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Clara Shih

UBC Dance Club – A Piece of History

Last weekend was the 48th Annual UBC Gala Ball. Being organized entirely by student volunteers of the UBC Dance Club, the Gala Ball always has a very fun, exciting and youthful atmosphere about it… and this year was definitely no exception! Congratulations to all the executives of the Club and the volunteers of the Gala committee for putting on such a great event. read more

Interview with Emanuel & Tania – Part I

At the Snowball Classic earlier this year, Joel and I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the winners of the IDSF Standard event, Emanuel Valeri & Tania Kehlet. Although Emanuel is Italian, the couple represents Denmark and are currently ranked 2nd in the IDSF Standard World Ranking List. Having traveled to Denmark and having trained with their Danish coach, Hans Laxholm, ourselves, Joel and I had a lot to talk to them about. read more

The Olympic Athlete’s State of Mind

One of my favourite things about the Olympic coverage was definitely the interviews that were conducted with the athletes, their coaches and families… The theme that keeps coming back over and over again through these interviews is how important an athlete’s state of mind is. Sure, hard work, of course, is a key ingredient to success. But it definitely isn’t all there is. read more

Olympic Fever!

Oh the Olympic spirit! Is it ever contagious! Everywhere you turn, you can see Vancouverites adorned in red scarves, toques and mittens, with CANADA embroidered across them. The funny thing is, in this beautiful, sunny, 10 degree Vancouver weather, it’s way too warm for these things! But hey, who cares? read more

Interview with Simone & Annette – Part 2

As you can see from this hard working and dedicated couple, success does not come easily. You have to be patient and focused; you have to work hard and be committed; and you have to have faith and believe strongly in what you are doing… All vital ingredients to get you to the top! read more

Interview with Simone & Annette – Part 1

At the Snowball Classic in Vancouver this past weekend, Joel and I had the opportunity to have a chat with two of the couples who were competing in the IDSF Open Standard event. Currently ranked 4th in the IDSF Standard World Ranking List, Simone Segatori & Annette Sudol, representing Germany, were gracious enough to let us publish our conversation together. They were willing to divulge all their ‘secrets’ (well, almost all!) to help inspire up and coming dancers like yourselves. Joel and I used to train and compete with them in England when they were just coming up the ranks, so it was nice to be able to sit down and catch up with them. read more

5 Steps to a Successful Competition

With the Snowball Classic coming up this weekend, I thought it might be useful to remind experienced competitors and inform you new competitors how to make your competition a successful experience. Here are 5 Steps to ensure success! read more

Get rid of the Nervousness and Tension of Being out of your Comfort Zone!

Through this episode of practice in Florida, we heard our own words reverberating in our heads; instead of being directed towards our students, this time to ourselves. If you don’t have the experience of doing something on a regular basis, at the intensity that you expect to perform at, your confidence will not be strong enough to keep you at ease and to enable you to dance at your best. Inevitably, nervousness and tension will come into the mix and your performance will surely be diminished. read more