About Us
Emily Schelstrate
Snog
Emily's first memory of dancing is leaping in circles on the rug in her parent's living room to folk music (The Faerie Round). She recalls being in a beautiful skirt with a scarf trailing from her hand. Emily insists the scarf is very important stating it “takes the dance to a whole new level of beauty.”
At her prom, Emily says she tried to dance the way someone who was having fun would dance, but the attempt was unsuccessfully. She says it mostly involved shaking my arms and my butt without losing her balance. Heels made this a challenge. (Clarification: not the kind attached to your feet, but the kind women wear that are pointy and as painful as they are sexy.)
The thing she would least like to have her dancing described as is "flat," and suggests instead that people in the business of flattery use the word "cinnamurry." Emily, is that a combination of cinnaminy and furry? This may be a food theme you will notice in her; she admitted that she eats ridiculous amounts of peanut butter directly from the jar.
Her heart belongs to the count "7 and." She describes their relationship as extremely passionate—one that demands depth of personality and self-exploration.
7& is the moment of truth. It asks how much you are willing to risk. It is the hold out before the ultimate reward
Emily's two favorite jazz albums are The very best of Stephane Grappelli and Yehudi Menuhin, for anyone who likes jazz violin! She also mentioned that she adores all of the Asylum Street Spankers albums. In the realm of non-jazz, she enjoys The Korngold Violin Concerto as played by Heifetz and Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne, with Anna Moffo, soprano. (Leads and follows be warned, these are not dancing tunes.)
Her favorite experience in a dance is feeling light, "as if I'm no longer myself -- I have become the song" she says. (this will happen to you too after 5 hours of continuous dancing)
Emily's advice to new dancers:
“Enjoy yourself and the music. You always learn better, both your body and mind, when you are not resisting what you are doing. If you feel like a total clutz, laugh. Isn't it funny that someone who has been walking, running, swimming, using his/her body for however many years of his/her life, can suddenly think he/she actually can't move with coordination? That's funny.”
She says her favorite thing about the Austin lindy scene is the commeraderie. "The people are sooo friendly and enthusiastic. Seriously guys, if you aren't aware of this then you need to get up the guts to go talk to someone (talk to me!). It's not like this everywhere. Count your lucky stars."