Daniel & Laura » USA Dance

Come for the rumba, stay for the. . . rumba.

lauraet — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:56:10 +0000

This video is from the “Dancing for our Heroes” charity ball back in July; I just got a copy on DVD a few weeks ago. Those of you who are Internet stalkers observant viewers will notice common elements between this routine and the one in the previous video. We took this version as a basis when we added the exhibition “tricks” in the more recent version of the routine. Kind of necessary if, like me, you have not lost stamina or flexibility with age but have entirely lost the ability to remember choreography. Sigh.

One more thing: the picture is funky for about the first 10 seconds of the video, but it does clear up. More video soon; stay tuned!

Dancing for our Heroes 2010

lauraet — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:55:14 +0000

Behold, I bring you photos and video from last weekend’s “Dancing for our Heroes” charity ball, hosted by Dance Houston County to benefit Hearts to Heroes and the Wounded Warrior Project. Each organization was presented with a check for $1000, and Dance Houston Country received an American flag presented by Daughters of the American Revolution. We also got to see great exhibitions by little kids (Eldad Albalak’s nieces & nephews) and big kids (JoyDawn and Philip). Woohoo! Click through for goodies, and thank you for disregarding the camerawoman’s small talk.

Amusing meta-fact: YouTube wants me to tag these videos with “juggling,” “breakdancing,” or “wushu.” I don’t even know what “wushu” is.

Who’s filling in for us this weekend?

lauraet — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:58:31 +0000

Daniel and I are heading to Savannah for a wedding this weekend, and we’ll be missing not one but TWO great dance events:

Friday night is the First Friday dance at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The dance starts at 7:30; admission is $5.00 per person. Paula just sent me a note that there is a special event on Cherry Street that night; the street will be blocked off and the event organizers are charging to attend the party. She recommends entering Cherry Street from the Music Hall of Fame and Terminal Station and letting the organizers know that you are going to the Sports Hall of Fame.

Saturday night is USA Dance Greater Macon Chapter 6059′s monthly dance. Admission is $7 for USA Dance members or $10 for non-members. The evening gets started at 7:30 with a dance lesson–this month, Kim & Vic Oteghem are teaching West Coast Swing! The lesson will be followed by general dancing from 8:00 to 10:30. Light snacks are furnished and soft drinks and water are available for a donation.

If you are Daniel & Laura fans (or, better yet, fans of dancing in general), please turn out for these dances and represent on our behalf! Both are sure to be a lot of fun.

Backward & Forward

lauraet — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:21:49 +0000

Looking backward, last night’s USA Dance monthly social was big fun. Excited as always to see some new faces. Our chapter is hoping to grow to 100 members this year–if last night was any indication, I bet we’ll get there.

Looking forward, next Friday is this year’s Cherry Blossom Ball! It’s one of my favorite dance events of the year. First, I love a black-tie do at any time, for any reason. Second, it’s held at the Macon City Auditorium, which is such a pretty venue. Third, I found out last night that the Georgia Big Band is playing. They are always fun to dance to. As a bonus, this year’s event is being called the “Diamond Ball” because a local jewelry store is donating a one-carat diamond which someone at the ball will win. I’m not saying I expect to win–in fact, I hadn’t really thought about it–but if I did, I know exactly what I’d do with that diamond…

Flashy prizes aside, the real fun of an event like this is that it feels like a reward for the hard work and discipline of going to lessons and practicing every week. Elegance, grace, beauty, and romance are the qualities that draw people to ballroom dancing. Dancing to a live band in a gorgeous auditorium while wearing the perfect dress or tuxedo embodies all those qualities.

Plus there are always a lot of desserts and you might win a diamond! (^_^) Buy tickets here or call (478) 301-5470.

We can also walk and chew gum simultaneously.

lauraet — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:15:52 +0000

How hard is it to count to 4 while walking in a circle? Just ask everyone who learned a new line dance from Dianne Kent at our USA Dance chapter’s Valentine’s Day dance last month:

A lot of ballroom dancers who consider themselves “serious” won’t go anywhere near a line dance. We are serious about ballroom but don’t believe in taking dancing, or ourselves, too seriously!

Rumba with Kecky and Teeb

lauraet — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:59:53 +0000

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.

Macon Mall ArtSpace Grand Opening

lauraet — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:41:31 +0000

Last weekend, we celebrated Halloween at the Macon Mall with the opening of the mall’s new ArtSpace. Along with dancers from Philips Performing Arts’ studio, USA Dance Greater Macon Chapter 6059 presented a dance exhibition for shoppers and trick-or-treaters at the mall. An enthusiastic crowd was on hand to watch and participate in the dancing. Jim & JoyDawn danced a swing and a tango; Daniel and I danced a cha-cha and a foxtrot; Charles & Leneta danced a samba; and Paula’s entire Thursday night class danced a rumba formation. Chester, our DJ-in-residence, announced the dancers and played the music. Jorge took a video, which I will post here as soon as I get it uploaded. The night was great fun and generated lots of interest in ballroom dancing. Hooray!

Weekend Excitement, parts 1 and 2

lauraet — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:34:41 +0000

Weekend Excitement, part 1: Paula East’s dancers, including yours truly, will be performing at the opening of Macon Mall’s new Art Space on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. Paula’s Thursday night advanced class is presenting a rumba formation (group dance), then individual couples will be dancing some exhibitions. A salsa lesson will follow the exhibition performances. Come check it out!

Weekend Excitement, part 2: Saturday, November 7 is the second annual Stars over Macon Ball at the Wellness Center, 3797 Northside Drive in Macon. Doors open at 7:00 with music starting at 8:00; dress is black tie optional. This event is a fundraiser for Hospice of Central Georgia, co-sponsored by the USA Dance Greater Macon Chapter and the Medical Center of Central Georgia. The ball will feature music by the Celebration Band and performances by Eddie Ares Productions. Call 478-633-7396 for tickets, but don’t wait. October 29 is the deadline for reservations.

See you soon on the dancefloor!

Getting Involved at MSC

lauraet — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:34:11 +0000

A few weeks ago, Daniel and I attended the “Get Involved” fair, an event showcasing student organizations and community groups, at Macon State College. We helped represent USA Dance Greater Macon #6059 in hopes of attracting students to our classes and events. It was so much fun to dance in the lobby of the Jones Building as many students I know and have worked with passed by. Several students took part in a mini-lesson on East Coast Swing, and even more students picked up information and joined our mailing list. It was a very successful event and we’re so glad we could take part.

My former student and newspaper advisee Walter Perry took some photos and a video at the event:

Dancing for Literacy in Warner Robins

lauraet — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:41:14 +0000

Last night, USA Dance Greater Macon Chapter #6059 had the honor to be invited to the annual Les Still Big Band Night at the Warner Robins Civic Center. The event is a fundraiser for the Houston County Certified Literate Community Program, an organization promoting adult literacy, and this year’s event was the 9th annual celebration. The Les Still Big Band, Still Swinging, was tons of fun to listen to and dance to. We had a great time dancing, and the organizers and spectators really seemed to appreciate our presence there, adding a little “floor show” element to the evening. Click each thumbnail to see the full-sized photo.