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Friday Night Dance Parties lessons social dancing Uncategorized

Poll: Fall Workshop Ideas

At last night’s dance we floated the idea of offering a workshop in conjunction with one of our upcoming dances, probably in early fall.  We want to get some feedback about what people are interested in.  We are considering offering 2 or 3 one-hour workshop sessions in the afternoon, followed by a dinner break, and then our dance in the evening. Everyone could sign up for the session(s) they want to attend.

To give us some specific feedback, could you please take a minute to answer the following poll?  The link will take you to the poll Web site. Thank you!
Click Here to take survey

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Friday Night Dance Parties social dancing

Sunday Night Dance Parties, recent and future

Thanks to everyone who braved the heat in order to attend, last night was another successful Sunday Night Dance Party.  We heard and appreciated some very kind compliments about our musical selections and discussed some great ideas for future Sunday night events.  Here are some pictures from last night:

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behind the curtain lessons

Chicken arms, beach balls, and a sharp poke in the knee

I spent 2 hours yesterday at a workshop at Academy Ballroom in Atlanta learning tango technique from Eddie Ares & Nancy Senner and spins/turns technique for Latin & Rhythm from Jorge Morales.  It was lots of hard work for brain and body but so worth it.  Watching experts like Eddie, Nancy, and Jorge break down the basics of solid dance technique serves as a reminder of how important those basics are.  Improving the basics like posture and frame makes even the most simple steps look more “advanced” because the dancer looks so much more polished and in control when doing the steps.  Plus, correct posture and a solid frame are essentials for good leading and following.

Chicken arms and beach balls are two images that Eddie used in his part of the workshop to illustrate points about proper dance position.  One of the advantages to taking workshops from different instructors is hearing ideas expressed in different ways.  In two hours yesterday I learned only one thing that totally was new to me (and it was a biggie), but I heard a lot of things I already thought I knew explained and broken down in ways that will help me remember and practice them.  We are planning to start taking some private lessons with Eddie and I can’t wait to be exposed to more of his teaching style.

Hopefully we’ll start lessons with Eddie in about two weeks.  Daniel saw his orthopedist again on Friday after an MRI on Monday.  The orthopedist said he had a muscle sprain in his knee that had caused the joint to become inflamed.  He had to have an injection into the joint which is supposed to coat the joint and allow the inflammation to heal; he is also taking anti-inflammatories every day for two weeks.  Once the two weeks is up, he should be healed up and ready to dance again.  Hooray!

Tonight is our monthly Sunday Night Dance Party at the Howard Community Club, 6:30-9:30 p.m.  Hope to see you there!

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Friday Night Dance Parties social dancing

SNDP: “Sweating is good for you” edition

Summer has begun and it’s already turning out to be a hot one.  We can’t promise that you’ll feel cooler if you come to this month’s Sunday Night Dance Party–except in the sense that dancing is a very cool thing to do.  Join us from 6:30 to 9:30 this Sunday, June 28 at the Howard Community Club.  Dress casually (wear shorts! Really!); bring $5 for admission and your song requests.  Daniel has been downloading some great new music that he thinks everyone will really enjoy.

See you there!

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friends & family social dancing

You can’t keep a good man down

Big WOOHOO! for Frank Hill’s appearance at the Howard Community Club last night with his partner Jamie Wyatt.  He is looking great, dancing great, and rocking the bald-headed look.  Everyone was very excited to see him and we are glad he is doing so well.  If you haven’t done so yet, please check out his CarePages site for frequent updates on his progress.  Here are some pictures of Frank with us and with Jamie.  Click the thumbnails to see a larger version.

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social dancing USA Dance

Hello, Gary & Kelly!

I am late in posting this but I wanted to give a shout out to 2 new dancers, Gary & Kelly, whom we met at USA Dance 6059’s monthly social this past Saturday.  About 6 of us joined together to teach them some steps that night–I hope their heads weren’t spinning too much by the time they left.

This kind of welcome is my first and fondest memory of coming to a USA Dance event.  I was by myself and didn’t know anything, but everyone greeted me, helped me, taught me steps, and asked me to dance even though I was new and clueless.  The dancing itself is great, of course, but I also think dancers are some of the nicest people around.  We are always happy to welcome newcomers.

The turnout Saturday night was excellent and a good time was had by all.  Daniel even defied his doctor’s orders and danced a half-dozen or so dances.  He is not supposed to be dancing till after his knee pain is diagnosed and treated, but really, where’s the fun in that?

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competitions

Ups and downs along the way

We’ve been lying low for the past few weeks because Daniel has been having trouble with his right knee hurting and swelling, especially when he dances.  He saw his doctor last week and the doctor advised him not to dance till he’d seen an orthopedist.  Today we heard back from the doctor’s office and they had set him up an appointment with the orthopedist for Monday morning.  I’ve been down the “knee problem” road before and I’m hoping his diagnosis will be similar to mine, i.e., something that physical therapy can solve.

Meanwhile, we had to decide against competing in Baton Rouge at the end of this month, which is a big disappointment to both of us.  But unless the doctor tells us differently, we are still planning to compete in Tampa at the end of July and in Louisville, KY in mid-August.  Louisville will be our biggest competition so far, but Tampa will be our first repeat appearance at the same competition, which is pretty cool.  Last year’s trip to Tampa was my first experience of how welcoming and friendly amateur competitors are.  We’re looking forward to going there again.

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behind the curtain USA Dance

Say “hello” to Hello Gorgeous!

I am very excited to welcome Hello Gorgeous! Salon as a new sponsor.  Crissy Watts, stylist, has been cutting my hair for years, and now Teresa Atkinson, the owner of Hello Gorgeous!, has generously agreed to help support our dancing.  Thank you, Teresa!  If you need high quality, professional salon services in a relaxed atmosphere and at a great price, Hello Gorgeous! is the place to go.  They offer DHA spray tanning, waxing, and nails (manicures, pedicures, acrylics) as well as all kinds of hair services: cuts, styling, color, highlights, you name it.

And on top of everything else, it’s fun to call the salon and hear “Hello Gorgeous!” when they answer the phone!

Hello Gorgeous! is located at 2440 Ingleside Ave., Ste. B, in Macon, just across Corbin Avenue from Ingleside Village.  Check out their Web site or call them at 478-749-8098.