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Friday Night Dance Parties social dancing

Awesome Sunday Night Dance Party!

Not that each month’s SNDP isn’t awesome, but this past Sunday’s was particularly good.  We had a better-than-usual turnout including some new people (yay!), everyone danced nonstop throughout the evening (yay!), and Daniel fired up his karaoke program to serenade us with Charles Aznavour’s “For Me Formidable.” Maybe the new paint job at the Howard Community Club got everyone motivated–I know I feel more like dancing now that the former wall color (I’d call it Mismatched Makeup Base Pink) has been replaced with nice creamy neutrals.  It’s much more elegant.

Wielding the trusty Handycam, Daniel took a little video last night.  This is later in the evening, so the crowd had thinned a bit.

We really appreciate everyone’s ongoing support and the energy you bring to our dances every month.  And if you haven’t come to a Sunday Night Dance Party yet, try it out!  It’s a very casual, unintimidating atmosphere.  Practicing, going over steps with your friends, and stopping mid-dance to debate points of technique with your partner are all encouraged.  You might even get to hear Daniel sing a song!

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dance events social dancing

CGTC Foundation Spring Soirée

What is a “Soirée,” exactly? This past Friday, the new president of Central Georgia Technical College posed that question at the CGTC Foundation’s Spring Soirée. He then explained that a soirée is just like a shindig, except you have to dress up. That’s a good enough answer for me!

This particular soirée was a fundraising event for Central Georgia Technical College’s Foundation, benefiting their scholarships and programs, and it was a lovely evening. Since our USA Dance chapter hasn’t been doing formal dances at the Idle Hour Country Club for the last couple of years, I’d kind of forgotten how nice the Idle Hour is. It’s just the kind of place one can walk into while wearing a ballgown and not feel massively overdressed. I did, however, cause a momentary crisis of confidence in a woman who arrived at the same time we did–she looked at my gown and at her linen pants and blouse and said “I hope we’re not going to the same event!”

Daniel and I sat down with Paula East and several other dancers from our group and enjoyed an elegant meal and a glass of wine, then got up to dance to the band Reflections–they were excellent and a lot of fun. During the band breaks we helped Paula teach some salsa steps to the rest of the guests, and we led some line dances. At the end of the night, Daniel sang with the band while their singer came out from behind the microphone for a rumba lesson from Jim Riley. She is nearly as good a dancer as she is a singer.

It was a great evening. Seeing everyone dressed up, having a nice meal, and enjoying good dancing to live music is always so much fun. These kinds of events make me glad to be a dancer because I know I’ll always be able to participate when a band and a dancefloor are available.

Here are a couple of videos from Friday night–all of us dancing a swing to “In the Mood,” and Jim leading his line dance to “New York, New York.”

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dance events Uncategorized

Red Hat Cha-Cha

On Friday, April 16, Daniel and I, along with Paula East, visited Carlyle Place to perform an exhibition at their Red Hat Society luncheon.  Paula had arranged to do a short demonstration with Will Norris, the activities director (and favorite beau of all the Red Hats, I’m fairly sure).  Then Daniel and I got to dance 3 dances: waltz, cha-cha, and foxtrot.  It was so much fun, and it all came together so quickly that I didn’t have time to get nervous.  Paula called me on Tuesday to see if we could do it, and I went to see her last night to pick up some music and get a rundown of the planned program.  As she pointed out, it’s a good thing we have worked together before and can do this sort of thing with no rehearsal!

We danced on the stage in the “Grande Ballroom,” where someone (probably Will) had even put down a wooden floor for us.  The Society ladies were a great audience and very welcoming, and Carlyle Place itself is absolutely gorgeous–perfect landscaping, elegant public areas, and delicious food: we got to eat lunch after we danced, and packed away an embarrassing quantity of chicken salad and croissants.  I even ate 2 strawberry tartlets (don’t tell)!

Our friend Agnes Bikus, who is also on the board of USA Dance Greater Macon #6059, was kind enough to capture our performance on video:

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friends & family in other news Uncategorized

I’m not a ballet dancer…

but I play one every Tuesday night at Madison Studio.  Thus the studio director asked me to play the Queen in their spring ballet, “Swan Lake Selections,” which took place last weekend.  My parents were in town, so they got to see me perform.  I’d like to say that was a happy coincidence, but they actually rearranged their plans (their usual visit happens on my birthday) so that they could could say they were still attending their daughter’s ballet recitals now that their daughter is 37 years old!

Conveniently, last weekend was also Daniel’s birthday, so they got to celebrate with him, too.  Yay!  Daniel brought his trusty Handycam to the show and recorded my star turn.  I am posting clips from Scene 1 and Scene 3 here.  In Scene 1, I appear briefly.  In Scene 3, I am onstage the whole time, but for much of the scene I’m watching the others dance.  Watch to see what happens at the end of the scene.