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Clara Shih

The Magic of Friendship and Goodwill

Last weekend was our annual December Magic year-end party. Every year, we are so tired by the end of the fall season, teaching numerous group lessons (our Rising Star Squad & UBC Dance Club) and preparing our students for various competitions (like the Grand Ball & Holiday Dance Classic), that Joel often becomes quite reluctant to hold December Magic. Every year, I push and I shove, and we end up having a great time! This time, after our 6th year of hosting December Magic, we are once again both happy that we organized such a fun event for everyone to enjoy! read more

Life is not Fair!

The great thing about competition is… Anyone can enter! Whether you’re tall, short, blonde, brunette, rich, poor, experienced or not … you can enter the competition nevertheless! Anyone can participate, and anyone can have a truly rewarding experience from it! read more

Competitions: Giving You The Extra Push You Need

I remember back when I was an amateur competitor, one of my friends (outside the dance community) asked me why I chose to dance competitively. At the time, I was at the height of my competitive career, and I thought to myself, ‘The answer is obvious! First of all, I love to perform and second of all, I feed off of the competitive atmosphere, as it drives me to reach greater and greater heights.’ read more

Spreading the Love

The other day, I took the Canada Line downtown to get my haircut at a long-time friend and fellow dancer’s hair salon: Kanai Hairstyling. It was a fun little trip. I felt like I was on vacation, because whenever I take the subway anywhere, it’s usually when I’m a tourist in another city, like Toronto, London, Paris or Tokyo. Having the new subway in Vancouver makes me feel like I’m a tourist in my own town. It’s great! read more

Commitment and Clarity of Intention

Oh, the smell of fall… It never fails that shortly after Embassy, when Joel and I get home, the sun disappears, the air becomes a little crisper and the first drops of rain bring in the new season. Fall is definitely upon us, and after basking in the sun on my very relaxing California vacation, I’m ready to get back to work again. In fact, after having a fantastic visit with Luca & Loraine here in Vancouver less than a month ago, I am fully inspired and raring to go! read more

Connecting, Listening and a Passion for Life

These days, it seems to be so hard to connect with people. Everyone is so busy and preoccupied with all the things we have stacked on our plates, that we tend to forget the people who are living and breathing around us. How often do we go to Starbucks and barely acknowledge the barista or cashier, because we just want to grab our coffee and go? How about in the elevator or on the sidewalk? How many times have we tried to avert people’s eyes instead of giving a genuine smile and an honest hello? read more

My Role as a Dance Doctor

As a dance teacher, I often see myself as an investigative doctor. My patient comes to me with a bunch of symptoms, and I need to detect the underlying cause. Whether they have symptoms of fatigue, gapping, racing ahead of the music or being unable to dance together in harmony, it’s up to me to find out why this is happening. I need to assess the situation thoroughly, find the infection and kill it before it’s too late! read more

Decisions, Decisions… Making it Worthwhile

Because there is indeed limited time, energy and (for most of us) money, we need to prioritize what we do from day to day… What is going to make something more worthwhile for you? Definitely, we’ve seen that financial viability is a big determining factor, as always… What else can we possibly change? read more

Living the Italian Dream: Part II – How it all began

Sometimes I wonder in amazement, how Joel and I even got to have two such amazing people as Luca & Loraine in our lives… I always wonder how if one little thing had happened differently along the way, perhaps we would never have met them and our students would not have had the opportunity to benefit from their teaching. As a result, my life definitely wouldn’t have been the same, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today. read more

Living the Italian Dream: Part I – Studio Danze Baricchi

Oh the heat! Having a West-facing apartment, Joel and I have been just baking at our place for the past two days! It reminds me of those hot Italian summers when we lived in Italy. I remember it being so unbearably hot in the studio (cuz it didn’t have air conditioning) that we’d go and practice from 11pm to 2am in the morning! Those were crazy days, but when you’re insanely neurotic about dancing (as we are), you do anything to improve! read more