DAKOTA TERRITORY
DANCE CLUB
NEWSLETTER
february
2003
Volume 10, Edition No 5
February 2003
Our Primary Goal is to Promote Dance!
Officers
President Elect – Jim Bob Stephenson 342-2245
Vice President – Not currently filled
Vice President – Not currently filled
Treasurer - Gary Willmes 343-3309
Secretary – Not currently filled
Past Co- Presidents- Elaine Reed & Henry
Olivier
Committees
Cards: Kathy Goodrich 343-3309
Clean up: Need Volunteers
Telephone/E-mail: Dennis & Arlene
Wilkerson 255-4383
dawkrson@enetis.net
Jackets: Paul
and Mary Arthur 341-5682
Host:
Henry Olivier 343-3235
Membership:
Elaine Reed 343-8929
Newsletter:
Donald Reed reed_de@hotmail.com 343-8929
Practice:
Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
Public Relations: Terry & Colleen
Marvin 341-1285
Tickets: Need a volunteer!
Workshops: Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
Area
Representatives
Belle Fourche / Deadwood / Lead /
Spearfish
Sturgis / Whitewood / Vale
Patrica Hofer 644-1649
Rapid City
Arlene and Dennis Wilkerson 255-4383
Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
The Board of Trustees
includes all elected positions at large, area representatives, and the last
past president. If your area appoints a
new representative contact the president so he/she can be included.
Advertising
Rates
Business card ad (card only, no larger
than 2 inches)
Non-member $45/12 or $25/6
Business card (member) $1 per issue
Full page ad $15.00 per issue
Half page ad $7.50 per issue
Per column inch $1.50 per issue
Fliers $.03 (150 flier minimum)
Send payment
with a brief worksheet explaining your figures to Dakota Territory Dance Club,
ATTN: Treasurer, PO Box 9583, Rapid City, SD
57709.
Newsletter
article deadline is the 20th of the month previous to publication. Contact a
board member or send information to Dakota Territory Dance Club % Newsletter
Chairman, PO Box 9583, Rapid City, SD 57701
http://rap.midco.net/reedde/www
Notes
From the PRESIDENT
Dakota Territory Dance
Club
Invites you to:
VALENTINE
DANCE
Saturday,
February 15th
Moose
Lodge
Dinner
served between
5:30
p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Dance
begins at 8:00 p.m.
Featuring:
Midnight
Sun
J.
R. Stephenson
jan.
Meeting Minutes
Dakota Territory Dance
Club
Tuesday Jan. 14, 2003,
6:30 PM Canyon Lake Senior Citizen Center (CLSCC)
Minutes of previous meeting were approved as written in the newsletter.
President, JR Stephenson called the meeting to
order at 6:35 p.m.
This Saturday, January 18 is the first dance at
the Moose.
We need a committee chair for the 2003-2004
Officer nominations. Linda volunteered to chair the nominations committee.
Gary, Kathy, and JR will assist.
Linda will not be here the second Tuesday of
February. Linda will talk to Les about doing the class that night and Elaine
will make sure the door will be open. Bill won’t be here for the rest of the
Cha-Cha lessons (Moving to Albuquerque) and Les will do Night Club Two Step.
Moose Lodge: We can pick the band that we want to share with the Moose
Lodge, by looking at their calendar and picking which bands and dates. We’ve decided to keep the dance entry fee at
the Moose Lodge at $2.50 per person and see how it goes. When we have dances at
the Moose, we are co-sponsoring the band and paying for half their cost.
Linda suggested that we sponsor a dance festival in the fall and bring
in a dance instructor from out of this area.
Elaine: We need suggestions for the dancer
profiles. Susan Sullivan will be profiled in the February newsletter.
Treasurer’s Report: Gary Willmes; A $25 donation to Hospice of
the Black Hills - Tree of Lights was made in December. Gary said we got a thank
you from them. Total income in December $323. We have $2,161.49 in the bank. We
have 94 current members. $695.00 so far this year for dance lesson receipts.
Nancy Stephenson
PRACTICE
THE DANCE CLUB NEEDS YOU & YOU & YOU We can’t have too many people!
Our lessons
are held at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizen’s Center, and are usually located in
the Main Hall. Beginner level lessons,
emphasizing basic footwork, are at 7:00 p.m.
Intermediate level lessons, emphasizing patterns and moves, begin at
8:00 p.m. The charge is $2 per person.
[We need single men, men, men!]
Les Harrington will do the Nightclub
Two-step in Feb. and Henry & I will do
the East Coast Swing in Mar. April is
still
open, so if there is a dance you’d like to
learn or expand on, give me a call.
Instructors, if there is something you
would like to teach, give me a call.
Again, all of you dancers remember these
instructors volunteer their time for
the lessons; that’s one reason the price
stays
so reasonable. Please, thank them for
their
efforts and patience.
See You on the Dance Floor!!
Linda Splittstoesser,
Practice
Chairman
Card Corner
This month a sympathy card was sent to Bill Gabbert, whose mother passed away. Get Well cards were sent to Richard Hurst and Mary Arthur.
Kathy
Goodrich-Willmes,
Cards Chairman, 343-3309
Email
Those who serve on the telephone committee appreciate all of the E-mail addresses we have now. It has saved many hours on the phone when notifying members of club activities. More addresses can save more time. We encourage those of you who have not shared your E-mail address with us to do so.
Send your E-mail address to:
dawkrson@enetis.net or reed_de@hotmail.com
jackets
The
new style jacket is available and can be purchased individually but at a
savings if several are ordered at one time.
Call Paul and Mary @ 341-5682 or superb39@home.com for more information.
Member Profile
Susan
Sullivan
I am a
bookkeeper for a property management firm and have lived in the Rapid City area
approx 8.5 years after moving here from the Chicago suburbs in July ’96.
I’ve been
dancing for only 4 months, when
I started
with Les Harrington at the Moose on Sunday afternoons. This is how I heard
about the DTDC Tuesday night lessons, so now I try to get to both. Also I
joined the DTDC the first of January, 2003.
I enjoy most
types of music, being more used to Rock 'N Roll; but I am coming around to
liking Country very much. I really
enjoy the Waltz and the Nightclub with the East Coast Swing and the Texas
two-step coming as close seconds.
I find dance
as a great creative outlet, good exercise and a fun social activity (but hope
you can be patient with me while I'm still learning how to do the
"following" thing; but I'm improving).
I have only
been to one DTDC event so far, the Christmas Dance. That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the couples and groups that
worked so hard on their routines, it was quite good and very entertaining. I am
looking forward to other events.
As far as a
most memorable dance moment:
I'm still
waiting for one to happen, these things take time you know. I just hope it will be a fun moment rather
than an embarrassing one. Which knowing
me, it will be a combo of both.
I’m looking
forward to a fun year and a lot of learning opportunities.
Susan
Membership
News
Thank
you to
those who have renewed their memberships:
Ronalda
& Dan Driscoll
Judith
Higgins
Pat
Hofer
Richard
Leinen
Rita
& Gene Patterson
Dave
Phillips
Mary
Lou Stieb
Rita
Tibbets
Welcome
to our
new members:
Lois
Fisher
Howard
Munsell
Susan
Sullivan
Membership Due Dates are printed on the
newsletter-mailing label.“Membership Due” is stamped on
newsletters the month previous to and the month of your membership due date. “Last
Newsletter” is used the month after your due date. Please use the
membership registration form enclosed to send your renewal ($15/ person.)
Happy Birthday to the following members:
February:
13 Gene Patterson
14 Jane DeSmet
15 Darwin Knudtson
16 Larry Paulsen
24 Sandra Knudtson
March:
05 Judith Higgins
12 BJ Cole
13 Bill Gabbert
15 Richard Hurst
23 John Talley III
Anniversary’s:
February:
01
Elaine & Donald Reed
07 Kathy
& Gary Willmes
14
Ronalda
& Dan Driscoll
March:
06 Carol
& Ronald Kazmierczak
Encourage
your friends to join us.
See
you on the dance floor!
Elaine
Reed,
Membership
Chairman
Dance
BASICS
Raper
Enterprises, Inc.
Lead &
Follow-Through
By H. Leon
Raper
When most
dance instructors refer to lead, they are really referring to Lead and
Follow-Through.
If you were studying with professional instructors of Golf,
Baseball,
Basketball, Billiards, and many other type physical activities,
Follow-Through
would be discussed and emphasized ad-nauseam. The lead signals the action to be
taken, but proper Follow-through is what guides a compete step
pattern and
is the main element that separates amateurs from the professionals.
An example
would be a Golf swing. Anyone can swing a club and hit a ball.
However, if
you want it to go where you intend then your Follow-Through must be
perfected.
Another example is in shooting Pool. Again, anyone can hit the ball.
However, if
they want it to consistently go in the pocket, they must follow
through
properly after the stick has sent the ball on its way. Leading dance
patterns
requires the same development of Lead & Follow-Through. When I was
first
learning competition forms of West Coast Swing many years ago, I had the
opportunity
to study with Jack & Teddy Pina. There were few competition dancers
on the West
Coast Swing circuit who danced faster than Jack & Teddy. Jack
decided he
was going to turn me into a good leader and he took on the job of
instructing
me himself. Jack told me to lead him through some patterns. He was
going to
close his eyes, and was going to go wherever I put him. Also, I was not
allowed to
use force to execute the step patterns. It was quite comical in the
beginning,
but after several lessons with Jack stubbornly forcing me to lead him
correctly, I
finally learned the concept of good Lead & Follow-Through. I am not
sure I still
really appreciated my new found skills until I started taking
lessons in
the high speed forms of dancing. After taking lessons in Flying Lindy
and St.
Louis Shag from Kenny Wetzel, and Balboa from Willie Desatoff and Dean
Collins, and
studying Dean Collins' smooth style of Flying Lindy (derived from
the Lindy
Hop), I finally realized that I would not have been able to learn the
high speed
forms of dancing correctly had it not been for the advanced skills I
had
developed in Lead & Follow-Through. Follow-Through is accomplished by the
Leader
smoothly following with his lead hand(s) through to the end of the step
pattern. The
Right-Wrap to Left-Wrap and back again in Two-Step is an excellent
example of a
step pattern that looks great if executed properly, but looks lousy
if not. When
going from a Right-Wrap to a Left-Wrap and back again, both of the
man's hands
must Follow-Through in a smooth fluid motion to the end of the
pattern
without using force. Most men new to dancing will jerk the left hand up
to get the
pattern started then jerk the right hand up, cranking the woman,
throwing the
woman off balance in the process. The same thing occurs with new
dancers in
West Coast Swing trying to execute a Tuck-Turn Throw-out from
Closed-Basic.
The man will jerk the lady into a Tuck with his left hand then
jerk and
crank the lady into the Outside-Turn. This is not the way it is done.
The Lead and
Follow-Through for the Tuck is a smooth fluid motion by the man's
left hand
while his right hand, on the ladies left shoulder blade, moves
slightly
back, allowing her to do a slight turn Counter-Clockwise; then the Turn
is executed
with a smooth fluid motion with the man's right hand pulling toward
him starting
her turn as his left hand smoothly rises over her head allowing her
to turn
Clockwise; his left hand then follows over her head down the Slot to her
final
position in the pattern; after which his left hand then returns down to
the normal
Open-Position stance. No force or cranking is used.
The body is
kept erect, but relaxed, feet together, knees slightly flexed, and the buttocks
tucked under. PLEASE NOTE: The style described here is required for the high
speed forms
of the dance as opposed to the erect, strait leg style recommended
by some for
the low speed smoother forms of West Coast Swing.
Lead &
Follow-Through
A proper
Lead & Follow-Through is the means the man uses to communicate his
intentions
to the woman. The man must Follow-Through with his lead hand to the
completion
of the step pattern. This is one item that separates good dancers
from poor
dancers. PLEASE NOTE: There is a fine line between adequate Lead and
Follow-Through
and being overly forceful. The key is to guide, but not force,
allowing the
woman to feel free to do her own creative moves.
Follow
The woman
must not anticipate. She must concentrate on man's lead. PLEASE NOTE:
She must
execute all steps using her own power of movement and must not pull or
push on the
man's lead hand(s). That is, with the exception of leads that
require
intentional excessive resistance.
Resistance
Proper Arm
Resistance (Tension, Compression, Passive) is absolutely mandatory to properly
execute dance step patterns. When the man moves the woman's hand it is because
he wants her body to respond with movement in some direction. It is not just
that he wants to shake hands. These techniques will be defined by your
dance
instructor.
Frame
Good dancing
cannot be accomplished without using good frame. Frame will be
defined by your
instructor.
Turns -
Man's Lead
The proper
lead for a turn is for the man to lift his hand directly over the
woman's head
and only move his hand in the direction of the slot. He must not
crank the
woman in her turn. Cranking the woman in her turn throws her off
balance and
prevents her from doing her own creative interpretation of a turn.
The man's
hand should provide a very stable point of reference for the woman.
The man may
however provide a pre-lead for turns which yielding forces up or
down the
slot prior to the turn.
Turns -
Woman's Follow
The woman
must press up slightly to the ball foot on which she is currently
standing and
allow the foot to turn in the direction of the turn prior to
changing
wait to her other foot. Her feet must be very close together in the
turn. Her
eyes must be level (not looking up or down) and she should use the
technique of
spotting. PLEASE NOTE: Damage to the dancers legs can occur if
turns are
not executed properly. Also, the woman must execute turns under her
own power
without any help from the man, and she must not pull or push on the
man's hand.
Published in
Flagstaff Swing Dance Club, Inc. Newsletter, December 1993
Published in
NTA (National Teachers Assn.) Newsletter, March 1994
Published in
Country Dance Lines Magazine, September 1994
UPCOMING DANCE EVENTS:
Dance Fiesta – 2003 in Cancun, Mexico:
Jan. 25 – Feb. 1, 2003.
Also
March 21-23 – “Tri State Dance Fest”
Workshops line
dance & couples also competitions. Dubuque, IA.
For more
information, contact Mary & Dean Faast 651-738-0712, Fax: 651-578-3838,
E-mail fasstcntry@aol.com or check Web site: http://www.faastcountry.com
February 14 – 16, 2003
“Line Dance Showdown” The Weston Waltham, Mass.
70 Third Ave.
Waltham, MA. 02451. 1-800-937-8461 or www.linedanceshowdown.com
March 28 – 30 “March Madness in Music City” – Workshop
Weekend. Nashville, TN
Event Coord. Jamie
Marshall, 615-822-7345
E-mail: jddancer@aol.com
April 19
“Dance-A-Lot” workshops
Kenosh, WI.
Workshops & evening dance.
Debi Erskine,
262-554-6547, E-mail: gale@dancalot.com.
April 24, 25 & 26 6th Annual “Black Hills Dance Festival”
begins with dance workshops on Thursday evening at the Canyon Lake Senior
Citizen’s Center and continues on Friday afternoon and evening, and all day
Saturday at the Civic Center. There will be dances on Friday and Saturday
evening, with two dance floors to accommodate line dance, swing and
country/western progressive dancing.
Instructors include: Barry & Darianne Amato, Joe & Linda Fabian,
Machelle Cook-Holloway, Jerry & Kathy Nusz, Tim& Donna Pattison, Dick
Mortenson & Renae Whalen, and Judy Yamakishi.
Rushmore Plaza
Civic Center, Rapid City, SD. Sponsored by: Black Hills Dance Company
605-341-1285 (Terry Marvin).
E-mail: Stephenson@rushmore.com
July 10-13 7th Annual “Rocky Mountain Regional Dance
Festival” in Casper, Wyoming at Club Dance West (Machelle Cook-Holloway, Director). This workshop begins with a “Kick-off Dance
Party” at Club Dance West on Thursday evening.
Dance workshops are held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There is a dinner show on Saturday evening.
This event will feature the following instructors: John Robinson, Barry & Darianne Amato, Martin Moser, Joe
& Linda Fabian, Machelle Cook-Holloway, Dave & Jodi Crandell.
For more
information or registration packet, contact Machelle Holloway at 307-234-8811;
email: clubdancew@aol.com or website: www.centralwyoming.com.
