Welcome to Dance Data ! Dance Tips and Resources

January 28, 2010: Volume 2, Issue 3

To view this Newsletter Online: Issue #3 Hi, This week brings sunshine, no hackers and no stomach flu. I hope you are experiencing the same good fortune! I have exciting news regarding the website: www.LovetoDanceOnline.com  All the ducks are finally in a row and we are moving forward as quickly as we can.  For those of you in southern Ca. attending Joe Tschirhart 's weekly classes and workshops, you will be pleased to know that we are recapping and posting the highlights. For those of you unable to attend his classes, you will have the added benefit of learning some great technique and lots of new "stuff" from a very talented instructor. Of course for me, I must get over the fact that the the thin girl I used to know is now a fat girl on video and that the stripes should remain in the closet until I dance away the rest of those extra pounds that followed me into the New Year. Ugh! So I guess you can say that I am taking one for the team! We also have about 5 hours of instruction that will be added to the site shortly with additional techniques, patterns and musicality added regularly. The other exciting news is that we will be enlarging the video size to full screen. Currently the price for membership is only $9 per month, once we switch over to the full sized screen, the membership price will increase to $19.99 per month. Subscribe now and you will lock in the $9 per month membership fee. You can check out the advantages of becoming a member here. Enough said! Except we only need a few more boot orders to get our great price on the  Evenin' Star Dance Boots   . You haven't danced in boots, until you've danced in these! If you have any questions regarding style or size, I think I've finally got it down! Happy Dancing,                                                                                            Fat Girl in Stripes! 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

Tip Of The Week

	Dance Posture Just a quick tip regarding  posture. Good posture and balance are an essential element of dance. It is imperative to have good posture in order to have great balance, not to mention the fact that dance is an art form, and we want to "look" good. Imagine your body, from head to toe, as a string of pearls. If you were to grasp the top pearl and allow the rest to dangle, they would hang in a straight line. If you start to move the top pearl around, the rest of your body tries to follow.  Our heads are very heavy. They need to be strong and steady over the top of our spine. Our head should be on top of our shoulders, our shoulders over our torso, our torso over our hips, our hips over our knees, and our knees over our feet. Just remember that if the head goes, the rest is at risk! Don't look down and don't slouch. A good way to check your posture is to stand against a wall with both your heels and head touching it. Notice where your head is. Is it touching the wall or is it in front of your shoulders? Get the back of your head over your feet and you will be much more balanced. And look awesome, too!                                                                 Check Your Neck!

Recent Article

Taking the Jerk Out of Dance                                                                     by Michele Rasmussen Taking the "jerk" out of dance is not referring to that annoying person that blames everyone for their mis - fortunate life, but the ability to move smoothly and freely across the dance floor with no "jerky" movement. We all admire Fred and Ginger's grace and control, the question is, "How do they do that"?  How do they seem to just glide across the floor?  Besides the obvious (lots and lots of practice), you will notice that they are in control and move as a unit. They place their feet on the floor deliberately with a purpose. They do not just plop their feet onto the ground.They are connected, as one. They move in continuous and fluid motion. Imagine that you are holding a gun. (no, not to shoot yourself or your partner) and pointing at a target. You must aim the gun and slowly, but steadily squeeze the trigger. If you just aim and "pull" the trigger, that abrupt action will cause you to miss the target entirely. You must ease into the motion, just as you must ease into movement on the dance floor. You do not want to be bouncing and ricocheting as you dance. Another good analogy, used in West Coast Swing, is the old truck towing the broken down car, down the street. In West Coast Swing, it is important to establish a connection that has both compression and leverage.  Imagine an old truck towing a car with a chain, imagine the chain fully stretched out and extended between the two vehicles. Now, imagine the broken down car going downhill and the truck forgetting to speed up. "Slack" has now entered into the scenario, the truck realizes his error and speeds up, not slowly to take up the slack, but in a panicked, "He's gonna hit me mode". What happens? There is a jolt, or jerk in reaction to the lack of a constant and continuous connection. This same principal applies to a West Coast Swing Dancers connection. Followers, do not step out of leverage and leaders, do not jerk or pull them out of leverage. Think rubber band! This concept applies to all styles of dance. Think fluid, think smooth and think connected. Listen to the music and dance!

Upcoming Events

Capital Swing Dance - February 11-14, 2010 - Sacramento, CA High Desert Dance Classic - March 12-14,2010 Lancaster, 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 Angeles, Ca

Blog Re-Cap

Wonder why your dancing isn't getting any better? Dancing and Practice Looking for great Boots: Evenin' Stars Thank you to my Virtual Man! Tabrej" info@esupportguru.com for restoring my Blog! He is simply the Best! Tab, My Virtual Man! 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 interested. 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!