Dance!!!

OK, I'm thinking a little west coast cha cha cha in the driveway...

Boo But No Boohoo

When Gary and I first realized our budget would not allow for an away trip this Halloween I was sad. I love trying new places, especially on Halloween because that’s out anniversary. And it’s Halloween, the night where you can be and see anything.

But I didn’t stay down long. First, my anniversary is my anniversary no matter what, and I’m married to the best guy on earth. Second, Halloween is spooky and magical wherever you are. And third, Indy is a rockin’ place if you dance; you could go every night of the week if you wanted to.

Our first Halloween party this year was with Indy Dancers. We always attend this event even when we do travel. As usual, it was really fun. Great costumes and a wonderful zombie inspired exhibition. Here’s a picture of my favorite costumes:



And then this weekend we are attending a Halloween dance at the Indy Singles that we’ve never been to, so home still has venues to discover. Can’t wait!!!!

The Other Brother

As A kid I remember a story about the biblical Prodigal Son. Essentially, there were two brothers. One was “good” and did what the parents said, the other was “bad” and ran off. When the Prodigal Son returns the family rejoices and they have a big dinner. The good son is like hey, you never did that for me and I was always good, and the dad says you are being selfish so shut up and be happy over your brother’s return.

I always felt sorry for the good brother.

You may think I'm veering off in another direction but wait for it...I love the Grateful Dead. But seeing them in concert was a roll of the dice. You always wondered if a concert would be good; Jerry Garcia was known for forgetting lyrics, and sometimes the band was just not as stellar as they could be.

So what do you say when a band is always, consistently, good every time you see them? A band that thinks about their crowd and adjusts for who is there and what sort of venue it is? Whose selections of songs is vast and varied? Whose members are all talented and skilled? Who are friendly and talks to everyone?

What you say is wow. These days when gas is expensive and ten bucks a pop to get in hurts more than it used to, it’s wonderful to know that your experience is always going to be good. Like the rest of us, sometimes band members may not feel it some nights and I’m sure they have problems just like the rest of us. But dang, Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band delivers every time.

Thanks guys, for a fabulous evening. Just like last time. And next time.

Crossing and Stepping

Gary and I have really been getting into our cross step waltz. We had a breakthrough ourselves a few weeks ago on the dance floor, and our beloved Melissa is now helping us integrate ballroom waltz moves into the CSW.

At some point we want to take a few lessons with Richard Powers, world renowned CSW (and many many other dances) instructor. He believes in creativity and individual style, as demonstrated from the excerpt below on teaching.

Wow.

Teaching experienced dancers

I'm sometimes surprised to see a professional dance teacher who apparently hasn't thought through the difference between teaching beginning versus experienced dancers. Where do I see this most clearly? In the strictness of detail demanded when it comes to personal style. Beginning and advanced dancers have very different needs and wishes in this area.

When teaching beginners, who are a clean slate, of course you'll teach them the version you think is best, with all of the stylistic details for your preferred form.

But when your students have been dancing for years or decades, they've already developed their personal style. First, they're probably happy with the dancer they've become, and they're taking your class to learn more useful variations and partnering tips from you, not dismantle the dancer they've become. Secondly, they probably couldn't change their personal style if they tried.

The aware teacher will work from this platform (their personal style), giving their experienced students useful new material for them to integrate into their dancing. The unaware teacher will dismiss their students' accumulated style as "incorrect" and attempt to tear it down, hoping to rebuild their student back up in the teacher's preferred style. That's not going to happen! If you attempt to do that, they'll think, "I can't learn from this teacher!" and not come back. And they'll justifiably resent the disrespect of a teacher dismissing their personal style.

You may find it difficult to be patient with experienced dancers who appear to be "doing it wrong," which often means they're merely dancing in styles different from your preferred style. So how should you respond? (A) Dismiss their dancing style, making them wary, defensive or resentful? Or (B), see the class from their point of view. Why are they taking your class? Probably to learn new figures and become better dancers, based on the dancer they are. I recommend approach B.

I'm Going!

Brickyard Boogie Dancers

Happy 9th birthday! It was a year ago last Saturday that our beloved Boogie club closed due to lack of funds. I'm happy to report they are now thriving. We had a fab pitch in dinner and of course, out-of-this-world dancing.

Thanks, Ron, for not giving up.

Halloween Tango

The tango's kinda spooky anyway, don't you think? :-)

Wecome Autumn

Ah, fall's back again. Summer is great with the warm weather and vacation at the beach and all of that stuff, but fall is a dancing season. The cool air fills the body with energy and wearing a jacket and tie isn't a punishment designed to be especially hard on those who dance with a little energy. And that doesn't count the coming holidays, masquerade parties, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are all wonderful times to dance.

I especially like Halloween and New Year's because they're associated with costume balls. An opportunity to become someone else for a few hours should never be passed up, especially when mixed with good music and good company. It's a transformative time and with all that's passed throughout the 2011 I'm looking forward to some change. So, here's to fall. Here's to change, here's to transformation, and here's to the coming dance season. Hopefully, I'll get to spend a little more time writing for the blog and thinking about dance.