Ballroom dance Journey: An Exclusive interview with Lauren Paul
Ballroom dancing is more than a hobby—it’s a transformative journey that intertwines artistry, athleticism, and self-discovery. Today, we sit down with Lauren Palu, a passionate pro-am ballroom dancer from MI Fiesta Dance Studio, to explore her captivating ballroom dance journey.
Tim King, our interviewer, delves into Lauren’s experiences, from her unexpected introduction to ballroom dancing to her ongoing pursuit of growth. Lauren shares the challenges and triumphs of learning new styles, developing confidence, and maintaining her love for this extraordinary art form.
Join Us for a Free Intro Lesson!
Hi Lauren,
Hi,
Nice to see you tonight.
you too
So we’re here to talk to you about your experience as a ballroom dancer in general and then your experience working with Imi. So can you kind of start with let’s start at the beginning how did you get started.
Sure. So I went to a fundraiser, a Friday night dance party, that was a fundraiser for a friend of mine and I had never I didn’t know this world existed. This was not anything I knew about ever I climbed up the stairs to the studio opened the door and there was a portal to a whole another world. so everybody was dancing like crazy and all I was just completely Gobsmacked all I could think was I don’t even know what this is, but I just want to be part of this.
So was Imi there?
Yes he was and as a matter of fact he was sitting with some non-dancing people, my friends. He came and he grabbed me and would not take no for an answer. He said come on we’re gonna dance. You know we I’m not I can’t even imagine what he would have done but he sort of dragged me around the floor for a bit and then said you know come in for a lesson and boy I was just completely taken with it from that first moment really.
Do you remember what the first dance was?
Yes, the first dance in my lesson?
No, with Imi. Do you remember what the dance was with him?
Yeah it was Rumba
Perfect
Rubina said that, hers was tragic, mine was more tragic.
Well it couldn’t have been that tragic, because you got through it and he convinced you to take a lesson.
Yes yes, Oh I see what you’re saying. Yeah no. That night we probably danced some sort of disco, maybe hustle or something. But in the lesson the first dance was rumba and it was pretty disastrous.
Well everyone starts from the beginning. So why would you be different right?
Yeah
What is there in particular? So you saw that, you walked in, you saw this new world that you never saw before. But what is it that keeps you here? What is it that drives you to continue to take lessons?
I think being able to dance and this would probably be true of all dance but it’s definitely true of Ballroom. Able to dance is such an incredible gift. It’s the coolest thing in the world and I just want to be part of it. It’s just whether I’m good or bad. I just want to be part of it in my own way as best I can. I just love it.
Do you have a favorite dance?
You know it changes. It depends on what’s going fairly easily and what’s going harder. I’m like Irina. I love Tango. I’ve always loved Tango. I’m beginning to really like waltz and foxtrot which I did not like to begin with. But I’m beginning to appreciate that extra time that you have in the waltz, “one, two, three, one, two, three”. I like having a little more time to articulate my movement and you know it’s a little bit easier I’ve learned.
So how is the given play so you’re obviously being exposed to new things? How does that work with Imi?
Well, you know when he feels that I’m ready for something new. I have to say, all dance teachers are great at immediately giving you things that you can’t do and aren’t good. At the minute you come close to mastering something you’ve got 10 new tasks. You know how this goes. So you never rest on your laurels and there’s no laurels in my case.
Lauren’s laurels
Not Lauren Laurels. Not only do you not relax, yeah into you know self-congratulation. You immediately just have a whole slew of other things. So if the feet are right, then the upper body isn’t, the dance hold isn’t, the head isn’t, the arms are. So it it doesn’t matter what you actually do right there are 20 30 100 more things.
But you have aha moments though don’t you?
Yeah yes yes absolutely and I think that keeps you coming back for more definitely. Now that in my case it hasn’t been I mean I sort of run hot and cold. I’ll be honest, where I feel like I’m just frustrating him, the poor guy. Just you know we get out there. Yes. It’s the same thing he’s been telling me, so it can feel like that for a week or two and then suddenly push past it and that feels really good, really good.
So I read somewhere, or it was an Instagram reel, where this woman was talking about. And she was actually a completely different sport, actually weightlifting. She said a third of the time she feels great, a third of the time she feels okay and then the third time she just feels terrible. Just because it’s hard.
Really?
Because obviously I remembered it, to me it sounded just like my ballroom dancing. One you have one bad lesson and one great lesson and then uhhh.
Yes I like that. I agree. I don’t think my feeling great perhaps might be a little bit lower margin, but on the other hand as I’ve done more as I’ve grown. I actually am feeling more and more confident. I was kind of a basket case my first few years. I was really, I had no confidence Rubina talked about this. So I was fighting myself mentally and emotionally as part of trying to learn to dance, it is hard enough without doing this mental thing. But I got mired in that. I think I’ve really gotten a hold of that. So, a lot of things are easier now that I’ve done better with that.
That’s great. So what do you see for yourself in the future?
I hope I just continue to learn and grow. You know it really is a privilege to be able to do this in so many different ways. And I’m cognizant of that, I appreciate it. I don’t want to get injured. I don’t want to go bankrupt. I want to be able to keep doing this. Also who wants to go bankrupt. But it just I could see this being really a lifelong learning activity.
That’s great. So nice to talk to you about this.
You too Tim
Thank you
Thanks
Sign Up for a Free Intro Lesson!
Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to experience the joy of ballroom dancing. Sign up for a free introductory lesson today and take the first step towards mastering the dance floor!
