Welcome to Dance Data ! Dance Tips and Resources

January 14, 2010: Volume 2, Issue 2

To view this Newsletter Online: Issue #2 Hi, I suppose that it is just a fact of life that nothing stays the same. Things change. People change. The weather changes. We have control over some things, other things take control all by themselves. Take that nasty stomach flu virus! He sneaked in here so quickly that we didn't even see him coming. Of course, the stomach flu pales in comparison to the earthquake in Haiti. My prayers are with the Haitian people. Desperation and poverty is what they know, add to that the earthquake, I cannot even imagine..........I can only pray.  If you would like to help, you can text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross relief for Haiti 2010 did not begin as I had planned or hoped it would, but that doesn't mean I won't be working on things that I CAN change. One of these changes involve you. I am making a concerted effort to answer your questions, to encourage and empathize with you and to keep you informed and up to date in the newest dancing trends and techniques. Feedback is always welcome. Since we are all fortunate enough to have the means to read this email and the ability to listen to music, I suggest that we get up and dance! Newest addition is a great price on Evenin' Star Dance Boots.  You haven't danced in boots, until you've danced in these! Happy Dancing, Michele Cruise Update: We STILL have 1 Balcony Cabin and 3 Inside Cabins  available. Once they are gone, we will be starting a waiting list. A $25 deposit reserves your cabin through January 31, 2010.  The ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale on October 18, 2010 and will be visiting 4 Islands. Prices start at only $859.42 per person, this includes all taxes and fees, plus all the workshops, dancing and activities. The ship is the Carnival Miracle. For full details, Click here: http://tinyurl.com/ycsqg54 Join us for a great time! Joe and Michele                                                                                                     There is Hope.

Tip Of The Week

	What To Do When Murphy Visits Now that is a very good question~ While preparing to send out this Newsletter, I attempted to go to my Blog to link an article from there, to here. Much to my dismay.........after two plus hours on the phone....I have been informed that 2 years of information, tips, articles and gripes have been completely obliterated from this wonderful world of CyberSpace. How does this happen? No one seems to know, so if ANY ONE has a clue, or maybe even a solution, I would love to hear from you. michele@learntoballroomdanceonline.com As far as what to do when Murphy visits.......I'm not sure, but for now, I think I will take a break and let you know when I figure it out! UGH! Next morning: What I did was bake a cake for my grandsons birthday, called the hosting peeps, AGAIN (crossing my fingers) and am forging forward. Hours Later: Seems as though persistence pays off......they have located the data! With any luck it will be restored. Now to apply my persistence to my dancing.

Recent Article

A Dancer Needs to be Persistent                                                                     by Michele Rasmussen Persistence is a quality that a you must have if you want to be a good, or even great dancer. You must have the tenacity to repeat a movement over and over and over, allowing that movement to be instilled deep into your body, mind and soul. While all of these tips may fall into the same category as "practice", there is a slight difference. You can practice your dance steps with a lackadaisical attitude or you can practice with intent and determination. It is essential to have a good, solid basic foundation, from a competent instructor. It is much easier to learn your basics correctly, right from the start, that way you won't have to go back and retrain your muscles. You create muscle memory whether you are doing something correctly or incorrectly. It is much easier to do it correctly from the beginning than to go back and change what you learned incorrectly. Learning to dance can be very difficult. You will only be able to focus on one or possibly two components of a dance at a time. You must be persistent and not give up. It takes many repetitions of the same movement to feel comfortable. In the beginning, it may be all that you can do to just move your feet, in the appropriate direction, in time to the music. You might have to focus on every beat, counting and calculating your every move. There are many facets encompassed in just one basic dance step. You must consider your feet, "What is their position?", "Where they are going?", "Which way are they pointing?" and "How they are getting there?", your arms: the connection between you and your partner, "Where are they?" and "What are they doing?",  "What is the position of your hand?" , "How is your head tilted?"............are just a few. The list truly goes on and on. Eventually, your movement will become second nature and you will be able to focus on a different portion of the same dance step. Foreign moves will soon begin to feel comfortable. Things you never thought that you were capable of doing will begin to seem easy.  Your continual persistence will eventually reward you with the ability to move freely across the dance floor.

Upcoming Events

Capital Swing Dance - February 11-14, 2010 - Sacramento, CA Easter Swing - April 1-4, 2010 Seattle, Washington Reno Dance Sensation - April 15-18, 2010 Reno, Nevada LAPD Classic - April 8-11, 2010 Los Angele, Ca

Blog Re-Cap

Blog has been temporarily hacked! Hopefully it will return soon! Stop by and share your dancing stories with me. I'd love to hear about your trials and triumphs! http://www.ras-this.com/

Resources

Online Dance Instruction: www.learntoballroomdanceonline.com Ballroom Dance Association: www.USAdance.org National Association of Swing Dance Events: http://www.nasde.net/ USA Swing Dance Network: http://www.usaswingnet.com/

Keeping Up with the Ras-Girls Our Blog: www.Ras-This.com Be our friend on MySpace Add Michele as a friend on Facebook Twitter Follow Michele at http://twitter.com/MicheleRasmusen Twitter Follow Cindy at http://twitter.com/threerivers33 Email address: ras.this@gmail.com About Me I am Michele Rasmussen. It is my wish to share my love of dance with anyone inerested. I am sure that I share many of the same hopes and dreams as many of you, and I hope to share the joy that I have found by "Learning to Dance in the Rain". Thank-You!