LINE DANCE CALGARY
FEBRUARY/MARCH,
2009
ÒLine
dancingÉ..crossword puzzles for the feet!Ó
As
always, life is busy and the months seem to fly before I get around to updating
the websiteL
Christmas seems like eons ago and January has shot by in a blink of an
eyeÉÉis this what getting older does?
Time goes by far too quickly!
My daughter, Tajali, is graduating from grade 12 this year and making
decisions about post-secondary education and Adam is wrapping up four years at
University of Calgary with his B.A. in Psychology. HeÕs taking several months off starting in June to travel to
New Zealand (his birthplace) before settling in to work on his MasterÕs
Degree. I see changes in the works
for all of our family in the coming year.
The
winter session of classes was back in full swing the first week of January and
everyone was ready to dance off the Christmas pounds. Beginners who took the
fall session and returned in January are starting to become more confident in
their skills and the dances are starting to get a little easier for them to
pick up now that they are feeling more comfortable with the basics. The high
beginner/easy intermediate class works on a combination of fun, easy dances
mixed with some dances that are a little more challenging. For the most part this seems to work
well. The intermediate/advanced
dancers are enjoying learning a lot of new dances; some old dances have been
revived as many never got to learn them.
Our last workshop Saturday saw both an oldie (Feed the Fetish) and a new
dance (Go With the Flow) taught.
Once a month we have a classics review night; our last one revived M.J.
Moves, Keep It Burning and The Right WayÉ..good dances and so nice to dance
them again!
Now that
weÕre into February, IÕm looking at what dance events are coming up this year
that IÕd like to take part in. Some of us are going to L.A. for the L.A.
Premiere Dance Classic in early April; some are taking part in a dance cruise
at the end of April; some are planning to go to Indianapolis in June for the
JJJ Classic; many will be on the demo team for Stampede and it looks like a
record breaking group of us going to Kelowna, British Columbia in September for
the Harvest Moon event. After
September, IÕm contemplating either the Windy City Chicago event in October
and/or Tampa Bay or Las Vegas in November followed by Nashville for WorldÕs in
December. As you can see, there is
no shortage of eventsÉ..just deciding which ones to attend. I encourage dancers to take part in at
least one event this year. You
will become a better dancer by taking workshops from other instructors and itÕs
an opportunity to widen your line dance world by seeing what dances are
popular, meet dancers from other areas and learn from top notch choreographers.
If youÕve
never attended a dance event, one of the best is the Harvest Moon one September
11-13th. Many of us go a day early and stay an extra day and make a fun long
weekend of it. IÕve started
bringing flyers to classes and theyÕre disappearing quickly. I have booked a block of 40 rooms at
the Sandman Inn in Kelowna which is directly across from Orchard Park Shopping
Centre and around 3 blocks from the Parkinson Rec Centre where next yearÕs
dance event will take place. I was
able to get a great rate on rooms and over half of them have already been
booked so reserve
now as you can always cancel if you decide not to attend. All rooms are
currently being renovated as is the courtyard pool and Jacuzzi area so rooms
will be like new and will include a microwave and mini fridge. There is a
sports bar, DennyÕs is attached (all registrants will get 20% off all meals
there). To get this rate of $98.00 a night, you can call either the Sandman
direct at 250-860 6409 or toll free to the reservations line at 1-800+SANDMAN
and ask for a room under the New Attitude Line Dance block. You can request an outside room,
a room overlooking the pool or a poolside room. Poolside rooms are all on the lower level and give direct
access to the pool.
My
folders are becoming stuffed with dances that I want to learn and teach. There is only so much time in class and
we always spend some time on reviews so it doesnÕt always leave opportunity to
teach as many new ones as I would like.
Dances that have been reviewed or taught since January include: Forgive
Me, Spotlight, Baby Believe, Amame, Bleeding Love, Go With the Flow, Tango Cha,
Bossy, Turn Me Loose, Turn Down the Lights, Fire On Ice, 123 Summertime, Little
Red Book, Feed the Fetish. Teaches
for March include Notice The Danger, Miss California, Triple M, Feel, Insomnia,
The Way You Look Tonight as well as several of Michele PerronÕs new ones and
some of Niels PoulsenÕs.
The next
couple of Saturday workshops will take place February 21st and
March 21st with new dances being
taught for the intermediate/advanced level. Cost is $10.00 and will go from10:00-11:15 a.m.
Due to
popular request, there is a dance on Saturday, February 7th specifically geared to Òold
classicsÓ. Dances include Hideaway Cha, 01-01-01,
Keep It Burnin', M.J. Moves,
Syncopated Love, Badda Boom, Badda Bang, Chill Factor, C'mon C'mon. Touch Me
Tonight, 2x4 Shuffle, Cho-co-latte, Latin Express, Cool Whip, Now Or Never,
Singapore Swing, On the Water, The Way, The Right Way, We Are The Same.
There is also a dance night on Friday, February 27th for the intermediate+
group. Please bring an appetizer
or dessert to share on these nights.
Dance nights go from 6:30-9:00 p.m. and there is a $10.00 admission.
The TENTATIVE schedule for spring classes is
below. If there are any changes to
this schedule, it will be reposted. Registration is now ongoing and
registrations for the spring session are due by Wednesday, February 25th
for Varsity & Acadia locations only. I do not require a new registration
but ask that you mark on your cheque what class you are registering for. For
registrations at Mid-Sun and Confederation, please contact those venues
directly.
Mondays
at Varsity are always problematic due to long weekends so IÕve tried to arrange
classes there for as much consistency as possible. No brand new beginners will
be taken at any locations other than Mid-Sun. All current classes will see
themselves continuing to review dances theyÕve learned and add on more over the
spring. The level 3 class at Varsity will be geared to intermediate/advanced
level dancers and will be identical to the advanced class run at Acadia. For those who want the extra practice,
this will give you that extra night.
Hopefully with the snow disappearing and days becoming longer, people
will feel more comfortable about coming out for that class.
Location: Varsity Community Centre,
4303 Varsity Drive N.W.
Dates: March
9, 16, 23, 30, April 20, 27 (6 weeks)
No
classes April 6 due to out of town dance event or
April
13 due to Easter Monday
Cost: $59.00
Times: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m Improvers
For
those who have been dancing since fall and want to continue to review and add
on more beginner level dances.
6:35- 7:35 p.m. Easy Intermediate
For those who have between 6 months & a year of line dance or
other dance experience and want to be a little more challenged with slightly
harder dances.
7:40 - 8:40 p.m. Intermediate/Advanced
For those who have been dancing for over a year, can handle a lot of syncopation, turns, memorization and the challenge of difficult dances. (Having the time to practice is a must for this level)
Location: St. AndrewÕs Presbyterian
Church, 703 Heritage Drive S.W.
Dates: January 13
- March 24 (11 weeks)
Times: 10:15
- 11:15 a.m. Improvers
11:20 - 12:20 p.m. Easy Intermediate
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. High Intermediate/Advanced
Current
classes for Heritage Seniors will finish March 24th. There will be a break in April with another
session running May & June.
Details will be posted in the next newsletter
Dates: April
8 Ð May 27 (8 weeks)
Times: 9:15-10:15 Beginners
10:15-11:15 Improvers
Cost: $60.00
Location: Acadia Recreation Centre, 240
- 90th Avenue S.E.
Dates: March
4, 11, 18, 25, April 8, 15, 22 (7 weeks - no class April 1st due to
out of town dance event)
Times: 5:30
- 6:30 High Intermediate/Advanced
6:35 - 7:35 p.m. Progressive Easy Intermediate
Cost: $68.00
Location: Confederation Park Seniors,
2213 - 13th Street N.W. (55+)
Dates: April
9 Ð June 11 (10 weeks)
Time: 10:30
- 11:30 a.m. High intermediate/advanced - Level 3
Cost: $45.00
(tentative fee - call Confederation Park seniors for pricing
To register, call Confederation Park
Seniors at 289-4780
Decisions
are still being made about this yearÕs Stampede and you can expect to hear from
me by March as to plans for this year regarding demo dances. As indicated in previous newsletters,
the demo team this year will be made up of ALL levels of dancers so that
beginner and improver dancers can be a part of the team. I am waiting to hear back from a group
who will be visiting here from Australia as they will also be taking part in
some of our demo events while they are visiting here. We have still not had any
resolution to the extremely bad treatment we received last summer by the
Stampede Caravan Committee. For
more than five years we have danced at Caravan breakfasts. The focus of these breakfasts is to
encourage hospitality and the western spirit to Calgarians and visitors
attending the Stampede. We have
been welcomed by the bands who play and encouraged by them to dance and have
made it a point to stay to the side and not get in the way. However, over the past couple of years
some of the Caravan staff have made it very clear that we arenÕt on Òtheir
agendaÓ and not part of the entertainment and have actually forbid us to dance
even though they have a large open dance area right in front of the band which
is specifically kept open for dancers.
As a result, several letters were written to the Stampede Caravan
Committee by many of the dancers. There has been no reply to any of the several
letters written to the Board.
Until this is resolved, I will not be attending any Caravan breakfasts
this year but have already been in touch with several different venues
regarding stampede breakfasts and response has been good. IÕll keep you updated.
Click here for an updated
list of dances that we are doing in Calgary!