I'm Back!

Well, the computer is (mostly) back and as you’ve probably noticed I’ve had a little time to take down the Yuletide decorations and put up something more in keeping with the season. It feel good to be back at my desk again, putting virtual ink to page and finally starting 2013.

This year promises to be a great one Blue Suede Souls land. We’ve purchased our Indiana Roof Big Band Series tickets, and will be attending the first concert of the 2013 season tomorrow. We’re also working hard on expanding our dance experiences, traveling to new and interesting venues, and generally having a good time. So, how about a belated welcome to the New Year and a look at my BSS Resolutions.

I think it's good to have goals. Without them I feel like I'm simply showing up and, if watching sports has taught me anything, there are no prizes for just showing up. This year my dance resolutions are:

1. To learn about the history and origins of the dances we’re learning.
2. To expand my dance repertoire by adding Tango to the Latin-style dances I know.
3. To visit at least one new, never-danced-before venue.
4. To let the little things go and just enjoy dancing.

There it is, four simple resolutions for 2013. Let’s see if I can remember to write an end of the year post to let you know how I did at attaining my goals.

Neat Stuff: Holographic Dance Floor

It’s not quite the holodeck, but it’d be cool to dance on a floor decorated with holograms. Though I guess it’d make those who don’t pay attention to what they’re doing pay even less attention!

In Case You Noticed...

In case you’ve noticed the lingering holiday decorations, I wanted to say we’ve had a bit of a computer problem that’s preventing me doing any graphics work. I didn’t want you to start singing that “redneck girl” song – you know, about leaving my Christmas lights up all year long? Anyway, as soon as I can get the computer repaired I’ll have our standard BSS banner up again.

So Cute!!!!

The Moo

Well…we did it, we joined The Loyal Order of Moose.


Two things had stopped us before…the smoke and ‘club requirements.’ Gary and I aren't ‘clubby’ people, even though we are members of three dance clubs. Dance clubs are mostly about dancing…if you want to be more involved you can be, but extra participation isn’t required.

We love our clubs but wanted some more dance venues, and there is nothing better than a good old fashioned Moose club for that…they usually have dancing at least two nights a week, sometimes more.

We’ve seen quite a lot of Moose clubs over the last few years, because one of our dance clubs, Indy Dancers, uses the facilities of two of them. We really like it there…the Moose people have always been friendly and welcoming. The interior is a little dusty, a little retro, and until recently, a whole lot of smoky. The clubs are in the process of choosing if they want a smoke free space (a private club can do that), but the tide is turning, and many of them are now smoke free, including the venues we dance at. So the smoke problem is eliminated, or soon will be.

For the ‘club requirements’ issue, we knew the Moose wasn’t much on secret handshake stuff…they originated as a men’s social club and never went in for much of that. I had read somewhere that they do require you to believe in a ‘supreme being’ which as Gary said that could be anything, but I don’t like be told I HAVE to, whether I do or not.

Nevertheless, last Friday we made our way to the local Moo, having decided that we really did want to join. My plan while acknowledging a supreme being would be to have one of the Muppets in my head just to be ornery. I think Gary was going to contemplate some kind of spaghetti monster during his moment. But we didn’t have to. We were met at the door by a very nice man who simply said wanna see the place? We did, and he gave us a brief tour. Bar, check. Restaurant, check. Pool tables, bingo room, check, check. Dance floor, yeeha! It was huge! After that he said do you want to be members, we said yes, filled out a short form that had our address and phone number on it, paid 90 bucks for our yearly fee, and that was that.

No supreme being question or anything else…just nice friendly folks, like what we’ve come to expect at the Moose. And while we did join to dance, there are other benefits as well. Lots of discounts, a wonderful kid charity called Mooseheart, and an old folks home in Florida called Moosehaven. Gary and I will probably never use it, but it’s nice to know if we wanted to we could don antlers, kick the ‘real’ old people off the dance floor, and cut a rug.

And we get to call each other Moosies.

Pork and Beans

Since January is the month of resolutions and diets, I thought I’d focus on a food-related cover this month. Pork and Beans is a one/two-step written in 1913 by a fellow with the unusual name of C. Luckyth Roberts. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of another person with the moniker “Luckyth”, and it’s unusual enough that I think I would remember if I had. Mr. Roberts is far from a lost name in ragtime, stride piano, and blues music, though.


Charles Roberts was born in 1887 in Philadelphia, PA and began his showbiz life early, touring with the Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company at the age of three and later with Gus Seeker’s and Mayme Remington’s Ethiopian Prodigies. He took up the piano at five and first played professionally in Philadelphia and moved to Harlem, NY in 1910.

Roberts founded the Harlem piano school, writing rags that inspired more complex compositions later in the ragtime era. Roberts influenced ragtime greats such as James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Willie-the-Lion Smith. Roberts toured Europe with James Reese Europe in 1915 and was music director for The Smart Set, a review show with a connection to Logansport, IN through its founders Salem Tutt Whitney and J. Homer Tutt, between 1913 and 1919. Roberts played Carnegie Hall and remained active as a soloist and band leader into the 1960’s.

As for the sheet music art, it’s a kind of cubist rendition of a pig apparently contemplating contributing to the bean pot. I’m always a little weirded out by artwork that features animals gladly going to slaughter or talking food and this one’s no exception. It’s a pretty simple image, nice bold colors, an easy connection with the theme. I even found a very nice recording of Pork and Beans on YouTube.

Hands Hands and More Hands

Last year I posted something about a women's Latin hand styling called 'holding the egg.' Essentially, you pretend like you are holding said object gently between your thumb and middle finger, all while slowly rotating your wrist and moving your arm up and down. Oh, and while the other other arm/hand is doing the opposite. Gracefully. All at once. When I first started practicing I felt like I was doing that rub your stomach while patting your head thing.

I sought out Latin stylings because in general I don't like the ballroom ones. Nothing wrong with them, just not for me. This year I want to expand, so I started with a review of the Latin egg.



I also looked at belly dancing hand motions, which are remarkably similar, albeit a little more fluid.


  Then I found flamenco. I love love LOVE these stylings. They too remind me of both Latin and belly dancing, perhaps a bit more complicated.




What really blew me away was when I looked at Balinese hand movements, which I'd  never paid that much attention to because the head movements are so interesting. But look at the hands! They have that same, middle finger first, slowly undulating turn.

To me, this style is very feminine, artistic, and empowering. I like the fact that it seems to be cross cultural. And it's ancient, so perhaps some part of me is reaching way back there to touch the fingers of a long lost sister. Shiver.  

Welcome to 2013

Well dance friends, its New Year’s Day and I hope you’re not nursing too bad a hangover after last night’s bacchanalia. We had a grand time dancing and dining the last hours of 2012 away at Starlight Ballroom last night. As the champagne toasts finished up and the last strains of Auld Lang Syne died away, the evening left me thinking back to the year that was and all that happened.

In 2012 we decided not to go on any dance trips. We’d hoped to make the trip to Chicago for Halloween, but jobs and circumstance conspired and we decided to spend the holiday in Indy dancing with Indy Dancers, Brickyard Boogie Dancers, and Indy Singles. We started Tango lessons and learned some Swango moves to add to our West Coast Swing. We made some great friends in 2012 and met some great dancers, people who have made dancing even more fun.

What does 2013 hold for us? More Tango and Swango, that’s for certain. We’re also contemplating travelling for some lessons during the year, but we’ll have to wait to see how those pan out. Mostly we’ve made a pact to focus on developing our style to play to our strengths and minimize our weaknesses and, as always, having fun and writing about it here!

Happy New Year

This year Gary and I attended a New Year's Eve bash thrown by the Starlite Ballroom here in Indy, a mere ten minutes from our home, always nice but especially so when the event lasts until after midnight. The food was good, the exhibitions fun to watch, but the best part was being with good friends and of course the love of my life.

I hope you all find something this year that makes you as happy as dancing has made us.

Happy New Year!!!