Students Dance For Toys!

By Angie Kriz, Director

Students at Wisconsin's Fred Astaire Dance Studios Menomonee Falls dance for toys!!!!

On Friday, November 7th, more than 100 people donated toys to Toys for Tots at Fred Astaire Dance Studios Menomonee Falls’ 1st annual Jingle Ball Holiday Show. Amateurs and Professionals from the local dance studio performed an array of dances to their favorite holiday classics. Students learned new routines to their favorite holiday songs, and performed for their families and friends. The admission to the event was a toy donation to Toys for Tots.

“Our holiday show for Toys for Tots was such a great success. We donated more than 150 toys to the organization,” said Fred Astaire Dance Studios director Angie Kriz. “We wanted to have a fun, holiday show for our students’ families and friends, and had no idea we could raise so many toys.” Ssgt Anthony Mauro, the Milwaukee area Toys for Tots coordinator, collected the toys at the event, and thanked the audience and staff of Fred Astaire Dance Studios Menomonee Falls for their generosity. He told the crowd that many children will benefit this holiday season from their thoughtfulness.

“We are so proud of all of students who performed in the show and we are so grateful to all who donated so generously,” said Kriz. “It is a great thought that we had a fun night, our amateurs and professional performed so well, and we had the opportunity to help such a great organization.”

Fred Astaire Dance Studios Menomonee Falls located at N89 W16823 Appleton Ave, will continue to be a drop off site for Toys for Tots though December.

2009 World Pro-Am Championships

Join the World Dance Council at one of the most dazzling resorts in the world - Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas - for the 2009 World Pro-Am Championships on February 7-10. This event is already among the most prestigious pro-am competitions in the world. In 2009, over $50,000 will be available in cash, prizes, and scholarships. 12 WDC World Titles will be awarded at this event. The Championships will feature categories for 3 age groups in Ballroom, Latin, Smooth and Rhythm. An impartial panel of world renowned judges will officiate. The evening will feature a cabaret of the dance world's Latin superstars. The Atlantis has the largest ballroom int he Caribbean - the 50,000-square-foot Imperial Ballroom which will be transformed into a mystical dance experience that you will remember for a lifetime. For more information, contact your local Fred Astaire Dance Studio or the Fred Astaire Dance Studios Corporate Office.

Fred Astaire Dance Studio Helps Fire Victim

When dance student Carol Shoupe lost all her possessions during a house fire, her "family" at the Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Belmont, MA stepped into action! On November 16th, a fundraiser was held at the studio to help her. Students and staff bought raffle tickets, bid on silent auction items, and bought dances with each other to help Carol. Studio owner Jennifer Batol was quoted in a recent news article: "It's just an amazing community we have within the studio. We always talk about how we're a big family, and we really are. Everyone here would do anything for anyone else. We are blessed to have the good people we have, students and staff both." There was one bright spot to Carol's tragedy: her dancing shoes were in her car at the time of the fire!

George Hamilton Tells All In New Autobiography

George Hamilton's memoir "Don't Mind If I Do," begins with his adventures on "Dancing With The Stars." According to a recent interview reported in Canadian Press: "When I heard it was a ballroom dancing show, I wasn't very interested. But my agent said it was an important show, so I agreed." Before the show, he broke four ribs and damaged his knee during an accidental fall. DWTS producers persuaded him to try one appearance so, "I decided to make the dance a little movie, with myself as Fred Astaire. The audience loved it, and the judges couldn't get rid of me." Hamilton ended up staying on the show for 6 weeks before finally getting eliminated.

Dancing With The Stars - A Teacher's Perspective, Week 8

By Debra Stroiney

I apologize for not being able to write a blog last week but I was dancing in a competition of my own.

I am sad to see Maurice go this week. I did like his style, his attitude and I related to him because he is a runner and sprinter. It’s amazing to see these Olympic athletes out there competing in a completely different sport and learning a new skill. My favorite quote involved him and Cheryl last week. Cheryl asked why she was running faster than he was during the Quickstep. She was right; he should be using that same push off that he uses when he sprints to propel himself down the dance floor while also keeping it controlled.

The other thing I noticed this week is the music was again off from the character of some of the dances. In many of the dances you want to hear a clear beat and it just was not there. For me the Mambo is all about the music. Cody had some awful song that sounded nothing like a Mambo. He did a great job with it and I think the judges were a little too hard on him.

Some may think that I do not like Brooke because I am hard on her performances. I still think the judges are scoring her too high for some of her performances. I think she does very well and would have no problem recruiting her to train as a professional dancer. We are getting late into the competition now and Len was completely correct in saying that Brooke was not doing heel leads during her Tango. In this competition, she has done many Smooth dances and that should start becoming muscle memory for her. The problem I have (and I had the same thoughts about Kristy during the last season) is a 10 means perfect… Brooke and the other contestants did not have perfect routines this week, so don’t give them a 10. I think that if they are going to pick a winner for this competition they are going to have to start looking a little closer at the dancing and realize that they cannot award a 10 if it is not truly perfect.

Predictions: We are down to four contestants and I am now thinking of who may actually win this. I would have to say Brooke because, as with Kristy, she has the highest scores every week but votes do count. I would really like to know the percentage of votes that each contestant has been getting. I also think that Lance has a good shot if he sticks with some traditional moves but not eliminating the quirky stuff that got him this far. Then again if Cody and Warren get the votes they will be right there with the other two. Warren has been scoring well with the judges but I can see his dancing is not progressing as much as the others. If something has a little more complicated footwork you can tell he struggles but he makes up for it in personality and performance, therefore getting the audience vote. If Lance and Cody work hard on their dancing they have a chance of scoring higher than Brooke but since Brooke is already getting such high scores every week I think she will be hard to beat without having a good percentage of the audience vote.

Fred Astaire Studio in Montgomery, Alabama Participates In WWII Salute

The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Montgomery, Alabama will be part of the 2nd Annual USO Show at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Troy, Alabama on November 15. Saluting World War II veterans this year, the USO Show will begin with social dancing at 6 p.m. and the show will begin at 7 p.m. According to Elaine McLeod, commander of the American Legion Post 70 in Troy, professional Fred Astaire dancers will be featured in 12 acts of song and dance.

My Golden Dancers

Dancing for the Meat Bones

By Elita Sohmer Clayman

November 13, 2008

When I was a little girl of about seven, I would go with Momma to the various stores for the food items. There was a grocery store, small and compact, where we got the necessities and the fruits and vegetables called Shapiro’s Mart. There was the butcher shop where we got the meat for the week. There were no freezers yet until I was about twelve. The butcher shop was called Rodman’s and Mr. R. was a nice and elderly man. Momma would give her list and then she would say, “Can you throw in some meat bones” and very meekly say “not charge me for them?”

Mr. Rodman would say “only if the little one (meaning me) will dance for me.” Momma must have bragged once to him that I liked to tap dance in the solitude of our home. I had no tap shoes, no routines, and no lessons and so I made up my own steps. No one saw me do it except Momma and sometimes Dad. My brother Herbert was five years older than me and was in high school and he would have probably laughed at my dancing. So Mr. R. told me he would give Momma the bones for free and I pretended to know what I was doing and did my one minute routine. He clapped and gave Momma the wonderful bones for free so she could make good vegetable soup.

Financially, things were very tight in those days, and Momma even went to work part-time in an office to help with the finances. Mr. Shapiro’s food store was in the basement of a house across the street from our row home and the butcher shop was up the street from him. There were no malls in those days; all the department stores were located downtown on two or three blocks and that is where we went to do clothes and shoe shopping. So you got to know your merchants because they were a stone’s throw from your home and they were like your neighbors. They also lived not very far from their businesses and often walked to their shops.

So I thought myself a star because I danced for Mr. Rodman and got Momma the free meat bones. As I got a bit older, I declined going with her to Mr. R's and Mr. S’s stores. I wanted to be more independent and Momma went herself to do the shopping. We could not afford tap dancing lessons, though we did take piano lessons. The reason being was that the piano teacher was Aunt Bessie and she was married to my father’s brother. He owed my dad lots of money from loans Dad had made when Dad was prosperous and he never paid Dad back. So Aunt Bessie gave my brother and me “free” piano lessons as kind of some sort of payment. When you look back, it was a meager payout for lots of money owed. My brother and I did not like Aunt Bessie and did not like the lessons. I played the piano better than I tap danced because I had professional coaching.

When I was about fourteen, we moved to an apartment house and on the first floor there was a ballet school. It was run by Miss Ellen Gniadowski and I would peer in to see all the little girls in their ballerina costumes being coached and groomed by Miss Ellen. She seemed to be a caring and considerate teacher and I kind of envied the little ones learning from her. She was so different than Aunt Bessie that I was really jealous that Miss Ellen had not owed my Dad money and then we could have gotten free ballet lessons.

So I had a little bit of knowledge of tap dancing, a little bit of seeing ballet and lots of piano learning and practicing. I saw that teachers like Miss Ellen can make a difference in a child’s life rather than teachers like Aunt Bessie. Aunt Bessie knew she was giving us coaching as a somewhat payout for her husband’s loans and as a duty also. She did not care to instill in us the desire, the love, the caring for the piano while Miss Ellen was very caring to her little girls, always encouraging them and telling them they were doing well. I could hear her do this through the open door and the hallway as I would go up the stairs to our apartment. I loved Miss Ellen even though I only waved at her and she finally knew my name because we were tenants in the same building. I never asked Momma to give me ballet lessons because I knew that we could still not afford even the small prices Miss Ellen charged.

One day, Miss Ellen was going into her downstairs studio and she saw me staring into the glass window. She said that I should come in and watch the girls for awhile. I ran upstairs and told Momma where I would be and I was enchanted viewing these lovely youngsters learning ballet. Miss Ellen, we heard, had been an up and coming ballerina and gave it up to marry and to have children. This was her way of continuing on with something she loved and still she had a home life with her husband and daughters. I told Miss Ellen that someday I would do dancing when I was older and could afford it.

Miss Ellen said she was sure I would accomplish this. She said no matter when you start, it will not be too late. So I heeded Miss Ellen and my husband and I started ballroom dance lessons when I was forty-two and he was forty-six. I always remember Miss Ellen versus Aunt Bessie. Miss Ellen was a delightful coach, an admiring friend and a competent human being. She instilled in these young and hopeful ballet students that they could handle and accomplish anything they wanted. At the end of the sessions, twice a year, she had a recital.

So the moral of this story is that a good coach is also a good friend. A good friend will nurture you and encourage you and be proud of you. So as Mr. Rodman thought I was a good tap dancer and he knew nothing at all about it, he still encouraged a little girl to dream and think she could tap dance. I thought I was special because Momma got her free meat bones to make a special veggie soup and I dreamed I could dance. Miss Ellen made these girls think they could do and would do better if they practiced and came for their lessons. The Aunt Bessies of this world only go about and do their jobs because they have to or need to and they never reach the heights of being called a great friend or teacher. The Miss Ellens of this world are the spirit that makes our children feel high up unto the sky and these children go on to achieve and accomplish and become happy citizens. Hopefully, we can all be more like the Miss Ellens than the old biddy Aunt Bessies. We can encourage our children, our friends, and even our senior citizens that there is always time to learn something new, to appreciate the new things we learn and to help others accomplish their dreams. Whether the dreams are even out of our reach, we can lift ourselves up high on an imaginary step stool and grab them and enjoy them and love them.

When my grandson Brock was about six or seven, he let a balloon given to him by the restaurant where we had eaten lunch fly high into the heavens. He said it was for my mother (his great grandmom) to hold onto while she was in Heaven. So we should all hold onto something up that is very high and try to achieve it whether we are six, sixty, or older. Hold onto your dreams and they will come true because the Miss Ellens are right here alongside of us encouraging us.

Senior citizens are now living sometimes until almost one hundred years old. I saw an article about a lady who is a PHD and she goes to nursing and retirement homes and she encourages the residents to do for themselves. She said that pushing them in their wheelchairs is not as good as teaching them to do it themselves. Her philosophy is that their minds need to be active to achieve better health; helping them to be invalids just because they are older is not really saving them. Her name is Dr. Barbara Resnick and she is a registered nurse and teaches nursing at the University of Maryland nursing school. She also works at a continuing care retirement community in Baltimore, Maryland She motivates seniors to stay as active as possible because once someone reaches about eighty years of age, there is a good chance they could live to be one hundred years old. If they are not exercising and doing physical activities, their last years will not be meaningful. She inspires them to live better independent lives and she motivates them to help themselves. She is a cancer survivor so she knows what she speaks of for seniors to triumph. This can be applied to everyone whether sick or well; we need to be functioning and industrious all the time.

So to all seniors, I call upon you to go out and dance as much as you can if you indeed like or even love ballroom dancing as I do. When I am at a social dance or even taking a dance lesson, I am in another world. That world does not include worries, problems and difficulties doing things, or illness. The dancing world is made up of happy moments, good music, dear friends and, most of all, glorious surroundings which include the wooden floor, the chairs, the tables, the food table with the goodies on it and the most important ingredient of all--- me because I came, I danced, I exercised and as my grandson Brock said several years ago “I have something to hold onto.” I am holding onto my life which is certainly fulfilled with achievement and satisfaction that I am here doing what I love-BALLROOM DANCING AND I WILL HAVE OVERPOWERED OLD age.

There is a columnist here in Baltimore, Maryland that wrote a stupid column on ballroom dancing. He said when he goes to weddings he is overcome by himself and others who do not dance well because they never thought they could or would. He said he needs a drink of whiskey or maybe two to even get up the nerve to try to dance. He criticized Cloris Leachman to even think she could go out there and dance on Dancing With The Stars. Instead of applauding her for trying and succeeding as much as she did, he disapproved and belittled her for her attempt at this endeavor. No one is ever too old or even too young to attempt to learn ballroom dancing. The Fred Astaire Dance studios that are located all over our states are a good place to start your dance ‘careers.’ When one goes to a dance studio and they find a teacher like Miss Ellen (rather than an Aunt Bessie), they have accomplished the beginning of their learning process. I have been lucky with the several teachers we have had during these thirty years and my first coach was a young man in his early twenties. We were in our forties and so I guess to him we were oldsters. He treated us with kindness and respect and gave us his knowledge and caring; to him we owe that we continued on for these many years. He moved away and started his own place in Maine and his name is Laurence E. Miller. He was a Miss Ellen type of teacher who not only stimulated our desire to excel, he energized us and showed us that we could and would be the recipients of the glory of this learning.

Whatever age you are, young, middle aged, senior or even a senior plus like Cloris, do not let anyone dissuade, discourage or detour your ambitions to try and learn this fabulous and enjoyable entity called dance. You are never too old and never too late to absorb the concept of dance.

Ballroom dance is exciting and stimulating to your brain and your brain needs the incitement and spark to keep it going. When your brain is scintillated and encouraged, then you will definitely feel better physically and mentally whether you are twenty or seventy.

My doctor told me I should go to a physiatrist. I do not mean a psychiatrist. A physiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in physical therapy for aches and pains without needing surgery. I will go in a few weeks when the appointment was given to me and then with her help, I and we will be back on the dance floor. The dance floor is the best floor in the whole world. That is where we can do our thing, be a star and, most of all, get the best exercise there is for our young or older bodies. The dictionary meaning of the word 'floor' is base. Base is foundation and foundation is support. Support is what we strive for from our teachers and an excellent one gives us the desire to hold onto it just as the balloon did for my mom.

So, as Miss Ellen told me way back when I was a young girl, it is never too late. Never say never, say instead: 'My dancing is everlasting and eternal and I will enhance my life by being a dancer.'

Shakespeare said in Sonnet 42 “But here’s the joy; my friend and I are one.” We can say that about our dancing - our dancing and I are one. It is the best friend we can have and it stays with us forever.

Dancing for the meat bones does not sound exciting, but it was and dancing for ourselves is the most rewarding activity we can strive for in this lifetime. It is our JOY.

Message from the President of Fred Astaire Dance Studios

Dancing With The Stars - The Tour

Dancing With The Stars is hitting the road this winter, bringing a new cast of celebrities and professional dancers to 37 cities throughout the US, including Lance Bass, Toni Braxton, Maurice Green, Marlee Matlin, Mark Ballas, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Alec Mazo, Lacey Schwimmer, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff, & Fabian Sanchez. The tour will kick off at the Sports Arena in San Diego on December 17. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, November 10. Visit http://www.dancingwiththestarstour.com/ and http://www.abc.com/ for tour details.

12/17/08, San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
12/18/08, Ontario, CA - Citizens Business Bank Arena
12/19/08, San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
12/21/08, Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
12/22/08, Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
12/27/08, Los Angeles, CA - STAPLES Center
12/28/08, Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
12/29/08, Las Vegas, NV - Orleans Arena
12/30/08, W. Valley City, UT - E Center
1/02/09, Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
1/04/09, Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
1/05/09, San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
1/07/09, Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
1/08/09, Moline, IL - i wireless Center
1/09/09, Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
1/11/09, Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
1/12/09, Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
1/13/09, Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Center
1/15/09, Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
1/16/09, St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Arena
1/17/09, Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
1/18/09, Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
1/20/09, Nashville, TN - Sommet Center
1/22/09, Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
1/23/09, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BankAtlantic Center
1/24/09, Orlando, FL - Amway Arena
1/25/09, Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center
1/27/09, Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
1/28/09, Raleigh, NC - RBC Center
1/29/09, Washington, DC - Verizon Center
1/30 - 1/31/09, Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
2/02/09, Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center
2/03/09, Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
2/04/09, Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
2/06/09, Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
2/07/09, Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
2/08/09, Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center

A Student's Perspective: Looking Back On 10 Years With Fred Astaire

Mr. Jack Rothweiler, the President & CEO of the Fred Astaire Dance Studios, recently received this letter from a long-time student in New Jersey:

Dear Mr. Rothweiler:

On September 22nd 2008, I celebrated my 10th anniversary in dance and as a member of the Fred Astaire family.

So here is my story:

In the summer of 1998, I was preparing to go on a cruise. I thought it would be a good idea to learn a few dance steps. I scheduled a free lesson at both another chain and at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Ridgewood, NJ. I went to the lesson at the other chain and had a good time with Christine. The next night I had a lesson scheduled at FADS. I was having problems at work. I called up the studio and talked to the manager (Mr. John Penatello). He asked if I could make a 9:30 p.m. lesson. Little did I know it was the luckiest day of my life that I was able to make it.

I got to the studio and met the manager and studio director, Jean Penatello (a former undefeated US champion). Then I was introduced to the teacher. This was the first time I met Christina. From the very beginning you could tell that this was a very special young lady. I could also tell she was a much better dancer and teacher than Christine. We hit it off right away.

At the end of the lesson, I realized that the FADS studio I was going to was much better than the other studio, and I signed up for their 5 lesson special.

I started working on their Social Foundation Program. I attended my first Studio Party on October 2nd, 1998. At the party, the studio owner, Charlie Penatello, announced that the FADS NY/NJ and New England regions would be holding a competition. He told us that we would be competing against people of our own experience and age. So it didn’t matter if you’ve 100 lessons or 50 lessons or 25 lessons, 10 lessons, or even 5. And then out of the depths of the studio came a shout saying “OR EVEN 3.” Of course, that was Christina and by the end of the night I signed up for my first competition.

I went on the cruise on November 1st and at every opportunity I was on the dance floors, most of the time in the middle of the day, practicing my steps.
I came back to the studio on November 9th and started to get ready for the Tri-State Championships on Nov. 12-15th. I had a blast at the comp (even though when I look back at the tape I cringe about how bad I was).
That was the start of my life as a member of the Fred Astaire family.

Through dozens of regional competitions, four national competitions, hundreds of entries, thousands of lessons and coachings with some of the finest dancers in this country, from my first showcase “Whatever Lola Wants” to my most recent “When you good to MAMA,” this has been a great 10 years.

To my mentors and coaches, Charlie and Jeannie Penatello, thank you guys. You are the best. You have been there at every stage of my development with positive reinforcement and encouragement. When I’ve gotten down on myself, punched out the wall, or just needed to talk, you have always been there to help me through it.

To my teacher for these last 10 years, Christina Penatello: Sunshine, you are a great dancer, a wonderful teacher, and a good friend. I take so much pride and joy in seeing you grow into the Champion you are and one of the most special people I have ever meet. The Fred Astaire organization is very lucky to have you as part of it.

So, Jack, thank you for allowing me to be part of the Fred Astaire family. I can’t even start to tell you the impact it has had on my life.

So let’s start on the next 10 years.

Sincerely, Carl Gottlieb

Dancing With The Stars Recap - Week 7

By Jackie Josephs

Susan and Tony (Paso Doble): Sassy, sassy Susan. She did great in her Paso tonight… she was wicked and fiery! The choreography was very challenging and the music matched the tricks perfectly. She was slightly back weighted in her lines and turns, but her feeling and footwork were great. Her dips and drops were well executed and had beautiful leg lines in them. Personally, I loved it! It was fierce!!!

Warren and Kym (Foxtrot): Unfortunately, the judges were right - he is going a little backwards in his progress. The movement was hoppy and stiff and he was flat footed throughout. The Foxtrot should be very airy and smooth around the floor. His feeling was so cute during the dance, though, and it was very endearing. I hope that he is able to do a Rhythm dance next week so he can shine again.

Cody and Edyta (Viennese Waltz): Well, I have to say, I felt bad for Edyta tonight! Cody has been doing so well with Julianne and then Edyta steps in and gets handed V. Waltz, which is one of the most difficult dances that the celebrities have to do! With that being said, his frame was a mess and his head was turned to the right the whole time, looking at her, which is not proper for the Smooth style of dancing. There were also a few bobbles and it was kind of choppy instead of flowy. However, some positive areas were the great movement throughout the floor, as well as the entrances and exits of their tricks. On a last note, their costumes were really gorgeous together.

Brooke and Derek (Foxtrot): WOW! A 30!!!!!!!!! AWESOME, AMAZING, and SOOOO DESERVED!!!!!! She was beautiful tonight in her Foxtrot: sexy, sassy, and sultry… yet sophisticated. Her shoulders were slightly raised at some parts of the dance and her head carriage was a little off. Her pivots were really impressive and her lines were gorgeous!!!

Maurice and Cheryl (Cha Cha): Well, there was certainly no sign of injury for him tonight in his Cha Cha. His movement is so natural in the Rhythm dances and his hips are great; they never stopped moving. He was a little crouched over with his posture but he had a great mix of form and freedom; very entertaining. Excellent job!!!

Lance and Lacey (Rumba): Again, I found Lacey unprofessional as she is the instructor and it is her job to be Lance’s biggest supporter and cheerleader. Instead, she was complaining about having to do that for him in front of not only the cameras, but her partner himself. She has also continually made her routines into a “So You Think You Can Dance” style, culminating this week in a bench on stage and bare feet! Lacey needs to be respectful and honor the fact that this is a ballroom dance show, not a competition for the best lyrical routine. Moving on… he was pigeon toed throughout the whole thing and not having shoes on really made that obvious. There also was not much “rumba” in the routine, but his lines had nice extension and it was very out of the box. It was very contemporary but slightly distracting for a ballroom dance. 25 was too high in my opinion.

Fred and Ginger Skate!

National Dance Championships - Winner's Circle

Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone who competed in Fred Astaire's 2008 National Dance Championship:

TOP TEACHER
Suzanna Vogel, Ft. Myers
Andreas Luetzner, West Palm Beach
Jaana Lillemagi, Chicago North
Andrei Abrashin, Buffalo
Martin Goethche, Norwalk
Stefan Dobrev, St. Petersburg
John Money, Atlanta North
Ken Arild Hansen, Milwaukee North
Michael Housel, St. Petersburg

TOP STUDIO
Chicago North
St. Petersburg
Milwaukee Central
Ft. Myers
Buffalo
Milwaukee North
Jupiter
West Palm Beach
Memphis
Norwalk

AMERICAN CLOSED NOVICE/MIXED
1. Andrei Abrashin & Jessica Nemeth, Buffalo
2. Kevin Prothro & Carla Coulson, Houston Woodlands
3. Eric Luna & Krickett Fontenot, Ft. Walton Beach
4. Pierre Bush & Michelle Grady, Atlanta Downtown
5. Ivan Grigorov & Collin Klaene, St. Petersburg
6. Kevin Camarata & Jessica Nail, Houston Kingwood

AMERICAN CLOSED NOVICE
1. Alex Pena & Beatrice Lopez, St. Petersburg North
2. Joseph Clement & Tiana Ramirez, Palm Harbor
3. Caleb Young & Krickett Fontenot, Ft. Walton Beach
4. Chance Michaels & Heather Phillips, Ft. Walton Beach
5. James Varnedoe & Michelle Grady, Atlanta Downtown
6. Lino Hernandez & Nicole Brunnette, St. Petersburg North

AMERICAN CLOSED BRONZE/SILVER SMOOTH
1. Nikolay Kralev & Gergana Slavova, Mesa & Chandler
2. Misha Zadyraka & Hanna Kryvyk, Tarrytown
3. Andreas Luetzner & Doreen Scheinpflug, West Palm Beach
4. Vadim Gazda & Leinani Gazda, Pewaukee
5. Ben Seifert & Michelle Jones, Houston Woodlands
6. Michael Housel & Collin Klaene, St. Petersburg

AMERICAN CLOSED BRONZE/SILVER RHYTHM
1. Kevin Prothro & Carla Coulson, Houston Woodlands
2. Rob Rocha & Collin Klaene, St. Petersburg
3. Travis Manero & Kristin Dobson, Warren
4. Ronald Guillen & Diedre Williams, Ft. Walton Beach
5. Kevin Camarata & Jessica Nail, Houston Kingwood
6. Omar Hammond & Francesca Mallow, Ft. Walton Beach
7. Joseh Marion & Jennifer Olmstead, Hilton Head

AMERICAN OPEN SMOOTH 4-DANCE
1. Mikhail Zharinov & Gala Detkina, NY Eastside
2. Vladimir Kosarev & Vera Kosarev, Buffalo
3. Nathan Garibay & Julie Garibay, San Diego
4. Misha Zadyraka & Hanna Kryvyk, Tarrytown
5. Chris Germain & Simona Polmova, Buffalo Grove
6. Darian Chancellor & Tiffany Chancellor, Tallahassee

AMERICAN OPEN RHYTHM 5-DANCE
1. Hayk Arshakian & Albina Habrle, Milwaukee Central
2. Ilya Velednitsky & Mandy Carlyle, Milwaukee Central & Milwaukee North
3. Aaron DeSoto & Jaana Lillemagi, Chicago North
4. Alex Nashev & Brittney Bartler, Chicago North
5. Eugene Yeremenko & Marisa Yatsenko, Tarrytown
6. Slash Sharan & Ria Valenzuela, Milwaukee Central

AMERICAN RISING STAR RHYTHM
1. Ilya Velednitsky & Mandy Carlyle, Milwaukee Central & Milwaukee North
2. Aaron DeSoto & Jaana Lillemagi, Chicago North
3. Alex Nashev & Brittney Bartler, Chicago North
4. Slash Sharan & Ria Valenzuela, Milwaukee Central
5. Tamas Kardos & Katarzyna Porczak, Glastonbury
6. Tim Brooks & Mila Goldberg, West Hartford
7. Rogelio Garcia & Michelle Montanez, Mystic & Belmont

INTERNATIONAL OPEN STANDARD 5-DANCE
1. Greg Fidurski & Gabriela Jileva, Morristown
2. Anatoli Gorolevici & Irina Gareyeva, Hanover
3. Andreas Luetzner & Doreen Scheinpflug, West Palm Beach
4. Brad Adcock & Mira Cherkezova, Norwood & Glastonbury

INTERNATIONAL OPEN LATIN 5-DANCE
1. Plamen Danelov & Tina Gerova, NY Eastside
2. Vladimir Velev & Gabriella Bodocs, Jupiter
3. Tim Brooks & Mila Goldberg, West Hartford

PROFESSIONAL OPEN CABARET
1. Eric Luna & Georgia Ambarian, Ft. Walton Beach
2. Jesse Benedetti & Kimalee Piedad, Ft. Walton Beach
3. Chance Michaels & Francesca Mallow, Ft. Walton Beach
4. Greg Fidurski & Gabriela Jileva, Morristown
5. Anatoli Gorolevici & Irina Gareyeva, Hanover

AMATEUR COUPLES
1. Bill & Jennifer Stogner, Daytona Beach
2. Tim & Bette Anne Duffy, Chicago North
3. Wayne & Colleen Lee, San Diego
4. Dr. Paul & D. Halverson, Milwaukee Central
5. Larry Collins & Chloe Hart, Ft. Myers
6. Jim & Maria David, Washington D.C.
7. Paul & Sondra Ammenn, Hilton Head
8. Gary & Karen Adams, Indianapolis
9. Julio Camacho & Wendy Widjaya, West Palm Beach

TOP STUDENT
Results for gentleman:
1. Kent Savage, Houston Kingwood
2. Tim Duffy, Chicago North
3. James Weathers, Chandler
4. Larry Collins, Ft. Myers
5. Louis Gillombardo, Canton, OH
6. Kyle Young, Ft. Myers
7. Claude Carnahan, Norwalk
8. Jim David, Washington,DC
9. Dr. Brian Blocher, Milwaukee Central
10. Stan Bloomenthal, Belmont
11. Dr. Paul Halverson, Milwaukee Central
12. Fred Doeing, Albany
13. Julio Camacho, West Palm Beach
14. Bill Miller, Ft. Myers
15. Theo Talma, Albany
16. Bill Stogner, Daytona Beach
17. John Warren, Bloomfield Hills
18. Eric Nielsen, Belmont
19. Lou Dixey, St. Petersburg
20. Jim Hopper, Indianapolis

Results for women:
1. Wendy Widjaya, West Palm Beach
2. Bette Anne Duffy, Chicago North
3. Lynn Shanahan, Norwalk
4. Laura Ganley, Buffalo
5. Chloe Hart, Ft. Myers
6. Gracelynn Tuoti, Buffalo
7. Penelope Rostad, Milwaukee North
8. Ginger Chasolen, Sarasota
9. Norma Hickey, Red Bank
10. Marie Ambroise, Jupiter
11. Nora Fox, Hamden
12. Maria David, Washington, DC
13. Dr. Roslyn Fretwell, Houston Katy
14. Sarai Tucker, Jupiter
15. Kristin Kaye, Chicago North
16. Heidi Lewis, Columbus East
17. Pam Olsen, Pewaukee
18. Diantha Pomfret, Pewaukee
19. Mary Mitchem, Houston Katy
20. Barbara Fry, Memphis East

TOP NEWCOMER
Results for gentlemen:
1. Julio Camacho, West Palm Beach
2. Jim Hopper, Indianapolis
3. Peter Gregoire, St. Petersburg North
4. Louis Gillombardo, Canton, OH
5. Timothy Creech, South Charlotte
6. Gary Adams, Indianapolis
7. Fred Doeing, Albany
8. Lou Dixey, St. Petersburg
9. Jim David, Washington, DC
10. Dr. Paul Halverson, Milwaukee Central
11. Dr. Brian Blocher, Milwaukee Central
12. Kent Savage, Houston Kingwood
13. George Lutman, South Charlotte
14. Joe Bushardt, Myrtle Beach
15. Theo Talma, Albany

Results for women:
1. Wendy Widjaya, West Palm Beach
2. Sarai Tucker, Jupiter
3. Penelope Rostad, Milwaukee North
4. Diantha Pomfret, Pewaukee
5. Colleen James, Milwaukee Central
6. Nora Fox, Hamden
7. Toni Tallerino, St. Petersburg North
8. Jo Ann Vetter, Milwaukee North
9. Gabriella Marshall, Hilton Head Island
10. Norma Hickey, Red Bank
11. Anya Verkhovskaya, Milwaukee North
12. Diane Clemente, Montville
13. Blair Stephenson, Pensacola
14. Donna Zimmerman, Indianapolis
15. Bette Anne Duffy, Chicago North
16. Laura Ganley, Buffalo
17. Sandy Anderson, Milwaukee Wales
18. Bobbie Fitzpatrick, Bloomfield Hills
19. Janet Simsic, Atlanta Downtown
20. Ginger Chasolen, Sarasota
21. Maddie Kean, Glastonbury
22. Deborah Stinner, Canton, OH
23. Svetlana Galperina, Atlanta North
24. Josephine Howser, Memphis
25. Margaret Mateeff, St. Petersburg
26. Kayla Satava, Canton, OH
27. Svetlana Cobourn, Columbus East
28. Kristin Kaye, Chicago North
29. Pam Olsen, Pewaukee
30. Linda Hansen, Milwaukee Central
31. Elise Mikhail, Palm Coast
32. Mary Lou Angle, Chandler
33. Sharyn Maclelland, Glastonbury
34. Cheryl Anderson, Chandler
35. Suzanne Boivin, Milwaukee Wales
36. Maricetta White, Ft. Walton Beach
37.Natalie Kerr, Memphis
38. Diane Jensen, Milwaukee Central
39. Rosemary Farrell, Morristown
40. Kaye Terrelonge, St. Petersburg North
41. Karen Adams, Indianapolis
42. Maria David, Washington, DC
43. Jasmine Fourquet, Red Bank
44. Nancy Schlecht, Belmont
45. Barbara Kelco, Canton, CT
46. Anita Aldus, St. Petersburg
47. Mary Blair, Virginia Beach
48. Sharon Chen, Ft. Walton Beach
49. Ginger Rossignolo, Palm Coast
50. Laura Gazzoli, Palm Coast
51. D. Halverson, Milwaukee Central
52. Linda Pope, Mesa
53. Jeramy Dove, Scottsdale North
54. Keiko Pugh, Jupiter

TOP BRONZE STUDENT
Results for gentlemen:
1. Tim Duffy, Chicago North
2. Larry Collins, Ft. Myers
3. Kent Savage, Houston Kingwood
4. Kyle Young, Ft. Myers
5. Claude Carnahan, Norwalk
6. Louis Gillombardo, Canton, OH
7. Stan Bloomenthal, Belmont
8. Jim David, Washington, DC
9. James Weathers, Chandler
10. Fred Doeing, Albany
11. Bill Miller, Ft. Myers
12. Theo Talma, Albany
13. Bill Stogner, Daytona Beach
14. John Warren, Bloomfield Hills
15. Dr. Paul Halverson, Milwaukee Central
16. Joe Bushardt, Myrtle Beach
17. Paul Bass, South Charlotte
18. Wayne Lee, San Diego
19. Gary Adams, Indianapolis
20. Lou Dixey, St. Petersburg

Results for women:
1. Wendy Widjaya, West Palm Beach
2. Chloe Hart, Ft. Myers
3. Lynn Shanahan, Norwalk
4. Bette Anne Duffy, Chicago North
5. Laura Ganley, Buffalo
6. Gracelynn Tuoti, Buffalo
7. Ginger Chasolen, Sarasota
8. Maria David, Washington, DC
9. Dr. Roslyn Fretwell, Houston Katy
10. Kristin Kaye, Chicago North
11. Jane Marcus, Chicago North
12. Norma Hickey, Red Bank
13. Pam Olsen, Pewaukee
14. Rusty Stephens, St. Petersburg
15. Svetlana Galperina, Atlanta North
16. Svetlana Cobourn, Columbus East
17. Susie Rugg, Milwaukee North
18. Tina Arder, Chicago North
19. Mary Lou Angle, Chandler
20. Marlene Voegel, Chicago North

TOP SILVER STUDENT
Results for gentlemen:
1. Kent Savage, Houston Kingwood
2. Dr. Brian Blocher, Milwaukee Central
3. Dr. Paul Halverson, Milwaukee Central
4. Eric Nielsen, Belmont
5. James Weathers, Chandler
6. Lou Dixey, St. Petersburg
7. George Lutman, South Charlotte

Results for women:
1. Minnie Freeman, St. Petersburg
2. Barbara Fry, Memphis East
3. Nora Fox, Hamden
4. Mary Mitchem, Houston Katy
5. Penelope Rostad, Milwaukee North
6. Margaret Mateeff, St. Petersburg
7. Teri Everett, West Hartford
8. Sandy Anderson, Milwaukee Wales
9. Natalie Kerr, Memphis
10. Suzanne Boivin, Milwaukee Wales
11. Bonnie Stafford, South Charlotte
12. Sharyn Maclelland, Glastonbury
13. Josephine Howser, Memphis
14. Tina Broccole, Norwalk
15. Carol Pendergrass, Memphis
16. Melanie Gerber, St. Petersburg
17. Morgan Jaunzemis, Buffalo
18. Marie Ambroise, Jupiter
19. Millie Dhirmalani, Montville
20. Bette Anne Duffy, Chicago North
21. Linda Hansen, Milwaukee Central
22. Diane Jensen, Milwaukee Central
23. Cheryl Anderson, Chandler
24. Rosemary Farrell, Morristown
25. Linda Varcoe, West Hartford
26. Lindsey Willis, Tarrytown
27. Deborah Johnston, Canton, CT
28. Heidi Lewis, Columbus East
29. Sarah Gillespie, Tarrytown
30. Loretta Lutman, South Charlotte
31. Olesya Bylim, Tarrytown
32. Cheryl Prince, Memphis
33. Anita Aldus, St. Petersburg
34. Anette Desbaillets, St. Petersburg
35. Lory Reyes, Tarrytown
36. Kumiko Okuyama, Memphis
37. D. Halverson, Milwaukee Central
38. Linda Pope, Mesa
39. Gracelynn Tuoti, Buffalo
40. Jo Ann Vetter, Milwaukee North
41. Laura Ganley, Buffalo

TOP GOLD STUDENTS
Results for gentlemen:
1. James Weathers, Chandler
2. Dr. Brian Blocher, Milwaukee Central
3. Robert McComsey, Tarrytown
4. Jean-Yves Minet, New York West
5. Giovanni Foztezza, New York West

Results for women:
1. Morgan Jaunzemis, Buffalo
2. Maren Hexter, Tarrytown
3. Marie Ambroise, Jupiter
4. Lindsey Willis, Tarrytown
5. Natasha Konon, Huntington, NY §

Fred Astaire's New Practice Wear!

To further our goal in providing the best in dance practice wear, we are proud to announce a new line of practice wear that can meeting everyone’s dancing needs. For the women, we will have tops, skirts, and dress wear, including beaded tops, short and long split skirts, butterfly tops, asymmetric ruffled short skirts, long wave skirts, open sleeve tops, and V-neck tops; for the men, we will offer pants and shirts. Since dancing is a physical activity, providing comfortable and stylish practice wear for use in lessons - and even on a casual basis - is an important service we can give to our students. The new line will be available on our national website (http://www.fredastaire.com/) soon.

Chantal LeClerc Coming To Fred Astaire Washington D.C.!

Chantal LeClerc, 7 Time Undefeated Canadian 10 Dance Champion, Coach, and Choreographer, is coming to the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Washington, D.C. on November 18th and 19th!

When: Tuesday, November 18th
7:15 - 8:00 pm Latin Technique Class

Wednesday, November 19th
7:15 - 8:00 pm Smooth Technique Class

10 coachings are available per day before the group classes. Sign up before while there are still spots available!

Where: 8315 Lee Highway, Suite 201.
Cost: $40 per group class
Ask your instructor for details on coaching sessions

Dancing With The Stars Recap, Week 6

By Jackie Josephs

Well, with Toni out of the competition, it's getting very interesting and definitely tougher week by week.

Susan and Tony (Mambo): Susan has really impressed me ever since her Tango. Her confidence has heightened and it shows in her dancing. Mambo is all about being sassy and sexy while having quick feet and lot of body rhythms. With that being said, her swivels were fantastic and the speed in her spins was much improved. She did however get lost in the choreography a few times and she also got off time in some areas; even though she did slip up a few times, her sass and sexiness throughout the routine allowed me to look past it and really enjoy her spicy, out of the box Mambo!

Warren and Kym (Rumba): As you know, I am really a big fan of Warren and how graceful and quick he is for his size; however, tonight, I did not see that side of him. I felt that the judges were too easy on him. We are at the halfway point of the competition and he failed to show the true characteristics of the Rumba. Rumba is all about being sexy and soft and having all of his attention towards your partner. He was taking heel leads the whole time and his movements were rough and ridged. It also seemed to me that he blanked a few times in the routine. However, I could tell that he was trying to get into the character and tell a story but for me he was not on in the specific dance - not like I’ve seen in the past.

Cloris and Corky (Cha Cha): Let me start with the fact that Carrie Ann was extremely rude and unprofessional with her comment to Cloris about the fact that we lost Toni for her….how unclassy. I would love to see Carrie Ann get out there and show us what she can do…prove that she understands ballroom dancing since she’s never done it before. Ok, now that I got that off my chest, there isn’t much Cha Cha to comment on with Cloris’s routine; however, her timing was right on for the most part and I liked how Corky incorporated the hat into the story of their dance. She looked so cute chasing him around and did a great trick….again for her age she really does impress me, she deserves a lot of credit. No matter what, she goes out there she smiles and that’s what dancing is about at the end of the day - going out onto the stage and having fun!!

Cody and Julianne (Samba): He is really starting to grow on me and I disagreed with his score. I felt that he deserved higher than a 23. Bruno made a comment about how Samba is free and loose; however, in a way he is right but at the same time it is also about precise movements and accurate lines. I feel that Cody did just that, his feet were great and his leg extensions in his lunges were really impressive as well as his Samba walks. I also noticed a huge improvement with his posture and of course as usual Julianne's choreography matched the music perfectly! Well done Cody, and my thoughts and prayers are with Julianne during her surgery.

Derek and Brooke (Rumba): I was so bummed to hear that Brooke had injured her foot and I had really hoped that it wouldn’t affect her performance in her Rumba and, in my opinion, I really don’t think that it did. I think the judges were tough on her just because they know what she is capable of doing but in comparison to everyone else she did fantastic, especially only having about 3 days to learn it all! Her lines as usual were gorgeous and flawless as well as her feeling and understanding of what type of story the Rumba should tell. She was slightly off balance and her toes can be pointed a little bit more in leg extensions but overall - excellent job.

Maurice and Cheryl (Viennese Waltz): Poor Maurice, he tried so hard tonight but just didn’t cut it. Viennese Waltz should be very whimsical and almost float across the dance floor; however, Maurice failed to do this. The choreography was very piecey and choppy and had no fluidity. He was also behind the music a few times and he just looked like he was trying way too hard, nowhere near as natural as his Rhythm dances. He did, however, have better posture and his frame was decent. It’s very important that as man you should never look at the lady in Smooth when you are in closed frame and he did this the majority of the time. I hope that he improves in this area because as a winner of this show you should be well versed in both styles and right now his Smooth is far behind his Rhythm.

Lance and Lacey (Jive): YES, YES, YES…this is the Lance I was expecting to see from the beginning of the season. He had great confidence and energy the whole routine and his posture and movement were both much improved. The choreography really showcased him, which is how it always should be and the tricks and spins were really entertaining. He sold himself perfectly tonight and I loved every minute of it….job well done!!

Dancing With The Stars Recap, Week 5

By Jackie Josephs

Susan and Tony - Hustle: Many of the pros were devastated when they heard about the new dances, but Tony’s time with Fred Astaire proved helpful yet again as he borrowed the popular hustle moves from the Fred Astaire curriculum. Susan demonstrated smooth arm movements and a wonderful array of stylized disco lifts. Her turns were also much better than in previous dances. She could stand to have a bit more energy and she should definitely lose the heel leads.

Warren and Kym - Hustle: I absolutely loved it!! The timing was great, the movement was free and uninhibited, and his interpretation of the hustle was dead on. The lifts were amazing and so classic disco. I can’t imagine how it feels to dance with such a massive and powerful partner, but Kym certainly used to her advantage during this performance.

Cloris and Corky - Salsa: “Hotter than a chili pepper” where does Bruno come up with those quotes? Anyway, as usual, her turns were great. Her timing was pretty good and she did a great job incorporating the skirt into her dance. You absolutely have to admit that Cloris is always wildly entertaining!

Toni and Alec - West Coast Swing: This was a tough week for Toni. I could see that she was trying very hard to perform through her frustrations with the choreography. Unfortunately, in the end it was very stiff and didn’t really demonstrate the laid back, cool style of Western Swing. She needs to concentrate on finishing her lines. One thing that will help that is really getting solidly balanced on her feet and using the pressure on the floor to repair her posture and allow her to fully extend her arms and legs.

Julianne and Cody - Jitterbug: Oh. My. Goodness. I loved it. Amazing personality, long lines, and high kicks. What more could you ask for? The routine was delightfully challenging and maintained an excellent degree of entertainment. It is so fun to see those two being youthful yet still respecting the integrity of the dance and the era which it represents.

Derek and Brooke - Jitterbug: Where has Jitterbug been all my life?! This dance really brought out the best in these two. The choreography was so original and so challenging. I truly enjoyed how artistic it was and how perfectly it captured the feel of that era. Brooke really brings so much to the table with her energy, talent, and enthusiasm for the competition.

Maurice and Cheryl - Salsa: It’s nice to see a male student be able to demonstrate proper hip motion. I would love to see him take more compact steps in these faster dances. His performance was a little crazy, but it was still entertaining. He really had great energy and showed a good understanding of the feeling of Salsa. He did a pretty good job this week.

Lance and Lacey - West Coast Swing: She is pushing the limits with her behavior on this show. DWTS is meant to showcase the celebrity partners, not the pros. Lacey clearly out danced Lance this week and obviously neglected to focus on the fine tuning of the choreography. Lance let his posture slip during the performance and even fell during a slide. Lance is an extremely talented dancer and will often show that with moments of greatness, but this week, Lacey let her ego get the best of her and stood by as Lance gave a sub par performance. I sincerely hope Lance gets to stay another week so he gets a chance to fully redeem himself. He deserves it.

Dancing With The Stars - A Teacher's Perspective on Week 6

By Debra Stroiney

Well it was inevitable - Cloris finally got the boot! She hung on for a very long time and no matter how terrible she was she added so many laughs and entertainment to this season’s show. Corky did a fabulous job with her and the choreography that he created for her. Many people do not understand that you cannot have the same choreography for Cloris as you would use for Brooke or Tony. Corky had to be creative with her and use her strengths as an advantage. Her strengths were the acting and the comedy. I think Carrie Ann's comment was uncalled for. If that is what she thought, fine, but don’t say it to her because remember the audience has a say whether she stayed on the show or not. That is how this show is formatted. We have all seen some amazing dancers get voted off because they didn’t have the audience support, and then we have seen the ones who are not so good stay due to the support. But this was the first time I saw a judge actually be upset by it. Obviously the votes carried her far because somebody saw it as entertaining. It is a TV show correct? She wasn’t performing these antics on the floor of the prestigious Blackpool competition. If they want the contestants on these shows reflect a ballroom competition, then take away the audience vote, add 4 more judges, and you have another show that already exists….American Ballroom Challenge. As an end thought on Cloris, this Cha-Cha no matter how untraditional was one of the best of her fast paced dances. Plus did you see that lift/spin they did? I hope that everyone remembers her for what she went out there and did at 82 years old. I hope that I am still dancing at that age.

When I did agree with the judges on Monday was regarding Brooke. With a shortened practice and injury, she learned a relatively difficult Rumba routine. But it definitely was not her dance. Yet she still got the 2nd highest score of the night. Again, I think they scored her high either due to her injury or past performances. They were contestants that night who outperformed her and should have scored higher than her. They are competing against each other right? They could have scored her higher due to the injury but there have been 2 other couples plagued by injury and I do not think they added to the score for that. Of course, Michael Flatley did give her a 10 for the way she displayed the emotion of the dance. In traditional Latin and Rhythm dancing there is some basic techniques that differentiate social dancing from competitive dancing. I feel that this is where Brooke is lacking when she dances most Rhythm dances. Her posture, her legs are very far apart and don’t use them enough to give her dancing power. In her defense, she also probably has not had the time to learn it. Her Smooth dancing, and any dances that were more “showy” (i.e. Jitterbug) were great.

I have stated this previously but I wish some of the professionals would teach the ladies some basic hip action when they make them hit a pose or just stand there. It would look less awkward if they could just settle into that hip a little more. For example, Warren had basic hip action in his Rumba. While it wasn’t perfect, it was there! Speaking of Warren, every time he goes out there he has the best expressions and I think he loves performing!

I am a full supporter of our own Fred Astaire Professional, Tony Dovolani, but I am curious to see how Susan does next week. I feel that I have not seen her improve over the past few weeks. It is almost like she freezes up out there. Tony tries to choreograph the dances to showcase her in the correct manner but I still feel something forced about it. She has had some better performances than others but there is something about them that doesn’t seem like she is having fun out there.

I hope everyone enjoyed the Hip Hop routine as much as I did. It was a lot of fun!

My Golden Dancers

Go Grammie Go

By Elita Sohmer Clayman

October 30, 2008

"Go Grammie go, gram-me, gram-me" were the words from my three-year-old number three grandson as I was walking slowly down the steep steps in his town home in Northern, Virginia. He lives there with his dad, my son Jeffrey, his mom Lan and his baby sister Ava. I was walking quite slowly, one step at a time. This from our car accident this past June where we were hit by a man (not a senior, not a teenager) who was texting. There was quite a lot of damage to the car and to our bodies. We are still recuperating four months later.

The thing I miss the most is my ballroom dancing. We are hoping to go back to it in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I shall listen to little three-year-old Ethan and I will go. He meant I should walk a little faster. He was trying to go down the steps behind me and all he saw was his Grammie doing this at a slow pace.

I thought all the way home about his comment. It was cute for sure but I figured I could use it for a new column. Many seniors, not yet seniors or even thirty somethings or forty somethings may think that dancing is not for them because it is too demanding.

If they watch Dancing with the Stars, they may be intrigued about wanting to ballroom dance and they could also feel intimidated. When they see these stars doing a new dance completely different from last week’s dance, they can think that it is too much for them to even attempt. They do not realize that the stars take many hours of coaching every week for many days and that is why they are able to conquer the dance and go out and dance before the public and the judges.

I want them to realize that their learning would not be in the same form as these stars. Their attempt to comprehend the dance will be regulated by their teacher who has experience in teaching dance. Their teacher will analyze the capabilities of the student, his or her’s age and his or her’s ability at this moment in time. Then the teacher will coach the student at this person’s level of understanding of dance. It will be just as if he or she is taking a college course; the learning level will be on that basis.

That is the way it should be with teacher and student. Many years ago, when I was almost thirty-four years of age, I decided to go back and get a college education. The first professor I had for this course of Psychology 101 wrote in my essay booklet test that initial time :“Mrs.Clayman, you can and you will do better.” He gave me a B for the whole course and that was quite satisfactory because I had not been to school for almost seventeen years. During that time, I married and had two children and lost my father. So I was busy running my home, raising my children and helping my Mom to adjust.

That line in my first test essay booklet inspired me and I went on to excel there at the school even though I was the oldest person in the class. I was the ‘old lady’ in the group of eighteen year olds. I showed those teens that an ‘old’ lady can absorb and can learn and did learn. I graduated with honors five years later because it took me five years to do two years of college work going part time and racing home to be there when my children arrived from school. I read a slogan once that said that something was a ‘price above rubies.’ I interpreted that to mean that some things are so worthwhile that the end result is that they are worth more than a precious stone called a ruby.

So it is with learning, whether it is college learning or dancing learning or any learning, the end result will be a price worth more than rubies. Ballroom dancing is almost a necessary tool to enjoy life. Men sometimes think it not valuable or beneficial other than to impress a lady when out on a date. Once they get indoctrinated with the routine, they find it hard to admit they really ‘love’ it. My husband was that way for many, many years. He would never admit that he liked it or enjoyed it because he found it hard. The amazing thing was that he was excellent at it. He had the best lead of any man I danced with other than the professional teachers. He held himself upright and understood the lead and the make up of each step. As he progressed, he found it hard to admit to himself or me that he really enjoyed dancing. He would go grudgingly to the social dances on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon and would say to the owner of the studio upon entering that he wanted to go home. She laughed because she knew he really did not feel that way. Several times, I heard him tell his male friends that he really was good at it and they seemed envious.

Once, when I danced at a competition in Kansas City, Missouri, we were supposed to dance as an amateur couple. When we got there and looked at the program, they only had a few couples dancing and they inserted us in a group of young twenty somethings dancing that heat. We were in our forties then and these people were in their early twenties. He decided he would not do it because of the age difference and we never showed up that morning to compete. Interesting thing was that two of the twenty somethings did not show up either and if we had danced, we would have won a trophy because we were more skilled and prepared than the rest of the competitors in that heat.

The owner of the competition, Leroy Walters, and his mom Gerry Walters laughed and when we were leaving to go home, they offered him a trophy because we had come such a distance to dance in their competition. He did not take it because he felt he did not deserve it since he had not entered the heat. When we got home, he took one of my trophies won there with my professional teacher and showed it to the people at our pharmacy and said he had won it. That was alright because he had gone there and he let me dance and have fun and I felt he deserved to show off and they did not know the difference.

However, what that meant was that he really loved dancing and he wanted to brag about himself to others that did not dance and he felt he wanted their admiration because he had in his own mind attempted to do it and got scared because of the age disparity. Many of us are threatened by others who appear to be dancing better than us. It is hard to eliminate that feeling; but as we progress with our lessons and our practicing at social dances, we feel more confident.

As the professor said to me about that first test, you can and you will do better. I have made that my catchword in most everything I attempt in life. Whatever I try - whether it is to go to Weight Watchers to lose some weight or to take a course in something or other at a school or learning a new dance step - I remember that I can and I will do better.

The "can" part of that phrase is the beginning, meaning telling us we are able to start. The "I will do better" is the middle and end result of the doing. Once we set our minds that we can attempt something new, our brains will take on the rest. Ballroom dancing is one of the most excellent hobbies we can start to enhance our brain power.

To someone looking at us dancing, they may not realize what an important part the mind plays in ballroom dancing. They think it is about the feet and maybe the arms. They are not cognizant of the fact of what an accomplishment this undertaking is and as Katherine Anne Porter said: “it is something you seek for pleasure and that you will to occur.”

This will to occur is the outcome of this desire to learn, to achieve and be proud of yourself that you did this at any age. You can be in your early twenties, thirties or even forties like I was when we started. You can be in your seventies or older and still this is important.

When I was down in Miami Beach, Florida many years ago, there was a blind lady who danced in several heats in a competition. Can you believe that no one knew she was blind and when she won her awards, it was announced that she was blind and everyone had tears in their sighted eyes at this amazing senior lady who conquered not only a terrible affliction, she won awards? The judges did not know of this and chose her because of her talent and presentation. At this competition, there also was a young woman named Jill who had one leg shorter than the other. She had a special dance shoe made for her with it raised up and it was quite noticeable but she came out and danced like everything was normal. She did difficult steps, wore a gorgeous outfit and she smiled like she was a professional lady dancing with her student when she was the student. It took chutzpah (nerve) to go out there with this handicap and especially to dance with it where it was so visible. Jill epitomized her valor, her desires and her courage.

Many years later, we went back to this competition and there Jill was again. This time we found out that she had discovered the courage within herself to find an orthopedic doctor who said he could lengthen her to some extent and so some of the shortness was gone and she did not have to wear the dance shoe with such a built up part in it. She still was not perfect with her leg but she was about 80% better. She told me she had the feeling she could help herself and so she went through with the operation. Ernest Hemingway called something like this "grace under pressure." Jill surely got her grace from the ballroom dancing and the professional teacher who encouraged her to dance even though her foot was so out of line, many inches shorter than the other one.

In between the operation or operations, she showed herself that she could do what many thought she could not even try .She decided she wanted to dance, and she did not let her handicap deter her. She was poetry in motion and she proved herself to be the poet who wrote herself a mental note that she could and would bring to fruition her desire.

So to the Jills of this world and to the blind, senior lady and to us, we must remember that we can and we will do better and that we can have grace under pressure and have pride in ourselves. No matter who we are at any age, with any handicap, and at any time in our life, we can accomplish our goals. We are going to transcend every expectation that we crave. "Grammie go" means every one of us should go. Go and dance and be happy doing it because we seek this pleasure and are grateful we are out there with this fulfillment known as ballroom dancing. William Hazlitt said “grace is the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.” That is what ballroom dancing means- harmony of the soul. I cannot wait to go back to my dancing. Then I will have the blending of my heart and soul because once more I will be a ballroom dancer.

My physician’s assistant in my internist’s office told me that we dancers are very special people and I asked him what he meant. He said that we are persons of great strength because we present ourselves on the dance floor to others and they see us showing our talent and being proud and bold in doing it. He said this shows great willpower, courage and tenacity. We ballroom dancers are indeed people of VALOR.

Keep on Dancing

Dancing With The Stars - A Teacher's Perspective on Week 5

By Debra Stroiney

I really enjoyed this week’s format where 2 dancers were paired against each other doing one of these new dances to the show. I think it was a lot of fun to see the two dances in a row to see which couple out-performed the other. It may have even of helped the judging.

The West Coast Swing:

Well, this was interesting. Seeing this West Coast Swing was a real eye opener when comparing to the way it is danced at studios, competitions and some social events. I really liked the style that Lacey showed us but I agreed with Len that it was too much Lacey and not enough Lance. It is a very hard dance to teach and learn but I think that she could have done more with him. Also there weren’t as many traditional, basic elements. If she had stuck with some of these, the judges would have seen him dancing more and maybe achieved a higher score. I did some searches as to some of the recent West Coast Swing routines performed by professionals. The routines do look like the one they performed. I also noticed that the social style of this dance is very loose and free. There doesn’t seem to be much structure to it and this is why it can sometimes be hard to teach and learn. There are a few basic moves but the rest are an amalgamation of many different elements. The one thing that bothered me a little which I would need clarification on is that I was taught the West Coast Swing is considered a slot dance. A slot dance means that all the moves must stay in a certain line of dance. If you drew a line on the floor you would never have any mores that you would go off of that line. In both routines I did not see the slot characteristic that a West Coast Swing would normally have. I do not know if this is because it was performed as a show dance or if they just were not able to take the contestants and teach them that way.

I also agree with Carrie Ann when she said that this was a dance that is foreign to many professionals. This is true. When attending regional competitions, you do not see many people competing in this dance because many instructors are uncomfortable with the dance themselves and when you are not comfortable with the dance it's even harder to teach it. I also agree when they said that this dance is a feeling. It’s something that eventually clicks: the rhythm, the character and the moves. When I first learned the West Coast Swing, I didn’t understand it at all; I then started dancing it more and with those who gave me the feeling of the dance and then it clicked. For those of you struggling to learn this dance, keep doing it; at some point, it will click for you too.

Hustle:

I think Susan did a great job with the Hustle. There were traditional Hustle moves in the routine and everything was clean. Also, she showed no sign that she was injured. But I felt like the whole dance was in slow motion. I agreed with the judges that there was something cautious and boring about the whole thing. The lifts were exciting and the Hustle can be a lot of fun. I just feel like it lacked that pizazz that you would normally see with a Hustle show.

In comparison, Warren’s Hustle was exciting, fun, and still had the traditional feel of the Hustle. I think it was one of the best dances of the night when you take everything into consideration. My husband was watching the show with me and he said: “Wow, he does pretty good for a guy his size…” and then a few seconds later he said: “No, he really can dance!” And that sums up how I feel about Warren. There is something about him that one would never expect to see from a football player in a dance competition.

Salsa:

I am going to be hard on those who were dancing the Salsa. This was the first partnership dance I learned, and I spent many nights out at Boston clubs dancing as well participating with on a dance team. As always, Corky choreographed Cloris’s performance so that it has more humor and acting than dancing in it. This suits her of course; she goes out and puts on a show. Some of the actual dance moves they performed had more of a Mambo feel than Salsa. The way I separate the two, which are very similar, is that the Salsa is more of a club dance. You will see moves that are smaller and more confined. There are more tricks and fancy turns.

Maurice and Cheryl did great with their Salsa routine. The moves looked like he could perform them out at a club. He had the right character by being a strong leader and showing Cheryl off. The only thing I did not like was when they were doing the basic steps, they were very big. You would not normally do that in a Salsa. If they were in a club they would of stepped on some people. I know they were not dancing in a club that night but again that should be the feel of the dance.

Jitterbug:

I love this dance! It is so fun and animated. I do not blame the professionals for not knowing it. This is one of those dances you go out to specifically learn for yourself or for a show. This is not usually a part of the Ballroom Dancing curriculum. Don’t think it’s unusual for a dancer or an instructor to do some research on a dance. That is a part of teaching and learning. You have to constantly improve yourself so that you can improve those around you. I think it is much more respectable to get more information on it then to make up something because you do not want to look unknowledgeable.

This is when I have a problem with the judges. In my opinion, Cody and Brooke both came out and gave the same great performance. They both deserved the same scores, and why didn’t they get it? I think that Bruno was the only one who gave a point less. But why? I could see no difference in the performances. I would have to go back and really watch them over and over again to figure out who was the true winner of that match-up. It still makes me think of what I mentioned last week - how they still consider the performances from the week before.

As an end note, maybe I also enjoyed this week because we got to see the professionals out of their element a little bit. Many of them felt frustrated or confused at teaching a dance they did not know, or had never taught before. Most instructors will tell you that they have all had situations such as these in their careers; you get through it and usually you learn something from it. I have a feeling that studios are going to be having some students requesting the Jitterbug in the near future!!