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.

Fredericksburg

We went with some friends to Strictly Ballroom in Fredericksburg last night. It was a bit of a trip for all of us coming down from Woodbridge so we had dinner at a pizza parlor before we went dancing. Mike and Melissa have been having some dances on Saturday nights recently.

We saw some familiar faces at Strictly Ballroom. We began taking private lessons from Melissa about 4 years ago. They were still in their old location then. The new place has one of the largest dance floors in the area and is a pleasure to dance on. When gasoline prices started hitting $3.00 a gallon a couple of years ago, we started looking for a studio that was closer to home. We were fortunate to find Studio One which is about half the distance and has an excellent instructor.

A Weekend at Mountain Lake

For the last 2 years we have gone to a Dirty Dancing weekend at the Mountain Lake Hotel in southwestern Virginia. The first year we went just by ourselves. Last year we went with a group of friends. We've told a lot of people about the fun time we had and there has been a lot of interest. We hope to go again this year over the summer. The schedule this year has weekends in July and August that look good. We need a good group so we can win the Dirty Dancing Trivia Contest three years running.

Regal Dance

We attended a dinner dance last night at the Country Club of Fairfax with the Regal Dinner and Dance Club. It is always fun to get dressed up and go dancing with friends. We've never had a bad meal at the CCF either.

People approach dancing in different ways. We know some dancers for whom dance lessons are an end in themselves. They take a lot lessons, sometimes several a week, but hardly every go dancing. On the other hand, we take lessons so we can go dancing. We generally go out dancing on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We take our lesson on Monday's and try to practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some people go to the gym; we dance.

I saw this cartoon today and it really struck home. We used to be like this. Come home from work, sit in front of the "boob tube", usually with a bag of chips, and go to bed. Dancing is the most fun that two people can have while remaining vertical.
TV viewers of America: Arise!! Get off the couch and get dancing!

Valentine's Day Dancing - Part 2

Last night, we went with friends to the Officer's Club at Ft. Belvoir for their Valentine's Day Dance. The evening went differently than we expected. It showed how important it is to be flexible.

First, there was a wedding reception in the ballroom where we normally dance. The Valentine's Day Dance was held in one of the upstairs rooms. The room was nice, though the dance floor was smaller than in the room downstairs. There were also more people attending than our usual Wednesday night crowd since this was a special occasion. The band was a 3 piece ensemble named "Arrow Band" with a drummer, keyboard,and saxophone player set up on the edge of the dance floor. The combination of a smaller floor, larger crowd and the band meant there was not much room for any fancy moves on the dance floor.

The second thing that happened was the saxophone player fainted. He recovered after being checked out by the paramedics and came back to finish the evening to the applause of the assembled company.

Since the dance at the O Club was coming to a close and we hadn't much opportunity to shake a leg; someone suggested that we go to Lioudmila's to get in some dancing. The Valentine's Celebration there began at 9:00 and ended at 11:00. There was a good crowd there also, but plenty of room to move around the floor. They also had a mini-showcase with some fantastic dancing featuring the Rhumba, Jive, and Waltz.

The evening got off to a rocky start but ended well. We got a good dinner, some dancing and the saxophone player recovered.

Valentine's Dance at Studio One

We went to a Valentine's Day dance last night at Studio One of Alexandria. We've taken ballroom dance lessons there from Richard for going on 4 years. Included in the cost of the lessons is the Friday night dance. It is obstensively for practice. However, practicing sounds like work to perfect your skills. The Friday dance accomplishes this but we're really there for the fun of it. We start our weekends on Friday night from 9-11 PM by joining our friends for social dancing.

There was a good crowd last night with all the ladies looking pretty snazzy in their red dresses. Leslie brought in a "Build your own boyfriend" kit that was a great hit with the ladies. They never did put any pants on him though. Kind of reminded me of the Naked Cowboy in Times Square. Everyone had fun as we celebrated with Cupid and also had cake for everyone with a birthday in February.

Lessons in Swing

We've learned a couple of new swing steps from Richard lately. Doris saw an ad for some weekend workshops by Gotta Swing so we decided to try them out to add some additional pizzaz. The first class was Aerials 101 with Sue and Gary on Saturday to learn some dips, leans and aerials. We aren't much for the aerials, but we did get a couple of steps to add to our swing.

Today, we went back for the Flash and Trash with Michael and Poppy where we picked up a couple more moves for our swing. The instructors for both classes were very good and we really enjoyed them. We always like a good swing.

Back in the Saddle(shoes)

We were out of commission most of January. First Doris had a cold and then I had one. We did go out a couple of times but missed out on some dancing so we wouldn't be spreading germs.

We attempted to make up for it this past weekend. We were invited by some friends to go out with a group on Friday night. There were about 10 couples. Most of them we had seen at different venues. We also got invited by Joy and Tony to go to the Fort Myers Officer Club on Saturday night. We had a good dinner both nights and got in some dancing.

On Sunday morning, we redeemed the coupon we won at the Sock Hop for a free dance lesson. We met Cookie at a local studio and she showed us some Country Two-Step. Every once in a while you hear a song that will fit and it's good to be prepared. In the afternoon we went to the Candy Factory for the 1st Sunday dance at 4:00 pm. We really got in some dancing this weekend. After the Candy Factory, a group of us went to dinner.

During dinner I had one of those "It's a small world" moments. I was speaking to a gentleman sitting next to me and found out he had retired from the Army also. We got to comparing notes and he had been my company commander when I was a student at the Computer Programming School located at Fort Benjamin Harrison back in 1979-80. That's such a long time ago that I don't really remember. Of course, the only time a student ever got to see the Commander was when he was in trouble. I managed to avoid that.

New Year 2009

We celebrated with friends at the O Club for New Year's Eve again this year. We dined with Janet, Jeff, Joy, and Tony. There were lots of folks there that we see around at various dance venues. The band was Special Delivery. They had a 5 piece ensemble and played very well. We got there about 7:30, the dancing started at 8:00 and continued to 1:00 AM. We had to dance a lot to work off the cheesecake we had for dessert.

We had a pretty good year dance-wise. We got to Buenos Aires for a 2 week vacation and got to work on our Argentine Tango. We also got a lot of dance shoes there. We went with friends to a "Dirty Dancing" weekend at the Mountain Lake resort in southwest Virgina. We joined the Elks Lodge which along with a lot of charitable activities, have numerous dances throughout the year. We've kept up our dance lessons with Richard at Studio One.

So, with the economy spiraling down the sewer pipes and wars that never seem to end, keep you head up, dance frame locked, watch your step, and keep on dancing. There are always more dance steps to learn.

Christmas Gifts and Childhood Memories

We received a most excellent gift for Christmas from my mom and dad this year. In our family it's tough to find presents for each other. We're dispersed around the country and don't see each other as much as we'd like.

This year Dad got us a coffee table book. This particular book is titled "Our Yellowstone" by Mark and Diana Treglown. It is a really beautiful pictorial of Yellowstone National Park. What makes it really special is that Diana Treglown is my sister. She has seen a lot of Yellowstone including parts that most tourists don't get to visit. She spent several years as a winter caretaker in West Yellowstone. That's about as close to the American wilderness as anyone can get these days.

It also brings back memories of my visits to Yellowstone as a kid growing up in Montana. Most years it seemed we went "back East" to the Chicago area to visit relatives. Sometimes we'd get visitors coming our way. I remember my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Rose bringing their family along with us to Yellowstone one year. I was only about 7 or 8 at the time; a long time ago. I remember seeing the geysers and a lot of wildlife. I especially remember a black bear coming through the campground and licking clean a cast iron skillet we had by the campfire.

Thanks Mom, thanks Dad, for the special gift.

Back in the Swing

We missed out on dancing for a couple of weeks. First, I was out of town and then I was under the weather. I got back home and am feeling better so we are getting back to our usual haunts. We went to the O Club last Wednesday and to the Studio One Christmas Party on Friday night. We also had a Christmas Ball at the Elk's Lodge on Saturday and went to the Rec Center to practice on Sunday. Some people go to the gym for exercise; we go dancing.

Support Your Local Dance Studio

We went to the practice session a the Dale City Rec Center on Sunday afternoon. We hadn't been able to go as much as we like lately. The Redskins' games keep getting in the way. The game Sunday was in Seattle so we recorded it and watched it later. We won; Go 'Skins!

We had heard that there is a new manager at the Rec Center who is looking hard at attendance to see what programs can be cut. We went Sunday not only because we need the practice, but also hoping they don't cut the practice session. It is good to have somewhere to practice that is larger than our living room. Latin and Swing steps are fine, but there isn't enough room for moving dances.

On Monday night we had our regular lesson with Richard. We didn't learn any new steps; we just reviewed a couple that we have been working on. Richard generally puts on a couple of songs that we warm up with. Then he asks if we have any questions about the steps we are learning. We have a new step called the Cha-Cha Circles that's a real challenge. First of all, it's an 8 measure step. Doris says that I have trouble with anything that counts past 4. It also needs an assertive lead from the gentleman. I'm still trying to get my footwork down, so I am having trouble with the lead. I can't figure out what to do with my hands until after my feet know the step.

The other dance we worked on is the Samba. We're still on the first half of the Bronze syllabus with the Samba. We went over the Promanade Conversa and the Reverse Conversa. We're still trying to get the basic movements down. Samba has a lot of Latin motion. I'm not sure I'll ever get it right. Or, if I get it right, I'll probably throw my back out. Anyway the lessons with Richard are always a lot of fun and he's patient with us.

Night Club 2 Step

Tonight we finished a 5 week class on the Night Club 2 Step. This class was taught by Cookie at the Center for the Arts in the old Candy Factory in Manassas. The 2 Step is a good dance for those ballads and slow songs where a Foxtrot just doesn't fit. We got to see Janet and Jeff who were also taking this class.

There was an interesting photo exhibit in the foyer of the theater/dance hall. It is titled "Reality Imagined" by Laurie Sand. It is a photographic exhibit inspired by tanqueros who dance milongas at Freedom Plaza in DC. These images are captured in low light situations using hand held camera techniques and digital processing. We especially found these photos intriguing as we love Argentine Tango and have danced at Freedom Plaza. These pictures are a wonderful collection that really capture the movement and beauty of Tango.

Halloween Weekend

We started the weekend on Friday night, joining our friends at Studio One for a Halloween party. I dusted off my 1970's leisure suite and Doris had a new "cat suit" for the occasion. I think the addition of the wig really set off the leisure suit.

On Saturday, we went to another Halloween Dance at the Elk's Lodge. There are a great group of folks at the lodge, many of whom can really shake a leg. Dinner was at 7:00 and dancing started at 8:30. The band was named Napoli and played very well.

Sunday, we went up to Heritage Hunt to meet friends at the clubhouse for a practice session from 4:00 to 6:00. There were just 4 couples on the floor so there was plenty of room.

Monday, we took off from work to watch the Redskins lose to the Steelers. They should have a rule that they have to win at every home game. It's a lot more fun that way. This was our first night game. It started at 8:30 and we got home about 1:45 this morning.

I took the day off from work today to go vote. According to the Washington Post, Obama is going to win. In 16 of the last 17 presidential elections, the incumbent party kept the White House when the Redskins won their final home game before the election. Hail to the Redskins!

Sock Hop

We have been taking lessons on the Night Club 2 Step from Cookie at the Candy Factory for the last couple of weeks. The Candy Factory has a variety of group classes and Cookie is one of their regular instructors. She is currently having an 8 week session on beginning Swing and Night Club 2 Step. Last night we attended a Sock Hop from 8 to 10 PM at the Candy Factory that was set up so students could practice their new steps.

The Candy Factory has a real nice dance floor with plenty of room to shake a leg. They had a snack stand in the back that was serving finger foods and ice cream sundaes. There was good attendance at this dance but still space to dance. We saw some old friends including Janet and Jeff. Elvis took time off from his job at the 7-Eleven in Vegas to make an appearance. Our friend Stella was showing him some of her steps.

We got to practice the Night Club 2 Step and picked up the steps for The Stroll. There was a dance contest where Kathy and Randy picked up First Prize. There was also a contest for the best costume where I picked up top honors. Many thanks to Henry for the loan of his hat. I think that was what made the difference. Kathy and Randy did a short exposition on Swing. They really enjoy dancing and it shows.

Ouch, That One Hurt

We had a good time dancing over the weekend. Friday we went to the practice dance party at Studio One. There was a pretty good crowd, but there were more ladies in attendance than gentlemen. On nights like that I make sure I dance with my regular partner each kind of dance at least once. I also try to dance with each lady during the evening. I've gone alone to dances before and know that it is a lot more fun if everyone gets to dance. That's one of the good things about Studio One. The regulars all seem to realize this and try to make sure that dancers who come as a single get to dance too.

Saturday, we went to hear Helmut Licht at the Elks Lodge. Helmut's band always puts on a good performance and we really enjoy their music. The Elk's were having an Oktoberfest Dance so we got to practice our Polka along with the regular Ballroom Dances. We sat with a group we know from the O Club, had a nice dinner and a lot of dancing.

What hurt was the Redskins game yesterday. The only precision on the field was provided by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at half time. The Redskins have a bad habit of coming back from winning against a tough team only to lose against a lesser ranked team. I hope that Coach Zorn can turn them around. There was that one incredible play that had everyone in the stands looking at each other saying "What the heck just happened?". I didn't figure it out until I read the paper this morning. The Redskins Quarterback tried to pass; the ball was batted out of the air by the Rams; a Redskins Guard caught it and tried to run with it; he got tackled and fumbled it; the Rams picked the ball up and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. All I knew at the time was the ball was snapped, something happened around the line of scrimmage; and the Rams were running it into the endzone right below us.