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.

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.