24 SIDELINES AUGUST 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Jane and Moshi
Jane and her dance partner competing. Rhythm dances are all
about energy and tempo — just like dressage.
The smooth dances in ballroom show off Jane’s elegance.
enjoys the creative and artistic aspects of ballroom dancing. .
“I look at a dressage arena and it’s like a canvas,” she said. “I’m
painting a picture on a canvas. When I look at a dance floor, it’s
also a canvas. It’s like living art.”
She said the talented dance instructors at the Fred Astaire Dance
Studio in West Palm Beach, Florida, thought it would be good for
her to try a variety of eight different dances to see what appealed
to her. However, with her detail-oriented dressage mindset, she
wanted to focus on just a few dances so they happily customized
and tailored Jane’s program to suit her goals of concentrating on
a few dances and doing them well.
“I said, ‘You have to understand. After 55 years on a 20-meter
circle, I guarantee I will not get bored,’” she said. “They found out
what I wanted and adjusted it to the way I wanted to be taught.
They found out I really love drilling down into the details and the
nuances. We dissect stuff and talk about what happens when you
engage a certain muscle on your right side and what that does to
your left side. I’m 100 percent mentally and physically engaged in
what we’re doing. “
She hadn’t planned on competing, but after attending a
competition, she fell in love with the gorgeous gowns and
costumes.
“It’s like dressing up,” she said. “They do your hair and make-
up. It’s like being Cinderella.”
She’s found that she especially enjoys competition and that
there are levels of expertise and competition, just as in dressage.
She also appreciates the performance aspect of ballroom dancing.
“Each dance has a particular character and you’re basically
acting when you do these dances,” she said. “Waltz is very dreamy
and like a princess, foxtrot is kind of cheeky and fun, and rhumba
is very sexy and sensual. Every dance has a character so you not
only have to connect with your partner but you have to connect
with the audience because you have to show the character of the
dance within your attitude and your face.”
Jane added, “I wanted to dance for the same reasons I wanted
to do dressage. And now, I’m completely addicted to dance.”
Jane hopes to realize her dream of competing on
Dancing
With the Stars
and has a Facebook page devoted to the cause,
Equestrian Jane Savoie on Dancing With the Stars (www.
facebook.com/JaneSavoieDWTS).
