Welcome to Dance Data ! Dance Tips and Resources

June 2, 2010: Volume 2, Issue 15

To view this Newsletter Online: Issue #15 Hi We are back from Fresno Dance Classic and I am happy to say that not only did I survive it, I placed 3rd overall in my Pro/Am division and 1st in the novice/intermediate Country 2 Step! I wasn't there to receive the awards, so I am still wondering if there has been a mistake! Joe placed 4th in the advanced/champions Country 2 Step Jack n Jill. There were a lot of great dancers and workshops, Steve Zener sure knows how to put on an event! Thanks, Steve! The Palm Springs Summer Dance Camp,  Aug. 12-15, 2010 is next on the agenda!. Joe will be teaching in Palm Springs and we will have a reserved table there, so if you would like to sit at our table, let us know. Still looking for a few more cruisers! How does 8 nights on board the Carnival Miracle, in the Southern Caribbean, with stops in Grand Turk, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Aruba, and Caracao sound? How about to that we add...........you guessed it..........dancing? Well..... I am not giving up on finding a few more single guys or a few more couples for the cruise. We are going to have such a great time, you won't want to miss it!! We still have 3  cabins reserved, so you can still sign up with a fully refundable $300 deposit.  After those cabins are gone,  it will be on a first come first served basis due to availability with Carnival.  We are going to have a GREAT time, you won't want to miss it! So,  Sign up NOW! Hope all is well and sunny in your worlds. Happy Dancing, Michele

Tip Of The Week

	Keeping Up with the Dance! Depending upon your own personal dance goals, you may or may not observe the ever changing styles and techniques in dance. If you are a purely social dancer that learned to dance many years ago and are still dancing the same way that you were taught back then, you may not notice the changes like a competitive dancer does. Any dancer that strives to continually improve their dancing, must stay current with the ever changing nuances of a dance. Seek instruction from instructors that stay current and are willing to change and adapt their own dancing to stay up with the times! Dances evolve and morph as time goes on. Some of the hottest new moves were likely discovered from a stumble or misdirection of currently danced pattern. So, remember............"God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy"..........and that things change, there will always be a new and different way to do things and to stay up with the times, you must be willing to change with them!                                                           Click the Pic!

Recent Article

Dancing a Dance for the First Time                                                                         by Michele Rasmussen No matter how well you know the particular dance that you are stepping onto the floor to dance, if you are dancing with this partner for the first time, it is a "new" dance. It can be a wonderful experience or a train wreck!  It is the responsibility of the partnership to make the first dance a success, but we must both do our own part. First and foremost the leader and follower must establish a connection between themselves. You both must do your own part. Followers, sink into the leaders timing. Some leaders dance on the front of the beat, others on the back, and others still, right on the beat. You will also experience leaders that can't even hear the beat of the music. As a follower, you must learn to adapt to each leader you dance with. This can be challenging but it is essential.  Leaders, once you have established a connection and the timing of the dance, you can begin to explore what your followers capabilities are. Does she move her own body? Can she turn? Does she maintain the connection you need to be able to lead her through your repertoire?  Does she possess the knowledge of a beginning, intermediate or advanced dancer? Just what can she do? The best way to determine this is by starting with the basics and slowly ramping up the material with each success. Be clear and concise in your lead. To much noise on the line is confusing to the follower. Dance to the ability of the follower. If you enjoyed the dance, next time you will be able to pick up right where you left off! Followers: Remember your basics. Connect to your partner, sink into his timing and do your part. Remember to maintain a good dance frame while staying relaxed in your body and your mind. Do not tense up and freak out! Just keep the basic rhythm of the dance going and follow the leader.  Move your own body, stand on your own feet. Do not depend upon the leader to drag you across to floor or to keep your balance when you turn. It is your responsibility to follow when led, know the basic timing and footwork of the dance and to be able to spin and turn, staying balanced without depending upon the leader. A first dance with someone can be intimidating, yet wonderful. Both the leader and follower want the dance to be a success so we must remember to smile and have fun while paying attention and remembering to do our own part. Newer dancers will want to try and step it up a notch while more advanced dancers may need to step it down a notch or two. Neither person wants to over dance the other. Just dance the dance to the best of your own personal ability.

Blog Re-Cap                                                  Have you ever had a  Surprise Dance!                     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/ 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    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 put 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 $300 deposit reserves your cabin. Must be paid by May 20, 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

Frezno Dance Classic - May 27 -31, Fresno, Ca. Jack & Jill O'Rama - June 10th - 13th, 2010 Anaheim, Ca. Portland Dance Festival - Early July, Portland, OR. Swingtime in the Rockies - July 22-25, Denver, CO. Summer Swing Dance Dance Classic - August 12-15, Palm Springs, Ca.

Resources

On-line 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!