Brain Time

Just read about neuroscientist David Eagleton's studies on the way the brain deals with time.
I loved how time can be called a sense, but not the sixth or seventh sense. He calls it metasensory because it rides on top of all the rest and has a slight lag while the brain puts it together.
When the engineers were trying to sync TV images and sound perfectly, they found that as long as the delay was less than a hundred milliseconds, no one noticed it.
With training, musicians track a sync that might be off as little as 2 milliseconds.
Sound is important. The brain processes sound before light. Another reason dancers shouldn't look at their feet.
And why time seems to speed up as we grow older? "The more detailed the memory, the longer the moment seems to last. The more familiar the world is, the less information your brain writes down." New Yorker 4/25

Royal Wedding - Dance?

Well, there's the T-Mobile spoof, which features a great setting- guests in cloth of gold finery etc.
Procession Dance - the new phase.
I remembered to look at CNN at 8:30, and everybody looked happy, especially Cat Deely.
I wonder if William and Catherine put together a routine for the reception, and will we get to see it.
That could tide me over until Monday's DWTS.

Keeper

A Blue Plate Tuesday Night Special!
Best dance per couple so far with commentary was a good idea.
Then we had the results show and darn it - Kendra is still there! Like Bristol Palin - the worst dancer who somehow seems to resonate with viewers.
However, Ralph got his weave restyled, and it fits his face better.
Now if Lacey Schwimmer would just get ditch the two tone hair, I wouldn't have hair issues with the show.

Slow sign-ups

Interesting to watch Falmouth Night School enrollment over the years- so far this session is super slow. What I love is that there's no rent or mortgage involved, so the stress level is very low. The low key approach is often very nice, as Cape Codders know.

No April in Portugal Dance

Discouraged as no advance tickets have sold, the organizers at the Navigator have canceled the event.
The club is pinning their hopes on fund-raising with an Italian Night. Someone's Italian mother is running the kitchen May 7, and hiring a DJ. I can't go to since it's the First Saturday.
I still haven't seen the board make any steps towards getting the 501 c 3 back so we could write grants to finish the upstairs, a real dance floor.

old DWTS

I was checking if the DVD player worked before taking some kids shows out of the library, so I tried a DWTS disc sent out for "your Emmy consideration". Opening number was Monique Coleman dancing Waltz with Louis, the one where she wept at the end. Sloane and I watched spellbound.
The children's room at the library was empty for the first time ever, so she played with the toys, then had to get to the playground where she exhausted herself. So home for nap. No videos. Oh well.

Phony

Of course a lot of DWTS is phony, but I can ignore boob jobs even if guys can't. Not Wendy Williams'. Hers I kept thinking, "Could she get breast reduction surgery?"
The eliminations where, "Although not necessarily in the bottom three, Cheryl and Chris are still in jeopardy" bug me. The producers want suspense, but nobody gets hurt, except of course the ones who are ultimately getting voted off, which this time was okay since Petra danced like a model.

I voted

First time in two seasons, I think. I'm always too late, watching on tape, for a phone vote, but I ended up on facebook early, and the DWTS news let me connect easily, and voting was still open.
Hines 2, Chelsea (&Mark) 2, Chris 2, Ralph 1, Romeo 1.
Mark finally let Chelsea's dancing show.
Chris Jericho has great style.
Although Hines' hips (that Carrie Ann said were the best yet in Rumba) were hidden, I've loved his dances all along.
I did a bit of research on Ralph's hair augmentation, and I still think he should go for the mature look instead of the boyish act.
Romeo grew into a maturity just like I thought he wanted to all along. Now that he has the suave act, maybe he'll get into Latin as well.
We haven't had a DWTS dominated by men in a while.

The Latin Lecture

Ron's take on Latin timing:
The approach from South America is to stand on both feet before taking a step.
Therefore, the first step is a shift of weight that goes into the hip before moving.
Hence the step forward of '2' as we know from Chacha, and is an integral part of International Rumba.
He called that weight shift a "slouch", though the shoulders were not involved, probably to counter the fear factor in all the instruction on knee and ankle work etc. (not mentioning nanigo, though he showed that hip action) that was a bit daunting.

Kati's Fandango

Dance Teachers

Three teachers were at Doug McHugh's Latin Night in Teaticket last night. Eveline and I joined the small class, a nice group for a small space.
A young couple showed up with the usual problem for the wife - following - "What's That!?!" They had been swimming at our pond last summer, and Josh Mills graduated from FHS with my oldest son. Small town.
Doug taught the whole time. He's done his homework with his DVIDA syllabus and was thorough and clear, especially in the ways he analyzed communication for the leaders.
At the end, he suggested that students consider taking lessons with different teachers at times to explore different approaches, especially suggesting switching to the opposite gender, nicely acknowledging my presence.

Romeo

Well, Romeo the R'n'B singer is definitely a lightweight in the dancing department.
You can tell because I forgot him.
Light on your feet is not actually what a dancer wants. I think of one lady who flitted about, never putting down her heel even when I got down on my knees and begged her.
Force from the feet sends a dancer to the next step, affecting the body according to the style requested, with a swing of the hips for the smooth dances, taking the weight on to keep the flow traveling along. In the rhythm dances, that foot pressure moving up to the hip is stopped, making the Latin torso action.

Splendid

The larger orchestra seemed to energize the show on Monday, and the commericial breaks were shorter.
I loved several of the dances this week, notably Paso Dobles by Chris the wrestler and Hines the football player. The pros look too much the same in that dance, while these men danced like guys who dance.
My viewing schedule was off, so I read the Television Without Pity recap before I saw the show and did not expect much. Pleasantly surprised is a great way to approach an entertainment.
We (Carrie Ann, TWOP reviewer and I) all agree that Petra needs core work because she wobbles.
That reviewer 'hates' Mark Ballas, so did not appreciate the magic show, and her point is well taken, since his celebrities get penalized for performing his choreography.
Kendra is getting whiny. Monday she thought the shortened work week made it harder - though that was the same for everyone. Then last night, she brought out the 'time of month' excuse. First time that's been mentioned on the show.
Ralph's wig looked better, but I think he should have let it go salt and pepper rather than the harsh black color. Karina is growing on me. I didn't used to like her.
Kirstie looks more muscular than the other overweight stars. Then she had a shoe fall off. How does this sort of thing happen? Hopefully she didn't irritate the costume department!
2 more stars. Um...Our cheerful boxer who got voted off and was called the "heart of the show." and.....? (gotta go)

Venue Review

The latest dance spot, last night, St Barnabas Parish Hall, won high praise from the aficionados present. Round tables and BYOB added to the experience of a smooth floor, good music, friendly people, and generous snack table that we expect at a dance that I run. Kudos to Reverend Pat Barrett who engineered the night and will be sending the profits to Japan relief through her assistant who has family there.

East, West, Home is Best

Even from a good vacation, I love getting home where my roots are deep and nourishing.
Each day has had an activity with resonance, not just the dance classes I take and teach, but also stacking firewood and caring for my granddaughter.
Today, I meet a new batch of high school students for tutoring
Then, my stretch class will work out any knots in the muscles.

Cuban Shuffle = Cupid Shuffle

A line dance very popular in Florida also went over quite well last night in Falmouth. I had a bit of trouble at first since I heard "Cuban Shuffle", but really the artist, Cupid, composed the music and the dance. What do you think? Will he make it to DWTS? Depends maybe on how Romeo does, in part, and how well he gets along with Disney executives.
I drove to Boston to get the abandoned suitcase and deliver honeybelle oranges to my mother-in-law. Love that Big Dig. It did cost $3.50 to come back through the tunnel and $3 for parking 1/2 hour.

Running through the airport

Readers know I arrange my life around dancing and my family, so a last day in Florida ended at 6 PM. Home to dance at the Conservatory tonight.
My flight was an hour and a half late - the last bus connection was just about then!
So I left my suitcase full of fruit. A trip to Boston tomorrow sounds okay - Sunday morning. I can get those honeybelle oranges and deliver some to my mother-in-law.

Last Day in Florida

I will indeed be home to run the First Saturday Dance.
My Florida dance adventures continued Sunday night with live music. The Wine Bar sets up the white baby grand piano with attached seating. Roger takes requests and plays danceable tunes. Very classy.
Monday I went to Tango Buenos Aires at the Lyric Theater, a restored venue with a lot of community support. Five couples and five musicians put on a terrific show.
Tuesday, we went out to dinner and when we got home, I remembered Dancing with the Stars in time to see the very end of the Results show. The website footage is still spotty, so I'll wait to see Monday's show on tape at home.
Wednesday, a teacher Joe met at the Wine Bar emailed him about a lesson, so we went. I have steps to bring home. Jack the Gringo Salsero wanted foot crossings for the man, which Joe hated.
Thursday was for visiting Sophie Friedman in Delray. We brought her to dinner at the Cuban Cafe, meeting Falmouth tennis player Marty Abelson and his wife Lenore. Then we brought her and her sister Florrie to the Grand Ballroom where Len and Shari Dress, also from Falmouth, take lessons.
They enjoyed getting five invitations to dance, but refused all. Sophie is unsteady on her feet and Florrie said she would be embarrassed. Watching live dancing is great fun, especially with a friend.
Snow in Boston should be light enough to allow my plane to land tonight.