Commonly, Murphy’s Law is referred to adages, with a base statement of “Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong”. Since, The Law is more of an application of quotes to life scenarios, let’s apply some of them to our beloved Ballroom Dance industry.
1. If anything can go wrong, it will!
Classic! A typical scenario of a move you least expect to go wrong, goes wrong. Yep! The one you’ve flawlessly execute all the time, this time goes sour. On the other hand, that Pain-In-The-Ass move you’ve practiced so hard and were anxious about, comes out clean!
2. No talent will ever fulfill a want for more detail.
When you constantly change parts of your choreography, and then you break it down to individual moves and work through them in depth and meticulosity. And then, you do it all over again with other dances. But, after a while, you decide that it is not detailed enough… Congratulations, you’re a talent!
3. Whatever happened to you, most likely happened to someone you know, but much worse.
I thought my life was miserable, when… My pants ripped at the zipper thread, in the final round dancing Jive. And then I find out that, my friend’s pants ripped at the crotch area, all the way up to his belt, in the same final in ChaCha.
4. Lost is found in the last place you looked. (Or when it’s not needed anymore)
My partner lost an earring. We looked for it everywhere – our hotel room, lobby, practice floor, washrooms, checked all our clothes and practice clothes… Nowhere to be found! Ended up going to the vendors and buying a new pair. The damn thing was found in her makeup purse after we’ve danced, and, I swear, I checked it TWICE!
5. To your every Expression, there is a Judgement
Even if your performance felt so good, there will be a person who didn’t like it. And, sometimes, you’re not happy how you danced, and people congratulate you. Go figure!
6. The best Outcomes come from Mistakes
Oh, boy! We have the whole article dedicated to mistakes!
7. The one who Pays Less, complains the Most.
I bet, every teacher had a student that wanted a discount. And, after that, they would still complain that they are paying too much.
8. Those who Can – Do. Those who Can’t – Teach. Those who Can’t Teach – Teach “How” to Teach.
I’m just gonna leave this one here, and let you decide if you’ve ever seen something/experienced something like that in your dance lives.
9. First 90% of your Work takes 10% of your Time, last 10% of your Work takes 90% of your Time.
In the first 10 minutes of practice, you put a new routine together with your partner. And, the next 2 hours you argue it all up, make adjustments, and end up with only slight changes.
10. Team work is extremely important! It allows you to blame your partner.
I don’t think this one needs a ballroom dance explanation – *wink wink*, *nudge nudge*.
PS. The best part is – no matter what universe throws at us, but if a ballroom dancer has decided to perform, then, that shall be done with a smile on!
Author: Egor Shalvarov
Photography: Elena Anashina Photography
Exclusively for Dance Comp Review