On Saturday, September 13 I’ll be dancing a little tango exhibition with Stephen Coshatt at USA Dance Greater Macon Chapter #6059’s monthly dance. It is National Ballroom Dance Month so the chapter is presenting some exhibition dances instead of teaching a lesson. Carl Candiano and his partner Natalie Greene are dancing a rumba. Daniel and I were asked to dance but Daniel already had another commitment. I asked Stephen, who has been coming to our classes for a while now, to dance with me and he agreed! I am more excited for him than I am for myself. It’ll be his first time performing! I started choreographing our routine today and he has already learned most of it. On a quick turnaround like this we can’t do anything too elaborate, but simpler steps done well tend to look better anyway. Come see us dance next Saturday at Howard Community Club. Open dancing will start at 8:00 and the exhibitions will start at 8:30.
Category: friends & family
On the rare occasion that my mother sends me a forward or a link, you know it’s gonna be good. Check it:
Click through to the “About” to see a rundown of all the dancers/movie clips. So cool! And I’ll just be over here buying that song from iTunes.
We got back yesterday afternoon from Augusta, GA and the Garden City Dance Challenge, where we had a lot of fun. My lack of self-tanner skills apparently wasn’t obvious, Daniel did not get busted for having gum in his mouth on the dance floor, we danced 15 heats (including our first-ever solo showcase) and I didn’t die even though I had a cold, and–best of all–my parents had a really good time. Dad is old enough to remember when social dancing was actually social in the sense that everyone learned how to do it, so he was quite intrigued by the difference between that and competitive dancesport. And my mom is–well, she’s a girl, so she took an avid interest in everyone’s costumes and hairstyles as well as the dancing itself. I was glad they could come just to see what a competition is like. Now, when we talk about it, they will have some context. When my dad asked me over dinner Friday night “What typically happens during a ‘heat’?” I realized that a ballroom competition is much easier to observe than it is to explain. So they had fun and got to meet some of the people we’re always talking about. The atmosphere in the ballroom was very energetic all day, which is helpful because competition days are so long. I had my false eyelashes on for something like 15 hours! All honor and glory to the organizers at Ballroom in Motion for making that magic happen.
The showcase performance went well, I think. I say “I think” because I haven’t quite dared to look at the video yet. Daniel said he could feel in my body how nervous I was. While I’m never conscious of being nervous, I do get a big hit of adrenaline when I perform, and I haven’t quite mastered how to use that to make me both aggressive and controlled. Clearly I was in a bit of a fugue state: after it was over I had to ask Daniel if he’d had his fedora on through the entire performance, because I couldn’t remember.
Our results were good, if not spectacular: this was a pro-am competition so only a few of our heats were contested and even those were only 2-3 couples. Nevertheless, we got a 1st for the very last heat of the day, Closed Silver American Rhythm. The couple we were up against had been beating us all day and I totally biffed the choreography in our new rumba routine, so I don’t set much store by that placement, but it was gratifying anyway. Mom & Dad left after we danced that last heat so we got to brag about our 1st place over breakfast with them the next morning. Since we were staying for the awards we also got to see the pro heats–only one round each of Smooth and Rhythm but they were so exciting to watch. I don’t actually want to be a professional but I’d like to dance like one!
Who’s ready for pictures?
Speaking of pictures, I have to give props to Stephen Marino, or “The Silent Photographer,” as he is known in my head. This man tirelessly took photos on Saturday for as many hours as I wore eyelashes (maybe more), and the pictures are GORGEOUS. I spoke to him in the evening and soon recognized that he was not responding verbally. At first I thought it was some artsy shtick but then he whispered that he had lost his voice on a trip to Bermuda. (Bermuda: poor guy!) It turns out that a photographer doesn’t have to talk very much. In this case, at least, his pictures speak for him very well.
And for those of you who like your pictures to move around, videos will be up soon. Special thanks to my mom for serving as videographer all day!
Our ballroom class is learning a rumba routine for performance in the Madison Studio’s recital at the beginning of June. These four dancers are superstars: all adults with little or no dance or performing experience but they have agreed to get on stage just a few months from now. So we’ve gone from learning basic steps to mixing in a few more showy, exhibition-type moves. Nothing complex, but stuff that requires commitment on the dancer’s part: arm styling, hip motion, flared fingers–in short, all the gateway drugs that lead straight to shimmying and butt-drumming. Last night they learned a few new moves (breaking it down) and then we did some work on making those moves look good (sleazing it up!). We came up with some useful mnemonics including “hot steering wheel” (for flared fingers), “I’m a bird!” (for raising arms elbows-first), and “My hair is pretty! My dress is pretty!” (arm motion that sweeps around head and down one side). Ridonkulous, but it makes it fun and (I hope) less scary.
When you’re used to moseying through life in khakis and a sweater, trying not to make waves, it’s challenging to suddenly be asked to show off. But showing off is part of what makes ballroom dancing look exciting for other people to watch. I mentioned offhandedly (and partly in jest) to the two ladies in the class that we’d all be putting on false eyelashes for the recital. They reacted with a mixture of amusement, amazement, and shock. Of course, nobody has to wear any eyelashes, but for me, putting on the costumes and shoes and makeup and spray tan and all that stuff that I don’t touch in my day-to-day life makes it more exciting and makes it easier to do the showing off. Your “ballroom self” is related to your “real self,” of course, but they don’t have to be exactly the same person. Just don’t be surprised when you start standing up straighter, dressing brighter, and putting on a little more eyeshadow for an average Tuesday at the office. Ballroom Self is tenacious and contagious.
In other news, our ballroom selves will be put to the test again soon. We are planning on competing at the Garden City Dance Challenge at the end of March and my parents are coming out to watch us compete! How exciting is that? They have seen us dance, of course, but never in competition. I’m looking forward to having them there and showing them the ropes. It’s always such a fun atmosphere. Here’s hoping we get at least one first place so they will be really impressed. A scholarship would be even better… Hmm…
Friday night, our friends Jim & JoyDawn performed an exhibition for Sai Rehab’s holiday party at Le Piada. They did an amazing job! Here they are:
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.
Yesterday afternoon we met up with our friends Kelly & Steve (known to Kelly’s toddler niece as Kecky and Teeb) to help them work on their wedding dance. They are getting married at the beginning of May. Kelly started ballroom at the same time I did, but didn’t stick with it seriously for want of a steady partner. Maybe this wedding dance will be the gateway drug that turns the newlyweds into dedicated dancers!
They already had a song picked out and we agreed that they should dance a rumba. They are quick studies and worked up a routine in less than an hour. I can’t wait to see them dance it at their wedding.
Surprisingly, they had not had enough dancing in the afternoon and agreed to have dinner with us and then go to the USA Dance chapter’s monthly dance in the evening. Paula taught some waltz basics at the lesson before the dance, which was very well attended. Everyone was decked out in their Valentine’s Day red. Daniel got to be one of several “dance hosts”: women paid $1 for a ticket to dance with a dance host, with the money going to our chapter. He collected ten tickets! He also took a bunch of videos during the evening, including the debut of a new line dance/mixer that Dianne taught us. I’ll post that to our YouTube channel as soon as Daniel figures out how to get the videos off his camera–it’s brand new.
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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Our fellow dancer Frank Hill
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.