Officers
President – Gary Willmes 343-3309
Vice President – Henry Olivier 399-9813
Vice President – Jerry Mc Martin 787-5768
Treasurer – Dennis Wilkerson 255-4383
Secretary – Paul Arthur 341-5682
Past President- Jim Bob Stephenson
Committees
Cards: Kathy Goodrich-Willmes 343-3309
Clean up: Need Volunteers
Telephone/E-mail/Newsletter & Web page -
Donald Reed
(reed_de@hotmail.com) 343-8929
Membership:
Elaine Reed 343-8929
Practice:
Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
Public Relations: Terry Marvin 341-1285
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
Our fall dance season
is getting off to a good start.
The first month of
class and practice is nearly
over and has gone
well. The club dance, at the
Moose Club on Friday
night, was well attended
and it appeared a good
time was had by all.
Before the dance, some
members had a nice
$5.00 meal and enjoyed
playing Bingo. Some
even were winners.
Just to remind you
that we hold a general
membership meeting at
6:30 the 2nd Tuesday
of each month, a half
hour before our class.
Only three couples
(counting Kathy and me) were
present for our 1st
fall meeting. Getting attendance,
and more importantly
input, at meetings, whether
for social, fraternal,
service, or any kind of club
seems to be
challenging. We tried a few new
things the end of last
year and will experiment
with different dance
events this year. If you have
ideas to share for our
club, your presence at our
meetings would
certainly be appreciated.
Our next club event will be the Christmas
Pot-luck and Dance, at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizens Center, Viking Hall;
Friday December 5th, 2003 from 6:30 PM until 11:00 PM. Playing will
be “Touch of Country”.
The club will provide the meats, bread and utensils; please bring a side dish, salad or dessert.
Gary
Willmes
President
Oct. 2003 Meeting Minutes
Dakota
Territory Dance Club
October
14, 2003
The meeting was called to order by president Garry Willmes.
Old Business:
A
motion to approve the minutes as they appeared in the June newsletter was made
by
Garry Willmes and seconded by Arlene
Wilkerson.
Henry
Olivier reported that no gym is available for the Dec 6, Christmas Dance due to
a city basketball tournament. It was
decided to try to get CLSC on Friday Dec 5th. If this happens the club will furnish ham
and chicken. Members will bring
salads. If CLSC is not available the
club will try for the Moose Lodge and have the club furnish the meal and the
DJ.
Treasurers Report:
Income since
April 30.03 was $307.68. Expenses were $214.89. Leaving a balance
on October
14, 03 of $1969.81.
Dennis
Wilkerson,
Treasurer
New Business:
Dances are set for the year. Practices in November will cover beginning
jitterbug. There will be no lessons in
December. Lessons will resume on
Tuesday January 6, 2004.
Arlene Wilkerson moved the meeting adjourn,
Kathy Willmes seconded.
Paul
Arthur, Secretary
PRACTICE
THE DANCE CLUB NEEDS YOU & YOU & YOU! We can’t have too many people!
By now
everyone knows we’re doing the Jitterbug at the basic dance class in November;
while the intermediate class will
learn and
review a variety of different dances.
Henry is
still having a tough time with his injured back; but is getting better daily.
If anyone
has something they would like to review or teach at the intermediate classes,
be sure and give me a call. I’d sure appreciate it.
Our lessons
are held at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizen’s Center, Tuesday’s October though
May. 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 men, men, men!]
Christmas Dance:
I really need to get some input on
Spotlight
Dances for the Christmas pot-luck and
dance
December 5th. Anyone interested
in doing a
spotlight, please contact me ASAP.
See You on the Dance Floor!!
Linda Splittstoesser,
Henry Olivier
Practice
Chairmen
Kathy’s kard korner
Everybody should be back in the routine by now –
“Tuesday night is dance practice!! It
is always fun to start lessons again in the Fall, and see people we haven’t
talked to all summer.
Arlene Wilkerson and June Delp were both sent
“Get well soon” cards.
See you all on Tuesday night.
Kathy Goodrich-Willmes,
Cards Chairman, 343-3309
Email
We 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: 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 Elaine Reed @ 343-8929 or reed_de@hotmail.com
Member
Profile
Rita Marie Tibbitts
I was very happy to be asked to write my profile for this month’s
newsletter. I am sure
this will be a different read than most life stories. I hope no one
holds this against me!
I grew up on a farm with 9 older sisters, most of whom liked to dance,
6 older brothers and a dad whose philosophy was that it was better to be inside
dancing than to be outside in a car. I
grew up leaping, twirling and flitting around the house believing I was
destined for greatness. Watching Lawrence Welk and the Ed Sullivan shows was a
weekly event for me. My biggest childhood fantasy was that I would be sitting
in the audience of the Welk
Show when a minor tragedy would occur and Sissy would not be able to
perform and I Rita Marie, would be chosen to dance with Bobby! Several years
passed before this fantasy faded.
As a teen I went to every age appropriate dance around and snuck into
the inappropriate ones. I really didn’t mind being tossed out if I at least got
to dance a time or two. I really got pretty good at the old “Bar room Slop and
Hop”. When I was 18, I had the privilege of meeting a young lady who was
dancing as a GO-GO Girl at the local dive, and you guessed it; Fantasy Land all
over again! Someone (And I still don’t know who) broke the news to mom that her
youngest child had finally made a career choice. This was not a good situation.
Finally during one of our lengthy discussions mom quietly informed me
that very few of these girls could actually make a living by dancing and that
the “good” girls always made less than the others. This woman was a master at
driving a point home. So I was soon off to the Watertown Business University.
I did get a taste of dancing professionally though. If I danced on a
pool table at Joe’s Tavern they would let me into the keg party free! Hey, to a
starving student beer money is beer money! My biggest claim to fame came when I
danced on stage with Williams and Ree during my bachelorette party. This came
back to haunt me when I went to work for John Deere and found out the shop
foreman was a regular at the Plains.
Oh well, by the time word spread, I was already married and off the
streets. We lived in Huron, SD; Butte
and Billings, Montana and Washington state before moving our little family back
to South Dakota and settled down in Hill City.
THANK YOU ALL, I feel such a relief now that I finally came out of the
closet as a Wild Girl Wanna Be.
Now I live the quiet life, known in the community as “mild mannered
Rita Tibbitts” and basically a nice person. I enjoy spending time with my kids;
Jeremiah, Emily, Gus and Grandson Wyatt. I enjoy all types of dancing with
Country being my favorite. I’m not the best at proper form; but I really enjoy
letting the music take over and move me. Sometimes I think the music tells me
to go one way when my lead is telling me to go to the other? Just don’t give up
on me; I’m still learning after all these years!!
Membership News
Welcome
to our
new members:
None.
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. E-mail recipients
will receive a follow up memo. regarding their due date. Please use the
attached membership registration form to send your renewal ($15/ person.)
Happy Birthday to the following members:
Nov:
04
Elizabeth
Bement &
Patricia Hofer
10
Nancy
Finch
12
Patty
Brunner
13
LaVerle
Olivier
21
Rita
Tibbits
23
Kathy
Willmes
26
Ronald
Kazmierczak
27
Janice
Iversen
30
Arlene Wilkerson
Anniversary’s:
Nov:
None
Encourage
your friends to join us.
See
you on the dance floor!
Elaine Reed,
Membership Chairman
UPCOMING
DANCE EVENTS
- November
21, ‘2003
“Let’s Cut a
Rug! Graduation Dance”
Meadowbrook
School Gym, 7:00 PM til 10:00 PM. $5.00 PP
- December
05, ‘2003
“Dakota
Territory Dance Club Christmas Pot-Luck and Dance”
Canyon Lake
Senior Citizens Center
6:30 PM til
11:00 PM
- Dec.
31, ‘2003 – January 06, ‘2004
“Country Dance World Championships”
Opryland Hotel, 625-883-2211
code N-UWD2
- February. 20 – 21, ‘2004
“Dancing in the Desert” (Line dance)
Tucson, AZ.
http://www.nettyslinedancing.com
DANCE BASICS
When Good Dancers Go Bad -
Do you
consider yourself a fairly good dancer yet find yourself feeling inadequate when you dance with
someone for the first time?
How is it
that we can be admired for our skills when dancing with someone familiar yet
look far less than adequate with someone new?
Have we gone
bad suddenly? Why does it seem like others can change partners with ease?
Well, the
truth is that those who change partners with ease, have probably danced with
each other several times before. Dancers tend to travel in the same circles so
chances are they will dance with several of the same people many times. The
first time you dance with someone is always more difficult.
This is
illustrated by the following true story. A group of dancers were getting ready
to perform at a local dance studio. The couples positioned themselves on the
dance floor when suddenly all the women moved down one thus changing all the
partners. Judging by the look of surprise (or perhaps panic?), I would say that
many anticipated a
much more
difficult performance.
Don't worry
if you can't seem to lead or follow effectively the first time around. As with
anything "new" in life, there is a
required
adjustment period. You need some time to learn each other's body language.
Relax and have fun even with the mistakes that happen. Eventually you will
learn how to dance well with this person.
By not
shutting out a person who doesn't dance well with you the first time, you will
end up having many more partners that you can dance well with in the long run.
Be patient and please be kind.
Copyright ©
1998-2003 “Dance-student”. All Rights Reserved
Raper
Enterprises, Inc.
By
H. Leon Raper
Learning
How To Dance
Fun
Method - Dancing
is supposed to be fun, isn't it? Let's just keep trying this until it feels
good! This method does not work well at all, takes 10 times as long to learn,
most students are very limited in what they can eventually do, and their dance
styles look amateurish and out of control.
Academic
Method - The dance
class experience is treated the same as taking a class in a regular school.
Attention is paid to minor details, good basics are developed, and a
professional looking dance style results.
Step
Happy Syndrome -
These type people want to learn "a million steps and end up performing
none of them right." Many people, when learning to dance, want too much
too soon, and thereby end up doing everything poorly, look like amateurs, and
never end up with that polished look of someone that looks like they know what
they are doing.
Mistakes
& Fear Someone Is Watching - Students must give themselves "permission to make
mistakes". Trying to do things correctly and making mistakes is the way
the mind and body automatically condition themselves to eventually do things
correctly.
Students who are afraid of making mistakes, or are afraid someone will be
watching, will take a great deal longer to learn to dance. Many years ago, in a
dance class I was in, a lady told the instructor she was afraid of making
mistakes because of people watching. His response was "what the hell makes
you think you are good enough for anyone to want to watch?" That sounds
cruel, but it is absolutely true. No one is watching new people making their
mistakes. They are watching the flashy advanced students. Sorry to burst any
beginners
bubble, but no one is watching, all is safe, make your mistakes.
(Published
in Flagstaff Swing Dance Club, Inc. Newsletter, November 1993)
