Two Left Feet Newsletter - December Issue

2006 Events and Dates

After a very successful 2005 we are looking forward to a fun and eventful 2006. Here is our calendar of events:
January
Richard comes back from Ireland on the 6th of January.
February
February 1st: March Competition deadline
March
March 10th: Competition dress rehearsal.
March 24th and 25th: The 35th New England DanceSport Championships, Sheraton Hotel, Springfield MA
April
April 20th - 22nd: National Cross Country DanceSport Championships, Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada
May
May 29th: Summer Evaluation Contest (Sweepstakes) Begins
June
June 21st: August Competition deadline.
June 23rd: Summer Evaluation Contest Ends.
July
July 26th - 30th: Astaire Awards Championships National Competition, Fairmont Hotel, Chicago
August
August 11th and 12th: Colonial Classic DanceSport Championships
September
September 20th:November Competition deadline.
October
October 11th - 15th:
National DanceSport Championships, The Hilton Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida
November
November 10th and 11th: Tri-Star DanceSport Championships
November 20th: Holiday Festival (Sweepstakes) begins.
December
December 15th: Holiday Festival (Sweepstakes) ends.
…so open up your calendars and block off those important dance dates.

The Non-Expert: Dance

Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. Andrew Womack describes many of today's most enduring and popular dance steps, and includes helpful illustrations that show you how to dance them.
Question:
Hey, I'm going to a wedding in two weeks and I've heard there's going to be formal dancing, but I don't know how to waltz or anything. What are some good moves? Answer:
Dancing can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. While your solo, arm-and-leg akimbo may be great, even impressive, during the hip-hop breakdown, it doesn't seem to wow everyone so much when they're all knee-deep in a Foxtrot. It's true: Having a few classic dance steps at your disposal is a wise idea. Here are some of the more popular dances you may be called upon to hoof, with instructions.

The Waltz
A sea of bodies, circling together. You and your partner are clasped, tightly, swimming within and between other couples. You are circling, they are circling. You are spinning, they are spinning. You are bobbing, they are bobbing. One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three! Before you attempt a waltz, think of your faculties: Do you have tendencies toward nausea? When at sea, do you ever get vertigo? Do you turn green when watching a movie filmed through a jostling, hand-held camera? Then there may be trouble, um, brewing.

Competition Results
On the 11th and 12th of November we had The 22nd TRI-STAR Colonial Classic DanceSport Championships at the Marriott Hotel in Mystic, CT. Gathering students and professionals from all Fred Astaire Dance Studios in New England, the regional competition was once again a success and a terrific accomplishment for the competitors from our studio.
Michael Shaponick competed for first time at the age of 11 in the Juvenile Division on Saturday. He danced Smooth and Rhythm. He was placed first in many of his heats. We were thrilled to seem him out on the dance floor at such a young age. Yukie Banks added new dances to her competition repertoire, dancing the Samba, Salsa and the Hustle. She had the most competitors in her heats and made the finals. Yukie placed 3rd in the American Bronze Closed Smooth Championship. Bill Kochman also competed for his first time. He danced in the Novice and Newcomer Divisions and was placed in first in many. To top it all off he was awarded the Second Place Overall Top Male Student. Misha Jaffe won second place in both the Rhythm and the Smooth 3-Dance American Bronze Championships. She competed for first time with her father. They won first place in the Bronze American Waltz Proficiency Division with the amazing score of 97. Vickie Hess competed for the second time adding the Samba to her dances. She was placed first in many of her dances and will be adding some Smooth dances to her repertoire for the March competition. Don Jaffe once again is the undefeated The Top Male Student with most points received. He competed for first time in the Waltz, Tango and Viennese Waltz Standard Divisions. Don was happy to finally compete with his daughter. Fred Baker competed for first time dancing in the Novice American Style Division getting scores of 92 and first place in Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot and Swing and 93 and first place in one of his Rumba heats. Linda Auton had a clean sweep and won all her International Standard heats including the Gold and the Open 5-Dance Standard Championships. Congratulations to all our competitors for a great performance and a very successful competition! Special thanks to our spectators' Cheerleading Squad who made the winning of the Most School Spirit Banner possible: Deirdre Hoffman, Carl and Toini Jaffe, John and Lisa Boutin, Richard and Cathy Kean, Dan Maher and Heidi Jakub and the captain - James Hayward. See you all at the March competition in Springfield MA!

Dance Spot – The Viennese Waltz

The Viennese Waltz, as we know it today, was first danced in the courts of European royalty during the Johann Strauss era (1800's). It has the charisma and social grace so typical of that period of history and is the only dance of that era that is still performed by the American public. The Viennese Waltz music expresses eloquently the carefree gaiety of those bygone days so closely linked in our minds with the names: Vienna, the “Blue Danube” and Strauss. The most startling innovation of the dance was the close proximity of the partners. It was so daring that it became socially accepted in England only after it was danced in public by Queen Victoria. In the eighteen hundreds the Viennese Waltz was considered too risqué for maidens and only married ladies were allowed to perform it. A German traveler to Paris in 1804 stated, "This love for the Waltz is quite new and has become one of the vulgar fashions since the war, like smoking". It was reported that the Viennese Waltz was first danced in the United States around 1834 and by mid- nineteenth century it had become one of the most popular dances in America.
It is a dance that requires a great deal of control and stamina, mainly due to the speed of the music (Bronze level tempo is 54-56 measures per minute).
The Viennese Waltz is a progressive and turning dance that moves along the line of dance. It also features some figures that are danced in place. The use of canter rhythm (rhythm used in 3/4 music where two steps are taken over the course of 3 beats; the second beat is skipped) gives the Viennese Waltz an additional element which helps to slow down various turns and running movements. Rise and fall is also used in the Viennese Waltz, but it is danced differently than in the other smooth dances. In Waltz and Foxtrot we often rise above our normal standing height but in the Viennese Waltz we never do this. Rise is created more through the knees and body. Whenever toe and toe heel are used weight is supported on the toes with the knees flexed. When performing this action, you should be able to straighten your knees and lower the heels to the floor with no change in elevation.

Events This Month

Theme Parties
2nd of December - North Pole Party Come join us as we journey to the Pole. Nevermind the frosty weather, come and let's have some fun together. Bring a dish if you wish. Party starts at 8:15 pm.
9th of December - Pajama Party
Get ready for bed and come on over for some insomniac dancing! Bring a dish if you wish. Party starts at 8:15 pm.
Sponsor any staff member and you can attend any of our theme parties for free. Your sponsorships also enables us to provide the great prizes, decorations and parties, as well as bonuses for your teachers throughout this month of craziness and festivities. Each sponsorship gives 150 points and a raffle ticket for the Friday night drawings (you must be in attendance to win). Some great prizes to be won!!!
Holiday Ball
Get into the holiday spirit and join us for our semi-formal Holiday Ball with live music by The Coolerators and fantastic staff shows. The Holiday Ball will start at 7:30 pm on Friday, December 16th. Tickets are $20 per person (light buffet and open bar included). We'll see you there!!!

Burn Those Calories!

Running and not moving! What can be more boring than that? Well, maybe watching TV.
When you dance your cardiovascular system improves, your muscle tone increases, and you burn calories. This low-impact aerobic activity also increases flexibility, strength, and balance. Olympic athletes often dance as part of their training to sharpen their control, agility, and speed. Dancing is a great exercise in a pleasant, fun atmosphere. We just did a little calculation. Let's say you're dancing for 45 minutes –just like if you are having a Private Lesson in The Fred Astaire Dance Studio Of Hanover. You're dancing the Foxtrot the whole time which means you are taking four steps to every six beats of music. American Foxtrot is played at about 120 beats per minute, which means you're taking about eighty steps a minute. This adds up to 3,600 steps per lesson and looks like very impressive workout, especially if you consider that dances such triple time Swing requires eight steps for every six beats. That adds up to 8, 640 steps taken in a 45-min lesson. So if you're tired of the treadmill and looking for a fun way to stay fit and healthy, it might be time to start on your dance lessons again!

The Dances In Two Words
We tried to describe the dances in a single word to give you an idea of what is their character, styling and feel:
Foxtrot - sophisticated and grandeur
Waltz - elegant and lilting
Tango - passionate and aggressive
Rumba - romantic and sexy
Swing - energetic and lively
Cha Cha - fresh and earthy
Mambo - uninhibited and fluid
Merengue - fun and tropical
Bolero - sensual and florid
Viennese Waltz - majestic and rotational
Quickstep - dynamic and athletic
Paso Doble - dramatic and theatrical
West Coast Swing - cool and slinky
Salsa - sexy and spicy
Samba - carefree and bouncy
Hustle - free and flashy

Dance Horoscope



Sagittarius, the archers, become pacifists the moment they hear a Viennese Waltz. They get into a trance with Neil Diamond's “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull”. They love triumphal marches, Bach and church music.