientifically proven if we feel good physically, we can perform better intellectually and emotionally.

Here are the most beneficial areas, a dance class can have in work environment:

1. TEAM BUILDING

Dance Class is a great way of getting your employees to work together while developing communication skills and getting to know each other better in a fun and entertaining way. It is what team building through dancing is all about.

2. HEALTH & FITNESS

Lots of employees spend hours sitting at their desks looking at computer screens and a lot of them even at their lunch breaks. Your health is at risk if you spend too much time sitting down with limited movement throughout the day.

Encouraging fitness activities in the workplace can be very beneficial not just for employees but for employers as well. Dance brings out more positive attitudes when at work, employees are less stressed and most importantly fit employees are much less likely to get sick which will result in much less absentees.

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3. ENERGY BOOST

The endorphins released during dancing mean that employees have more energy and a more positive attitude at work. We know that sitting in one place for too long and looking into a screen causes energy levels to drop. A little dance can be a nice refresher and give your employees the energy boost without feeling too tired afterwards.

4. CONFIDENCE BOOST

Dancing is a major self-confidence boost. As you dance you learn how to be aware of your body movement. It improves the way you carry yourself in team meetings or during presentations which could be a crucial ingredient for workplace success.

5. IMPROVES CREATIVITY

“If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play”. – John Cleese

Exposing your workers to a creative task that might be outside their comfort zone, such as dance will challenge their minds and also give them an opportunity to explore something completely new.

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5. BRINGS FUN AND APPRECIATION

Young happy couple dancing at home and laughing.

Bringing fun activities into the work place shows your employees and colleagues that their health and wellbeing is important to you. Employees are happier and more alert which results in them being more productive. Giving your employees an opportunity to learn a new skill like dancing could be a special and lovely way of saying “Thank you for your hard work” and the bonus is: IT’S FUN!

Whether you decide to bring some ballroom dancing classes or fun modern dance classes into your workplace – you can never go wrong. On top of all that you might get to show off your team’s new moves at the next party or even in a short video.

In the past I have been asked to teach one of the businesses in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow a simple dance routine. All members of the team gathered in the main room twice a week for 45 minutes of dancing, to learn and practice a dance routine to the song of their choice. It was something new for every one of them. It was challenging, a lot of fun, very uplifting and it brought a lot of entertainment and smiles to their work day. After four weeks of dancing they did a fun video shoot to showcase their daily office tasks and how the company works on day to day basis mixed with the actual dance they have learned. In their case they used the video as part of their customer facing content providing visitors with an idea of who they are as well as the service they provided. It’s a clever and very unique way to showcase your company culture or even a product offering.

You can check out the video we did with this company below: