Strictly Ballroom

We went out last night to the Strictly Ballroom studio. Strictly Ballroom is operated by Melissa and Mike Scott. They have a new venue and we wanted to check it out. They set it up really nice. There is a large dance floor where they had a group lesson in Swing. Mike is an excellent instructor and always does a good job with his classes.

Melissa was showing us around after the class. When you first walk in there is a large dance floor. That's only the half of it. Behind a wall they are putting in a competition sized floor. There aren't many studios around with this kind of space for dancing.

They are planning to have their Grand Opening the evening of October 6th. The new floor should be finished by then. We are really looking forward to trying it out.

Tango DC Freedom Plaza

This is a great way to experience Argentine Tango. Almost every Sunday evening from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM there is dancing at Freedom Plaza located at 14th and Pennsylvania in downtown DC.

Weekend of Dancing

We did get some dancing in over the weekend. I got home from San Diego late on Friday so we didn't make it to Studio One for our regular dance night. Our Argentine Tango lesson on Saturday was mostly a review since we didn't get to practice together during the week. It was very crowded with a lot of different lessons going on at the same time. We usually arrive early so we can warm up a little before our lession. There was not enough room on Saturday. It was interesting to watch the belly dance lesson. There was a wedding couple taking lessons at the same time we were and near our space. They played the same music over and over and over again. It would have been a good song if played once. After an hour, it was starting to drive me crazy.

Saturday night we went back to Lioudmila's for their dance party. While we were there a woman stopped by and asked if I worked for DCS Corporation. This was totally out of the blue and really made me do a double-take. I told her that I did work for DCS. She said that her husband worked for DCS and that she had seen us dancing during the XMas party last year. Hey, it was a DJ and an empty dance floor; we weren't going to waste it.

On Sunday, we went to the Candy Factory for the first Sunday dance. Another rather odd thing happened during this dance also. There was a photographer from the Washington Post there taking pictures. We were getting set to dance a waltz and he came over snapping pictures. We took off and here he came right behind us snapping away with his camera. He followed us around the floor at least twice. I think he got a little winded. I felt pretty good that I was able to maintain the lead even with that kind of distraction.

Business Trip

This week I am traveling on business to San Diego. The weather this week makes me understand why Californians are so mellow. It's been in the mid-70's all week and not humid by DC standards.

I wanted to get in some dancing while I am here. You can't develop or keep any proficiency if you don't practice. So, I went the Dance North County studio Tuesday night to see what they had to offer. At 6:00 PM I joined their Beginning Argentine Tango class, given by David Tomko. It was a a good sized class with me making the 6th person and 3rd gentleman. I was glad to even things up. The instructor was very good and I'm glad he could accomodate me dropping in on his class. I got some good practice and finally picked up on something that Anthony has been trying to drill into me about displacement. We have been trying a step that uses displacement and I was trying to displace my partner's foot. I finally caught on that it wasn't just the foot I want to displace. I am moving myself into her space and of course the foot comes along for the ride.

At 7:00, I attended a Latin class given by Daniel Vasco. I know that I need help with my latin motion so this was a good class for me. We went over latin motion in a cha-cha step that combined a basic, a cross-body lead into a progressive forward, another cross-body lead into a basic. So, I not only got some pointers on latin motion but picked up a new combination also.

After the latin class I went to their Social Dance party that went from 8:00 to 10:00. I got to do some dancing and met some very nice people. I danced a couple of Rhumbas and a swing and even got to practice continuity style foxtrot. My partner for that one was very polite and said I did a good job. We have only just started on Silver level Foxtrot and I know exactly 2 steps. I only stayed for an hour because my body is still on East Coast time and I was quickly turning into a pumpkin. I tend to step on my partner's feet when I get tired.

Argentine Tango Practica

On the first Friday of every month Anthony, our Argentine Tango instructor, holds a pratica at Lioudmila's from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. We decided to go since we really needed the practice. It wasn't crowded and we knew the other couples that came from other dance venues.

Argentine Tango is very different from the other ballroom dance we know. Here is a quote from Wikipedia that sums it up: "Argentine Tango relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers, there is no "basic step." One of the only constants across all Argentine Tango styles, is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the follower rarely has her weight on both feet at the same time. Argentine tango is a new orientation of couple dancing. As most dances have a rational-pattern which can be predicted by the follower, the ballast of previous perceptions about strict rules has to be thrown overboard and replaced by a real communication contact, creating a direct non-verbal dialogue. A tango is a living act in the moment as it happens."

All dancing is a special way of communicating with your partner. You are together there in the moment talking back and forth without speaking. Argentine Tango is so much improvisation that it brings that communion between partners to another level.

For example, in American Tango I lead my partner to do a fan. In Argentine Tango I lead my partner through the fan. As I interpret the music I can change the tempo of my lead in the middle of a step.

The Fabulous Bel Airs at Harris Pavilion

We met our friends Janet and Jeff, and Kathy and Randy, at the Harris Pavilion for dancing to the Fabulous Bel Airs. The Harris Pavilion in historic Manassas has a series of dances through the summer with a variety of bands. Manassas offers a lot for visitors with a variety of restuarants and cafes along with distinctive specialty shops and galleries. It's perfect for a day of strolling and shopping. When you get tired of that you can sit down to eat at a sidewalk cafe. The Harris Pavilion is situated in the middle of the Historic Distict of Manassas. It has a full calendar with events all year long. When it gets too cold for anything else they have ice skating.

We heard the Fabulous Bel Airs last year and really enjoyed them. We got to dance some rhumba, cha-cha, and lots of swing.

Tango at Freedom Plaza

Our dance instuctor in Argentine Tango recommended that we try the free Sunday evening Argentine Tango Milonga at Freedom Plaza put on by the Capitol Tangueros. The event is held every Sunday evening from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM during the summer. There were dancers at all levels of expertise. The outdoor dance surface was a little rough for the traditional ballroom dance shoe so it's better to wear either leather sole shoes or dance sneakers.

We are glad we went. The best way to get better at dancing is by dancing.

Freedom Plaza is located at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Ave NW, near Federal Plaza Metro Station. Admission is free.

Busy Day Dancing

We had a busy day yesterday. It was mostly dancing, so it was all good. We had our Argentine Tango lesson from Anthony from Tango Duos at 4:00 PM at Lioudmila's. We then had dinner at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants, House of Dynasty. For the main event we danced to the Key West Band at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas.

Anthony moved our Argentine Tango lessons to start at 4:00. The Tango Duos will be teaching us from 4:00 until 5:00. After that they teach a beginner class at 5:00 and then an intermediate class at 6:00. After the summer they will go back to teaching beginner, intermediate, and advanced one right after another. Anthony is a great instructor. He and his partner break down the steps well and he is very patient. With us patience in an instructor is a key ingredient to a good class. Our instructors need all they can get with us as students.

You can find a Chinese restaurant or two in any shopping center in the area. Once in a while you come across a decent one. Very occasionally, you find a really good one. One of the best in the area just happens to be on the way home from Lioudmila's. This House of Dynasty in the Hayfield Shopping Center on Telegraph Road. The service and food are always excellent. They do little things to make the dining experience unique. Things like the little dish of lemon sherbet to cleanse the pallet before the main course and the hot towel when you're finished.

We like to play a game with the fortune cookies. When reading the fortune put the words "in bed" at the end of the fortune. It always puts a twist to the meaning. For instance, mine said yesterday, "Enthusiasm is contagious. Not having enthusiasm is also contagious.". Good advice in any context.

We met our friends Janet and Jeff, and Kathy and Randy, at the Harris Pavilion for dancing to the Key West Band. The Harris Pavilion in Manasssas has a series of dances through the summer with a variety of bands. We heard the Key West Band last year and were glad to see that they were on the calendar again this year. We got to dance some rhumba, cha-cha, and lots of swing.

So we had a busy day. What could be better than getting together with friends and dancing the night away?

Dirty Dancing at Mountain Lake

We traveled to Mountain Lake Hotel on Friday to participate in their Dirty Dancing weekend. Mountain Lake Hotel is one of the locations where the hit movie Dirty Dancing was filmed 20 years ago. The hotel is located in southwestern Virginia just outside of Blacksburg. It's kind of rustic; my cellphone didn't even work and there was no TV in the room. I did find the alarm clock, though. It took about 6 hours of driving to get there. Late in the afternoon there was a terrific thunderstorm. Lots of lightning and loads of rain. We were glad we were staying in the hotel proper and not one of the cabins. We would have gotten soaked going to dinner. We had one of those package deals where the price included the activities and meals for the weekend.

By 8:00 PM the weather had cleared and we were able to go to the dancing in the Activities Barn. They had a DJ who started out playing the songs from the movie. Lots of swings and a couple of Rhumbas, Mambos, and Hustles. We danced from 8:00 to 10:30, which was good because dinner was great and we needed to burn off a couple of hundred calories.

We took a Dirty Dancing tour on Saturday morning. The guide had been working there when they filmed the movie and had a lot of insights and information about the filming of the movie. You might recognize the bungalow where Baby's family stayed and the "No Guests" sign from the movie. The bungalow has changed somewhat over the years. They added the stone wall and moved the staircase.




After the tour we went back to the Activities Barn to play Dirty Dancing Trivia Bingo. Our table won free Dirty Dancing T-shirts. During the trivia game, hotel staff passed out copies of the hotel register page where Patrick Swayze and several other cast members signed in. We noticed that Cynthia Rhodes, who played Penny, stayed in the same room that we did. I can honestly say that Penny and I slept in the same bed. OK, it was twenty years apart, but I can still say it. Quickstepper got her picture taken with a special someone, also.


A local dance studio, Sapphire Ballroom & Dance Center, came up and gave dance lessons during the afternoon. They had beginners classes on Mambo, Meringue, and Foxtrot. It was a good review for us and we got a couple of hours of practice. The instructors from the class had a showcase after dinner. This showcase was based on music and scenes from the movie. The showcase was followed by a couple of hours of general dancing. All-in-all, we got almost 5 hours of dancing in on Saturday.

On Sunday, we ate breakfast and hit the road for home. We took the southern route home; I-81 to I-64, then up Route 29 at Charlottesville to Route 17 toward Fredericksburg. We saw plenty of rain, but the only significant traffic was on I-95.

Hollywood Ballroom

Last night we decided to go somewhere different to dance. We had heard good things about the Hollywood Ballroom, so we went there. It's up near Silver Spring, Maryland which is farther that we usually go. The traffic on Sunday evening wasn't too bad and we made it in just over an hour. Even that far afield we met a few people that we know from other dance venues. Anthony, our Argentine Dance instructor was there. He didn't get much of chance to rest. He seemed to dance every dance, each with a different partner. We also saw a couple that are also members of the Regal Dance Club.

The Hollywood Ballroom has a large dance floor (7200 sq ft) so even with the crowd they had last night, there was room to dance. There were dancers of all levels from beginners to couples that could really move across the floor. They had one "John Paul Jones" mixer where the ladies form a circle in the middle of the floor and the gentlemen along the outside of the floor. The DJ would blow a whistle and the dancers would pair off to dance some Swing. There was a good mix of music. We got to dance everything that we have in our repertoire. The standard ballroom dances and we also got a chance to practice our Argentine Tango. We have a few of the basic steps down, but I'm still struggling to string them together.

The Last Tango in Fairfax

We are members of the Regal Dinner and Dance Club. This club holds 7 dances throughout the year. Five are formal and 2 are "Tea" dances. These dances are held at the Country Club of Fairfax. The formal dances have dinner then 3 hours of dancing. The Tea dances have 3 hours of dancing and then dinner. All the members have at least one thing in common, they like to dance.

We held the last dance of the year on Sunday. It was a Tea dance and we had an excellent band for the event. The Headliners played a great variety of ballroom dance music. They really made the last dance a great one.

I also had the privilege of being elected to the Board of Directors for the coming year. I don't know all the duties I've just signed up for, but I will give it my best shot.

Polish Night Dance

Last Sunday we went with friends to the club at Heritage Hunt for Polish Night with authentic food and lots of dancing of the Polka. The band was Joe Stanka and the Cadets. We had a lesson in the Polka. We needed it since this was our first exposure to the dance. We picked up a couple of steps and now we feel confident enough to move around the floor when the band picks up that Polka beat.

On the left, Randy and Kathy show how it is done.

Movie Review - Dirty Dancing

This week we went to see the movie “Dirty Dancing”. There was a special showing for the 20th Anniversary of this wonderful movie. The theater was full and there was applause at the end. It was evident that most people (like me) had seen this movie numerous times. You could hear some of the most popular lines being echoed throughout the theater. We knew all the lines.

“Dirty Dancing” is a coming of age story of a girl, Baby (played by Jennifer Grey) who accompanies her parents and sister to a ritzy resort in the Catskills in the summer of 1963. One night, she stumbles upon the resort workers’ quarters where they are dancing, dirty dancing (and it sure isn’t your Mama's Foxtrot). She meets and falls for the dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) who teaches her to dance (among other things). It is a story of the loss of innocence set at a time when America was poised to lose its own innocence with the death of President Kennedy and the Viet Nam War. The movie also explored the attitudes between the guests and owners of the resort to the workers. This was all set to great music and dancing.

How To Feed 100 Dogs at Once

This one is for Jody and Charlie. They could probably give this guy lessons. Jody and Charlie teach Ballroom Dance at the Dale City Recreation Center. This is where we started with dancing. When they are not dancing, they run an Akita Rescue. They usually have several dogs in foster care. I think they can relate to this video.

Argentine

A few weeks ago we were talking to some of our friends about getting a group together and going to Buenos Aires next year to go to the Milongas. The only problem is that Steve and I really do not know Argentine Tango very well. So I looked around and found Tango Duos. We started taking weekly private lessons in Argentine Tango last Saturday from Anthony who is an excellent teacher. He specializes in Argentine Tango and Salsa. Hopefully we will make it to Buenos Aires but even if we don’t, we should know some Argentine Tango by next year. Of course, we will also continue our private lessons with Ben at Studio One in ballroom dancing.

Lindy Weekend

We spent a weekend down in Virginia Beach participating in a Lindy Workshop. We drove down Friday and took a class at the A Time To Dance studio. Every first Friday of the month they have a Lindy/Swing Party from 9 to 11 PM and a lesson from 8-9 PM. Tony Allison is the instructor. There was a pretty good sized crowd. Tony had the place really swinging. We needed the class to prepare us for the workshop. We got the basic rhythm and a couple of steps.

On Saturday we went to the Lindy Workshop at DanceSport VA. The workshop was taught by Yuval and Gaby who are World Champions at the Lindy. These two really know their stuff. We had a great time and picked up some Lindy and Charleston. We really liked the Dips & Tricks workshop.

Saturday night we felt like we were overdosing on Lindy. So, we went back to A Time to Dance for their Social Dance. They had a DJ who played a good mix of music. We got to practice our Ballroom and even picked up a new Meringue step.

Sunday we drove home up US Route 17. The weather was cool and sunny; great for a drive through the country. The freeway might have been faster but the view was better this way.

I Was Robbed

Last night we went with friends to the Eighth Annual Gala of the Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross held at the Heritage Hunt Golf and Country Club. The theme of the night was the Sensational 70's. The music was provided by JJDJ. They played a great selection of music from the 70's and had the lights and strobes to make it look like a disco. We got to dance a lot of hustle and swing.


Then I got robbed by only coming in as 3rd Runner Up on the Leisure Suit and Platform Shoes Contest. Here is a look at my vintage leisure suite and some of my competition.


I mean really, with these shoes, I thought that I would be a "shoe in" for the top prize.


Jeff had a cool suit and was really strutting his stuff for the competition, too.

The ladies in our group had a good time out on the dance floor bringing on some action.
Janet and Jeff really know how to dress for the occasion. They like to go all out for a fancy dress dance. A great way to get into the spirit of the dance.

But in the end I was still "Stayin' Alive".

Lindy Workshop

We decided we hadn't been away for awhile and what better way to get away than to dance the night away?

We are going to Virginia Beach next week to participate in a Lindy Workshop. We don't know much Lindy, mostly single-step and triple-step swing. We've been wanting to put some dips, drops, and cool moves into our swing repitoire. I think we started about 20 years too late for the aerials.

We'll let you know if we survive the weekend.

Regal Dinner and Dance Club

T'aint nothing better than gettin' all gussied up and meeting friends for dinner and dancing. Quickstepper cleans up pretty well and I get to take the sack off my head for special occasions.

We had a great time last night at the Regal Dance. The Club meets 7 times a year at the Country Club of Fairfax. Five of the dances are formal and 2 are tea dances. We had Angels and Aces play for us last night. We see this band a lot since we and they are regulars at the Fort Belvior Officer's Club. In fact, we heard them play there just last Wednesday.

The club is a fun time where we greet old friends and meet new ones. Last night there were 11 tables with 5 couples each. We sat at table 10 with John and Marlene, Robert and Angela, Peter and Laura, and Scott and Stephanie. We also saw several couples there that are regulars at the O Club.

The meal was excellent as usual. We've never had a bad meal or service at the Country Club.

Saturday Night

Last Saturday night we found ourselves with nothing to do. So, we went dancing. We went to the Ballroom in Centerville. We hadn't gone there since last summer when we got rained out of the Harris Pavilion.

We saw our friends, Kathy and Randy, and about 10-12 other dancers. The Ballroom has a nice floor and they played good music. Sure beats sitting in front of the boobtube.