Not dancing, not on Cape Cod

In fact, my weekend was quite active. My older sister and I cleaned out a few corners of my mother's house. Three stories, along with an attic and a basement means a box of rubbish might need to go down four flights of stairs.
Meanwhile, here in Falmouth, Joe said Sweet Melissa did one of her best sets ever at Grumpy's.

PR for the papers

The Mary French Scholarship dance October 14 entertained ballroom dancers from all over Cape Cod. Music was played by Trilogy Band, a favorite of Mary French, the Cataumet teacher who died in 2008. Showcase dancers from the MIT Ballroom Team were superb. The committee reports a healthy fund to distribute for dance education.
The Mary French Scholarship Award 2011-2012 is open to youth between the ages of 12 and 21 who live on Cape Cod and are interested in ballroom dancing. No prior experience is necessary.
The recipient(s) will be eligible for private lessons and group classes with Ron Gursky, Mary French's teacher, at the Cape Cod Dance Center in Cataumet. Other teachers may be submitted for approval by the committee.
Depending on how many awards are given out, the number of classes may vary.
Applicants may send a letter of interest to Ellen Brodsky. ellenbrodskydance@comcast.net
PS: That did zilch.

WHOI Harvest Ball

Kudos to Andy at WHOI for getting a good band, After Hours Blues Band with Dave Richardson, as well as the best caterer, Roland (Yum). The Brodsky dance floor performed as well as the dancers on it - great!
Plenty of people came this year since they opened it to the entire scientific consortium - and friends. Hopefully they made good money for the Cape Cod Shelter. Raffle tickets may be the way to go.

Stunning

I was right - the showcase dancers were superb on Friday. I spent the first set in awe, hardly clapping, as did most of the people, it seemed, so DeeDee Burke asked me to remind the audience that they do not mind and are not distracted by applause. Polite quiet is not the proper response.
Noelle Sun held herself with pride and grace that you know was supported by strong core muscles. Gowns are more beautiful than ever, and these weren't slathered with Sawarovski crystals either, just fitted and flowing. Even my husband was impressed by the flame colored scarves floating off her arms.
Meanwhile, Ben Moss, not a large man, commanded the space, using the length of Betsy's Ballroom, our largest on-Cape floor.
We see too much of the showy versions of ballroom dances, especially in the Latin division, but spilling over into the American Smooth, so these 5 International Standard dances, tradition honed to perfection, showed us how beautiful strict discipline can be.

Running an event

For the Mary French Scholarship Dance, Janice Condron and I were essentially a committee of two. I missed having a group of ladies I could count on as I did when I ran the Masque Ball, though I do remember some tiffs. Probably Janice particularly wanted to avoid those. Volunteer help showed up the day of the event, and I thank those stalwart folk. Thank you cards are in order.
Lovely showcase, pleasant band, great people, and an emotional evening since it was our farewell to Janice who is moving to Florida, to the condo she and Willie bought together.

List

Today:print gift certificates, make turnovers, check about lighting, check camera, print program, write speech, gather platters, pick dress,
Tomorrow: pack everything in the car, Grand Jury, buy fruit and cheese and crackers and arrange, set up tables and chairs and decorate.
Then the dance!

No tables at the Conservatory

The engine that drives the dances is fun music.
Without tables to sit at, dancers do more dancing I think. It's different - the studio dance atmosphere.
I also liked the lounge effect of some stadium seating that the Conservatory leaves in our ballroom, dancers kind of lumped together.
A large Mashpee location - how about the closed Star Market in the Commons? If I had million dollars.