It has been a whirlwind of a summer, and now fall has arrived! Here's what we've been up to since our last blog post:
In mid-July, we had our first "Ballet for Westies Part 1" intensive, and we loved doing it! We had 13 enthusiastic dancers participating, and we really enjoyed working with them all!
We're doing another session of Part 1 in about 10 days, and then we'll do a session of Part 2 in November. Scroll down for details...
In early August, Roger attended a work conference in Olympia, Washington. At this scientific meeting, which is held every two years and draws people from all over the world, one night is designated for social dancing. Roger offered to teach a beginner WCS lesson, and a large number of the microbiologists at the conference participated! At the end of the lesson, Roger suggested that they look on Facebook to find out where they could continue learning in their hometowns.
Immediately after the conference ended, it was time for Swing Fling! It was a really good weekend, filled with great workshops, fun competitions, fantastic social dancing, and, of course, lots of hugs and socializing with friends. In our comps, we had some success. First, Mané made finals in both Sophisticated and Advanced Jack & Jills, and then... she drew Paul Canfield in both! They placed third in Sophisticated. You can watch a video here:
Roger danced in Intermediate Strictly with Brittney O'Neill. They had lots of fun, and they placed 5th. You can watch a video of them dancing here.
In mid-August, we had a brief but wonderful vacation, in a tiny home! Here is Mané's post about it, on her interior design website blog!
At the end of August, we led DC-area dancers in the WCS Rally / Flashmob, for the fourth consecutive year. We danced at the Jefferson Memorial, with the Tidal Basin in the background, and it was so much fun! We had a great group, including dancers from Frederick, MD, and some dancers who came to town to participate in DC Out.
Debbie Tuttle-Steffanina and Roger taught flash mob lessons together over the summer at Maryland School of Dance and at Hollywood Ballroom, and Lara Deni also taught it at her home studio.
Roger spent several hours putting together a video of the dance--take a look! Thanks to all who participated by dancing, teaching, and/or taking photos or videos. We'll see you next year!
The same weekend as the flashmob, we attended DC Out. There's no other weekend like it! It's an LGBTQ-friendly country western dance event, where there's lots of two-step, line dancing, and of course, WCS. Sara Willbrich, Jim Coakley, and John Lindo have created an event with an incredible atmosphere, in which everyone can dance however they want, in whatever role they want, with whomever they want, and just enjoy being themselves. DC RolePlay performed an exhibition (as they do every year). Because 2019 is the tenth year of the team's existence, we did something special:
After the routine was over, some alums from the previous nine years of the team's existence joined this year's roster for a special encore, and then more alums (including the two of us) joined in for the bow. The crowd loved it! Roger feels so privileged to be able to coach these wonderful people! You can see a video here.
Recently, we have been very excited to see our dance students in action! We've had several recent wedding couples as students, and they have danced beautifully in their "first dances" over the summer. We've also been thrilled to see WCS students of ours competing in Jack & Jills and/or performing with JT Swing Team DC.
We love teaching dance, and we love watching our students' progress and seeing how happy they are when they dance!
What's next, you ask? Well, we will be teaching the intermediate WCS lesson at Hollywood Ballroom on Friday, October 4, and Friday, October 11. Visit www.dancejamdc.com for details. Join us! Thank you for inviting us to teach again, Dave Moldover!
Also, the new session of our "Ballet for Westies Part1" intensive is coming up on Sunday, October 6, 2-5 pm. Please visit our Facebook event page and let us know that you are going.
In case you don't use Facebook, here are the details: This workshop is intended for those with little to no prior experience in ballet but is open to everyone! In this three-hour intensive, you will learn how elements of ballet technique can help you with your West Coast Swing dancing!
Topics will include:
- A brief history of ballet
- Principles of posture, alignment, and turnout
- Basic ballet exercises for feet, legs, core, and arms
- Floor barre exercises
- Turn technique
- Simple jumps
- Moving across the floor
- Stretching exercises
Cost:
$45 per person if paid by October 3.
$50 per person at the door (cash or check).
Maximum enrollment of 25 people.
To register in advance, please email us at maneandroger@gmail.com.
Attire: Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing (e.g., sweatpants, leggings, shorts). Ballet slippers or socks (no bare feet, no street shoes).
Questions? Email us at maneandroger@gmail.com.
We have tentatively scheduled a session of Ballet for Westies, Part 2 for Sunday, November 3. Stay tuned for details!
Also, don't forget to subscribe to our blog so you don't miss any upcoming news!
One more thing: As we mentioned in our last blog post, we have created a member area on this website! If you want to access free video recaps of workshops that we have taught recently, all you need to do is click on "members" and then "video library" at the top of the page. You'll be asked to provide an email address and choose a password. After registering, you will have access! On each video, you can click on the "i" symbol to read a brief description of the workshop and see a list of the songs we used in the class. We are excited about this feature, and we can't wait to add more videos to share our passion for West Coast Swing with you!
See you on the dance floor ;)
-- M & R