How Shuffling Saved Me

by: Blair Williams

Dance enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time. About a year ago, my life was a complete mess.

I was unhappy with who I was, and unhappy with the relationship I was in.

My self-confidence had slowly worn down, and I was hiding under a shell trying to be like everyone else around me.

I grew up in a conservative and sheltered home, so ever since a kid, I was very shy and scared to be anything but what I had always been.

I never in my life dreamed of dancing. I was too self-conscious, and clumsy, to try.

In a very difficult time in my life, when I wasn’t sure where I was going, I noticed the art of shuffling.

Like many others, I noticed Vanessa Seco first.

I was intrigued by how she moved, I couldn’t believe anyone could do this with their feet and body!

I wanted to learn!

I had EDC Orlando coming up, and I wanted so badly to not look like an idiot! I watched tutorials by Emylee Ratzlaff and Vanessa Seco.

I for sure did not master anything before the festival, but something about dancing made me forget reality for a bit.

Then, 2020 hit, and my desire to change many aspects of my life grew stronger every day.

I was out of work, my relationship failed, and I had to move back in with my dad.

Festivals and shows were no longer happening, so I didn’t have anywhere to channel that energy or any fellow ravers to socialize with.

Around the same time, I found @shuffle.fitness on Instagram.

I highly recommend starting there if you want to learn, I still participate in the monthly group chats!

I was amazed at all of the tutorials they posted daily and how they broke things down so simply that even people like me who had never danced a day in their life could understand.

I slowly started gaining muscle memory, I was curing lockdown boredom, and my confidence started to come back.

It was a win-win!

A few months later, one of the founders of the group, Alex @alchemyxadventures, caught my attention with her skills.

She started @shuffleshred, a program that combines HIIT style workouts, while drilling a set shuffle move for the day via live zoom calls and coaching.

I decided to give it a go, and let me just say, wow, my progress skyrocketed!

The most difficult moves for me to understand were made easy and she got me, of all people, to grasp and perform choreography!

Looking back at where I was before I started compared to today is so wild!

The best advice I can give for any new shuffler, is to be patient and practice!

Don’t expect it to happen overnight, and DO NOT compare yourself to others.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Everyone starts somewhere!

And if you're looking for cute outfits to shuffle in at home or at your next event, check out the amazing store here at Rave Bae Couture! 💚

About the author: Blair Williams