Tony Dovolani To Judge At FADS Competition!

TONY DOVOLANI will be a judge at our next national competition, the Astaire World Championships in San Juan on July 21-25!

Fred Astaire Dance Studios On So You Think You Can Dance!

FABIAN SANCHEZ, co-owner of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Birmingham, Alabama and formerly on Dancing With The Stars, will be choreographing for Salsa and Mambo couples on this season's show.

Fabian will join a list of other notable choreographers in the dance world today, including Louis van Amstel, Napoloeon and Tabitha D’umo, Tyce Diorio, Jean-Marc Genereux, Tony Meredith, Mia Michaels, and Ron Montez.

In addition, LAUREN FRODERMAN, a student at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the top 11 contestants on the show this season. “We have a little thing we decided she would do to say hello to all of her Fred Astaire family [while she’s on the show],” says studio owner Robert Doyle, “At the end of her number when she makes the sign for people to call, she will make the “SHAKA” sign, which means ‘hang loose.’”

Congratulations to Fabian and Lauren for their outstanding achievements!

Dancing Tips

By Stanley McCalla, Fred Astaire Dance Board Member and Examiner

Hello there, I hope that you are all about to enjoy a dance lesson, or have had yours some time in the near past.

Last night, I was asked to teach an international Latin group class. The group of students (4 guys and 3 girls) had such a good time learning that I came out of that class with a great feeling of accomplishment.

One of the students approached me after the class and said: “Mr. McCalla, I really learned a lot today and I am very pleased how you communicated the information to us.” He went on to say, “I don’t know about the others but I appreciate how you explained things from the bottom up.”

Since you are probably curious about what the student was talking about, let me explain. The dance I was teaching was the International Latin Cha Cha. The students did not know that style very well at all, so I started with a series of exercises that would hopefully instill a strong foundation in them. These are exercises that you could practice yourself while reading this.

First, I had everyone standing around me in a circle. Second, I had them stand feet together in first position, toes turned out, the body erect, their spines straight, their shoulders down, the back of their necks pulled up, their sit bones hanging between their feet and with their body weight perched over the ball of their feet. They would move then to 2nd position, then to 3rd, then to 4th, then to 5th.

Thereafter, I taught them the lock step or triple cha cha, as you might know it, as a fourth, a fifth and a fourth step. Then I would link the right lock to the left lock followed by the right lock again, ending with a forward break step. I would do the same thing for the back locks and link the two patterns together. All the while doing these exercises, I would talk about foot pressure, strengthening and bending of the knees (when and how), rotation and settlement of the hips (when and how).

The next pattern and exercise I showed them was the basic chasse to a New Yorker or a crossover brake, as you might know it. The students would practice those slowly with my supervision, then they would do it by themselves to slow music, and then they would do it again partnering each other. They would then change partners practicing leading and following. At the end of the hour, the students were having fun, sweating and happy. To make it short, the students had learned some patterns of a new dance, practicing some of their learned foundation and technique in a fun and comprehensive way.

Obviously, I could not go into everything in detail with you today, but some of the technique including the posture, the foot position and the leg techniques mentioned above here could be very beneficial to you by practicing them. I recommend that you try them, but before you do so, please check with your expert teacher who will make sure that you practice correctly.
I hope I gave you some food for thought that should enhance your dancing quest. Until next time, keep your dancing feet moving to the beat!

DeSoto Kicks Off Lunch, Rush Hour Classes at Downtown Fred Astaire

from chicagonow.com:

Local celeb and former Dancing with the Stars dancer Jesse DeSoto is kicking the summer off with a new class series at his newest Fred Astaire studio downtown.

The new classes target professionals working downtown who want to utilize their lunch hours or rush hours for something other than eating or commuting through heavy traffic.

DeSoto says the classes are perfect for people looking to "enjoy their time instead of spending it in a cubicle or on the road." With these classes, attendees will be able to learn a new skill during a time which otherwise might be wasted sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The class targets adult beginners looking to improve their skills on the dance floor (it is wedding season people!). But with any skill that takes practice, the sky is the limit. DeSoto himself didn't start until after high school. The former high school jock started out training when he was 19 at the Fred Astaire near his hometown of Greendale, Wisconsin. The rest is history, as he started competing with Jackie Josephs in 2003 and winning countless titles, including 2nd place in the World Mambo.

DeSoto got picked up by Dancing with the Stars in 2006, and danced with Shanna Moakler, former Miss USA and Travis Barker's ex-wife. DeSoto retired from competing in 2008. He opened Fred Astaire studios in Buffalo Grove and South Barrington, Illinois, in 2008, and then purchased the downtown Chicago location this past April.

The kickoff event for the Lunch Hour and Rush Hour Beginner Group Dance Lessons is at China Grill this Tuesday, June 15, at 12:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. DeSoto and his staff will lead a free 30-minute group lesson, have dance demos, drawing for prizes, and complimentary tastes from China Grill's revamped menu. The actual lesson series begins June 21. For more information call the studio at (312) 263-6505.

Fred Astaire Dance Student On So You Think You Can Dance!

Lauren Froderman, a student at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the top 11 contestants on the show this season. “We have a little thing we decided she would do to say hello to all of her Fred Astaire family [while she’s on the show],” says Robert Doyle, studio owner, “At the end of her number when she makes the sign for people to call, she will make the “SHAKA” sign, which means ‘hang loose.’”

Jean Marc Casanave Teaches The Waltz on Lifetime's "The Balancing Act"

Fred Astaire Professional On So You Think You Can Dance!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Fred Astaire's own Fabian Sanchez, co-owner of the Birmingham, Alabama studio and former instructor on Dancing With The Stars, will choreograph for Salsa and Mambo couples on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance at the end of June.

So You Think You Can Dance is one of the hottest reality TV shows around with an audience of 8-10 million viewers! Fabian will join a list of other notable choreographers in the dance world today, including Louis van Amstel, Napoloeon and Tabitha D'umo, Tyce Diorio, Jean-Marc Genereux, Tony Meredith, Mia Michaels, and Ron Montez.

Congratulations to Fabian for this outstanding achievement!