Dancing With The Stars

Last night I attended “Dancing with the Stars the Tour” which was playing at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. A friend works for a large company which has a corporate box which was not being used. He got the tickets for free and invited me and Steve and another couple to join him and his wife. Unfortunately, Steve was out of town on business and could not attend. We all met at the Gallery Place Metro Station and had a nice Mongolian Barbeque dinner at a local Chinese restaurant before the show. The show was great. It featured some of the celebrities and professional dancers from the television show. The celebrities were Harry Hamlin, Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Joey McIntyre, and Lisa Rinna. The professionals were Cheryl Burke, Alec Mazo, Karina Smirnoff, Louis Von Amstel and Edyta Sliwinska.

Immediately before the show began - local dancers from Arthur Murray Dance studios competed in groups to the same song. Alec Mazo, the winner from the first season and official judge, reviewed their performances and executed the first round of the elimination. The remaining semi-finalists returned to perform again in groups during the second song, and again were eliminated down to four finalists. The two couples performed later in the live show, dancing the Tango or the Cha Cha. After each couple danced, they received scores via Audience Applause Meters, which determined the ultimate Dancing With The Stars Slim-Fast Challenge Champion. The winner received a trophy.

The show itself was full of wonderful dancing by the professional dancers as well as the celebrities. Lisa Rinna and her husband Harry Hamlin danced a beautiful Waltz together. A couple of the many other memorable dance numbers were the Paso Doble danced to the song “Thriller” by Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke and a free-style dance by the same couple to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”

This is the "Thriller" Paso Doble video.

Both of these numbers were performed on the television show and were even more spectacular in person.

New Group at the O Club

We had an excellent time at the O Club tonight. Our good friends Sharon and Paul invited a group to join them at the Club. This group consisted of neighbors, co-workers, and us. We met some nice new folks and had a good time dancing.

The Arrow Band was playing tonight along with Daria from Angels and Aces playing keyboard.

Below is a group photo. Sorry about cutting the gentleman on the right in half, but it is a new camera. (I know; blame it on the equipment.)

Winter Dance Schedule

We are really getting booked for dances the next couple of months. Ain't it great! In February and March we have a dance or something every weekend.

• Feb 4, First Sunday Dance at the Candy Factory in Manassas


• Feb 10, the ACTS Charity Ball at the VFW Hall on Minnieville Road


• Feb 17, the Regal Dinner and Dance at the Fairfax Country Club


• Feb 24, a play a the Lazy Susan Dinner Theater


• Mar 3, Doc Scantlin at the Heritage Hunt Club


• Mar 4, First Sunday Dance at the Candy Factory in Manassas


• Mar 10, The Center for the Arts Gala in Manassas


• Mar 17, St. Patricks Day Dance at the Heritage Hunt Club


• Mar 24, another Regal Dinner and Dance at the Fairfax Country Club


• Mar 31, American Red Cross Dance at the Heritage Hunt Club

We also plan to go to the O Club at Fort Belvior most Wednesdays for dinner and dancing and there is our Friday night dances at Studio One.

There's nothing like keeping busy and nothing better than keeping busy dancing.

Wednesday Night at the O Club

We went to the dinner and dance at the Fort Belvoir Officer Club last night. It got a little crowded. It seemed like a lot of people had the same idea. It really gave me a chance to work on my floorcraft. My partner says that I am getting better. When we first started she said I got a "deer in the headlights" look when I ran us into an corner or a crowd. It's easy to get intimidated when you're a beginner. That's why it is important to get out and dance in different venues. I like going to the O Club because most dancers that go there know the basics about line of dance and how to move around other dancers.

Pictured below is the band that was playing, Angels and Aces.

Dancing in the New Year

We celebrated the New Year with friends at the Heritage Hunt club. We joined Randy and Kathy, Jody and Charlie, along with Jerry and Candy for an evening of dining and dancing. We can't think of a better way to ring in the New Year than being with good people having a good time. There was a DJ and we got our exercise working off dinner doing the hustle and the swing. We even got a Tango in.

Pictured are Jody, Doris, Randy and Kathy out on the floor doing the Twist.

Here's to good friends and good times. We hope that next year is happier and more properous than last.