So what is my book about? Hmmm. That is a loaded question for several reasons. Did you catch my post from last week? It’s just hard to give you one simple sentence when there is so much involved.
When I first started working on “Conflicted with Joy,” my original goal was to write exclusively ABOUT our beloved dance studio – – Joy of Motion Dance Center, formerly from Bethesda, Maryland. The studio had been through a doozy of a public relations nightmare in 2020. Their actions led to several unflattering local news stories that sort of destroyed their reputation and credibility. It was all incredibly heartbreaking.
I contacted the management, Board of Directors, and dance instructors directly. For a variety of reasons, no one wanted to talk to me. That was odd. Here I was trying to unearth the truth, get to the heart of the matter, and get answers about the studio in the most professional way.
As a former parent of students who took classes at Joy of Motion, I had access to personal information. Yet, I chose to do this professionally by conducting myself as any respectable journalist would have done. I sent professional e-mails, was clear in my intentions, and asked for clarification on numerous situations that had occurred in 2020. If anybody would have the answers, it would have been those working for Joy of Motion.
Months passed and I got frustrated and burnt out with the lack of cooperation. Coincidentally, my work with my regular freelance writing increased exponentially and I was busier than ever. On top of being frustrated and overworked, nothing was being done on my book, “Conflicted with Joy.”
How could I say with a straight face that I was writing ABOUT Joy of Motion when no one from the studio would agree to talk to me? None of that made any sense, but my heart was unsettled. I couldn’t let go of the memories. I couldn’t get past the fact that stuff went down and I had to write about it, even with the limited information I had.
This was the first thing that made me change my focus. I started concentrating less on Joy of Motion ITSELF and started putting more weight on my personal experience as a dance mom. The dance mom is the person in charge of the dance education of the children. It’s not just loving the studio straight out – – it encompasses a host of sacrifices made at the family level.
As I started to slowly change my focus and realize I was no longer able to fulfill my original mission, I decided to change and make my story more about me and my unique experiences and visions with dance, and less about the studio.
Dance means different things for many people. For me, it has been a celebration of happiness, joy, and fulfillment. THAT has been worth writing about.
I will continue these thoughts on Wednesday.
