January 2, 2002
Wow!
It’s a whole new year already and I’ve missed a lot of great
stuff!
Firstly, happy holidays to everyone!
Thank you all
for the joy we’ve received in crossing paths with so many interesting
and gracious people. It’s
great to be with our extended dance family. Our best wishes to all of
you in this past holiday season and may you be truly blessed in this
great New Year of 2002.
Classes
have been going wonderfully. We've
been a very busy place!
The November studio dance party was wowed by both the Intermediate samba
& cha cha class demos on November third!
Susan Adams
, Kim Alford, Roy Aveling, Jennifer Dodson, Shirley Green, Marty
Guenther, Stephen Halvorson, Leon Jallo, Marcie Martin, Miranda Moy,
Richard Peterson, Myron Robinson, Lita Schwabe, Mike Stevens, Yvonne
Vonderaye, Anna Weber, and Jay Willis!
WOW were they
HOTTTTTTT
STUFF
Discipline really paid off for the Masters Team Group.
They performed a very beautiful Waltz routine.
I’d like to thank our all of them who have so beautifully
performed this difficult Silver and Gold American Waltz Routine at
various dance venues in the fall of 2001.
They did just what was asked of them: become emotive through the
dance.
Emoting with the music is a difficult thing to accomplish; yet technical
skill, discipline & ATTITUDE are what counts when performances are
involved. With lots of people watching... and trying to remember a routine... and watching spacing between
team members... and remembering how and when to work skirts... and
remembering techniques for better turning, partnering and more
movement…and where to look, heels and toes and AND……..
We all recognize their efforts and achievement.
They all deserve "The Emotive Award":
Susan Adams
, Norm Adre, Maxine Fountain, my own Stephen Halvorson, Marina Laurette,
Myron Robinson, Leu & Shi-huang Shyu, Wanshu & Cun Han Tsai,
Anna Weber, and Jay Willis. Congratulations
everyone!
The next Masters Team Group is up and on the way too!
This time it's a Cha Cha Cha!
I can tell this challenge is being well met.
They already look SOOO COOOOL!
And cool IS HOTTT!
We took off the last two weeks of December……
except for our dance party on
December 22nd!!! That
was a change from the norm! A
"Semi-Formal optional" DO too!
and we were maxed for people!
And even so there was plenty of room for dancing!
A potluck buffet -- a Viennese Waltz Demo by Susan Adams, Kim
Alford, Stephen Halvorson, Leon Jallo, An Ton That & Cam Duong –
extra seating and tables -- Christmas decorations and music. As
I hear tell it was a great success!
And except for our new years eve party! What surprises life has in store for all of us.
Steve and I had planned a movie marathon night and sleepover
–then our plans changed
to having a table at the Elks Club New Years Celebration.
This plan changed from one table to two, to three, to four!
As it happens, we ended as a group at our tables of 32 people!
This was a great fun party at the Beaverton Elks Club!
The cost was very small for such a lot of fun!
Dinner of prime rib and halibut.
Dancing to the Dr. T Band. Popcorn
snacks. Balloons and party
favors. A champagne toast.
And breakfast after 12. And
that’s what all the guests at the Elks had!
THEN I had a few extra surprises just for our own tables of
friends and students just to personalize the occasion.
I like to surprise people! Pleasant
surprises I hope. And we
were seated in a perfect spot for socializing, plus we had two dance
floors to choose from and danced with good friends all night.
What more could you ask for!
Even though the holidays can be a depressing period of time for
many, a get-together like this can be like a point of light in the dark.
I know this from past experiences myself.
New Classes begin again the week of January 7th.
Joy, peace and Good Times,
Linda
December, 2001
What have we been doing the past several months? Well, we’ve (I’ve)
been a slacker regarding writing the news! However we have been right on
with Dance Dance Dance! Both classes and showcases!
The Quickstep Masters Group has performed 4 times at various venues in
Portland
. The USABDA dance held on Saturday, July 21st is the last.
Their Roaring 20’s kind of dance is perfect for a combination routine
of Quickstep and Charleston. The group is comprised of Ernest and Tenora
Grigsby, Jay Willis and
Susan Adams
, Myron Robinson and
Bonnie McCabe
, Doug and Carolyn Devine and Steve Halvorson and Maxine Fountain. They
all have done a terriffic job – getting into their parts better with
each performance. The costuming was great fun – from suspenders and
fedoras for the guys and beads and feathers for the gals – and the
crowd support has been wonderful each performance as well. Thank-you
everyone! And congrats to the performers! See the pictures for
performers’ names.
Speaking of performances, on Saturday, June 9th we had two at our Second
Saturday Monthly Dance. Boogie Back Productions did a Swing showpiece
for us that really looked like great fun –we’re looking forward to
having them back again! And that’s not all! The Let’s Dance Trio
played half the evening for us – and we had a singer for several
numbers as well! Robin Filer of the Dr. T Band joined in just for fun!
Thanks, Robin! And Zana Anderjohr-Pearce, Kevin O’
Brian
, Brenda Morris, &
Brian
Todd from Boogie Back.
That same night we had more! Several couples from our
intermediate/advanced International Rumba group class did a demo and I
was sooo proud of their natural look and movement. Well done to:
Myron Robinson, Anna Webber,
Rick Simonsen
, Marina Laurette, Stephen Halvorson, Joyce Larson, Kim Alford, Leon
Jallo, Sandy Sallee, Stephen Morris, Rebecca Pratt,
Susan Adams
, Jennifer Dodson.
You can expect other class demos on a regular basis as well for students
who desire an added challenge and goal for their dancing. We have just
begun a Samba Class……East Coast Swing Class…..
Our next Masters performances will be of American Silver Waltz, sometime
in September, or early October. Students are putting lots of effort into
this slow, controlled, emotively beautiful dance. They’re already
excited to show it to you! And the music will wring your heart!
Make it be a great month,
Linda
March 16, 2001
Wow is it that time again?
Our March 10th dance had an Asian theme this month, which made it an
interesting change for many people. We used many cuts of Chinese
Ballroom music provided by Tom Apel, who was our DJ for the evening.
There were demo dances by our Advanced Cha Cha class (Jim Rue, Yvonne
Vonderey, Leu Shyu and Shi-Huang Shyu,
Rick Simonsen
and Donya Wiland), a great Nightclub Two Step by Tom and Ying Apel, and
a well-done Foxtrot by Jay Willis and
Susan Adams
. It was a fun change of pace. And was very well attended with again
over sixty people enjoying themselves, same as last month. The lesson
was the Jive – an upbeat type of Swing dance.
In the news – An article came out last week in the Tigard Times-Valley
Times about our dance program, and about myself as one of the long-term
lady instructors in the
Portland
area. Wow what a great article, it was a full page! And lots of great
pictures too!
Our
New York
trip gets closer. We've already had friends and relatives call us to say
they've seen us giant size in Times Square! They think it's as super as
we do. (Our pictures were chosen for a Kodak ad – and the ad is on one
of the giant electronic billboards in Times Square. So, every 2 ½
minutes or so til June 30th we’re flashing NYC in tux and ballgown.)
Next month's dance is one with live music and is also a potluck. I've
had several questions about our potluck, so thought I'd answer this way.
It's an "eat all night" kind of potluck, not a sit-down
dinner. And the "Let's Dance Band" is the live music and will
they do a great job playing everything we'd like to hear? I bet yes! The
lesson will be Cha Cha. The lesson starts with a half hour
beginning-type class, then goes into more intermediate figures the 2nd
half hour. It works well.
Classes are better than ever, with lots of new faces and ever-growing
talent. The Masters quickstep performances are scheduled for May 12 at
the studio, and May 18 (Sesame), May 19 (USABDA), May 20 RCDC. They'll
be a fun watch!
Til next time,
Enjoy!
February 22, 2001
Wow is time moving fast!
We had a super time at out February 10th Dance Party. Sixty + people
attended and many shared their most fave potluck foods. The Let’s
Dance Trio played wonderfully for us again with their great variety of
music. I also DJ’d for a while too and people enjoyed that music as
well. The best part of those evenings is that we’re a pretty friendly
group and it’s fun to mix and mingle through the evening.
Next month’s dance has an Asian theme, with variations in the music
including Chinese Ballroom music provided by Tom Apel. That’ll be a
fun change of pace.
In the news – there’ll be an article out soon in the Tigard Times
about our dance program, and about myself as one of the long-term lady
instructors in the
Portland
area who is a full-time instructor (also a lady entrepreneur and 1-man
show so to speak). Also in the article will be pictures taken during our
marvelous Foxtrot class. Students are excited to have their pictures
taken and to have opportunity to tell about their dance history.
Also on the horizon is our trip to
New York
. It seems Stephen and I are lucky enough to have some of our pictures
chosen for a Kodak ad – and the ad is on one of the giant electronic
billboards in Times Square. So, every 2 ½ minutes or so til June 30th
we’re flashing NYC in tux and ballgown. We thought, "This is way
cool, we gotta see this!" So we’re on our way on April 25th and
will return on May 2nd. If others would like to visit NYC during that
time come on along! We’ll do the tours + ballroom dances + Broadway
shows + Brooklyn Bridge + great restaurants + nightclubbing type things
of course and it’ll be memories in the making.
We’ll try to get the pictures on this site. They’re in video form
so it may take a little doing.
Till next time, Linda
"The mighty oak was once a little nut who held
it's ground"