Summer '23 Newsletter
SUMMER NEWSLETTER
June 23rd, 2023
Regular offerings for the Summer and some special events to look forward to this Fall.
Thank you, Karen and Tate! More, please!
We had a great kick-off to the summer by having Karen and Tate here over Memorial Day weekend teaching Argentine Tango. It was so encouraging to me to have so many of you, from different dance backgrounds, come out to support this event. It was encouraging for two reasons; one is that I always love to see dancers digging deep and challenging themselves to learn and grow. And second, I know that bringing in quality, outside, instruction is only possible with support from the community and it was nice to see from the excellent turnout that this is important to you too!
Karen and Tate will have the opportunity to come back to our area this Fall! We are looking at having them come back as many as THREE times…the potential dates are September 23rd, October 21st, and November 11th. We will do some if not all of these dates so you should pencil them in on your calendar. If you are hoping to move forward in your Tango, or the quality of your connection and movement in any dance style, this follow-up is how you can do it!
Speaking of bringing in quality instructors, let’s get Adela back!
Who wants to bring Adela Su back to give us some “All-Star” West Coast Swing instruction? Raise your hand! I have both of my hands in the air : )
Adela Su, from Charlottesville, always comes with such practical and useful tips and moves in her classes. She, like me, is a believer in strong basics. Also, from her extensive training with a wide variety of coaches, she brings a refreshing perspective to her teaching that there is always more than one way to do something well. With her training and avid attendance of events and competitions, she is my go-to source for finding out, both, what is the most basic traditional way to do something as well as the current trends and new ideas circulating through the West Coast scene. As a social dancer, it’s important to understand the history and development of the dance (the “why?”) but you also want your finger on the pulse of what is happening currently.
She will be here on Saturday, October 7th for a day of private lessons and workshops. Details will form as we get closer to the date. So put this date on your calendar in addition to the Karen and Tate dates. So many dance opportunities!
Ongoing “Fundamentals” classes are a way to improve.
Riding the wave of inspiration and encouragement from learning and dancing with Karen and Tate I began two ongoing series of classes; one for West Coast Swing and one for Argentine Tango.
These are “Fundamentals” classes that are explicitly designed to help this dance community improve their basic skills, which are often brushed over and quickly forgotten because of the lure of fancy patterns. Karen Jaffee shared with me the class structure she used to cultivate a thriving Argentine Tango community in Asheville, NC. The idea is to offer ongoing classes that cover a different set of essential skills each week, allowing someone who came continuously to get a solid introductory course in the dance, but also allow for people to drop in for a taste or a chance to practice or perfect these skills. The thing about the fundamentals of social dancing is that we are never done exploring them. There is always something to be improved upon when it comes to the basics. And basic skills can not be mastered without lots of repetition and practice.
In both styles, West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango, I see a good bit of interest in our area but also a good bit of variance in levels of skill and experience. I hope that offering these classes will help build a critical mass of dancers with a solid foundation so we can begin seeing growth in both the level of dancing and the size of our community. We can all begin to dance more and dance better!
You can check out more about the Fundamentals series and find specific topics and dates on my website. We’ve already gotten started but you can join any time! Registration is not required but highly encouraged. And, be aware that after Labor Day I plan to continue but will probably have to make the start times later, which might be helpful for some of you!
Open Practice, a social dance for learners.
Open Practice times are meant to be a place for all levels of dancers to come together once a month in the spirit of learning and, well, practice! Unlike a typical social dance setting, this is a more casual space. This means you can try out new moves that you haven’t fully mastered on the dance floor. Normally you should aim to use your tried and true moves for the best social dance experience, but at Open Practice…go for it! You should also feel free to ask your partner for help when you need or want it. Again, at most social dances it is customary to save the questions for class. But, just like social dances, this is not a time or place to offer unrequested feedback or evaluation. That is never cool.
Open Practices give you the best of both worlds…the fun and fellowship of a social dance but the space for exploration like a dance class. So, whether you are a beginner or have more experience this is designed to help improve your dancing so we can grow together as a community. You can also just use this time to relax, dance and have fun!
The next Open Practice is July 2nd. The location is Elarth Hall at the UU church at 1301 Gladewood Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060. This is a lovely space with hardwood floors, perfect for dancing! We dance from 3-5:30 pm beginning with a 45 min West Coast Swing lesson tailored to the experience level of the group. We've had an excellent mix of beginner and experienced dancers so I always try to give something for everyone. The playlist is West Coast Swing heavy with some Latin and Ballroom styles mixed in. The cost to attend is $10. Registering is required by the Saturday before by contacting me.
Code of Conduct for all classes and events.
I now have a code of conduct for all classes and events up on my website. Please be sure to check it out and help keep our community happy, healthy, and fun!