Friday Night Dance

I didn't know if I would make the dance last night. I had been out of town on business all week but managed to get back in time to go to the dance. We go to the social dance that is held every Friday night at Studio One in Alexandria. Attendance was light last night. Everyone must have been home watching the Olympics or something. This just means that there was more room on the dance floor for us.

Pictured are Agnes Bordas and Richard Benjamin, dance instructors at Studio One.

Going dancing is a great way to unwind from the week. Richard lays out some finger foods and occasionally someone will bring in a favorite dish. They have tables and a TV in the back where couples rest between dances and watch re-runs of "Dancing With the Stars". We visit back and forth but generally try to get all the dancing in that we can. Richard plays a selection of dance tunes every week, both smooth and latin. We are getting so that we know at least a few steps in most of the regular ballroom dances. One day we will pick up the dances that we haven't gotten to yet. There is always more to learn. With dancing the journey is the destination. Whether you are a novice social dancer or a professional there is always another step to learn or technique to polish.

Dance Lesson 2/20

I had a private lesson alone with our instructor tonight. We worked on the Cha Cha and the Rhumba. We went over some styling in both dances and we started to learn some new steps which definitely need a lot of refinement. We are getting to the harder steps in both dances now and they need more work to smooth out. We are almost done with the bronze level in both dances.

Valentine's Day After the Fact

We got to go to another Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday night. This one was at the Candy Factory. It had been postponed from the previous weekend. Postponing it a week didn't help their attendance, but it did leave us plenty of room on the dance floor.

They had a lot of good finger foods, with a chocolate fountain to dip strawberries in.

Several of our dance crowd were there, even Stella. I would never venture to guess a ladie's age. I will just say that Stella is a very experience dancer. She usually comes as a single to the same dances that we get to. She is a lot of fun to dance with and can still really "cut a rug".

We also went to the Recreation Center for the Sunday practice session. There was a real light crowd there, too. Besides, Jodie and Charlie, there were Candi and Jerry. Candi and Jerry took lessons from Jodie and Charlie in the same class as we did a couple of years ago. We all tend to get to the same dance venues.

Valentines Dances

We did get some dancing in for Valentines Day. On the 14th we went to the Officer's Club at Ft. Belvoir. They had an ensamble with a singer, a keyboard player, and a drummer. We went with Janet and Jeff and another couple who are friends of theirs. The O Club has a pretty good dance floor and a variety of local bands play there. We generally go to their Wednesday night dances. The crowd there is generally older, but most of them know the at least the fundementals of dance.

Last night, we went to the Valentines Day dance at Studio One. Richard told everyone to where something red that everyone could see. Red undies didn't count. We had a pretty good crowd and everyone brought a dish, so there was lots to eat, too. Richard was in fine form and did the Samba with a couple of different ladies. He can really get that latin motion going.


Tonight, we are going to the Candy Factory. They had scheduled their Valentines Day dance last weekend, but got snowed out. They had a dance last Valentines Day and it was a lot of fun. They have a CD player and the regular dance instructor plays DJ. She has a good selection of dance music and the crowd there is a mix of experienced and novice dancers.

Snowed out for Valentine's Day

We were all set to go to a Valentine's Day dance at the Candy Factory in Manassas last night. Unfortunately, it got cancelled because of the snow storm. It was a real shame about the weather. We knew of at least 5 different dances we could have gone to. They were probably all cancelled.

So, we stayed home and practiced. Last year we got rid of all the furniture in the living room, tore up the carpet, and had the oak floor re-finished. It is not a real big space, but one of the short walls is mirrored so it works pretty well. We do fine practicing the latin dances, but the moving dances like waltz and foxtrot are a little tricky.

We have some exercises that we do. For spins we practice to a Rhumba beat, stepping to the left or right with the "quick-quick" and spinning on the ball of one foot for the slow. Then, repeat for the other direction. For Foxtrot, we stand face to face and palm to palm. To a Foxtrot we alternatively go forward and back trying to length our strides. After that, we place LP records on our heads and go up and down the floor balancing the records. This is to help us not to bounce when we Foxtrot. Doris has an easier time with this; the record keeps slipping off my pointy head.

Monday Night Lesson

We took our regular Monday night lesson from Richard at Studio One last night. I am getting better at keeping the timing on the Back Spot Turn with Reverse and Roll Underarm turns. It seem counter-intuitive, but adding the turns seems to make all the difference in getting the time right when going into that last chasse.

Also on the Cha-Cha, we started work on the Cross Over and Break, not to be confused with the Cross Over Break. You do a Cross Over Break as part of the Cross Over and Break. This is one where we need a real slow Cha-Cha.

On the Foxtrot, Richard made a correction on our Adlib Right. You are supposed to step, brush, step, and then pivot to the right. I was turning right as part of the brush step, which doesn't give my partner a good lead and looks weird.

We also started a new step in the Foxtrot, the Promenade Twist. I have to remember to twist with the right heel and the left ball of foot and Doris has to remember to lead with her right shoulder.

Super Bowl Sunday

We went to our regular Sunday night practice at the Recreation Center yesterday. It is normally scheduled from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. They had it a half hour early in consideration of the Big Game. There was a light turnout. Besides us there were only the instructors, Jodi and Charlie, another couple, Jerry and Candy, and one single, Paul.

We started our dancing at the Rec Center a couple of years ago We signed up for group classes in Beginner Ballroom. A group class is a good place to start. You don't feel as foolish when you start to learn when everyone else around you looks just a clunky. The prices at the Rec Center are less expensive than private lessons also. The instructors are pretty good. Charlie's regular job is with the Fire Department. Jodi works with the Akita Rescue League and they normally have 10 or so dogs to take care of.

Friday Night at Studio One

Last night we danced at Studio One in Alexandria, Virginia. They have a practice session for students and guests that goes from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. There is no lesson, just folks getting together to dance. There was a pretty good crowd. Some new faces and a lot of regulars.

We enjoy dancing at dance studios. People do more than the "high school prom sway". They understand line of dance and have at least a little skill at floor craft. There are dancers of different levels, from beginners to people who have been taking lessons for years. For a gentleman, an excellent way to test your lead is to dance with more than one lady.