5 Easy Ways To Put More
Sparkle Into Your Rock ‘n’ Roll

By Nik Peran

Remember back when you first started dancing? The flush of excitement that came with making new friends. The days of anticipation leading up to your next dance class. The thrill of mastering each new move and how proud it made you feel?

You’ve sure come a long way since then. After all, those first moves were pretty basic. You’re much more confident now and these days it all seems quite easy. But does it still give you the same heart pumping sense of fun? Can you honestly say, as you look forward into 2008, that Rock ‘n’ Roll will be every bit as exciting as in the beginning?

Or will the next year just mosey on by? Same faces, same venues, same bands – same dancing?  What would you give to recapture the magic of that earlier time?

Yes, I know. It’s a lot of questions. But New Year is a good time to pause and reflect on the time just gone. A good time to ask oneself,

“What can I possibly do to live my life to the fullest?”

The answer lies in getting back out of your comfort zone. Excitement arises in the “not knowing”. So what are you going to do that’s new this year? You see, Rock ‘n’ Roll is a forgiving lover. He or she won’t ever push you. But just like a lover, after a few years the attraction can start to wane. Here are five suggestions that can inject some spice back into your Rock ‘n’ Roll love-life. 

• Get involved. Join a committee. Volunteer for club activities. Help others to promote events. The more energy you give to Rock ‘n’ Roll the more it will give back to you.
   
• Help your favourite dance teacher to promote their classes. When more people are actually into Rock ‘n’ Roll, there’ll be greater demand and opportunity for bands, venues etc. Rock ‘n’ Roll as an industry would start to snowball. You only have to look in the Eastern States to see how great that would be for us.
   
• Take a ‘newbie’ under your wing. This happened to me when I first started and it made me feel very welcome in the scene. Help them with a few moves, even outside of class. An amazing clarity of understanding develops when you teach somebody how to dance. Pay it forward. By helping others you get to help yourself. Notice a theme here?
   
• Do a dance performance in public. This stretches the comfort zone like you wouldn’t believe. 200 faces staring at you and the fear of making a mistake really lets you know you’re alive. OK, so it’s not for everyone.
   
• Commit to learning lots of new moves. Stretch yourself with private lessons or by taking part in dance workshops. There are some new ones happening in February with enough material to keep you going for months. To find out more just go online to www.TheBumperDayOut.blogspot.com/

Whatever you choose to do, just don’t-do-nothing! Life is for living. Be a player, not a spectator. Promise yourself that this year will be your best year of dancing ever – and it will be.