Sundance Studios is taking on a new look and a new role as a ballroom dance outfitter! Expect pictures of all our new exciting designs, colors, and custom rhinestoning. We are currently taking custom orders and alterations while working on a line of practice wear. Contact us for more information!

I have embarked on the most difficult month of my life – an elimination diet. I have been having random allergic reactions over the past year to different foods, all seeming to be unrelated. After doing some research, my triggers all appear to be related because of high histamine levels, which puts me having more of a histamine intolerance instead of true food allergies. I have narrowed the ingredients down to a few potential triggers – nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes) and citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits). Usually, I just try to avoid having a lot of these foods and I’m ok, but when I have what my body considers too much, I break out in super itchy hives. The last straw for me was this past week when I had orange juice 3 days in a row. I scratched myself so hard I ended up with bruises (yes, I was that itchy). I hate not knowing all of my triggers since this is a relatively new thing for me. So my diet for the next month is super low histamine, anti-inflammatory, and with few irritants – no nightshades, no citrus, no nuts, wheat, soy, corn, dairy, coffee, sugar, etc. I know, what do I eat since I’m already vegetarian? Its actually not terrible when you get creative. Day 1 I ate rice cakes with apple butter, a banana, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, blueberries, cucumber, and hummus. Delicious and healthy. I miss some of the treats, ice cream, bread, cheese, but I think I’ll survive.

When I actually have free time, I love to cook… and to eat. This year’s goal is to eat better, lighter, lower carbs, more fruits and vegetables. Clean. So of course I rely on the internet to find new easy recipes that will satisfy me and my omnivore boyfriend. Today’s cooking adventures I put in the win column. Breakfast for me was orange juice and an english muffin in between yoga classes, nothing fancy, no prep involved. But later I made brunch and dinner for us – Sweet potato protein pancakes and scrambled eggs (and a mimosa for me!) for brunch, Zoodles with “meat” sauce (Gardein beefless ground) and herb potatoes for dinner. The pancakes were a bit dense, but kept me full for hours, which I never experience with traditional flour pancakes. And Gavin ate both meals, even with dinner being nearly vegan (the parmesan cheese on top took it out of the vegan category)! Super satisfied today with healthy vegetarian meals 🙂

I love zoodles! And all other veggie noodles… and spaghetti squash. Super easy to make with a spiralizer, way healthier than white pasta, and still delicious! I found this chicken parm recipe that uses zoodles and I just had to share. Vegetarians like me can still benefit from its goodness by replacing the chicken with your favorite protein substitute. I think I might try it with Quorn chik’n cutlets!

May your holiday season be filled with love and gratitude.

Hello September! This is the only time of the year, besides New Years, where a fresh start feels possible, which I will attribute to the end of summer vacations and the start of a new school year. While I’m not in school myself and haven’t gotten much time away, I definitely feel the affects of the end of the season through my students and their lives.

Summer is such a nice, relaxed season, but everyone gets lazy during it. I am no exception, as you can see from my blog hiatus. Time to get back at it! And time to get in shape, finally. Ok, I’m not in terrible shape. I know plenty of people who would love to have my body. I’m 33 years old, 5’4″, 130 pounds, and a size 4. Sounds pretty good, right? Except I have 24% body fat. I’m what they call skinny fat. I’m a decent size and can make it through a workout, but I’m flabby and soft in all the wrong places. In normal clothes its not so bad, but put me in sparkly spandex dance costume and you see every little bit of pudge. I would love to be able to wear any dress, but many of the ones my boss has offered for me to borrow from her look terrible on me because of wear I’m holding fat. My goal before my next competition (Halloween!) is to lower my body fat and start getting cut.

Here’s the plan:

Reduce bad carbohydrates (so hard! sugar always tastes so good and is in everything!)

Drink more water (65 ounces each day!)

Exercise! My exercise plan incorporates cardio and weights. A good variety of exercises should keep me from getting bored, and having numbers to challenge me I should stay motivated. I’ll be mixing Zumba, T-25, weight training, and some basic treadmill running to go along with my already established yoga and dance training. Wish me luck! I’m hoping to have results like this:

Yes, you read that right, chocolate coconut peanut butter. Its my new addiction. Wild Friends is a company based in Oregon and its products are all natural (some ingredients are organic!), non-gmo, and made in the USA. You can probably use it on toast, crackers, fruits, etc., but I just eat it with a spoon 🙂

If you haven’t tried avocado toast, you absolutely must! Delicious, healthy, creamy, filling, and juicy all at the same time. For a little extra kick, splash your favorite hot sauce on top. Check out mindbodygreen’s recipe for the basics.

Kennedy and I had an awesome gig last night. We got hired to perform, teach, and, of course, dance at a private house party. Great couple hosting the party, super fun guests who got very into the Latin theme set by our hosts. Everyone had a great time eating, drinking, and dancing the night away, and we even got a great thank you letter for helping to create memories that no one will forget. But that made me think about our performance and how the guests viewed it… through a camera lens. Our professional performance was done in a small room in the house that was cleared out to become a dance floor for the party. We danced our cha cha routine close enough to our audience that we could have touched them for dramatic effect. Yet, even with us being so close, half of the guests watched us perform through their phones while they were recording it. I don’t mind pictures and videos, but I feel like you are losing out on the experience. How often do you have professional dancers performing specifically for you in your living room? Watching through a lens puts a barrier between you and a once in a lifetime event. When you are presented with a similar situation, please take a moment to decide what will really create the best memory for you and help you enjoy the moment to its fullest.