Ballroom Dance: A Teacher's Thoughts

Social and Ballroom Music for Halloween

2010-10-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

This was the Halloween Play List for the last BlueRidge Party. If you are looking for Halloween Music you can dance to, it's not too late to visit itunes and download a few things. Some of the songs have rich rhythms and you can do multiple dances to them. Others are a stretch for a beginner dancers. Listen carefully and choose wisely. Most of all, have fun this Halloween.

1 Put Your Lights On Santana Feat. Everlast Supernatural Bolero DARK

2 I Eat Cannibals (Part 1) Toto Coelo I Eat Cannibals Cha

3 Little Demon Screamin' Jay Hawkins Elvira Presents Monster Hits Single Swing

4 Poisoning Pigeons In The Park (Orchestrated Version) Tom Lehrer Song & More Songs Vienese

5 Spooky Scary Skeletons Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Foxtrot

6 Halloween Party Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Swing

7 Mambo Italiano (From Married to the Mob) Knights Bridge Mob Hits Cha

8 I Put a Spell On You (feat. Eddie Wakes) Raney Shockne Fame Rumba

9 Feed My Frankenstein Alice Cooper Elvira Presents Monster Hits Swing

10 The Addams Family Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Tango Make Do

11 Sorry Madonna Confessions On a Dance Floor Cha

12 New York, New York Liza Minnelli Liza's Back Foxtrot

13 Push Madonna Confessions On a Dance Floor Cha

14 Forbidden Sky Oona Tore My Heart - Single Swing

15 Dark Waltz Hayley Westenra Pure Waltz

16 With These Hands (From Edward Scissorhands)Movie Sounds UnlimitedGreatest Movie Themes: 1990s Rumba

17 Disturbia Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded Cha

18 The Masochism Tango Tom Lehrer Song & More Songs Tango

19 Open Arms Journey Journey: Greatest Hits Waltz Bronze

20 Don't Scream (It's Only Halloween) Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Swing

21 That Old Black Magic Frank Sinatra Ultimate Legends: Frank Sinatra Foxtrot

22 Wannabe Spice Girls Spice Cha

23 For Your Eyes Only Sheena Easton The Best of Bond... James Bond Bolero

24 Bad Things Jace Everett True Blood: Music From The HBO Original Series Whip

25 A Nightmare On My Street DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Elvira Presents Monster Hits Samba

26 Dance With Me (Album Version) Debelah Morgan Dance with Me (Single) Tango

27 Theme From "The Molly Maguires" James Galway & Henry Mancini The Ultimate Collection Waltz

28 Don't Stop the Music Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded Cha

29 Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes Halloween Hits Halloween Hits Tango

30 Experiment In Terror Henry Mancini The Ultimate Collection Bolero

31 I Just Can't Stop Loving You Michael Jackson Bad Rumba

32 Strut Sheena Easton Sheena Easton: Greatest Hits Cha

33 Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix) Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Whip/Cha/Samba slow

34 Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet Henry Mancini The Ultimate Collection Waltz

35 Big-Ass Rock Original Broadway Cast The Full Monty Foxtrot

36 Monster Movie Ball Spike Jones Spike Jones In Stereo Singl Swing

37 My Cherie Amour Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection Rumba

38 The Addams Family Joey Gaynor Elvira Presents Monster Hits Foxtrot

39 Like It or Not Madonna Confessions On a Dance Floor Cha

40 Purple People Eater George Thorogood Halloween Swing

41 Monsta' Rap Elvira Elvira Presents Monster Hits West Coast

42 It Must Be Halloween Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Foxtrot

43 Ain't It Funny Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Samba

44 Witches, Witches, Witches Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Tango

45 She Walks This Earth Sting A Love Affair, The Music Of Ivan Lins Rumba

46 Ghostbusters Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Cha

47 One Man Woman Sheena Easton Take My Time Swing

48 Down Under Men At Work The Best of Men at Work: Contraband Samba

49 Gimme A Smile (The Pumpkin Song) Andrew Gold Halloween Howls Foxtrot

50 I Put A Spell On You Screamin' Jay Hawkins Halloween Hits Tango Make Do

51 I Knew I Loved You Savage Garden Affirmation Rumba

52 How Will I Know Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Swing

53 The Phantom of the Opera (Original London Cast) The Phantom of the Opera Tango

54 Haunted House Jumpin' Gene Simmons Halloween Hits Swing

55 Here Comes The Bride Elvira featuring Fred Schneider Elvira Presents Monster Hits West Coast

56 My! My! Time Flies! Enya And Winter Came Foxtrot

57 Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead Glenn Miller and His Orchestra Platinum Glenn Miller Foxtrot

58 Twist in my Sobriety Liza Minnelli Results Samba Practice

Help us Help a Friend from Haiti

2010-04-12T01:28:00.000-07:00

A Ballroom Dance will be held to raise funds to help a Professional Ballroom Dancer from Haiti on Thursday, April 29 from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. All proceeds that come through the door will go to a fund set up for his needs. BlueRidge Ballroom is hosting the event. Call 828-253-9108 to reserve your spot. Suggested donation $10/person, $15 per couple.

We are not releasing his name to the media at this time because Haitian criminals are following these releases on the internet and threatening to kidnap his daughter when fundraisers are done for him. He is not the only individual receiving such threats.

Our friend’s story:

He is employed as a teacher and professional competitor in a large city. He was working to raise enough money to bring his daughter and mother to the U.S. In the course of his normal duties, he also raised funds for numerous charities.

When the earthquake hit, he was devastated to learn his daughter was missing and his mother was severely injured. His own studio and students raised enough money to buy him a ticket to Haiti to look for his daughter. He found her within days of his arrival and arranged for his mother to be sent to a hospital in the Dominican Republic.

Although he is a legal resident of the U.S. his young daughter and mother must provide paperwork and go through all the red tape for their own visa’s. Their personal copies were destroyed in the Earthquake in the rubble that was once their home. The government offices which housed permanent copies was also destroyed. A local news agency in his city and a congressman are now helping with that mind-numbing process.

When national news agencies picked up on his story, Haitian gang members noted it and threatened to kid-nap his daughter. The are currently living in the nicest tent they can afford as the fight through the necessary red tape.

The popular TV show, Dancing with the Stars, arranged to bring him to the U.S to bring attention to the needs of all Haitians in a recent show. His personal story was not brought to the forefront at that time. Of the dancers in that tribute were 5 Haitians, all suffering deep personal losses as a result of the quake: four men and one woman. Immediately after the show, our friend immediately returned to his daughter in Haiti.

The expenses of his personal endeavor are enormous. His mother has medical bills, he has legal costs entailed in paperwork, plane tickets and must prove he can provide a stable home for them. His employer is standing behind him all the way.

A listing of news stores and releases about Haitian Ballroom Dancers from Haiti can be found at:

http://www.diigo.com/list/lindaschlensker/ballroom-dance-and-haiti

A you-video of the DWST tribute can be found here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euyhi_icgvU

http://www.diigo.com/list/lindaschlensker/ballroom-dance-and-haiti

A you-video of the DWST tribute can be found here.

A Dance Story and Saving Haitian Bacon

2010-02-21T00:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we don't listen to people's dance stories hard enough. Perhaps more than any other sport, hobby or recreational activity, dancers and their significant others have conflict in their relationships. We don't talk about this enough and so we are not prepared to come to happy endings.

One particular story caught my attention. A woman asked for advice. Her new boyfriend had been dancing for twenty years. He was popular with all the women in the studio and in high demand at studio functions. She had taken up dancing to please him. She felt fat, frumpy and awkward. She didn't enjoy dancing. In fact, she was coming to hate it. If it wasn't for her love for him, she would have quit. And she felt jealous of the attentions he was getting from all those other women.

The dancers responded to her from their point of view. To them dancing was an activity they enjoyed. Dancing was about dancing. They easily recognized that he needed to continue to dance with advanced dancers to improve his own skill. They knew he had established friendships with partners in the studio. They did not intend to seem mean spirited, but because their answers came from this viewpoint, they seemed harsh and judgmental.

They responded to her jealousy telling her that it was unfounded. "Anyone can learn to dance! Practice more and you'll get to loving it. Lose weight! Exercise. Learn to count!"

But this woman was drawn there because of her love for a man. In her mind, dancing was about romance. Her loved one should be dancing with her and it hurt deeply to see him dancing with other women. Because he was 20 years ahead of her, she didn't feel she could compete with them. They were gorgeous and she was out of shape. She would never catch up.

Jealousy is considered an unsavory emotion and I admire her ability to admit to feeling it. It means that she isn't so locked onto her pain that she couldn't recognize that the jealously came from hurt and fear that she would lose him. It means she might be able to talk to him about her feelings and find solutions. At this point in her career she isn't going to think like a dancer. She can't. It's too soon. She is thinking as her authentic self. A woman who is in love with a man.

And so, two different world views are butting heads with one another. In a fiction story I could write a happy ending. Here, I can only hope for one.

Every time we put two people together, we have two different world views. Sometimes the easiest way to see how different they are is to go so far outside we can't help but see the difference.

Another story:

Ten years ago, the pigs in Haiti were found to carry African swine fever. The people of Haiti had a wonderful relationship with their pigs. They grew mango trees to feed them. The small black pigs survived easily in the Haitian environment. However, if the African Swine Fever spread it could move north and wipe out the pig populations in the Americas. All the pigs in Haiti were slaughtered at the instigation of the U.S. We replaced the pigs with the kind we knew in the U.S. and thought we were being wonderful. Unfortunately our pigs do not live with families under harsh economic conditions. They are bred to live in very controlled environments and are susceptible to diseases that require medication. Our pigs have long forgotten what it means to be able to fend for one's self. They didn't do so well in Haiti where pigs are expected to have some survival skills. Where medicine is limited and where the population depends on pigs.

What happened? The pigs died. The people tried goats. The goats ate the mango trees. French researchers are now reintroducing special pigs they have bred that are more like the Haitian originals. There was hope. And then there was an earthquake. Like my first story, the ending is uncertain.

The full story is here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13918824.700-saving-haitis-bacon-ten-years-ago-haitian-peasants-had-to-look-on-in-horror-as-the-black-pigs-central-to-their-economy-and-culture-were-slaughtered---.html?page=1

Here we had enormous differences in world views and didn't see the impact of well intentioned actions.

How much more can go wrong when the differences in dancers are less obvious? What hurts will happen when both sides are acting with the best of intentions?

The solutions come in recognizing that as we become inculturated in the dance community out attitudes about dance slowly change. And they are unique to each one of us. We must stop and talk to each other about why we dance and what it means to us. As dancers with each other and as real human people with those our dancing affects. We cannot assume that the beginner walking through the door understands. Or that they will understand six months from now.

The first step is to understand out own view of why we dance. We should ask ourselves how it has changed from the first day we walked in the door.

The second is to ask ourselves what kinds of view might another person have based on their experiences.

The third is to listen deeply to what they are really saying. Where is the pain they are feeling coming from.

The fourth is to attempt to moderate our answers with that understanding so that we are not unintentionally cruel.

What might they have said is they had listened?

"Why don't you sit with us and become our friend too? I'll tell you about the troubles my husband had with my dancing." They might have asked if she really hated dancing as much as she claimed. If so, maybe it would be OK if she didn't. What romantic things could the two of them do together that they both enjoyed.

It is my hope the two of them will have that conversation. People who care about one another often do. I believe in happy endings unless proved otherwise.

P.S.
I read her story in a Dance Forum. She is not a person I know nor does she Ballroom Dance in Asheville.

Treasure Trove of a Ballroom Dancer Revealed

2010-02-15T01:05:00.000-08:00

I am always find interesting stuff on the web about ballroom dance. More than I could ever reasonably post on Facebook or Twitter. I probably post too much anyway. And I keep losing it. My hard drive crashed and I grieve. I have always been a collector of information. Ballroom Dance in Asheville or any other town means so much more than who is selling what. It is about people and their stories. About friends. I finally found a place where I could safely store, share, and catalog all the information as I find it.

http://www.diigo.com/user/lindaschlensker

A dance teacher is attacked in his own home by a fanatic with a tazer. The man believed men should not dance with women in their arms. The teacher was demonized as a great sinner.

A mid-western state is considering allowing students to substitute Ballroom Dance for P.E.

I find articles about professionals I admire or know.

How are non-profit groups using ballroom to raise funds?

Four very accomplished pro's did impromtu performances at a White House event.

There is a collection of Books about Ballroom in the late 1800's in the Library of Congress.

Music lists, health and ballroom, politics and history of dance. Insane things. Hadn't thought of that! Surely there is enough insane stuff to Name a whole list, "The insanity of Ballroom"

Every year I have High School students enroll in dance classes as part of their senior project. I can finally point to a place and say, "Here is all kinds of stuff to get you started."

Anyone who is curious is welcome to visit the site. I don't care if you are a dancer or not. I try to add new things every day. I am also interested in the neat stuff other people find. Send me your stuff. If the link doesn't work let me know.

Information is meant to be shared. I hope my little addiction problem with collecting shiny pieces of it can be useful. If not, I will still be very happy spending hours at the computer looking for the next golden nugget.

A Dancer's 10 Steps to Prepare for Winter Snow Emergency

2010-01-31T02:00:00.001-08:00

One: Fill every available thermos and pot with coffee. Cold coffee is better than no coffee.

Two: Restock “No Doze” In case coffee runs out.

Dog is now safe from Caffine Dep Madness of Dancer.

Three: Check: Enough Water, Food, Treats and Medicine for Dog?

Four: Charge up every electronic device that has a battery. Cell Phone, Kindle, Laptop, Radio, Flashlights… Must be able to dance in dark, read and avoid stepping on Dog.

Five: Check for Cheerios, Peanut Butter and Graham Crackers. Dog likes them too.

Six: Find Bricks to Heat up on Outdoor Grill and wrap in blankets to keep Dog warm.

Seven: Put shovel outside door so path can be cleared for Dog Walk.

Eight: Put on Warm Fuzzy Snugglies. Dog likes Snugglies.

NIne: Make a nest of Blankies. Put Coffee, Dog Food, Water, and Electronic Devices and Dog within easy reach.

Ten: Snuggle up with warm Dog.

5 Reasons to Compete Ballroom: 5 Reasons Not To:

2010-01-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

Five Reasons You Should:

One: It can make you a better dancer.

We change our attitude about how we learn the minute we put a public measure in front of us. Dieters succeed at Weight Watchers because of the weekly recorded weigh-ins. The best students in a school are usually the ones who compete. Not because they were the best to start with. They think and train differently.

Two: It can make your fellow students better dancers.

As you improve, you share those skills with your fellow students. They get better just by dancing with you. Your newly acquired skills challenge them to get better.

Three: It can make your competitors better.

If you are on a regular circuit, you will make friends with your competitors. Sometimes you will be a better, sometimes they will. You will challenge one another. Amateur Ballroom is a friendly sport and there is admiration and respect for one another’s accomplishments. We grow together.

Four: It spirals and ballroom itself gets better. In your school, in your circuit, and as a whole.

Five: As ballroom gets better, you have more available to learn and more fun dancing.

Five Reasons You Should Not: The Big “If’s”

One: It’s a budget buster.

Life is not fair. We have families to support, school loans to pay for, insurance, house payments. If competing means you have to cut back on necessities; if it means you aren’t saving for retirement; don’t compete. Always keep your dancing budget into what is comfortable for you.

Two: You have a severe antipathy towards competition.

How you feel is important. If your antipathy is mild you might try competition as an interesting experiment. Sometimes we surprise ourselves.

Three: You feel too stressed about dancing in front of others.

If the thought of competing gives you night-sweats, it won’t be fun. If the fear is something you want to overcome, talk with your teachers and let them help you with your fears. Do just a few entries with your most comfortable dances. If even that is too much, it’s OK to say “no”.

Four: You don’t have time to adequately prepare.

Cramming preparation for competition into a schedule that includes a full-time job, ferrying kids, cleaning house and all your other responsibilities leaves you little time for yourself. Preparing for a competition takes more than you have. Pull back and dance for a fun refreshing pause in the day. Enjoy your friends.

Five: You’ve tried it and it honestly didn’t work for you.

If it wasn’t right for you, take the time to ask yourself why. Was it the event co-ordinated well? Did you feel too much pressure. Emotions bad that day? We can learn as much about ourselves and our dancing from the things that didn’t work. Was another student having a different experience? Why? Hmm… Reflection allows you to tweak the course of your dancing experience to make it better for you. Maybe you can get something valuable from that competition you hated.

These are the short lists of why you may or may not choose to compete. You know yourself better than anyone else. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Ask questions, be honest about how you feel. Take baby steps. Yes or No: It’s your dancing. May it always be your best!

Comments about your own experiences are always welcome here.

Why Compete in Ballroom Dance?

2010-01-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

When I was just a country kid, I had two city cousins. This is true. They were boys, I was a girl. Still am. Every now and they they would come out to visit “the farm.” As a country kid, I was fit. We walked, we worked. My city cousins were transported everywhere. Every year when they came we had foot races. Even though I was a girl and smaller, I won handily. In addition to being more fit, I was a mudder. Rough terrain was the norm for me. They were used to smooth concrete streets. I never altered my course for a snake or for a stick that looked like a snake. In short, I had several serious unfair advantages on the home court. As we aged they continued to lose. Males of a certain feel a grave injustice has been done to them when a snot-nosed girl whumps them.

One year, they vowed they would never, NEVER, under any circumstances allow this to happen again. And so they trained. They ran and raced each other. That year I lost my first race to them. I will say they had to work for it and I wasn’t the one puking my guts out at the end of the day. I also walked normally the next morning. They had truly earned that win because they gave everything they had to it.

I would like to claim they went on to become star athletes. However, Males of a certain age do discover Females of their own age are better courted than raced. Cousins don’t count. More Female options are available in the city. Their farm visits ceased.

In 1953, it was believed that a human being could not run a four minute mile. In 1954, the year I was born, Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute barrier. Now it is a norm. Svetlana Masterkova of Russia set a woman’s world record in 1996 of 4:12:56. I will not bet that a woman will never break the barrier too.

Competition made my cousins better runners runners as individual people. Competition improved the overall speed of runners over the years. The sport itself improved.

Ballroom and Latin dancers today perform moves that well known icons Fred and Ginger never dreamed of. The teaching handed down is better. Dancers aspire to more because they believe it is possible. Every dancer has benefitted from the fact that Ballroom Dancers compete.

Do I think ballroom competition is a good thing? Yes.

Do I think everyone should compete? See the coming blog.

Names the end in "Ski"

2010-01-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Every now and then while watching a big competition, I will hear someone say: "All these names end in "Ski". The Americans can't compete anymore." I sometimes hear a resentful tone.

I am thankful for all those names that end in "Ski" and for all those other foreign names we cannot pronounce. Without them Ballroom would be dead in the U.S. We don't have enough top talent to go around. Without them few of us would have access to the art. The "so called" problem is one of our own making and comes from a little of our own prejudice. American Ballroom has always had a significant input from other countries. When the names were English names we easily welcomed them. Now that they don't roll off our tongues easily we are very aware of the International presence that has always be there. The presence that should be there.

As a nation, we do not invest in the arts. When was the last time you were able to enroll your child in a privately or public funded art program of any kind? Music, Dance, Drawing...? What programs are the first to be cut in schools when money is tight? Can you ever remember a time in your childhood when you and your whole family went out to a dance? Have you ever sung with a group of people outside of church? Our children still crave the arts. How many of them gather in the garage with backyard bands learning it own their own? Or dance to music in front of the TV? How many of them have the opportunity to seriously study? This is just not something we do, so talent does not emerge as readily as it does in other countries. Unless families can afford to fund it themselves many talented children will never have the opportunity. By the time they are able to fund it as a choice for themselves, it is too late to be competitive in an International world that does all these things. But it is never too late to find the joy of the arts whether we are competitive or not.

All those names that end in "Ski" are not only competing here, they are teaching here. They are bringing their talents to us and I for one am grateful to them. They have enriched our lives far beyond bringing us the best and brightest of the dance world to learn from. How many places outside a ballroom do we have a real opportunity socialize with and respect people from all over the world? Dance naturally brings people together in friendship.

Dance feeds the human spirit in so many ways. In what other setting can we so readily meet our need for human touch? Express ourselves with music and movement? Take someone in our arms and just move with them. Even strangers.

Why is it always the names that end in "Ski" that we notice? I've never heard anyone speak of the British names and the French names. In the last few days, we have realized that many of those French names were Haitian. I have been scanning a number of Haitian artists here in the states and am impressed at how many we have in all fields. This would indicate the Haiti, a tiny country known for it's poverty, values the arts in it's culture. Every International Aid Worker I've talked to comments on the Haitian spirit and Haitian ability to overcome adversary. I am beginning to ask myself, "Does this spirit come from their nation's value of the creative arts?" Is it the arts that give them their strength?

I personally believe that it does. And so, when we seek to save Haiti we may be saving ourselves. They have much to teach us.

All those other names we can't pronounce also value the arts. There is something we consider intangible, they can teach us as well. The ideal is that we would hear it and rejoice in the gifts they give us. The reality is that America, with her strong competitive nature, will do so because hate losing to a name that ends in "Ski". This attitude will taint the gift and the art. This is not good. But if it ends in the arts emerging more fully in our country, we have hope.

On the other hand, Americans have a lot of good to offer as well. We are a generous people. We are often the first to respond in International Disasters. We do have a caring country. If we have the strength to give, let us find the strength and grace to accept the gifts of others.

Ballroom and Haiti

2010-01-16T01:07:00.000-08:00

When a disaster of this magnitude strikes, my first thoughts go to: "Do I have anyone there." Selfish perhaps when so many people are suffering so unspeakably right now. But it is normal for our first thoughts to go to those we love best. I can think of no one who is there right now. But I do have friends who might have been.

Because most of the public media focuses on the extreme poverty in Haiti we sometimes forget that Haiti does have a rich culture, that there are people who are not impoverished and that they are caring people who care about their country.

Like the Irish Immigrants who fled the poverty of their own country and sent help and support back to their people at home, there are Haitians here doing the same. One of those is Michel Francois Jaques. http://www.millenniumballroom.net/meet.html

I do not personally know him. But he is part of our dance community. I am sure there are others. I am sure he is suffering intensely. There are people in this country who do not know where their families are, if they are alive. People who long to go back home and "Do Something." These are people we can reach out to with our friendship right now.

I have been most gratified at the response of the Dance Community to the need in Haiti. The LuLu Lounge in Toronto is giving all the proceeds of it's Dance on Jan. 15 to organizations who are helping Haiti. The Twitters of major dance pros and competitors are asking their followers to donate. These are two examples of many, many responses. I believe many more will come.

Michel Francois Jaques is the human face I have for Haiti. I need a human face to help me truly understand the magnitude of what has happened. It is something I wish I did not have to understand.

What Ballroom Dancers Could Learn from Football

2010-01-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you saw a video entitled: "Learn Football in 10 Easy Lessons"?

You don't see it because it wouldn't sell. We know that it takes a whole bunch of good people to make a good football player. It starts with a good coach in our childhood. But if there were no team to practice with, no one to toss a ball to and throw it back, no one to scrimmage with, no drills with good equipment, we we never have a good football player. Then we have to have a player who wants it and will go through all the blood sweat and tears it takes to get there. And would we really have good football players if there weren't informed sports fans out there who cared about football? There isn't a man alive out there who would think he could learn football alone in the comfort of his own living room. Or that he could learn a little bit and go out there and play.

Social and Ballroom Dancing are much the same. We need a "coach". Someone who will not only tell us what to do and tell us how to do it better, but one who will correct our mistakes. We can't learn to lead until we have people who will follow. And we will never get it right until we drill and practice. The other students in a school are our team. Without them, we won't get better. We need more than just our coach. The better our team is the better we will be.

How much real respect to we give to the seasoned football who mentors the new team members? These are the players who attract my attention. You see, I am not a football fan. I have a few football fans in my life. I don't care about scores, schedules, rankings or plays. But I do listen with interest when someone talks about what a great guy a certain player is and what he is doing for the sport.

I have the greatest respect for students and professionals in our industry who care enough to help others come up.

Like football, no one can learn to dance from video tapes. Too many try. That doesn't mean video is bad. How we are using it, accepting it and marketing it is often bad. Football tends to use video well. Players look at it with their team and their coaches. It is a learning tool used in the context of ones personal learning community, so to speak. This is important. A player sees an idea or technique and tries it out. The coach sees what he is doing and provides feedback. He tries it out with other team members and it works or it doesn't. Together they find out why. The key to this is that everyone has seen the video. They can talk about it and give feedback to each other in real time. The coach and other leaders in the team have enough expertise to guide the process.

Video is also good for review. If you have worked with other people and have a good understanding of the material on the tape, it can help you remember.

Unlike football, there is a lot of myth and simple lack of knowledge about what it takes to learn how to dance. When we go out social dancing we are doing the same thing that guys do when they get together for a game. They are taking the skills that they learned from coaches, playing with their teams in school and having fun with it with other guys. It's social football. It's fun. Some groups are better than others. Who tmen play with depends on whether they want to just have some food times with their own friends or if they want to play with a team that trying to be good. Not professional, just good. And good enough to make it fun and a challenge. This is what I think sport is all about. It's open to everyone interested and has all levels of access to people.

What would happen if we started thinking about our dancing they way we do about football? We want to find the skill level that is fun for us. We need to recognize that we have to have good people to play with to make us better? We have to have places where we can come together to play. We can mentor people and improve our "sport". We can use tools such as video wisely. That it does takes a lot of other people...

One thing I do know. I'll never get it in 10 easy lessons in the comfort of my living room. I wouldn't really want to even if I could.

You are always welcome to share your own comments or reactions here. I will get back to you as quickly as I can. If you try to comment and can't email me and I will fix the problem.)

(P.S. Not only do I know that I don't know a lot a football, I have probably used language that shows my ignorance. Have a good laugh about it and know that I respect it as a sport even though I am an ignoramus. I am open to enlightenment.)

Thoughts of Another Teacher

2010-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

I just found a wonder article on Teaching Dance. It is very congruent with the BlueRidge Philosophy as well. Instead of making a lot of comments I will simply recommend you read it.

http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/articles/entry/habit_2_stepping_stones_beyond/

Dance Forum Music Post and Men's Competition Wear

2010-01-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Dance Forums had a post listing much of the music on Dancing with the Stars with a genre designation. Cha Cha, Rumba, etc. http://www.dance-forums.com//showthread.php?t=35117

I am hoping the link works as this is a wonderful list the author compiled.

The other day I spoke to a gentleman preparing to compete at his first competition as a newcomer. He wanted to know how to get a street jacket to look good on the dance floor. Normal suits are designed to be worn by polite men walking, shaking hands and doing activities with the arms hanging down. The minute he wants to do something active the first thing he does is peel off that jacket. Tuxedo suits are the same. They look good with the arms hanging down at the side.

Dance jackets are designed to be worn with the arms in dance position and there is some flex in the sleeves. If you watch male dancers preparing to relax, the first thing that comes off is the jacket.

My first and best advice is to get clothing that works. If you must attempt to adapt a jacket ask a tailor or dressmaker to add gussets in the armpit area. This will help the jackets tendency to ride up and free the arms to move. You will still get bunching at the shoulders and the shoulders will still lift up.

Competitions vary a little as to what the expected dress is. Each organizer will issue a packet and list what the expected wear is for each category. Your teacher or coach should have that information. Don't be afraid to ask them to check on it for you. Beginning competitors can often get by with black slacks, matching vest and white shirt for smooth (and tie) and black slacks and black shirt for latin. Wait to invest in a dance tux until you are required to wear one. They are an investment. Over the years there will be changes in fashion and very possibly your girth. You can also purchase used or rent.

As I find links that will help we will post them on the links page at www.BlueRidgeBallroom.com

Ballroom Shoes

2009-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Good Ballroom shoes are an investment. You can destroy them with sloppy footwork. We recommend our ladies wait to get them until their ankle strength is good and they are knowledgable about dancing on the inside edge.

Ladies:
Good Ballroom shoes are also sports equipment. They need to fit correctly. A correct fit is much different than what you are used to. The shoe should be snug and your toes may go beyond the toe of the shoe a 1/4 inch or so. There should be no slip in the heel. Try them on after you've been up and walking around. If the shoe is painfully tight when you first put it on, it is too tight. If the foot moves around in the shoe it is too loose. If you are buying your first pair, have someone who knows what they are doing fit you. This may be the seller or one of your teachers.

Most companies will not take shoes back if the suede soles show any signs of wear. One walk across a hard surface turn them into a used pair of shoes. Try them on and walk around on a clean carpet if you think you might send them back. Play fair and wear clean hose for your fitting.

Most competitors are best choosing a flesh colored pair of shoes. This gives you a longer legline and will go with any dress. For Beginner competitors, you can use a latin sandel for both smooth and rhythm dances. Do not worry about court shoes until you are competing a the International Standard. Court shoes are very narrow in the toe. These are not all day shoes.

For classes and practice parties consider getting a good practice shoe. These are also excellent for beginners who don't have inside edge or ankle strength yet. Yes, I know they are not as pretty....

Above all: Do not try to learn to dance in a pair of street shoes. This is a injured ankle waititng to happen.

In fact: You can order dance shoes with a street sole. If you wear heels all day, you will appreciate them. You can run in them. A few non-dancers are buying them and loving them. I no longer own a street heel.

Gentlemen:
You will be surprised at what a good shoe will do for your dancing. They are less expensive than the ladies. For the most part, you have one color choice...Black.

If you are exclusively a latin dancer, consider getting a latin heel. It will help your action. In the beginning, you can use a smooth shoe for both latin and smooth dances. Look for a snug fit and accept the fact that your toes will come very close to the end of your shoe. Same fitting rules as for ladies. Do not walk on a hard surface until you know you don't have to send them back.

For more information on shoes: Visit our website.

Popular Music for Building Speed in Swing and Cha

2009-12-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

The following list of songs (or songs like them) can help you build speed as you practice. Most are available from I Tunes or other popular music sources.

Swing (from very slow to fast)

ZZ Hill: Down Home Blues
ZZ Hill: I'm a Blues Man
Mariah Carey: Make it Happen
Spice Girls: Stop
BB King and Robert Cray: Playin' with my Friends
Elton John: Club at the End of the Street
Elton John: Sleeping with the Past
Blues Brothers: Sweet Home Chicago

Cha (Slow to Medium)

Joe Crocker: My Father's Son
Eric Clapton: My Father's Eyes
Jade: I Wanna Love You Down
Marc Anthony: I Need to Know

What do I dance to that?

2009-11-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

You learn to recognize what a song is as you learn to count music for your dancing. When your teacher asks you to count out loud in class, he or she is giving you the opportunity to learn a lot. You begin to hear music in a different way because you are learning to hear beat values when you may have only listened to the lyrics before. When you can hear the beat values you can begin to recognize the music.

Here are two ways to go further. Buy some strict timed CD from one of the better dance dance distribution sites and practice counting to them as you practice your dancing with them. Try different songs and count, count, count. We have some good sites listed on the BlueRidge Ballroom website on the links page.

Or more fun, when you watch dance shows, such as Dancing with the Stars, take advantage of the fact they have told you what the song is and count the music as you watch. Google "Dancing with the Stars Music" and explore some of the offerings. There are sites where you can find the songs and purchase music you like, there are lists of the songs and lists of types of dances with the name of the song. Again, listen and count the music.

If you think you can't hear the beats, relax a few moments, put the music back on and tap your foot to the music. (Not recommended with the right foot if you are driving.) Your foot is responding to the beats. Count what your foot is doing. Listen for stronger and softer beats. (Or heavier or lighter beats.) The stronger heavier beats are down beats. The softer lighter beats are upbeats.

The strongest, heaviest beat in each measure is "one".

Do the best you can. If you've tried, you will have better questions for your teacher. Ask other students who can count to count with you when you practice. Every teacher of dance knows how important counting is. Every good dancer does. If you ask for help, they will most definitely help you.

Counting music is not hard. It does take practice. With practice, it becomes a habit. That habit is one of the first you want to develop in your career as a dancer. If you don't, you will never dance in time to the music or be able to lead or follow a movement. If you should be one of those rare people who absolutely refuse to learn to count music, I would strongly advise you to take up another sport. It's that serious to your success.

60 Highest Grossing Dance Movies

2009-11-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

Had trouble making the link work. Typing them out but the source is dancepinoy.com.

1. Saturday Night Fever 1977
2. Flashdance 1983
3. Save the Last Dance 2001
4. Footloose 1984
5. Step Up 2006
6. Staying Alive 1983
7. Dirty Dancing 1987
8. Stomp the Yard 2007
9. Coyote Ugly 2000
10. Step Up 2: The Streets 2006
11. Shall We Dance 2004
12. The Full Monty 1997
13. White Nights 1985
14. You Got Served 2004
15. Breakin'1984
16. All the Jazz 1979
17. Take the Lead 2006
18. Honey 2003
19. The Turning Point 1977
20. Dance Flick 2009
21. Fame 2009
22. Billy Elliot 2000
23. Fame 1980
24. Showgirls 1995
25. Roll Bounce 2005
26. Center Stage 2000
27. Dance With Me 1998
28. Breakin'2: Electric Boogaloo 1984
29. A Chorus Line 1985
30. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights 2004
31. Strictly Ballroom 1993
32. Shall We Dance 1997
33. Tap 1989
34. Salsa - The Motion Picture 1988
35. Mad Hot Ballroom 2005
36. How She Move 1998
37. Shag: The Movie 1989
38. Girls Just Want to Have Fun 1985
39. Swing Kids 1993
40. A Night in Heaven 1983
41. Lambada 1990
42. That's Dancing 1985
43. Rize 2005
44. Fast Forward 1985
45. Tango 1999
46. Heavenly Bodies 1985
47. Bossa Nova 2000
48. The Forbidden Dance 1990
49. Body Rock 1984
50. Dancers 1987
51. The Tango Lesson 1997
52. Flamenco 1997
53. Danzon 1992
54. Planet B-Boy 2008
55. Dance Maker 1999
56. Stepping Out 1991
57, The In Crowd 1988
58. Love N Dancing 2009
59. Do You Wanna Dance 1999
60. Sing 2004

The list starts from 1997 on. They are Dance Movies not all Ballroom. But it's a place to start if you want to watch a dance movie. Would love to hear your favorites and why.

Becoming a Dance Teacher

2009-11-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I was watching Good Morning America and was dismayed to see a clip on Teaching Dance as a quick way to make money. "If you knew a little bit about dancing, you could advertise yourself and become a teacher!" Well, yes, legally in this country you can. Anyone can hang out a sign and call themselves a dance teacher. Unfortunately, many people do.

What is legal and what is ethical are two different things. There are those of us who consider this a true profession in the arts. A good dance teacher must be willing to develop two parallel professions, teaching and dancing. They must be proficient in both. And they have to have a real love of both.

In our lives as students of any subject we have had "teachers' who had great knowledge of their subject but didn't care if we learned or not. They weren't really teachers were they. And some of us have had teachers who cared but couldn't answer our questions or make the material make sense. Or they weren't current with new ideas and just kept teaching the same old stuff.

Because one of my own specialties is teaching beginners, I'm often asked..."Don't you get bored teaching the same thing over and over again?" The answer is no. I care if my students learn it and everyone is different. I'm always looking for new methods of teaching a box step, a triple step, or a rock step that will help them get it quicker and prepare them for more advanced material. So I'm always experimenting and learning myself.

I will visit master teachers teaching their beginning classes, take the class and see what they are doing. For me, teaching beginners is challenging and fun. And has been for years.

When we look to train teachers at our school, we want to see a love of dancing, a real and genuine concern for people of all ages, abilities,and flavors and an interest in teaching. We want to see strong ethical principles in all areas of that persons life. And we want to see a work ethic.

Most good schools and trainers will look for this. Teaching dance is not a fast way to make a buck. It is an art and a lifestyle. So yes, I was offended just this once by Good Morning America. I know they meant well, they just didn't know. I still enjoy the show.

Exercise for Ballroom

2009-11-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am often asked. "What kind of exercises can I do to help my dancing?"

My first answer is always, "What kind of exercise do you need to make you a healthy person and what kind of exercise is fun for you."

Dancing is exercise and for those of us who enjoy it, it is fun. That's what keeps us coming back. There is a place where we can become obsessive and make it so much work it stops being fun. At that point we burn out before we ever get good enough to find the magic in it.

That said, dancesport requires strength, flexibility and endurance. Core strength and flexibility are expecially important. As we age maintaining bone density also becomes important. Balance is also important.

Your mission is to find forms of exercise that you enjoy that will improve any of these areas.

Here are two ideas you may not have thought of. Check with your physician and make sure they are good exercises to be doing. Build up slow and train your body. If you have pain, stop. Exercise should not be painful. Listen to your own body. It is often smarter than you are.

Jump Rope
Recent studies have indicated that weight bearing exercise does not improve bone density as we thought it did. Exercise that causes the bones to flex slightly does. Jumping and landing a jump does. Jumping rope will build density in your leg bones and it is very aerobic. Too much too soon will cause shin splints. If you have knee problems or spinal problems find a different exercise or work with a trainer or physical therapist who can help you.

Hula Hoop.
Builds core strength, core flexibility and control, and is aerobic. It's fun and you can hoop to music. You will need to invest in an adult size hoop. I have used HoopGirl.com. There are others out there. She has videos available as well as simple on line instructions. There are other sites out there including ones on how to make your own hoop.