My friend Stephanie, a badass woman, wife, and mother of two, started shuffling in 2020 at age 33. She has always loved dance but thought she was too old to start and never took that leap. But something changed. She took that leap, and her shuffling journey began, changing her life in the best way possible.
Now I know what you’re thinking: What the hell is shuffling? I had the same thought when I first heard about it, so you’re not alone. Shuffling is a high-energy dance style characterized by quick footwork, sliding, and gliding movements. It is often performed in electronic or dance music.
During the lockdown in 2020, Stephanie found more than just a dance; she found a community. She stumbled upon tutorials on shuffling, and something clicked for her. She fell in love with it and started following people who were doing this, which helped her find her community. Finally, she had a place to let go and express herself and be surrounded by like-minded people who shared her passion.
Over the years, she has practiced and practiced.
By doing this, she found what she loves and changed her life in so many ways. She has found an outlet that she loves, boosted her confidence, and also lost some weight.
Because of her dedication and love for shuffling, Stephanie recently started teaching shuffling to beginners at a Dance Studio in the Hudson Valley area. Her students have even performed at local events, showcasing their skills.
What I find most inspiring about Stephanie’s journey is that not only did she take that bold leap, but now she teaches others to do the same in their own way. That is incredible in my eyes.
So, what’s the next phase of my friend’s dancing journey?
She wants to finish building a shuffle shed for her and her students to practice, continuing to develop a shuffling community in the Hudson Valley.
If you would like to help build this shed and, more importantly, create a stronger community of shufflers, consider donating to this GoFundMe. You can also see the difference it can make in a person’s life.
In society, we rarely, if ever, pursue what we want because we are scared we are too old or not skilled enough. So we just stay in our boxes, where we are comfortable and know the routine.
But what if we took a page from my friend’s book and took that leap anyway? I know one thing: Doing things we want, even when scared, shows us how brave we are. We desperately need to start doing this because I think we will all be happier in our lives if we do.
Featured image via Gabriel Augusto on Pexels
