Another busy weekend

Here it is, closing in on the 4th of July holiday weekend already. Time flies when you are having fun. We've done a lot of dancing over the last several weeks. Both of the dance clubs that we are members of had their final dances of the season and will start back in the fall.

Friday night we went to Studio One for the weekly dance. There was a good crowd. We saw a few people that we don't see on a regular basis. Jodi and Charlie brought Diane. Jodi and Charlie teach Ballroom Dancing at the Dale City Rec Center. Except for the summer months they teach a class on Friday nights so can't attend the Studio One dances. Diane we know from the Candy Factory. She is a regular there and this was her first time to the Studio One dance. There were more ladies than gentlemen in attendance. However, the gentlemen try to dance with other partners which keeps all the ladies from having to sit out all the dances. Richard encourages his students to dance with other partners. It really helps the gentlemen develop their leads and the ladies with their following skills. Doris and I have been together so long that she can read my mind anyway and usually knows what I am going to do before I do.



Last night we went with Joy and Tony to the last dance of the season for the Colvin Run Schoolhouse. There was a Foxtrot lesson and Helmut Licht was the band. The good thing about Helmut is that he is also a dancer. This means he understands about keeping a beat and knows the difference between a Foxtrot and a Waltz. A lot of DJ's and bands are great to listen to but hard to dance to. We saw several people there that we know from other dance venues. They have an excellent floor and there was a mix of dancers with different levels of expertise.

The Harris Pavilion in Manassas has begun their summer series of events. They always have a good selection of bands. A week ago Saturday we went there to dance to the Abbey Road band. They are a 5 piece Beatles band. They play a lot of the early Beatles music which can be danced to. We saw Kathy and Randy there with a friend of theirs from their neighborhood. We had to leave a little early because of some impending thunderstorms. Being in an open air pavilion that is a metal structure can give some anxious moments in a thunderstorm.

Long Time No Hear

I have been very remiss in keeping up my blog. I've been very busy and sometimes life gets in the way of things you want to do. Not that we've been too busy to go dancing, however. I've changed jobs this month, so I was busy finishing up some things with my old job and starting some things with my new job. The change has been worthwhile.

We went dancing 3 times over the long weekend. Friday, we went to Studio One for the practice session from 9:00 to 11:00 PM. Some of the regulars were out of town but we still had a pretty good crowd. For most of the evening we were evenly divided with the same number of gentlemen as ladies. This doesn't happen often.

Saturday, we had to choose where to go. Having too many places to go dancing is a good problem to have. We were deciding between the Elk's Lodge, Strictly Ballroom and Louidmila's. We ended up going to Louidmila's. We haven't been there for a couple of months. We probably spent as much time catching up with friends we hadn't seen in a while as dancing. One couple there, Rick and Char, we met through dancing and found that we have even more in common. Rick and Doris went to the same High School in Boise, Idaho. He and I graduated 1 year before her. I went to a rival High School in Boise also. We met about 30 years later at a dance in Virginia and were sitting at the same table. Small world, isn't it?

Sunday, we went to the practice session at the Dale City Recreation Center. There is more room to dance there than we have at home.

Argentine Tango

I found this quote which perfectly sums up the appeal of Argentine Tango Milonguero:

Michael from Houston wrote on Tango-L:
In my humble opinion, fantasia, or stage dancing is strictly that, a work undertaken to entertain an audience. Open tango may be fun for some, but that's all, and is still used to impress those around you. Salon is fun, and more appropriate socially, but still generally danced by those searching for new moves, fancier steps; almost an "athletic" direction to improvement. And while maybe not quite as much to impress the crowd, still, there is that impression that they're trying to impress themselves. Tango Milonguero is for nobody but me and my partner, and the improvement that I search for is almost spiritual in quality. When me and my partner can exist on the floor oblivious to all else but the communion of our love for tango, and the synchronicity of our awareness. When we can both exist in a state where the music tells us what to do, and the embrace becomes not hands or arms, or even chests, but heart and body. When you get right down to it, as I learn more and more, tango becomes less and less about dancing, and more and more about feeling. I wish I could adequately describe this feeling, but I don't think anyone can.

Friday Nighters Dancing Club

We were invited to attend the Friday Nighters Dancing Club party by Pat and Bob, a couple that we know from the Elk's Lodge. We are always looking for more places to go dancing. The Friday Nighters have a dance the second Friday of every month except for July and August. The dance is held at the Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church and music is provided by the The Family Band.

We saw a lot of familiar faces from both the O Club and the Elk's Lodge. The church has a great dance floor with lots of room for moving dances. They were having a "Friday Nighter's go to the Movies" theme where members were encouraged to dress as their favorite movie stars. We sat at a table with Groucho Marx, Sally Fields and Charlie Chaplin.

We put in an application and were accepted, so we now have another venue to go dancing. We'll still get to go to Studio One most Fridays so it seems like a win-win situation for us. Going dancing is a great way to start the weekend.

Yesterday evening we went to the "Spring Celebration Dinner Dance" at the Elk's Lodge. The band there was a combo "Mike Suratt and the Eclectic Coalition Band". They played a good selection of music and it was obvious that swing is their forte.

Oops

I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum.

I need to write this 50 times because of an incident that happened on Saturday. We attended the last formal dance of the season with the Regal Dinner and Dance Club. I was in my tux and Doris in a pretty pink and white gown. Things were going pretty well until I tried to lead the Fall Away and Rocks in the Waltz. We did the fall away alright, but my feet tangled with hers when we went into the rocks. All of the sudden she was on the floor looking up at me. I remember vividly the expression on her face, but don't have the words to describe it.

I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum. I will not drop my partner on her bum.

Cherry Blossoms

We went downtown today to see the Cherry Blossoms. We hadn't gone in years, so we planned for me to take a day of vacation and go on a Friday to avoid the crowd. Mother Nature helped considerably with keeping the crowds away. However, we did get to meet a duck. We also went to the FDR Memorial which we hadn't seen. It was very nice. Across the river we could see Ft McNair with the National War College. Ft McNair was my old stomping grounds. I was stationed there back a couple of decades ago.

The sun started to break through so we decided to check out one of the Smithsonian Museums. We decided to have lunch and were treated to mediocre food at exorbitant prices. We didn't have much trouble finding a parking spot though.

Would you like milk with those dance shoes?

Okay, so they are not custom-made dance shoes from Argentina, but for $44.00 they are not bad.

We recently were introduced to a great little shop that sells dance shoes, clothes and accessories. It is Fu-Hao Dance Wear and is located on Gallows Road in Falls Church, VA inside the Great Wall Supermarket. Judy, the owner sells a wide variety of dance shoes (at very reasonable prices) for both men and women as well as dance accessories and clothes. We highly recommend her for personalized service. She is a dancer herself so she understands what dancers need and want. We admit that it is a little odd to find such a shop in the corner of a grocery store but who are we to complain? We have often wanted to Waltz down the aisles of our local Safeway. They play some great music that you can dance to.

As for being custom-made, the shoes may not be but the clothes are…..and still at reasonable prices….Cha Cha anyone?

Wednesday Night at the O Club

We had a great time at the Officer's Club on Ft Belvoir last night. Doris and I have a standing date on Wednesdays. Unless I'm out of town we go to the Club for dinner and dancing. They have a great buffet and a live band. The dancing goes from 6:00 to 9:00. We always reserve a table for 4 just in case someone we know shows up. Last night we had to take a table for 10. It's fun to go out dancing. It is even more fun when we get to share the experience. The only problem is that the evening goes by too quickly. The band was Night Watch. They play a good variety of songs. It's interesting to watch Jerry, the guy on the keyboard and horn player. Especially when he's playing both at the same time.