Happy Holidays!

While sitting quietly at the studio, enjoying the peace of the approaching Holiday Season, I’m counting my blessings.

This past year we have increased our staff with great personalities in Katy Davis and Abraham Sannoh, joining Larry, Rosario, Michael P. and Anna on the dance floor. Gizelle and Shawn have done an amazing job, managing the admin side of the business and hosting our Friday Night Parties.

The main reason we have grown is because of you, our clients, fellow dancers and friends who come to Dance Bethesda.  Thank You!

One of my goals in opening Dance Bethesda was to create a place where the love of dance would flourish among different generations. We’re achieving that now through a new level of community involvement. You may not be aware that these groups share space with us here at Dance Bethesda:

Urban Artistry - World Champions in the genre of Hip Hop, House and Break Dancing.

Little Shakers Music Together - movement classes for newborns to 5 year olds, where they are introduced to music, social interaction and dance rhythms.

Rock Creek Dance Academy - new to us this year bringing classical, jazz and tap, catering from pre-schoolers to teenagers. A dynamic group of young ladies.

Capital Country Dance Club - host a social dance on the 2nd Saturday of the month featuring Country and West Coast Swing.

Maryland Dance Teachers College - has become a successful program in helping people train for a career in dance. Nine successful candidates have completed the course to date.

So what’s new for you? We will be introducing our Medal Test Examination Program, where students will be examined and judged on their dancing ability and given constructive comments to improve their dancing.

Another project is our Dancing Partnerships - where we will be working with business and community groups in promoting dance events. Our first was “An American in Paris” with THE WASHINGTON CLUB and FRENCH CULINARY SOCIETY  where 50 people ate, drank and danced the night away.  Which brings us to NEW YEAR'S EVE 2013 at THE WASHINGTON CLUB - fine dining, wines, dancing, performances, and valet parking included in ticket price.   So get yours now!

I am looking forward to bringing you an exciting 2013 dance program.  New Workshops, Group Classes and Themed Dance Parties and a few surprises.

On behalf of everyone - Happy Holidays!

Michael Rye

Do The Hustle!

If you stepped into a time machine set to about 40 years ago you might end up in a New York discotheque with guys wearing big Afro-hair, bellbottom pants and white shoes and the ladies in their flashy, psychedelic tops dancing to the latest disco music.  Strobe lighting, mirrored balls, and fog were common themes.  Nobody can forget John Travolta strutting his stuff in Saturday Night Fever.  It put Hustle on the map of dancing.  Other movies that incorporated Hustle were Boogie Nights, 54, and Last Days of Disco.

Hustle was a street dance that had its roots in other Latin dances like Mambo.  Hustle adopted a lot of the turns and loops from Mambo dancing but had a “ropey or stretchy feel”.  Names like “Rope Hustle” or “Latin Hustle” have been used.  The gay community got into the Hustle scene which is where the balletic arms and elasticity came from that is common in the dance.  Also, acrobatics were added into the dance to give dancers an edge in the contests.

There has been a lot of disagreement when Hustle started.  So let’s just say it started in the early 1970s.  It started with a simple 6-count dance counted 1-2-3 & 4-5-6.  It started as slotted dance like Mambo but evolved into a rotational one.  Some theorize that the Hustle dance evolved the same way that West Coast Swing did.  As the dance floors became smaller, rotational dances became slotted dances so dancers would not crash into each other. 

In the mid 1970s, the 1-2-3 of the count was dropped leaving the &4-5-6 count.  The dance continues to evolve but has never lost its basic &1-2-3 count; four footprints in 3 beats.  Commonly the dance is either taught as a 4-count or 3-count.  The patterns work for either count.  Furthermore, some teachers count Hustle &1-2-3, 1-2-&3, and 1-2-3&.  They all are correct!  Hustle music has a consistent rolling count, so the syncopations can happen anyplace.  This allows for embellishment and musical interpretation.

Musical purists have a difficult time with the &1-2-3 because music starts on the “1”.  That is the start of a bar of music.  So the first dance action is actually borrowed from the preceding bar.  So many teachers like to start with the 1-2-&3.  It does not matter because once the dance gets going it is the same.  Also, many teachers like the 4-count Hustle because it matches up with the 4/4 time signature of 4 beats per bar of music.   To me this makes the dance very flat and loses that coaster-type look and feel that makes Hustle so fun.

Hustle can be a challenging dance because of the tempo.  But once the feet are moving without much thought, the dance gets relatively easy.  Many of the moves used in Salsa, West Coast, Swing, Cha Cha, and Bolero can be incorporated. 

So don your white leisure suit and put your “Tony Manero” attitude on and Do The Hustle.

Yours Truly,

Larry Rindner

A Pleasant Surprise

The interpreter service called to confirm the lesson for Jillian and Garri.  I thought, “That’s strange, why would you need a service to confirm a dance lesson?  Oh, well this will be interesting. I wonder what language they speak.”

As I walked in the studio and met Jillian and Garri, I found out both are hearing impaired and communication was through the written word and sign. They were here for their wedding dance lesson.

I have taught deaf kids back in Australia and understood that they can feel the vibration of the music if played loudly enough. Jillian and Garri had selected Shania Twain’s “From this Moment” for their wedding dance song.

All the couples that come into Dance Bethesda to learn a wedding dance show the love they have for each other and this young couple was no exception. In fact the connection between them was a total joy to behold.

As I showed them the steps to the Rumba, demonstrating the actions and steps, Jillian and Garri quickly mastered the basics. With Garri feeling the rhythm from me, he was able to dance to the music very quickly; guiding Jillian into the box step, an underarm turn, and shoulder to shoulders with a dip for dramatic effect gave me a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.

Then we choreographed their entrance with Garri watching me as the D.J. for a nod when I hit the play button. He rose from his chair, offered his hand to his bride and gallantly led her to the middle of the floor to begin their dance. Jillian ever so graceful, walked around Garri looking lovingly into his eyes, then spun in for a sideways lunge, up and facing each other, they kissed then into dance hold, and off they went dancing.

Jillian and Garri had only had one major concern of whether or not they were dancing at the right speed to the music. They were with Garri doing an excellent job of leading Jillian around the floor. The delight in Garri being able to dance with Jillian was wonderful to watch.  Like all soon to be married couples, they had their disagreements which were fun to watch, their gestures to each other, then writing it down for me to adjudicate. The expression on their faces when one was right and the other corrected was always softened by a hug, a kiss or a poke of the tongue.

From a teaching stand point, it was curious to watch the reaction from other students sharing the floor with them. You could see that Jillian and Garri were hearing impaired but no one saw my slight nod to Garri to let him know to start. So there were some baffled looks from others trying to figure out how he knew the right time to go.

While working with Jillian and Garri we were able to develop a complex routine because they practiced at home. Their lack of hearing was no way a barrier to them succeeding in becoming good dancers for their wedding day. They are a very attractive young couple and watching them practice over and over again,  seeing the love that they share, the pride in each other in achieving their goal of learning to dance and making it look so graceful and fluid in motion had me reaching for the tissue box.

On their wedding day, their dance will empower everyone watching, step by step.

Yours truly,

Michael Rye

The Details Matter

 Recently I sent an inquiry to a car dealer about a car that I was interested in.  In the inquiry I had a specific question.  The response from the salesperson included a misspelling of my last name and a different answer to my question.  I felt like the salesperson didn't take the time to listen.  This cost him a possible sale from me.

The teacher-student relationship is based on clear communication.  It is important that both parties take the time to listen to each other.  It is a great idea to confirm that the students’ needs and questions are addressed.  Usually there are learning gems in the question and answer.  I love getting questions because it indicates an interest and perhaps a "detail" that I left out.  Also it’s very likely that other students have the same questions.

In dancing I hear that the details make a big difference.  It is very often that dancers get pattern-oriented.  They want more and more elaborate patterns.  But the dance patterns sometimes don't work correctly until the details are added.  A simple Box pattern can be made to look like a silver or gold pattern just by adding some details.  Watch and listen for the dancing details; they really do matter.

 Here are some dancing details that you may consider next time you take the floor:

 -    Keeping the head up and back.  Not only does it look good but it helps with maintaining good posture.

-    Guys should close their fingers of their right hand on the lady's back

-    Pull up through the center of levitation; it is easier to dance when you are light

-    Use the proper part of your foot; it makes a difference

-    Remember good etiquette on the dance floor; know your abilities so everyone can dance comfortably

Dancing is a form of communication.  Remember that the details matter in your communication with your partner and dancing.

Yours truly,

Larry

Dancing Adventures with Michael

Gizelle, our studio manager asked “Can you do this month’s blog?”

“Certainly, I replied. What would you like me to blog about? “

Gizelle just gave me the look that said……”Really Michael?”.

And so it begins….a dance history is so long it’ll take several blog entries to cover it.

My parents had converted our detached double garage into an entertainment room with table tennis and a pool table plus a great stereo system and room for my sister to practice her ballet.

It was great, after school I’d go out there and play the ole’ 45’s on the record player and sing along to my favorite artists – the Beatles, Elvis, Tiny Tim (Yes Tiny Tim), The Osmonds, and the Jacksons.  I did a great rendition of Donny Osmond’s “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool”.  I was hot, doing all my moves using the garage door as a stage and impressing the neighborhood.  Well, not the entire neighborhood, Mr. Malberg next door was never really captivated by my skills.  When I’d start singing he’d play his Scottish Bagpipe LP and drown me out.

Mum would drag me along to the church hall where my sister attended ballet classes.  Two other boys and I would rough house and make a commotion while our sisters were practicing.  When we started to actually cause damage, the ballet mistress lost her patience and forced us to join the class where she could keep control.  That was the start of my love of dance.  I continued ballet and when Mum decided it was time for my sister to learn ballroom, she’d drag me along to that as well, this time to the high school auditorium where the program was run by the Bass Hill RSL Youth Club.   Similar to my start in ballet, I was forced to join the class.  I had my first Cha Cha Cha and I fell in love with dance all over again.

I continued with ballroom, eventually being invited to join the dance team.  I was partnered with Jacqueline Jones and my competitive dance career was born.  We started competing against other RSL Youth Clubs.  We then moved on to private lessons where we improved our dancing enough to enter competitions sanctioned by the Australian Dancing Board of Control.  At this higher level, all competitors were being trained privately.

I used to wear a frilly shirt front with my father’s cummerbund, which would wrap around me three times, topped off by a huge black velvet bow tie.  (See the photo below.)

Jackie and I danced together for four years.  She grew taller than me and we changed teachers in order to find new suitable partners.  It was five years before I grew to match her height again.  By then we were both competing with our new partners but Jackie’s and my family had became very close through our shared dancing, and still are to this day.  Dancing adventures form friendships and create lots of great memories.  I am grateful for that.

Until next time,

Michael

West Coast Swing Brings the Kid Out

West Coast Swing was a dance that I thought I would never get.  It was a non-traditional dance where the leader and follower do different things but must be in sync.  In ballroom dancing the leader and follower are mirror image of each other.  But it was a popular dance, the music was addictive, and looked like it was fun.  So I practiced, studied videos, and took coaching.  I attended every dance that I could.  Each dance I prepared myself to try one new pattern.  I figured if I added one new pattern each week, that I would learn 50 patterns a year. 

We all know that kids love to play.  The improvisational nature of West Coast Swing gives dancers of all ages and levels the opportunity to play to all types of music.  West Coast Swing gives dancers of different abilities to dance together.  It can be danced anywhere to almost any genre of music.

Skippy Blair is one of the founders of West Coast Swing.  Included is an article on the history of West Coast Swing:  http://www.swingworld.com/history_wsc.htm

See you on the dance floor!


Larry

Enriching Life Through Dance

I don’t remember the first time I ever danced, but my mother says that as a very little girl, I would put on Halloween costumes and twirl around the house, playing Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, with a certain kind of dramatic flair that only five-year-old girls can pull off.

Even at such a young age, I seemed to have an appreciation for dance that has been a staple throughout my life. As I’ve “grown up,” which might be a loosely coined term, being that I’m only 23 and recently graduated from college, I am grateful for what dance has taught me, and the experiences I have had because of it. Now, as a dance teacher, I hope that I can help others enrich their lives through dance.

I have taken dance lessons since I was three. Ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop, lyrical, West African- you name it, I probably took it. It wasn’t until I was 13, that I got my first taste of ballroom dancing. As you can imagine, for many of you from first-hand experience, I was hooked from the start. Partner dancing was a whole new world to me, and I loved experiencing ways that two people could work together to make such beautiful movements. I learned how to trust another person to not lead me astray, which is a very difficult task for a stubborn 13-year-old girl. I also learned how to exude grace and poise, with awkward, long lanky legs and braces- another daunting task.

When I turned 14, I traveled to my first competition. I didn’t know what to expect, and felt out of place, in my long gown dripping in rhinestones, high heels and hair-sprayed bun. As soon as I walked into the ballroom, I was in awe. Words can not do justice to the feeling of pure bliss and excitement that encompassed me. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted that feeling to always be my reality. I cried for two days after it was over, and told my mom I didn’t want to go back to the “real world.” She felt the same way.

There is an “old world charm” that surrounds the art of ballroom dancing that I have always loved and appreciated, even as a young girl. I began learning so much more than dancing at these competitions, and in my hometown studio. I watched and observed as people were kind and courteous to each other, and treated each other with the utmost respect. Men always opened doors for the ladies, and asked the women to dance with such chivalry. I felt, that this was the way the whole world should be. The ballroom was beautiful, the people were elegant, the dancing was beyond explanation, and I started to feel at home.

To make a long story short, ballroom dancing has honestly shaped me into the person I am today. I don’t think there is any way to describe the things it has taught me in my life. I have learned the way I like to conduct myself, the way I like to be treated and the way I always want to treat others. I learned to be a humble winner and gracious loser. I learned how to feel physically and mentally in shape through the exercise that ballroom dancing provides. I learned how to respect others in a way that seems lost on much of society today. I learned how to see beauty with its enriching influence, because everything seems more beautiful when you’re dancing.

There is no way to describe the enjoyment you can get from dancing. In addition to all the above mentioned aspects, it is so much fun! It is my true belief, that anyone and everyone can benefit from dancing, and enjoy it, if you give it a try. It worked for me!!

Yours truly,

Katy Davis

When Did I Start Dancing????

This is the most common question asked by my students.  Dancing has always been a part of my life.  It is my life.  Since I could walk my family would take me along to parties.  They became my first teachers as I was exposed to the cha cha, the boogie which you may know as the lindy hop, and tango.  This was my first exposure to partner dancing.  Little did I know this was the beginning of my life story as a dancer.  As a child watching movies like Cinderella and Sound of Music I yearned to sing and dance like Julie Andrews and the other stars.  I guess that is where my theatrical nature started.  As a child I attended one of the top schools in the Philippines where our school books were written in English.  This posed as a challenge for me since English was not my native language.  This challenge forced me to communicate through body language.  As I started to learn and develop my dancing skills it proved to be a great asset in my development as a dancer.  I learned numerous styles of dance – ballet, jazz, flamenco, and ballroom to name a few.  I remember my dance teacher would give us a symbol and tell us to interpret it through dance.  These exercises taught me creativity and how to transform myself into anything I wanted to be.  I guess this is why I’m such a stickler for showing expression through movements with my students today. 

After high school I knew dance would be part of me forever.  At that time I was chosen to perform during intermission for a dance sport competition in Manila.  At that event I was noticed by the head of the Department of Culture of the Philippines and was chosen to be trained by world champion Paul Bishop.  I was honored to work with Paul Bishop and later on assisted him with numerous workshops around the country. 

This led me to become the owner of my own dance studio in the Philippines and a regional trainer in the Philippines.  The reason I dance is because its my passion.  My family has always inspired me and that inspiration drives me to inspire my students.  Dance allows me to share that love with my students.

See you on the dance floor!

Rosario

Dance Can Lift Your Spirits (and even save your life)

Nearly five years ago I was offered a full-time job in another city.  I rented my home and moved my belongings.  A week later after I moved to this other city, the owner pulled the job offer.  I found myself jobless and homeless.  My home was occupied by renters and I had no income.  One of the reasons I moved to this other city was to pursue dance teaching and to attend a ballroom dance teaching college in the evening.  After the shock of the job loss passed I found a dance studio that I could study, practice, and teach while I looked for a job.  Every day from noon to 10 pm I made dancing my job – studying the syllabus, reviewing videos, and attending classes.  Within three months I had 10 students and was dancing.  My income was low, but I was enjoying every day.

I have heard that dancing had many benefits.  At the studio I felt safe.  The dancing made me feel good physically and mentally.  It gave me purpose and provided daily joy.  The camaraderie with fellow teachers and students was intoxicating.  Having a reason to get up every day and looking forward to dance was the difference between life and death of my spirit.

Are you in a blue mood?  Is there stress in your job?  Well turn on the music and dance.  One day back in my dorm room, I blasted Madonna songs and danced until I collapsed of exhaustion into happiness.  Dance has obvious physical health benefits.  Sometimes the physical benefits of dance are not achieved because of the condition the mind and spirit is in.  There were days that the difference between feeling down and feeling good was music and dancing.  Body movement and music create endorphins in the body that makes you feel good.  But it goes further than that.  When one is dancing to music, there is no room for negative thoughts or feelings.  It keeps a person in the present.  No time for guilt or worry.  For four minutes at a time there is nothing to think about except the dance and the music.  Ballroom dancing adds another aspect of sociability and communication with others.  There are many dancers who claim that dance has saved their lives.  I am one of them.

Yours truly,

Larry Rindner

Lose 12 in 2012

 

Hi Everyone! I am sure you had a great Christmas - New Year Holiday period. I did and "boy" am I paying for all the good food, company and fine wine that I had. It is a shame when your favorite pair of Hugo Boss pants don't fit anymore. Thank heavens for the Fat Jeans....

So I am inviting you to join me in attempting to lose 12 pounds in 2012. The studio is going to have a weigh in at Dance Bethesda each night, starting Monday, January 9th. Come join me in this exciting way to fight the flab and get back in some form of aerobic fitness. At the end of February we will re-weigh everyone and have prizes for those that have lost some of their Christmas pudding.

The goal is to be 12 pounds lighter by the end of April, though I am hoping to lose it quicker than that.

Conditions of this little competition are easy. You must attend 2 of our 12 in 2012 classes, designated by a *star on our class calendars and any other class during the week. Get weighed in during the first week of competition and again at the end of February. You must lose a minimum of 8 lbs to qualify for one of our first prize givings. That should be easy enough......

I will be blogging about my experience and would love to hear about yours.

What will be the hardest part for me is not eating late at night after classes/lessons, limiting myself to one full glass of wine per night - not a never emptying glass, and cutting out the potato chips and french fries. Did anyone mention Pizza.....ssshhhhh!!!!! Plus get some exercise. Looks like the dogs will get some longer walks.

As well Ladies I will be having a Dance Card up at the studio, so you can help me dance the tummy away.

See you on the dance floor.

Michael

Private Lessons or Classes? - That's a Good Question

I often get asked "Is it better to start off with private lessons or group classes?"
The answer depends on what your dancing goals are.  If you are getting married or have a function to attend, take private lessons.  You will be given one on one instruction on how to dance with confidence, technique and style so your event will be a success.

Lessons are also great if your goal is to showcase your new hobby in competition or displays.

Classes are a great way to gain confidence while learning to dance.  The pace is slower as you move through the basic steps and normally you change partners to develop your leading and following skills.  It is an inexpensive way to learn but a great social activity at the same time.

The perfect world would be to do both.  That way you learn steps in a class environment and use your lesson to hone the finer skills and styling.

A lot of my students do both and they find it the most satisfying way to twinkle their toes.

Cheers!

Michael Rye