LINE DANCE
CALGARY
NOVEMBER, 2007
ÒTo dance or not
to danceÉÉwhat a silly questionÓ
IÕll admit itÉÉÉI am not a cold
weather person. Getting up when
itÕs still dark and the house is cold doesnÕt make me happy and I donÕt even
want to think about the fact that in a few short weeks we could have snow! If not for my classes, I would gladly
hibernate from November till March.
I knowÉÉÉIÕm a wuss and itÕs only November but I know winter is on itÕs
way. I console myself by thinking
about my classes and the wonderful people in them, the friendships IÕve made
over the years, meeting various people who have come to visit Calgary and dance
with us and cherish the warm fuzzies that I feel when I think of them all. I have a wonderful family with a
husband who is agreeable with almost anything I suggestÉÉthankfullyJ,
two teens who are truly great kids and a life that I enjoy. I donÕt need a lot,
I donÕt want a lot and my ÒtreasuresÓ are the people in my life. I am very blessed. As much as I hate winter, itÕs when I
make more time to stop and warm up with a cup of tea or hot chocolate and
reflect on how lucky I am to be doing what I love and the people in my life
because of it. Thanks all of you
who make my life so enjoyable. IÕm
loving all of my classes and know how fortunate I am to be able to do this.
FALL CLASSES
WeÕre winding up classes at the moment with all classes
finished at the end of November.
With new beginners at Varsity, Acadia, Ogden House & Heritage
Seniors, itÕs been wonderful to see the progress being made and seeing how the
beginners improve from week to week.
Dances are taking less time for them to learn and you can see a sense of
accomplishment as we continue to review the dances.
Intermediate/advanced dancers are learning a variety of
new dances as well as some of the ÒoldiesÓ that many have never gotten a chance
to learn. The biggest challenge is
deciding what to teach with so many dances at our disposal. While itÕs nice to have so much choice,
itÕs almost overload with dances being choreographed and put on the internet on
a daily basis. For the most part,
music continues to be my governing factor in choosing a dance to teach and IÕm
learning to trust my gut when it comes to deciding what dances to teach in this
frenzy of choreography activity.
The latest and newest isnÕt necessarily always the best.
Saturday workshops continue to be popular and itÕs a
chance to teach some of the harder dances that I might not get to teach in
class. The next workshop is November
24 and will see a workshop of ÒoldiesÓ
being taughtÉÉ.dances, not people!
ItÕs time to revive some of the older dances that havenÕt been done in a
while and remember how much fun we had doing them.
"When in doubt......dance!"
UPCOMING DANCE NIGHTS
Saturday, November 10th
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Potluck appetizer/dessert evening: $10.00
Many have requested a Saturday so weÕre trying a Saturday
night dance for a change to see how it goes.
Christmas Dance Ð Sunday, December 9th
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Potluck appetizer/dessert evening: $10.00
Please bring an item to be donated to Teen Angels.
If youÕre enjoying line dance classes, I would encourage
you to come out and take part in the dance evenings when you can. ItÕs a great opportunity to get
together with other dancers, meet and talk to them, watch some of the harder
dances and take in the dances that you can.
Linedancer Magazine Article
Susan Alexander submitted an article and some photos to
Linedancer Magazine and they were published in the October issue. Susan did a great write up. Linedancer Magazine has given me
permission to reproduce the article which you can
view here.
Harvest Moon Report, Westbank, British Columbia
Sept. 14-16, 2007
What a great weekend! For a month beforehand, we worked on playlist dances and had
a wonderful time anticipating the event.
We werenÕt let down.
Approximately 50 of us from Alberta took in Harvest Moon this year. Tom & Deb Selzer host this great event and this yearÕs was
superb with John Robinson and Michele Perron as guest instructors and over 200
people from various parts of Canada and the U.S. taking partÉÉ..as well as one
fellow from New Zealand (hi Graham!) To view photos from the event, please go
to http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/HeartOfDance/ and click on the Harvest Moon link.
Tom & Deb work really hard to ensure that those attending the event have a
good time. They asked everyone coming
for a list of their favorite dances and from the responses, playlists were
compiled. The lists were a huge
asset and it kept a variety of people on the floor all night. In previous years, it seemed that only
some groups would be up for certain dances, other groups for other dances. This year worked so well. Everyone made an effort to learn a lot
of the dances on the list prior to going to the event and there was a lot of
energy on the floor. There was a
great mix of new and old dances.
After every 4 or 5 playlist dances, there was always a request played
and there was time to dance the dances taught during the day as well. I cannot
say enough for advance playlists.
We rarely sat down and it was so nice to know the dances and not have to
sit out and wait for something we knew.
Dancing alongside of dancers from all over was really nice rather than
just dancing with our own group of people. There was a lot of laughter and bonding with other groups.
John was in his usual formÉÉ.highly energetic and entertaining. He has such personality and those who
had never had the opportunity to take a class from him loved him. John dancing west coast swing with Tom
on Sunday night was a show in itself!
Do ask John to show you his ÒBrand New GirlfriendÓ and his ÒHot New
ChickÓJ
Michele Òkeep your chin upÓ is full of style and so mesmerizing to
watch on the floor. For someone so
tiny, she packs a lot of ÒoomphÓ into her moves and her technique is flawless.
Susan Clark & Bonnie King won 1st prize with their
great dance, Shim Sham Boogie, a terrific dance with some different
footwork. ItÕs nice to see
something different and this has it all.
You could feel the buzz in the room when they danced it.
There are some lovely touches to this weekend. Tom & Deb host a
potluck in their home (which has a dance floor) on the Sunday evening of the
event. Even after a weekend of
teaching, John was there relaxing, chatting to everyone, dancing all night and
teaching a couple of dances there during the eveningÉ..his way of
unwinding! I wish I could bottle
his energy!
Next year Tom & Deb are hosting their 10th anniversary
of the event and guest instructors are Simon Ward and Joanne Brady as well as
Michele Perron who will also celebrate her 10th year at Harvest Moon
in 2008. Next yearÕs event will be
capped and they already have received over 100 registrations so get yours in
soon! You can find more info on
Tom & DebÕs website at http://www.debandtomdance.com/harvest.htm.
UPCOMING DANCE EVENTS TO CONSIDER
As if you donÕt already have enough to think aboutJ
There is a line dance event in Palm Springs,
California happening February 1, 2 and 3rd. IÕve not been but am thinking about
itÉÉreally, really thinking about it!
There are some very good instructors at this event and IÕve heard good
things about it. Also, remember
Cindy and Diana who came to visit us at Stampede from California last
year? TheyÕll be there so thatÕs
an added bonus! For details on the
event, go to http://www.palmspringslinedancefestival.com/.
The line dance cruise to the Mexican Riviera April
27-May 4th is shaping up nicely with around 70 people booked. There are still cabins available so if
you are interested in joining us, please donÕt hesitate to contact me for more
information.
In July, IÕm off to a line dance event in Colorado,
combining it with vacation plans.
This event should be especially wonderful with Jo Thompson Szymanski
teaching as well as John Robinson, Max Perry, Kathy Hunyadi and Doug &
Jackie Miranda. For details on
this event, please go to http://home.earthlink.net/~theherberts/
In September, many of us will be back at Tom &
DebÕs for Harvest Moon. A link to
their website is above in the Harvest Moon report.
TEEN ANGELS CALGARY
I am so very happy and proud to announce that my teens and I are
spearheading a new project. Teen
Angels Calgary is the name of our new charitable organization which we
registered in October.
My family has been involved with the Salvation Army Toy
Hamper program for eight years. I
usually take the month of December off from teaching classes and spend my time
at the warehouse doing hampers and helping out where needed.
While the program is an excellent one, over the
past couple of years, my kids and I have voiced some concerns that we've
had. Every year at the end of the
season, there are literally hundreds of boxes of toys packed away to be used
for future years. Last year we
were unloading boxes from 2000 and 2001.
We really felt that there was too much of a surplus. We also found that very little came in
for teenagers. It meant that when
a family with a teen applied for a hamper, the other kids in the family got a
lot of toys and the teen ended up with almost nothing as there was just nothing
on the shelf for that age group and it really bothered us to think that there
were families on Christmas morning opening gifts who received lots for their
younger children but very little for their teen.
To that end, my kids and I started to discuss what we
wanted to do this year as we felt a strong desire to fill the teen gap. We have formed a non-profit charitable
organization called Teen Angels Calgary which will focus on the needs of teens
mainly during the Christmas season and also throughout the year as needed. We have already started to receive
items for teens for Christmas and these will be given to various community
organizations who have teens in their programs or know of families with teens
who need a hand over the Christmas season. Some of these teens are homeless, some are pregnant and need
things not only for themselves, but their babies. Many are from families who are just struggling to make ends
meet.
Our spare bedroom downstairs is starting to fill up with
donated items. So far we have gift
certificates for cds, coffee houses, clothing, movie passes, toiletries, hats,
gloves, scarves, books, jigsaw puzzles, games, bus passes, etc. We think all
kids.....even teens....need stuffies and we were given 500 of them. Women in dance classes have been busy
making hats, toques and scarves for those teens who spend some of their nights
on the streets. Many of the
dancers have donated items to Teen Angel.
Thank you allÉÉyouÕre wonderful!
Ranchmans on Macleod Trail is helping us by having dancers at their
Christmas dancer appreciation night bring an item for teens. All items donated
must be in new condition....no one wants to get used items for Christmas and we
want all the teens receiving gifts to feel special.
Why the name Teen Angels? It was actually chosen by a friend. My next door neighbour,
Marg, is the mother of Rhonda Morgan.
Rhonda is the director of Missing Children Society Canada and they're
both very special, giving people.
Marg is in her 70's and she was worried about what to do with her
massive collection of angels when she passed away. Her kids didnÕt have room for them and she wanted to ensure
that they went somewhere where theyÕd be enjoyed. She came over about a month ago very excited to tell me she
had discussed it with her kids and she was having her will redone to reflect
that all her angels were to go to Teen Angels to be given out to teen girls so
they'd know they had an angel in their life. It moved me to tears.
She was the inspiration for the name of our organization and will be
helping us get it started this first Christmas season. Also, those of you who help are the
true angels in these teensÕ lives.
By donating an item to the organization, you help to show a teen that
they are special and for some teens, it may be the only gift they receive over
Christmas. Also, if you know of a
struggling family with a teen, whether itÕs a neighbour on your street, a
family in your church, or someone in your workplace, please let me know so we
can help. ThatÕs why weÕve put
this in place.
Anyone who wants to donate an item to Teen Angels Calgary can contact
me. For now, items can be dropped
off at classes or I can pick up.
All items should be for age 13+ and can
include amongst other things, books or book certificates, bus passes for teens,
clothing certificates, cd certificates, jigsaw puzzles, clothing items (I've
been told that underwear is a huge need!), jewellery items, sports equipment or
certificates. Gloves, scarves,
hats, socks, makeup, t-shirts (no violent themes please), sweaters and sleeping
bags are needed for those teens who are out on the streets. If you're not sure what to donate, ask
a teen in your life what they think another teen would like.
Remember the saying Òit takes a village to raise a
childÓ? Well, weÕre all the
village and it does make a difference to some of these teens knowing that
people care.
WINTER CLASSES 2008
Below youÕll find a schedule for the winter
session. YouÕll see some
changes. The advanced class will
not run at Varsity over winter as IÕm finding that IÕm not getting out until
close to 9:00 now and I donÕt want to be out on the roads late at night in
snowy weather nor do I want my dancers driving in bad weather. An alternate session of advanced
classes will instead run at St. AndrewÕs on Saturday mornings for nine weeks as
well as the session at Acadia.
Times have changed for Acadia.
Classes will start an hour earlier, again enabling people to get home a
little earlier during the winter months.
I am excited to be starting a brand new class for
beginners in the Riverbend Community Centre in January as well! Dates for workshops and dance evenings
will be set in the new year.
Believe it or not, IÕm already thinking about Stampede dances too! As youÕll see, there are lots of
opportunities to be involved in classes, dance workshops, dance evenings, dance
events, etc. If youÕre not already
dancing, and want to get involved, the first step is picking up the phone. Come
join us and see why line dancing is so much fun! I look forward to hearing from you!
NEW ATTITUDE LINE
DANCE COMPANY
WINTER 2008 SCHEDULE
OF CLASSES
PLEASE NOTE THAT CLASSES AT
VARSITY, RIVERBEND, ACADIA & SATURDAY ST. ANDREWÕS CLASSES MUST BE
PRE-REGISTERED. DEADLINE TO
REGISTER IS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21.
For a registration/waiver, please
email Sue at suehall@telusplanet.net.
Location: Varsity Community Centre, 4303 Varsity Drive N.W.
Dates: Jan
14 - March 17 (9 weeks) (No class on Feb. 18th Family Day)
Times: 5:30 - 6:30
p.m. Progressive
Beginner - Level 1 NOTE NEW TIME
6:35 - 7:35 p.m. Intermediate
- Level 2 NOTE NEW TIME
Cost: $79.00
Location: St.
AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church, 703 Heritage Drive S.W.
Dates:
January
15 - March 25 (11 weeks)
Time: 10:15
- 11:15 a.m. Progressive Beginner - Level 1
11:30 - 12:30 p.m. High
beginner/improver - Level 2
12:40 - 1:40 p.m. High
intermediate/advanced - Level 3
Cost:
$35.00 for seniors 55+
Attendees require a current Heritage
Seniors membership. Please inquire
if you do not have one.
Location: NEW!!!!
Riverbend Community Centre, 19 Rivervalley Drive, S.E.
Dates: January
9 - March 5 (9 weeks)
Time: 10:00
- 11:-00 a.m. Beginner Level 1
Cost: $79.00
Location: Acadia
Recreation Centre, 240 - 90th Avenue S.E.
Dates: January
9 - March 5 (9 weeks)
Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p,m. Progressive Beginner - Level 1 NOTE
NEW TIME
6:40
- 7:40 p.m. High
intermediate/advanced - Level 3 NOTE NEW TIME
Cost: $79.00
Location: Confederation
Park Seniors, 2213 - 13th Street N.W. (55+)
Dates: January
10 - March 27 (12 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
Drop-in
line dance lesson from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Geared to beginner dancers
SATURDAYS NEW!!!!
Location: St.
AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church, 703 Heritage Drive S.W.
Dates: Jan.
12 - March 15 (no class Feb. 2)
Time: 10:00
- 11:00 a.m. - High intermediate/Advanced level
Cost: $79.00
SATURDAY LINE
DANCE WORKSHOPS & LINE DANCE EVENINGS
Workshops and dances are
held at St. AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church, 703 Heritage Drive S.W. (right beside
the Y) in the lower hall. Pre-registration is necessary as spots fill
quickly. Please contact Sue to
register or for more information.
Registration is limited to 40 people for the dances and 30 people for
the workshops. If you are looking
for the challenge of learning new dances on a Saturday morning or getting
together for a potluck appetizer/dessert dance evening on Saturday evenings,
please think about joining us.
WeÕre a fun bunch, very friendly and welcoming and I try to ensure that
there is a good mix of dances for all levels.
Because there will be a
nine week session of advanced line dance classes from January-mid March on
Saturday mornings, no workshops will be held until after March. The first dance evening will be
Saturday, February 23, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at St. AndrewÕs.
Dates for future
workshops and dance evenings will be announced in the new year.
ÒYour love for
yourself is shown when you are dancing freelyÓ
