Ten Day Week

A family weekend showed some seeming progress with my mother's house.
There are signs of the 'hoarder' gene in my sister, the oldest one, but I try to see her interest in the ubiquitous stuff as a virtue, not just an obstacle to clearing out. Since our mother has a store of 50 tablecloths in her sideboard, we can consider that the 30 still in their original packaging should be given away, and, but to whom?
Is there a particular use for newspapers from 1966? Perhaps an antique dealer wants them for packing material.
Now that I'm home, a series of good dance events this week will pull me back to myself.
After the regular weekday classes, on Friday I will teach the Samba for CCBD, then my casual Saturday dance happens. Sunday we go to the Wianno Club.

Keihm "Tip"

This is a lecture of a tip, so I'm going to edit it a bit. If you want to see his face, this link works through facebook. http://www.facebook.com/notes/michael-kiehm/tip-of-the-week-with-michael-kiehm/204494579586287

Basics, Basics, Basics, You can't work on them too much!

I'm sure you've probably heard this a million times, but lets face it, watch any advanced dancer and what do you remember? It's HOW they danced, not what they danced. An advanced dancer can captivate you with nothing but basic patterns, simply because they have mastered their ability to maintain a consistent connection between themselves, the floor, the music and the space around them. They never seem rushed or off time, and they never use more lead or follow then necessary. Even when they "play" the are able to "Keep the conversation" (stay connected to the partner).

I see so many dancers dancing solo while holding on to a partner! This is a result of a lack of good basic skills. When the basic connection is solid, both partners can continue complimenting each others embellishments with matching movements or at least support throughout the movements.

One of the best pieces of advice I or any other coach could give you, would be to SLOW DOWN and pay more attention to your partner. (He suggests watching video of Tatiana Mollmann who comes to the Boston events.)

Try keeping your feet as close to the floor as possible and think about keeping your posture strongly over your feet. Try to be aware of how you are placing your feet on the ground (what part of the foot, and how much time the foot is action and the placement of the foot) If you think about it in this detail, it will cause you to slow down slightly, which is a great thing!

KEEP WORKING ON YOUR BASIC SKILLS....I DO, and I've been dancing for over 30 years.

Here we are again with a finale

I wasn't getting to my writing page by my usual route, so my DWTS comments are late.
The finale was not one I have to keep on tape.
I liked seeing Petra again with her sweet little charity. I hope it does good and doesn't just mess up the local economy like so many aid agencies do.
Chris Jericho was one I enjoyed watching and had hoped to see in the finals.
Both Wendy Williams and Kendra were so far out of my mind, I was really surprised to see them again.
What about those little "truths" they put out. "Audiences love the freestyle." They didn't ask me. I left a comment on the website once. Their TV agenda is working, so they do whatever they want.
Mark Ballas does freestyle as part of every routine. Maks just thinks it's about lifts. Kym is not especially creative. The judges try to keep everybody going.

Summer !?

The good news: a new floor going in and air conditioning at the Cape Cod Dance Center Annex.
The busy news: All weekends are taken through June 18, Saturdays and Sundays.
(Memorial Day family stuff, June 4 my dance, June 5 Wianno, June 11 family stuff, June 12 Ron's party, June 18 wedding, June 19 Arts Alive/Father's Day)
Then Summer starts officially on Cape Cod, so watch out.

Something different

Cotuit Center for the Arts changes around a lot. The venue set up for their musical next week, "Anything Goes", worked pretty well for the Waldorf School. The stadium seating was up very tall, to the second-story wrap-around balcony space that was furnished with food tastes, our favorite type of meal.
Flipside, the blues band, was in the smaller gallery room, after the (boring) auction.
A young couple had a hula hoop dance act. She was very graceful and skilled with multiple hoops, but they were unannounced and left after a short time. Hula hoops take up a lot of space, and the floor, though very nice, was smallish.
Sometimes when Joe and I dance, there is a performance aspect, but we don't have to use space, and we stayed for the rest of the music.

I figured it out - stay indoors

Oak pollen is still at the 8.8 out of ten level according to one weather website. Once the rain stopped washing the air out, I went into avoidance. Out there, humidity holds the grains in suspension, but it's not as bad as the hot windy days. In the late afternoon, I try for outdoor activity in small spurts and wash my hands and face afterwards. After all these years of feeling sick for a couple of weeks, I finally know what to do.

Fitness Classes

Goals: core training, balance, flexibility, muscle strengthening and toning
Atmosphere: good music, mirrors, heat, clean floor, ballet bar
Teacher: serious, cheerful, observant
Class: women interested in a strong healthy body.
Different classes have these in different degrees.
As a teacher, I go to classes and watch their effect as I follow, rating them in my mind.
Sharing ratings could get me in trouble with my fellow fitness teachers. Let's see - Angie's List?
Zumba - usually too loud. Yoga - usually no music. Pilates - music sometimes.
Studios vary as to atmosphere.
I wish men enjoyed these classes, but they don't. Some do martial arts, and aikido seems to have many characteristics I favor.

Winner Takes All Dance Off on DWTS

Why believe they couldn't skew the results if they wanted to?
The producers let Brandy and Sabrina go for reasons of their own, unknown by mere mortals.
However, this is a way to signal to Chelsea that she is important to Disney.
And to spare us Ralph's clunky dancing.

Cavalcade of Bands Rhodes on the Pawtuxet

Tuesday the 24th of this month, I will be teaching night school, but others might make the trek to Cranston. It's a gorgeous ballroom and only $10 with advance tickets to see an assortment of live music in the ballroom and in the lobby.
They put it on 3 times a year, May, August and October and we made it last August, finally. The huge ballroom fills up with regular folks like we used to see at the Sons of Italy.
Minor food was available from a small booth in the corner of the ballroom, and there was a full bar in the lobby.
Providence Federation of Musicians
681 Park Ave Suite 11
Cranston RI 02910-2133
$10 pp RECEIVED by May 20 or pay $15 at the door.

Maks & Kirstie's Argentine

That is a strong man, carrying her down the stairs!
As usual, I watched late - just finished catching up here, so I voted last night not including Kirstie based on last week's performance. Online this morning, I added a vote for her for that great footwork, precise and in character. Ralph should go. He has not improved and now he's injured.
My husband watched the Celtics lose, so he went to sleep feeling like he'd wasted the evening.

Sons of Italy Lodge

The building we danced at has been sold, May 6, the supposed closing date. Buyers are the Gateway Christian Center, the Mashpee church on Rte 130. $875K, with $860K mortgage.
I hope they are the kind of Christians who approve of dancing. The hall might yet see dancing again.

Pete and Repeat

It's an old joke. Sloane will appreciate it. She wanted her favorite song to 'peat' on my iPod.
More recording problems, so, during nap, I watched DWTS online in Providence where my son has a better internet connection. My daughter-in-law came back from teaching Pilates, so I missed the Katusha Demidova tango there. On my computer, it was jumpy, but seriously gorgeous.
The Television Without Pity commentator should give up that job since she's so tired of it she took a break and didn't watch. She really went off the mark. They were there because Donnie Burns was there.

Hoy @ Landfall

An unadvertised fundraiser for the Woods Hole School happened last night with the great band.
Untrained dancers galore, plus dinner tables still set up meant not enough floor space compounded by a grumpy old guy who insisted on sitting on the dance floor, next to a table that could have been cleared out. At break, we saw him outside with a cigar - determined to be the most obnoxious?
So I'm glad I didn't promote the event to dancers.
Still a beautiful venue with the porch on top of Woods Hole Harbor where a school of squid ventured in to see the lights.