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.
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?
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.
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.
Yesterday was Memorial Day, which means it’s (un)officially summer in the USA. Looks like great weather for hot Latin dancing! We especially want to thank everyone who decided to skip the beach last weekend and attend our dance instead. We had a great, enthusiastic crowd!
Sunday night, Dolan brought some flyers with the Web address for Frank Hill’s CarePages site. Frank has now started chemotherapy and he’s hanging in there with lots of support from family and friends, including fellow dancers. Frank’s experience really demonstrates one of the benefits of ballroom dancing: it provides dancers with a kind of “second family.” You always have something interesting to do (dance), something to talk about (dancing), and someone to lend support when you need it (other dancers).
If you are not yet part of the dancing family, now is a great time to get started. Paula is starting a new set of classes at the Macon Health Club and at the Wellness Center this week. Beginner classes are Sundays at the Wellness Center; intermediate classes are Tuesday at the Macon Health Club; and advanced (bronze & above) classes are Thursday at the Macon Health Club. See Paula’s Web site for more details on registration and pricing. We are very excited for the Thursday class since Paula has said we’ll be working on the tango–our favorite!
More news coming soon about our upcoming competitions and a new sponsor. Meanwhile, please check the Local Dance Opportunities page to see where the action is in the month of June.
If, like me, you avoid holiday travel, you are probably planning to celebrate Memorial Day–the traditional beginning of summer–by staying home. For ourselves and everyone else who isn’t traveling, we are hosting this month’s Sunday Night Dance Party on May 24, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, at the Howard Community Club. We’ll start at 6:30 and dance till 9:30. As usual, admission is $5 and soft drinks are available for a donation. Dress casually and bring your song requests–DJ Daniel is always happy to play them. Hope to see you there!
For the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s 10th anniversary celebration on May 1, Paula and GSHF superstar Ben Sapp moved the usual monthly dance outside to the courtyard in front of the Hall. Paula, Jim, and Dianne taught a lesson, Mark Brooker & the Soul Proprietors played, and several of us did exhibition performances. For maximum technical correctness, I don’t recommend dancing on a brick-and-concrete courtyard, but luckily for us all, no judges were present. Jorge took video of our cha-cha performance:
Also, Chester gave me permission to link to his pictures. Take a look!
A friend of mine has asked me to help her find a buyer for these shoes. Click to embiggen:
She bought them several years ago but has never worn them; they are still in their original box with the receipt for their purchase from Dance Shoes of Atlanta. The brand is Dance Lites; my friend says she normally wears an 8.5 in a street shoe but these are marked as a size 9. They have a 2″ slim heel. The strap can be worn around the ankle or crossed over the foot. Dance Shoes of Atlanta now lists this shoe on their Web site at $125; my friend is asking $60 for this pair.
Please email me (laura at dldancers dot com) if you’re interested in these shoes.
We just got some bad news about Frank Hill, a friend and fellow dancer of great talent and dedication. His friend and dance partner Jamie Wyatt sent the news that he has been diagnosed with metastatic esophageal cancer. He has tumors in his esophagus, abdomen, and liver. The cancer was discovered when he went to the doctor for what was thought to be a gall bladder problem. Frank is now in the hospital recovering from pneumonia and undergoing further tests and scans to determine appropriate treatment.
I’ve known Frank for about as long as I’ve been dancing here in Macon. He is unfailingly friendly, cheerful, and gentlemanly as well as being a true lover of ballroom dancing. Nobody around here does a better silver foxtrot than Frank and Jamie. I hope you’ll join us in sending prayers and good thoughts for his recovery.
You can see Frank’s CarePage and leave messages here: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/FrankHill or go to CarePages.com and search “FrankHill” (no spaces). Registration (free) is required to view the page and leave messages.
American society doesn’t give us many reasons to look forward to getting older, but continuing to dance for the next several decades is one aspect of aging that I look forward to. The ballroom world is full of people who are still dancing in their 80s and beyond. Locally, the Georgia Golden Olympics provides a competitive outlet specifically for “older” dancers (you have to be at least 50). Our friends Elaine Smith and Jorge Buendia danced at last year’s Golden Olympics and won gold medals in all 4 dances: waltz, tango, foxtrot, and swing. They worked hard preparing in lessons with Fran and it totally paid off! This year their picture is on the promotional flyer for the ballroom event:
How cool is that?