Welcome to Dance Data ! Dance Tips and Resources

March 2, 2010: Volume 2, Issue 7

To view this Newsletter Online: Issue #7 Hi, There never seems to be enough hours in the day. I often wonder just what I did with myself before I was bitten by the dancing bug. For those of you that have also been bitten you understand, for those of you that are contemplating  taking up dance, I will warn you ahead of time, once you start dancing, you will never want to stop! For those of you interested in the next dance convention that we are attending and competeing in, it is the  LAPD Classic - April 8-11, 2010 Los Angeles, Ca.  Join us for a great time. Joe will be available for privates. Happy Dancing,                                                                                     Michele

Tip Of The Week

	Dancing Handhold and Frame While dancing it is imperative to stay connected, however this does not refer to a death grip! Leaders place your hand firmly on the followers shoulder blade, up underneath her arm, not in the middle of her back. Give her enough support to allow her to settle back into your hand and  form a connection. Followers do not "lean" back to establish this connection.  Followers, place your hand lightly upon the leaders shoulder, arms touching and connected without expecting the leaders to hold up your arm. Do not grip their shoulder. Place your hand  into the leaders hand and gently close, do not grip tightly, this goes for both leaders and followers. Both Leaders and Followers must hold up their own arms. While turning, followers should create a cup with your hand so that the leader is able to freely move his fingers within your cup.  Of course there are different frames for different dances and you must make adjustments accordingly, but the above rules still apply.

Recent Article

Getting Back to Your Dance Basics                                                                                by Michele Rasmussen Sometimes I am truly amazed at the amount of detail that goes into learning just one basic step in any one dance. Every dance has their own particular look and feel. It can often be difficult to learn to dance properly if you have never been exposed to, or experienced dancing with a proficient, trained dancer. For many of us, we "learned" to dance on a social dance floor or in a bar environment  by someone that has either taken a few lessons, or just kind of picked up a few steps. If you are serious about learning to dance and improve your skills, it is imperative to seek good instruction. Even if you have been dancing for years, you will likely find that there are certain things that you have been doing incorrectly and that there is a better, more efficient way to accomplish the same dance pattern. Good, clean, solid basics are imperative if your desire is to become an accomplished dancer. There are many minute details that go into even the simplest of steps and you may find that you will need to revisit and change some of your very  basic steps, as they are the foundation to the dance. Of course breaking old habits is never easy, but always worth it in the end.  Even an intermediate or advanced dancer can benefit from revisiting their basics. A dancer is only able to absorb and retain a small portion of what they are taught in a dance class. As time goes on the amount of retention increases as does the ability to have a deeper understanding of what is being said. Do not expect to become a great dancer overnight. It take weeks, months and years of practice to become a proficient dancer. Do not get discouraged. Focus on perfecting your basics, you may be amazed to find that there is one small adjustment that changes the entire way you dance. Take every opportunity that arises to practice and improve your basics. Basic dance steps are the foundation and building blocks of a dance.

The Business Stuff Shoes, Boots and Cruise Info New Categories at  www.LovetoDanceOnline.com  , Joe Tschirhart 's Tuesday Night Classes  , Saturday Workshops. and Wednesday Night Country Two Step. 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.  Evenin' Star Dance Boots   are here! Thanks to those of you that helped us become a distributor. You can now order one pair, individually any time you'd like! I LOVE my Boots! If you have any questions regarding style or size, I think I've finally got it down! We also have ballroom,  Latin and practice Very Fine Dance Shoes. Ladies and Mens.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Cruise Update: Single guys, where are you??? We also have a single woman looking for a roommate. There's 1 Balcony cabins and 3 inside cabins left. We actually but in a few "pretend" dancers to save a few extra cabins. We have a great group of dancers and even some scuba divers already signed up. Join us for a terrific week of learning and dancing aboard the Carnival Miracle. A $25 deposit reserves your cabin through February 25, 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

Upcoming Events

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 Portland Dance Festival - Early July, Portland, OR Swingtime in the Rockies - July 22-25, Denver, CO

Blog Re-Cap

If you have ever felt the correct connection, it will be difficult to "Whip it Good"!? West Coast Swing Whips! Looking for great Boots: Evenin' Stars 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!