I spend a lot of time doing various activities in X...
...especially as there is quite a lot do here to begin with! From playing basketball or beach volleyball, to booking dance studios to practice dance, or cooking with friends in the Freetown Kitchen. I think that says on the versatility of my time in X. I must say that I also really enjoy the Body Power ticket hour, and I like keeping part of the musicians community X fosters. The Open Mic nights for instance were monumental in getting me and a friend, who I play in a duet with, to play live for the very first time! That was such a delightful experience!
My interest in dance and music...
...actually started in X a few years back funnily enough and during the first few days of me being in Delft. I was coming back from a jazz piano Free Try-Out that I found quite interesting, and I was heading back home (essentially lectures early the following morning and I had to cook), but I ran into a bunch of people dancing to swing jazz music in the Foyer and I found it really amazing to watch on by. That was until someone asked me to join in, despite having never partner danced before. And that was practically my first time dancing Lindy Hop! From there on I loved the music, the welcoming community, and I just took the Lindy Hop classes back then. Fast-forward a few years later, and I'm still doing it at Delft Blue Suede Shoes (and even teaching a bit of it).It was also through that community I met others who were into a similar music taste, so figured the playing instruments part came complimentary!
Dancing and playing instruments are great activities...
...to destress, find creativity and headspace, and in turn motivate you to get back to your studies. I think that mindset's allowed me to really boost my focus when needed, but also not explicitly count the hours I spend on them.
X absolutely sparked an interest in discovering new dance styles! Lindy Hop might have been my first, but I've grown a knack for trying out different partnered and solo dance styles through meeting other people in the dance community. I've been fortunate enough to join and experience all three dance associations in Delft (Blue Suede Shoes, SoSalsa, and Dynamic), and that largely stemmed from events (such as the Let's Dance event in X last year or during OWee) where you can get inspired to try out what each has to offer!
While I did start doing that venturing outside of X...
...and I'd always initially think that I couldn't possibly find more dance styles to enjoy or try-out, I came across the Bachata Sensual course this quarter and I've been super hooked on it (shout out to Zoë)! So there's always more to dip your foot into, and 'm quite certain I'll find some more cool activities to try-out in the future in X.
I also recently joined a photo shoot for X. I've never really "modelled" before, and I actually just do photography myself a lot. Problem with that is you're hardly ever in the picture yourself (wink). So figured it'd be a cool opportunity to see what I actually look like in a picture, while being able to showcase one of the few activities I love and what I recently got into at D.S.D.A. Dynamic: Breakdancing!
