An anticipatory lull has taken hold here at DLDancers HQ as Daniel and I count down the hours till our departure for the Gumbo Dancesport Championships in Baton Rouge this weekend. So I thought I’d take a moment to introduce the Internet to our three mascots and most loyal supporters.

Tango is about 4 years old; Daniel got him before we started dating.  Tiger is 3 months old–we just got him from our dancer friend Jodi Williams (she has more kittens available if you need a mascot of your own).  Mackie is the baby of the family at only 5-6 weeks old.  Daniel found her wandering lost in a parking lost last week and brought her home.

None of them has any aptitude for dancing but they are all excellent at lounging, pouncing, meowing, eating, and being adorable.  (You know: the things dancers do when we’re not dancing.)  We will miss them when we head off to BR.  Special shout-outs of gratitude are due to Shane Trayers who will be on cat patrol while we’re gone.  Thanks, Shane!

I was already excited about Toy Story 3 (I just love those movies), but after seeing this, I am officially All About It.

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.

We saw Eddie again last weekend and spent most of our lesson learning a tango routine. Now we have 2 routines to practice while he is traveling for the next few weeks–we won’t get another lesson till early March. So far I have elbowed Daniel in the face twice (once each in waltz and tango) and gotten a hockey-style two-minute holding penalty for leaning on him too much in one section of the tango. I would characterize our routines at this juncture as “not ready for prime time” but we are having a lot of laughs learning them.

In other news, I am branching out my dance experience by going back to ballet classes after several years away. After a couple of weeks of “Teen/Adult Ballet” at the Madison Studio, I was asked to take a small role in the studio’s upcoming production, “Swan Lake Selections.” I am the Queen, which is a pantomime role rather than a dance role–in some of the traditional story ballets there are pantomime parts that serve to advance the plot, using pantomime as a kind of sign language. I went to my first rehearsal today to learn my part in Scene 1. I get to “greet” everyone at my son’s birthday party by walking around in a big circle while they bow to me, then have a conversation in pantomime with my son. My son is turning 21, which means that if you go by my real age, I had him at age 16. The Queen is a teenage mother! You can see the Queen in this video of an American Ballet Theatre production of Swan Lake:

Much like our waltz & tango performances, my Queen performance is not too polished yet. But at least I did not elbow anyone in the face.

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.

Just finished updating our slightly neglected CafePress shop with some new products and designs.  Now it is neglected no more! You and your partner can struggle for control of your dancing without saying a word by wearing “Shut Up and Follow” (for leaders) and “Lead Better” (for followers) shirts.  Also, a lot of people who have seen the (in)famous Tango With The Weatherman clip seem to think that “Great weather for hot Latin dancing” is the most entertaining phrase ever, so we’re now featuring that one on t-shirts and a travel mug.

Enjoy, everybody!

Big thanks to Larry at goRoundTown Middle Georgia for inviting us to be listed on the site blogsRoundTown.  Please visit the site and give us a rating–and check out some other great local blogs while you are there.