ÒIf a man does not keep
pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.Ó
Henry David Thoreau
Where to
start?! What a week we had on the
Carnival Pride cruising the Mexican Riviera (see the new photo page)! We started with a lovely stay at the
Marriott LAX and it was a really nice way to start our vacation. We all enjoyed the hotel and the lovely
garden/pool area. Several of us
bussed over to Manhattan Beach and mall area on the Saturday and itÕs a place
IÕd like to go back to. It was a
really relaxing hotel to stay at.
On Sunday,
Gray Line picked us up at our hotel to transfer us to the pier in Long
Beach. I have to admit that I felt
like one of a herd of cattle as we embarked. It was simply a long, tedious time and it wasnÕt until
someone at Carnival realized that we were in the wrong line up and got us into
a line for non U.S. citizens that the process sped up.
Once we got on
the ship, many of us met for lunch and explored the ship. One thing I really disliked was having
the mandatory lifeboat drill during the sailawayÉÉwhat a crazy time to do that
when you want to be on deck mingling with people and watching the ship sail
away!
Sunday night at dinner was
a time to meet many new people and get to put faces to names. It was a pre-arranged seating chart for
dining which made it a little difficult.
It would have been nice to mix it up a little. While it was nice to have the same dining companions each
night and the same waiter, it really would have been special to sit and mingle
with others and get to know them better.
All 72 of us were in one area though and they had us seated in a great
section alongside the windows. It
was that evening that we found out that Richard Simmons, the exercise guru, was
on the ship along with 300 of his devoted fans and we watched flashbulbs going
off as photos were being taken of him. Our waiters were fun and made it memorable each night
and there were many nights that we laughed so hard with their antics that we
were almost in tears. Sunday night was a free night to take in a show or
explore the ship.
Monday and
Tuesday were our Òat seaÓ days and we got started on workshops. I taught Amor de Hielo, Debbie Ellis;
Catch the Rain, Peter Metelnick/Allison Biggs; CruisinÕ On A SummerÕs Night,
Maria Hunt; Drizabone, R. Vos & F. Sittrop; LÕAppuntamento, Paul
Dornstedt. Michele Perron was our
guest instructor for the cruise and she taught Heartache Hustle, Max Perry;
JumpinÕ 6 to 6, Michele Perron; Seven Day Fool, Michele Perron; This Affair;
Michele Perron; When I Cry, Maria Hunt.
Michele Perron
was a hit as our guest instructor.
She laughed and joked with the dancers, was on the dance floor for several
of the open dancing selections and she loved cruising! She was very happy to stay on the ship
during port days and just relaxed by the pool, read and chilled out! I think she could get used to the
cruising life! She and Brian, her
husband, were a lot of fun to be around and those who took her workshops
enjoyed her teaches. Thanks to you
both for being part of our event.
After two full
days of workshops, we were ready for our first port stop on day 3 at Puerto
Vallarta and it was nice to take in one of the many excursions that were
available. I never did get used to
bartering though and after a while, it did start to get on my nerves! We danced after dinner and then had
time to either catch the show or continue dancing in one of the discos.
Day 4 saw us
in Mazatlan where most of us did some sightseeing and shopping and then caught
up with each other over dinner and open dancing afterwards.
Day 5 had us
in Cabo San Lucas and IÕd have been happy if the ship had dropped anchor and
just stayed there for a week. It
was a lovely spot with some beautiful all inclusive resorts and a nice
marinaÉÉdefinitely a place IÕd like to go back to. It was really nice to have the three port days to explore
the cities and then to come back to dinner and meet up with everyone and see
what they had done throughout the day and finish off with dancing later.
We had
arranged dance time for after dinner but found it was too much of a rush to get
to our dance room for the scheduled start. Unfortunately it was the only time they could give us due to
other group commitments and we squeezed in what we could.
Day six was an
at sea day and we spent the morning with Michele reviewing her workshop
teaches. We then put the dancers
in teams and they had a go at choreographing a dance to ÒSea CruiseÓ. Two teams spent about 20 minutes
working on steps and then went head to head. They both did a great job and it was a lot of fun to watch
them get involved together as a team.
It was hard to see Sunday morning roll around and time to
disembark. Where did the week
go?!?
I learned much
on this trip. It was nine months
in prepping for it and there are some things I would do very differently next
timeÉÉand yesÉÉthere is going to be a next timeÉ..stay tuned!
The floor they
gave us for our workshops was not great.
It was a plexiglass floor and very rubbery. It was difficult to dance on and we squeaked a lot! It was in one of their discos and I was
surprised that they would use that type of floor for dancing. We had that room for Monday &
Tuesday and we were getting used to it by Tuesday.
Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday nights they moved us to a different room which had a wooden
floor which was better but the floor was small and the room was hot! The one room which would have been wonderful
to use had already been spoken for by Richard Simmons and his group. They used a couple of the larger rooms
and I now know to check ahead and make sure that there are no other large
groups on board which could conflict with the space IÕd like us to have.
One of the
biggest problems I think we faced was open dancing. While a playlist had been compiled well in advance from
responses for dances from the cruise participants, there were many dances that
only 2 or 3 people knew. There
were far more intermediate+ level dances on the playlist and it meant that some
of the beginner dancers felt out of place and didnÕt feel comfortable getting
up and dancing. Next time I would
choose to put a beginner dance in every third or fourth slot and would also
probably want to see more of the classic dances that everyone knows on the list
rather than dances specific to an area.
Personally, I
didnÕt find the entertainment on the ship very good. IÕve cruised three times with Norwegian and found their
entertainment far superior. I did
however think the food was better on Carnival. I prefer the layout and brightness of Norwegian and the
freestyle dining that Norwegian offers.
I found service on Carnival excellent and had no problems with any of
the staff. They were always
accommodating, smiling and pleasant.
I wouldnÕt hesitate to cruise with Carnival again but I have a soft spot
for NorwegianJ HowÕs that for
diplomacy?
The
disembarking process was a breeze compared to the embarking. When we got off the ship, we were
whisked over to a shuttle which took us to the airport for a long wait for
flights home. While itÕs hard to
have fun waiting in an airport, it was made much more enjoyable with so many of
us there together. We laughed,
joked and reminisced about the week.
Now I just need to decide if I want to do this again next year or wait a yearÉ..itÕs a lot of planning and there just never seems to be enough time. IÕll make a decision by the end of JuneJ
It starts! The demo team
for Stampede Rope Square is now being organized! Rope Square demo dates are Saturday,
July 5th and Monday, July 7th, both from 11:10-11:30 a.m.
Please read
the following "rules" carefully as they are applicable to
everyone.......no exceptions.
The demo team
is only open to those who are currently in at least one of my classes and those
who are available to attend at least three of the four practice sessions.
Dancers must be able to pick up the dances readily and be prepared to practice
them and know them fully. For this
reason, dancers should have at least a minimum of one to two yearsÕ
experience. If you are uncertain
of your ability, please contact me before the first practice.
Dancers must
be available for BOTH the Saturday and the Monday Rope Square demos.
Practice times have been booked for 4 Saturday mornings at St. Andrews's from 10:00 - 11:30 on May 17, 31 and June 14, 28.
Demo dances
will include Shades, Show Me Wot U Got, Amor De Hielo, Add Em Up and two other
dances still to be chosen. A
decision as to those two dances will be made by the first practice.
If you do not
already have a red/black shirt, those new people on the team will be
responsible for having to purchase one.
A difference to this year's team will be that there will be the option
of wearing a capped sleeve shirt and there are some available that have a
"Just Dance" logo on it and some with a "Keep It Simple, Eat
Sleep Line Dance" logo on it.
They are still in the red/black colors but there are these variations to
the logo. The shirts will be made available at a reduced cost of $22.00 for the
capped sleeve shirts and $24.00 for the 3/4 length sleeve shirts.
There will be
an additional charge of between $8.00 and $10.00 a person for
"shades". These are
flashing sunglasses which will be used for the demo dance
"Shades". I have
negotiated a price but am trying to find them locally so as to avoid shipping
and duty charges.
For those not
on this year's demo team, I will also be posting a schedule of other Stampede
breakfasts that we attend. I hope
that even if you are not on the Rope Square team, you will come out over
Stampede and join us at some of these other breakfasts. We have a lot of fun at them and the
more the merrier!
I will be starting to compile a list of those wanting to be on the demo team, so please email me as to your interest so I can slot you in. It will be capped at 40 people.
There will be
a session of workshop style classes held over summer for those going to Kelowna
for Harvest and who want to prep for that dance event. Anyone who is not going is still
welcome to attend these classes.
They will be geared to intermediate+ dancers. There will be classes held at Varsity on Monday evenings,
and classes held at St. AndrewÕs on Saturday mornings. Dates and times have had to be
scheduled around Stampede, vacation time and hall availability and dates are
listed below. These classes will
be geared to teaching and reviewing dances on the Harvest Moon playlist and two
new dances will be taught each class with reviews of other dances we do on a
regular basis to ensure that everyone is up to speed for dances on the Harvest
Moon playlist. Fall classes will
not commence until after Harvest Moon so most will start at the end of September.
After a lot of
soul searching and deliberating, I have made some changes to my schedule for
fall. I have found myself not
enjoying dancing as much over the past year, much of that due to some
inconsistencies I have been finding in classes. It is always difficult to please everyone and I found I was
offering too many of the ÒsameÓ classes for some dancers. Many dance several times a week and I
would teach a dance on one night and then teach it again to a new class another
night just to find so many in the class who had already learned it. Add to that the fact that they were
also getting that teach from fellow instructors that they were taking classes
from and I found myself in a quandary as some in the class had never learned a
dance, some knew it somewhat and some knew it well. I always felt that someone was being shortchanged somewhere
along the lines. Those who knew a
dance already had to go through the teach for a second time; sometimes I rushed
the teach so they wouldnÕt be bored and then of course those who hadnÕt learned
it didnÕt get a solid teach. So to
make a long story short, I have only one advanced class in the fall and it will
be on a Saturday morning. I feel
much better about it and I can teach all the advanced dancers together.
My other concern is one that I feel very strongly about and even more so after returning from the cruise. The future of line dancing lies with our beginner dancers. Without them, we can have all the advanced dancers we want but line dancing will not continue. I do not believe there is enough focus put on the beginner and easy intermediate level dances and dancers, and I have restructured my classes to hopefully enable them to move through the various stages and feel more comfortable as they progress. It kind of brought it home to me after the cruise when some comments were made about how all the dances were geared to the much higher level dancers and many did not feel ÒgoodÓ enough to jump in and dance. Some didnÕt want to request an easier dance for fear of being looked down on. I can totally understand that as I still remember the first dance event I attended and feeling so totally overwhelmed and out of place. I hate the thought of my dancers feeling like that. In all honesty, my beginners are my very favorite classes as I love to see how they come in to a session not knowing anything and seeing them learn and grow over time. I love seeing their confidence grow over the weeks and the best thing is watching them continue to come to classes month after month because they now love to dance and their love of dance blossoms. I personally do not like the segregation that I see at a lot of dances with so much being geared to the higher level dancers. I never get tired of dancing beginner dances. I just love to dance and I donÕt care if itÕs a beginner dance or an advanced one. Unfortunately, I do know advanced dancers who feel that once they hit that level, that beginner dances are boring. Do remember that weÕve all been beginners at one point and the love of dance and music is what brought us to this place.
While I
dislike the segregation of dancing levels, I know that it is much easier for
those in the early stages to feel comfortable and I will be running dance evenings
in the fall that are specific to both groups of dancers. Intermediate+ dancers will have their
own dance evening and there will be beginner dance evenings geared only to
beginner dancers. Both groups will
feel much better about coming out to a dance where they know that all dances
will be geared to their levels.
Lastly, part
of me feels that line dancing has gotten out of hand. There are too many dances. There is now ÒmainlineÓ line dancing and ÒnewlineÓ line
dancingÉÉdonÕt askL We have so much technology available to us that I can
open my email every morning and find ten new dances in my mailbox on a daily
basis. Weekly and monthly surveys
give us literally hundreds of options and I know I feel that IÕm not up to par
if IÕm not teaching the latest danceÉÉstupid I know, but those of us who teach
find our lives literally consumed with line dancing and wanting to provide the
best for those in our classes.
Choice is wonderful but there are some choreographers who choreograph a
new dance on what seems to be a daily basis and itÕs finding that special dance
that has the ÒitÓ factor that makes it worth teaching and a ÒkeeperÓ. Unfortunately, itÕs time consuming to
go through so many dances, listen to the music, find alternate music, learn it,
etc. just to teach it and then scrap it for the next new dance that comes
along. I no longer find enjoyment
in doing that and have decided to dance what is in my heart and do what feels
right rather than go with the flow of what everyone else does. Marching (or dancing!) to the beat of
my own drum is becoming my new mantra!
IÕm hoping
that by making some of these changes, that IÕll get my love of line dancing
back in full swing. ItÕs thereÉ.I
just kind of miss what line dancing used to be and how some of the fun has been
replaced with what I think I ÒshouldÓ be doing. The moment that teaching dance becomes a chore, then I know
itÕs time to stop and thatÕs something IÕd hate to have happen. I strive for perfection and try to be
more than just an instructor. Learning to listen to my dancers is whatÕs
important and ensuring that IÕm giving them what they want is all I really care
about. Thanks to all of my dancers
for a great year of enjoyment youÕve all given me. IÕm grateful that youÕve continued to support me as your
line dance instructor and IÕm looking forward to making positive changes in the
fall and watching us all grow together.
NEW ATTITUDE LINE DANCE COMPANY
SUMMER/FALL 2008
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
PLEASE NOTE THAT CLASSES AT VARSITY, ACADIA & SATURDAY
ST. ANDREWÕS CLASSES MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED. CHEQUES MAY BE POST-DATED TO THE
FIRST DATE OF CLASS. REGISTRATION
DEADLINE FOR ALL CLASSES IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th.
For a registration/waiver, please
email Sue at suehall@telusplanet.net.
HARVEST
MOON PREP CLASSES (5 WEEKS NOT
CONSECUTIVE)
These will be workshop style classes geared to learning the dances that are on the Harvest Moon playlist, however the class is open to anyone who is intermediate level+ You do not need to be going to the Harvest Moon event to take these classes.
Location: Varsity Community Centre, 4303 Varsity Drive N.W.
Dates: July
14, 21, 28, Sept. 8, 15 (7.5 hours)
Time: 5:30 - 7:00
p.m.
Cost: $63.00
Location: Acadia Recreation Centre, 240
- 90th Avenue S.E.
Dates: July
16, 23, 30, Sept. 3, 10 (7.5 hours)
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $63.00
FALL SCHEDULE OF
CLASSES
Location: Varsity Community Centre, 4303 Varsity Drive N.W.
Dates: September
29 - November 24 (8 weeks) (no
class Thanksgiving, Oct. 13)
Times: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Brand New Beginners (For those who have never line danced
or have very limited line dance experience
6:35 - 7:35 p.m. High Beginner (For those who have between 6 months
& a year of line dance or other dance experience)
7:40 - 8:40 p.m. Progressive Easy Intermediate (For those who have been dancing for a
year and feel comfortable with steps and terminology)
Cost: $68.00
Location: St. AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church, 703 Heritage
Drive S.W.
Dates: September
30 - December 2 (9 weeks)
Times: 10:15
- 11:15 a.m. Brand New Beginner
11:30 - 12:30
p.m. Progressive
Beginner/Easy Intermediate
12:40 - 1:40 p.m. High
Intermediate/Advanced
Cost: $35.00 for seniors 55+
plus $15.00 membership
fee to
Heritage Seniors
Location: Acadia Recreation Centre, 240
- 90th Avenue S.E.
Dates: October
1 - November 26 (9 weeks)
Time: 5:30
- 6:30 Brand New Beginner (For those who have never line danced or have very limited line
dance experience
6:40 - 7:40 p.m. Progressive Easy Intermediate (For those who have been dancing for a
year and feel comfortable with steps and terminology)
Cost: $76.50
Location: Confederation Park Seniors, 2213 - 13th Street
N.W. (55+)
Dates: September
25 - November 27 (10 weeks)
Time: 10:30
- 11:30 a.m. High intermediate/advanced
Cost: $45.00
(tentative fee - call Confederation Park seniors for pricing and to inquire
about Confederation Park Seniors membership. To register, call Confederation Park Seniors at 289-4780
Location: St.
AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church, 703 Heritage Drive SW
Dates: September
27 - November 29 (No class Nov 8th) (9 weeks)
Time: 10:00
- 11:00 a.m. - High intermediate/Advanced level
Cost: 76.50
This class will be capped at 25 people. As there is only one advanced class, it is important that it be registered well in advance due to size limitation.