June/July Newsletter
Upcoming Triangle Chapter Events
Dancing at the North Carolina State Fair
Would you like to share your love of dancing and be part of the Triangle Chapter's exhibition team at the North Carolina State Fair? Our chapter has the opportunity to perform at this year's North Carolina State Fair and we are looking for volunteers who would like to be part of the dance exhibition team.
The NC State Fair will run from October 17 through October 27, 2013 and the potential dates that our chapter would perform on are either Saturday, October 19 or Saturday, October 26. We are looking for at least six people, or three couples, of any skill level, who could participate. Each group of dancers is asked to dance in the morning starting around 9AM, and again in the afternoon starting around 12PM to 1PM (Final schedule is TBD). Participants will be given free parking passes and free admission to the fair for the day of they are dancing. When participants are not dancing, or getting ready to dance, they are free enjoy the fair at their leisure.
If you are interested in performing, please contact Tess Sharpe at tess.sharpe@yahoo.com. Please let her know if you wish to drive in, or carpool as a group.
Deadline to contact Tess will be by July 17, the night of the July USA Dance.
At prior fairs each couple has chosen to dance in their own two minute time slot. For the finale the couples danced together, demonstrating the different skill levels of dancers on a social dance floor. Each couple danced free style and commented how much fun they had dancing without a routine. Whether a competitive or social dancer, this is a wonderful opportunity to show off your skills.
Chapter News
Meet your board members!
This month, continuing the board member introductions, here's your opportunity to learn more about Pat Hauswald, Membership and Jonathan Rowell, Board Member-At-large.
Pat Hauswald
Pat started ballroom dancing in 1999 in New Jersey and continued after a move to Kentucky in 2004. Pat and her husband Ken moved here four years ago and joined USA Dance Triangle Chapter. Pat has been on the board for two years serving as Membership Chair.
Pat is a retired registered nurse and worked in long term care as Admissions Director and Case Manager and in a clinical setting with mentally challenged adults and Alzheimer's patients. Music and dancing always evoked a positive response from those in her care, as though they were like a universal language.
Ken and Pat dance regularly at a local studio and visit other venues as often they can.
Jonathan Rowell
Jonathan Rowell is an experienced amateur dancer who has been involved with both the social and competitive sides of the dance world. He began dancing in 1998 through a PE class while attending NC State and continued to develop his understanding of ballroom for several years, first with State's Dancing With Wolves and later with the Cornell University ballroom dance team. After many years away, Jonathan returned to both dance and the Triangle in 2007. Since then, he has been instrumental in promoting Smooth and Rhythm dancing at Carolina.
At Carolina, Jonathan was the primary instructor for the campus social dance club from 2010-2012. He is currently the official Smooth coach for UNC's competitive team. At the 2012 USA Dance National Championships, Jonathan and those he trains accounted for 9 semi-finalist couples and five finalist couples in Smooth and Rhythm events
The rest of your board members will be introduced in future newsletters.
In The Spotlight
This year, at the 2013 National DanceSport Championships, held in Los Angeles, CA over three days from April 5 through April 7, our chapter had five members who danced at the national competition: Tim Cannell and Dale Flowers, Jonathan Medlin and Malin Allert, and Christopher Temple with his partner Erin Fiorey. Congratulations to all of the competitors who put in the time and effort to qualify and dance at the national competition. A special round of applause goes out to Jonathan and Malin who took first place in the Senior I Championship Smooth division!
USA Dance News and Events
Workshop at Rocky Mount USA Dance
The Rocky Mount USA Dance Chapter will be holding a workshop on Saturday, June 29th, from 11AM until 4PM at the Imperial Center in Rocky Mount. The workshop will consist of four 50-minutes sessions with a 10 minute break between sessions. Lunch will be from 1PM to 2PM.
Alan Hedgpeth will be teaching:
Session 1 : Beginning Ballroom 101 -(Smooth Style)
Session 2 : Beginning Latin (American Style)
Session 3 : Intermediate/Advanced - Cha -Cha
Session 4 : Intermediate/Advanced - Fox Trot
Joan Caviness will be teaching:
Session 1 : Intermediate/Advanced -Country 2 Step
Session 2 : Intermediate/Advanced -West Coast Swing
Session 3 : Beginner/Intermediate -Samba Line Dance
Session 4 : Beginner/Intermediate -East Coast Swing
If you register by June 15th the price is $10 per session, or $35 for all four sessions. After June 15th the price is $15 per session. The Imperial Center is located at 344 Falls Rd, Rocky Mount, NC. To register, contact Jennifer Rankin 252-972-1632 or Jennifer.Rankin@rockymountnc.gov
After the workshop there will be a Post-Workshop dance!! From 6PM to 9PM. Admission is only $5.00 for workshop attendees and $10.00 for non-attendees.
Dancing at the North Carolina State Fair
Would you like to share your love of dancing and be part of the Triangle Chapter's exhibition team at the North Carolina State Fair? Our chapter has the opportunity to perform at this year's North Carolina State Fair and we are looking for volunteers who would like to be part of the dance exhibition team.
The NC State Fair will run from October 17 through October 27, 2013 and the potential dates that our chapter would perform on are either Saturday, October 19 or Saturday, October 26. We are looking for at least six people, or three couples, of any skill level, who could participate. Each group of dancers is asked to dance in the morning starting around 9AM, and again in the afternoon starting around 12PM to 1PM (Final schedule is TBD). Participants will be given free parking passes and free admission to the fair for the day of they are dancing. When participants are not dancing, or getting ready to dance, they are free enjoy the fair at their leisure.
If you are interested in performing, please contact Tess Sharpe at tess.sharpe@yahoo.com. Please let her know if you wish to drive in, or carpool as a group.
Deadline to contact Tess will be by July 17, the night of the July USA Dance.
At prior fairs each couple has chosen to dance in their own two minute time slot. For the finale the couples danced together, demonstrating the different skill levels of dancers on a social dance floor. Each couple danced free style and commented how much fun they had dancing without a routine. Whether a competitive or social dancer, this is a wonderful opportunity to show off your skills.
Chapter News
Meet your board members!
This month, continuing the board member introductions, here's your opportunity to learn more about Pat Hauswald, Membership and Jonathan Rowell, Board Member-At-large.
Pat Hauswald
Pat started ballroom dancing in 1999 in New Jersey and continued after a move to Kentucky in 2004. Pat and her husband Ken moved here four years ago and joined USA Dance Triangle Chapter. Pat has been on the board for two years serving as Membership Chair.
Pat is a retired registered nurse and worked in long term care as Admissions Director and Case Manager and in a clinical setting with mentally challenged adults and Alzheimer's patients. Music and dancing always evoked a positive response from those in her care, as though they were like a universal language.
Ken and Pat dance regularly at a local studio and visit other venues as often they can.
Jonathan Rowell
Jonathan Rowell is an experienced amateur dancer who has been involved with both the social and competitive sides of the dance world. He began dancing in 1998 through a PE class while attending NC State and continued to develop his understanding of ballroom for several years, first with State's Dancing With Wolves and later with the Cornell University ballroom dance team. After many years away, Jonathan returned to both dance and the Triangle in 2007. Since then, he has been instrumental in promoting Smooth and Rhythm dancing at Carolina.
At Carolina, Jonathan was the primary instructor for the campus social dance club from 2010-2012. He is currently the official Smooth coach for UNC's competitive team. At the 2012 USA Dance National Championships, Jonathan and those he trains accounted for 9 semi-finalist couples and five finalist couples in Smooth and Rhythm events
The rest of your board members will be introduced in future newsletters.
In The Spotlight
This year, at the 2013 National DanceSport Championships, held in Los Angeles, CA over three days from April 5 through April 7, our chapter had five members who danced at the national competition: Tim Cannell and Dale Flowers, Jonathan Medlin and Malin Allert, and Christopher Temple with his partner Erin Fiorey. Congratulations to all of the competitors who put in the time and effort to qualify and dance at the national competition. A special round of applause goes out to Jonathan and Malin who took first place in the Senior I Championship Smooth division!
USA Dance News and Events
Workshop at Rocky Mount USA Dance
The Rocky Mount USA Dance Chapter will be holding a workshop on Saturday, June 29th, from 11AM until 4PM at the Imperial Center in Rocky Mount. The workshop will consist of four 50-minutes sessions with a 10 minute break between sessions. Lunch will be from 1PM to 2PM.
Alan Hedgpeth will be teaching:
Session 1 : Beginning Ballroom 101 -(Smooth Style)
Session 2 : Beginning Latin (American Style)
Session 3 : Intermediate/Advanced - Cha -Cha
Session 4 : Intermediate/Advanced - Fox Trot
Joan Caviness will be teaching:
Session 1 : Intermediate/Advanced -Country 2 Step
Session 2 : Intermediate/Advanced -West Coast Swing
Session 3 : Beginner/Intermediate -Samba Line Dance
Session 4 : Beginner/Intermediate -East Coast Swing
If you register by June 15th the price is $10 per session, or $35 for all four sessions. After June 15th the price is $15 per session. The Imperial Center is located at 344 Falls Rd, Rocky Mount, NC. To register, contact Jennifer Rankin 252-972-1632 or Jennifer.Rankin@rockymountnc.gov
After the workshop there will be a Post-Workshop dance!! From 6PM to 9PM. Admission is only $5.00 for workshop attendees and $10.00 for non-attendees.
Musings from the Dance Floor
Periodically, we will have guest authors contributing to our newsletter. We are proud to introduce Susie Buck, owner of Take the Lead Ballroom, as this newsletter's guest author.
What Women Want
A Man's Survival Guide to Ballroom Dancing
By Susie Buck
Now that I have your attention, I will begin my discussion. Make sure you take notes. Men, I know what you are thinking, "Finally, the secret to the universe". And ladies, you are thinking, "I will slip a copy of this in his shoe bag when he is not looking."
Spending unmentionable years as a woman, I speak from experience on what the female sex is looking for. Gentlemen, simply put, we do not want to think! We want to go to that dance feeling like we have been swept off our feet by the most spectacular dancer in the galaxy. No pressure guys. However, I am serious that we do not want to think. Let's examine this more thoroughly.
Guys, it all starts when you ask her to dance. You lead her out onto the dance floor. Hopefully you know whether it is a waltz or cha-cha-cha being played. Now, comes the moment of truth of having to be creative, impressive and suave. Unfortunately, many men at this point panic and experience the deer in the headlights effect commonly referred to as "having to lead".
Let's demystify the mysterious job of leading. Gentlemen, how you lead is like how you have a conversation. Are you starting a conversation that will be met with friendly exchange or are you bullying and controlling the conversation? If you are bullying, that usually means you are being aggressive with your partner. If you push or pull, you are being aggressive. If you push or pull your partner, you usually end up knocking the lady off her feet. She will thusly grab on to you like the Titanic going down.
So, how do you develop a good lead? You first need to acknowledge that your partner is capable of moving herself where she needs to be. The lead is designed to direct the lady where she needs to be moving. It is not designed to push her to where you want her to go. A good lead should provide the desired direction their partner should take.
Now gentlemen, I know what you are thinking. I have heard many comments from men over the years that their partners "do not move". This makes the gentleman feel they need to resort to bullying. You can get frustrated with feeling like you have to push and pull someone around the floor. It gets tiring. And ladies, it's not fun to have your arm ripped out of the socket. So, what is the best answer? Let's rewind a bit and get back to the "conversation" with some problem solving skills.
I originally asked you how are you starting the conversation. Gentlemen, start with knowing where you are going. Ask for directions from a teacher if you are not sure. This may sound silly, but a lot of times I ask students in a lesson, "Where are you trying to go?" Quite often I get responses that lead me to think this is a fuzzy/grey area.
First, with some tone in the body, only light pressure, move the lady toward the direction you want her to go. An example could be with dancing Latin. First, engage your core, use tone in the body and arms, and quite often you only need light pressure with some fingers to direct your lady.
Secondly, it's the ladies turn to respond. Ladies, at this point, we are responsible for taking part in this conversation. We need to have some tone in our bodies as well. Engage your core and strengthen the arms so you are not collapsing when the man is directing. And please, do move. You also need to understand your steps as well so when you are being lead in a certain direction, you understand the technique on accomplishing the particular movement. This way we will move in the direction he is asking us to move. So, in a sense, we get to "not think" and just "respond". If we "respond", there is a lot less pushing and pulling, or "bullying". We are now having a good conversation, leading and following and communicating with one another. (Remember ladies - this is a two-way conversation. If we expect our guy to lead, we must listen and respond accordingly.)
In any event, I wrote this tongue in cheek article to give you something to think about during your travels around the dance floor. Sometimes seeing things in a different light will give you a new perspective with your dancing. Take a step back and reflect. You may even find you approach your lead in a different fashion. More importantly, we must remember to keep our sense of humor and have fun while dancing. When all else fails, you can always resort to good old fashioned talking to each other about what you are trying to do. However, texting is not allowed on the dance floor. Always dance safely. Which may lead to another conversation about floorcraft...
Periodically, we will have guest authors contributing to our newsletter. We are proud to introduce Susie Buck, owner of Take the Lead Ballroom, as this newsletter's guest author.
What Women Want
A Man's Survival Guide to Ballroom Dancing
By Susie Buck
Now that I have your attention, I will begin my discussion. Make sure you take notes. Men, I know what you are thinking, "Finally, the secret to the universe". And ladies, you are thinking, "I will slip a copy of this in his shoe bag when he is not looking."
Spending unmentionable years as a woman, I speak from experience on what the female sex is looking for. Gentlemen, simply put, we do not want to think! We want to go to that dance feeling like we have been swept off our feet by the most spectacular dancer in the galaxy. No pressure guys. However, I am serious that we do not want to think. Let's examine this more thoroughly.
Guys, it all starts when you ask her to dance. You lead her out onto the dance floor. Hopefully you know whether it is a waltz or cha-cha-cha being played. Now, comes the moment of truth of having to be creative, impressive and suave. Unfortunately, many men at this point panic and experience the deer in the headlights effect commonly referred to as "having to lead".
Let's demystify the mysterious job of leading. Gentlemen, how you lead is like how you have a conversation. Are you starting a conversation that will be met with friendly exchange or are you bullying and controlling the conversation? If you are bullying, that usually means you are being aggressive with your partner. If you push or pull, you are being aggressive. If you push or pull your partner, you usually end up knocking the lady off her feet. She will thusly grab on to you like the Titanic going down.
So, how do you develop a good lead? You first need to acknowledge that your partner is capable of moving herself where she needs to be. The lead is designed to direct the lady where she needs to be moving. It is not designed to push her to where you want her to go. A good lead should provide the desired direction their partner should take.
Now gentlemen, I know what you are thinking. I have heard many comments from men over the years that their partners "do not move". This makes the gentleman feel they need to resort to bullying. You can get frustrated with feeling like you have to push and pull someone around the floor. It gets tiring. And ladies, it's not fun to have your arm ripped out of the socket. So, what is the best answer? Let's rewind a bit and get back to the "conversation" with some problem solving skills.
I originally asked you how are you starting the conversation. Gentlemen, start with knowing where you are going. Ask for directions from a teacher if you are not sure. This may sound silly, but a lot of times I ask students in a lesson, "Where are you trying to go?" Quite often I get responses that lead me to think this is a fuzzy/grey area.
First, with some tone in the body, only light pressure, move the lady toward the direction you want her to go. An example could be with dancing Latin. First, engage your core, use tone in the body and arms, and quite often you only need light pressure with some fingers to direct your lady.
Secondly, it's the ladies turn to respond. Ladies, at this point, we are responsible for taking part in this conversation. We need to have some tone in our bodies as well. Engage your core and strengthen the arms so you are not collapsing when the man is directing. And please, do move. You also need to understand your steps as well so when you are being lead in a certain direction, you understand the technique on accomplishing the particular movement. This way we will move in the direction he is asking us to move. So, in a sense, we get to "not think" and just "respond". If we "respond", there is a lot less pushing and pulling, or "bullying". We are now having a good conversation, leading and following and communicating with one another. (Remember ladies - this is a two-way conversation. If we expect our guy to lead, we must listen and respond accordingly.)
In any event, I wrote this tongue in cheek article to give you something to think about during your travels around the dance floor. Sometimes seeing things in a different light will give you a new perspective with your dancing. Take a step back and reflect. You may even find you approach your lead in a different fashion. More importantly, we must remember to keep our sense of humor and have fun while dancing. When all else fails, you can always resort to good old fashioned talking to each other about what you are trying to do. However, texting is not allowed on the dance floor. Always dance safely. Which may lead to another conversation about floorcraft...
Editor's Note
Are there specific topics that you would like see in the newsletter? Or, would you like to contribute an article in an upcoming edition of the newsletter? We would like to see your suggestions and ideas. The deadline to submit an article for the August/September newsletter is July 17.
Sincerely,
Kyle Ross
Triangle USA Dance
Are there specific topics that you would like see in the newsletter? Or, would you like to contribute an article in an upcoming edition of the newsletter? We would like to see your suggestions and ideas. The deadline to submit an article for the August/September newsletter is July 17.
Sincerely,
Kyle Ross
Triangle USA Dance
