Board
Members
Gary and Kathy Willmes 343-3309
Henry Olivier and Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
Dennis and Arlene Wilkerson 255-4383
Don and Elaine Reed 343-8929
Treasurer – Dennis Wilkerson 255-4383
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 board
As spring approaches
we extend a huge welcome for you and your friends who enjoy
dancing to attend some special dance events. Dakota Territory Dance Club is
sponsoring our annual Graduation Dance on Saturday, April, 9, 2005
at the Rapid City Civic Center (Room H) 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Several area
dance instructors will be inviting all of their students to attend this
dance. This is a great opportunity for
you to invite friends or family who are beginning dancers or who may be
interested in learning to dance. The cost is $5 per person with wonderful DJ
music by Wandave. Please join us on this spacious wood dance floor
(smoke-free).
The Black Hills Dance
Company’s annual Black Hills Dance Festival will be held the last
weekend of April, beginning on Thursday evening, April 28, 2005 with
special workshops in Viking Hall at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizen’s Center and
continuing Friday afternoon and evening, April 29th at the Civic Center
with workshops and a dance. On Saturday, April 30th beginning and
intermediate level workshops will be held all day with a dance in the
evening. This is a tremendous dance
opportunity for all of us, including both line dancers and couples dancers, as the
featured instructors, John Robinson and Rex Jones are two of the top dancers
and instructors in the world.
Remember to attend the
monthly DJ dances on the second Friday of each month. These dances are held at the Moose Lodge
with Linda and Henry furnishing DJ music from 8:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Free-will
donations are welcome. There is plenty
of floor space and great music for dancing!
We’ve had a nice turnout this year and hope to get even more of you
interested in coming each month
Also, we want to
encourage and support your attendance at the monthly dances held upstairs at
the new Roosevelt Recreation/Swim Center. These dances are scheduled from 7:30 – 11:00 p.m. on the last
Friday of each month. These
monthly dances are hosted by Debbie Ellerton.
Wandave DJ’s furnish the music.
The wood floor is wonderful for dancing and the room is smoke-free. Plan to check out this new facility and
attend the next dance on Friday, March 25th. Admission is $5 per person. Attendance at the dances has been great, and
includes line and couples dancers of all ages having a great time dancing to
great music!
DTDC will also
continue offering weekly dance lessons with Linda and Henry each Tuesday
night at the Viking Hall in the CLSCC. Beginners: 7:00 p.m., Intermediates
at 8:00 p.m. During the past year we
had several members request that more singles attend so please come, even if
you don’t have a partner!
Treasurer’s
Report:
12-31-04
through 2-8-05
Beginning
Balance 1110.26
Income:
Member Dues 45.00
Christmas
party & dance lessons
389.00
Total Income 434.00
Expenses:
United Fire
Group 216.00
(Commercial insurance)
Elaine Reed 32.07
(Christmas party supplies)
January hall
rent 160.00
Linda
Splittstoesser 250.00
(Dance Lesson expenses)
Total Expense 658.07
Ending
Balance
886.19
Dennis Wilkerson/
Tres.
next
dtdc board meeting: 3/8/05 6:30 p.m. clscc viking hall
Our DTDC Board met on the 2nd
Tuesday of January and February. The
Christmas Dance held in December was well attended. Dennis Wilkerson reported on expenses and donations received at
the dance. The board recommended having
the same location and format for next year’s Christmas Dance.
Wanda and Dave
Pakalski reported that all arrangements are finalized and confirmed for the
Civic Center Spring Graduation Dance on April 9, 2005.
Henry Olivier reported that the band Midnight
Sun has been reserved for our annual Christmas Dance/potluck dinner to be held
at the Moose Lodge on Sunday afternoon December 3, 2005.
The DTDC board voted
to give Linda and Henry $250 for CD’s and equipment used for the weekly dance
lessons. Attendance this year for the
lessons has been good, especially at the beginner level. Cha-cha was the featured dance for
January. Many new dancers are enjoying
learning the basic steps and fundamentals of social dancing.
Les Harrington is
instructing East Coast Swing lessons during the month of February for our
Tuesday night lessons. Les, also holds free dance lessons (donations only) on
Sunday afternoons at the Moose Lodge from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
We will continue to hold monthly DTDC board
meetings at 6:30 p.m., on the second Tuesday of the month in the Viking Hall at
CLSCC. All DTDC members are invited
to attend. Please give your input and
ideas to the board members. The
meetings are brief and completed at 7:00 p.m. before the dance lessons begin.
PRACTICE
THE DANCE CLUB NEEDS YOU & YOU & YOU! We can’t have too many people!
If anyone
would like to volunteer to teach a move at the intermediate class, please
contact me. If you have never done this kind of thing before and would like to
try it; now is the time. Again just call me.
Our lessons
are held at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizen’s Center, Tuesday’s October though
April. Beginner level lessons,
emphasizing basic footwork, are at 7:00 PM.
Intermediate level lessons, emphasizing patterns and moves, begin at
8:00 PM. The charge is $2 per person.
[We need single men and women!]
Linda Splittstoesser, Henry
Olivier
Practice
Chairmen
Kathy’s kard korner
No cards sent this
month.
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
Member
Profile
Linda
& Art Daknis
Art
is a medical technologist; working in the lab at Fort Meade VA Hospital in
Sturgis SD. Linda is the medical secretary for the Director’s Office Fort
Meade. They joined the DTDC in November 2004.
While
Art grew up in the Newell area, he was born in Germany coming to this area when
he was five. Linda grew up in the Sturgis area.
They’ve
been dancing approximately twenty-five years and prefer Country
Western
& 60s style music; but really enjoy
most
types of music. We enjoy dancing for
its
benefits; good exercise, socializing &
listening
pleasure.
Our
favorite dance events were going to the Halloween Costume parties at the Ft.
Meade Rec. Hall. Our most memorable dance was a spotlight dance at a karaoke
bar in a little town in Washington State. We stopped in as we were traveling
back to South Dakota after a trip sailing Puget Sound. Practically the whole
town was in this little bar, singing, dancing and having great fun.
Membership News
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.)
Welcome to our newest DTDC
members:
Linda & Art Daknis, Suzanne Fischer and
Paul Simpson
Happy Birthday
to the following members:
Jan:
09 Gary Willmes
13
Les Harrington
20 Linda Daknis
21
Russ Ochsner
25 Wanda Pakalski
26
Al Boysen
Feb:
14
Jane DeSmet
Mar:
12
BJ Cole
23 John
Talley III
27
Carol Black
Apr:
02 Vern Erickson
18 Bonita
Ley
23 Ronald
Kazmierczak
25
Darla Reddick
May:
07 Gina Nania
08 Dennis DeSmet
10
Art Daknis
14 Dan
Driscoll
17 Judy
Boysen
29 Marty
Delp &
Larry
Fahrni
30
Janet Russ
31
Elaine Reed
Jun:
18
Terry Marvin
19
Suzanne Fisher
24
Lois Fisher
Jul:
03 Debbie Ellerton
13 Ronalda Driscoll
16 Sandra Limerick
25 Heidi Critser
Aug:
07 June Delp &
Rose Jacobson
16 Paul Simpson
20
Dennis Finch &
Matthew Murrey
25
Jim Anderson
Anniversaries:
Jan:
24
Iris & David Slama
Feb:
01 Elaine
& Don Reed
07 Kathy
& Gary
Willmes
23 Ronalda
& Dan Driscoll
Mar:
06 Carol & Ronald
Kazmierczak
Apr:
21
Linda & Art Daknis
May:
02 Jim Anderson
26 Jane & Dennis DeSmet
27 Debbie Ellerton
Jun:
08 Colleen & Terry Marvin
15
Lorry & John Talley III
Jul:
03 Nancy & Dennis Finch &
Patrica &
Jerry Wright
Aug:
07 Arlene & Dennis Wilkerson
17 Judy & Al Boysen
22
Ellen & Ron Haffner
Encourage
your friends to join us.
See you on the dance floor!
Elaine Reed,
Membership Chairman
Upcoming Events
The last Friday of each month, dance
at the Rapid City Recreation (Swim) Center. Host Debbie Ellerton, with DJ music
by “Wandave “ 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM, $5.00.
On the second Friday of the month, catch
Linda & Henry’s open house DJ dances at the Rapid City Moose Lodge. 8:30 –
11:00 PM.
03/29 –
04/19 “West Coast Swing Lessons”
Four weeks
on Tuesdays 7:30 to 9:00 PM
Rapid City
Swim Center, 125 Waterloo
$30.00 per
person with “Wandave”.
04/09
“Spring Graduation Dance”
Hosted by
the local area Dance Instructors with DJ services provided by “Wandave
Enterprises” starting at 7:30 PM at the Rapid City Civic Center (Room “H”
upstairs).
$5.00/pp
04/28 – 30
“Black Hills Dance Festival”
Featured
Instructors:
John
“Dangerous” Robinson
Rex Jones
See
accompanied flyer for details & registration.
Members News
David Gwinn and Gina Nania spent 11
days in China, on an escorted tour, Jan. 13-30. We usually go places on our
own, on the cheap, but having all the transportation, lodging, admissions and
most meals handled by someone else left us free to just take in the country --
what we could see of it.
We had one day of rain in Shanghai, and two windy, clear days in Beijing (one
of them was Great Wall day). Otherwise, the smog (car exhaust, dirt and coal
smoke) was so dense we couldn't see for more than a few blocks. The dry cold
didn't seem to reduce street activity, like women sweeping the gutters and
thousands of bicycles weaving among the cars. In fact, we saw people outdoors
exercising, and some couples dancing. The most interesting spot for this was in
a paved flat area next to the roadway underneath a highway overpass.
Our group of 30 "experienced travelers" (Grand Circle Tours' term for
its clients) drew some attention. Our guide said many of the people who
gathered around us in Tiananmen Square were probably from the provinces and had
never seen so many "big noses" (what the Chinese call Westerners).
Some asked us to pose for pictures. There was a noticeable military presence in
the square: soldiers walking in pairs, a line of 10 quick marching in drill.
We saw five craft/industries demonstrated at factories that were
government-approved for tourists: rug weaving, silk spinning, jade carving,
lacquer furniture finishing and cloisonne. It was clear they were just warming
us up for the attached stores, where the goods were pricey and the sales
pressure tremendous. We weren't looking for art objects to take home, so our
few souvenirs are street-market trinkets whose prices indicate their quality,
too.
The Chinese people we interacted with -- guides, a university professor and
students, most hotel staff -- spoke good English. And every street vendor had
enough English to beg us to buy stuff and to bargain on the price. Our guides
gave what we thought were candid answers to our questions, though I find it
hard to believe that there are only 800,000 people with AIDS in the country of
1.2 billion. The educated people we talked with say they feel more openness and
personal freedom than in the past, and it seems that the authorities really
want to welcome outsiders, especially for economic interaction.
We saw only a tiny bit of northeast China; it was as if we visited the United
States and based all our impressions on New York, Philadelphia and Washington,
D.C. They're already tearing down parts of Beijing and building for the 2008
Olympics, and it seems that the big cities will only become more westernized.
Already there are multiple McDonald's, KFCs and Hard Rock Cafes. If we go back,
it would be nice to see more countryside and smaller cities.
Dance Basics
Ladies -
Developing Your Double Turn
By H. Leon Raper
All
good dance instructors teach their students the important points relative to
developing good turn technique. Some students are able to adapt quickly to
these techniques, but most will not be able to adapt without quite a struggle
and a lot of hard work. The technique I describe here will allow ladies to
quickly improve their double turn technique. First, I will review the basics of
good turn technique such as: stand erect, keep eyes level, pick some point to
spot, keep your feet close together, and press up into the turn allowing the
weighted foot to pivot in the direction of the turn - do not do a walking turn.
Students will say "I can't remember all that stuff at the same time."
OK, lets get into the technique that will work for most people. Of all elements
of turn technique I just mentioned, concentrate on one thing only. That is,
"keep your feet close together (almost touching)" as you execute the
turns. Before going further lets talk about some natural human reactions. When
you turn quickly your mind tells you to stick your foot out to the side to keep
you your body in balance, but when you do so, you find yourself off balance.
You would think your mind would know better, but for some unknown reason it
doesn't. To solve the problem we must do some exercises to convince the mind
that you have a much better chance of staying balanced with your feet close
together. So, we will explore one technique to accomplish that task. The
technique is as follows: First, the woman must concentrate on one thing only
and that is keeping her feet close together. Second, the man must make her feel
completely secure by keeping his left hand in one spot, directly over her head
while she is turning. Thirdly, comes the practice technique to develop a good
double turn. I have found that using a modified tuck double turn throw out from
closed position feels the most comfortable for the lady and yields the quickest
results. When I say a modified tuck double turn throw out; what I mean is a
tuck double turn which leaves the lady right in front of the man - not having
her travel down the slot as would a normal tuck double turn throw out. This
allows her to execute a double turn without any travel whatsoever. During the
execution of this turn the man is to keep his hand very solid directly over the
ladies head - not moving his hand at all until she has completed her turns.
This will make the lady feel very secure. You can try any of the other tuck
turns, but I have found the lady feels the most secure with the one from closed
position - as I described. The lady will probably be quite surprised the first
time she tries this technique how well she keeps her balance. By just
concentrating on keeping the feet close together we automatically accomplish
all the other things we talked about in the beginning. For instance, you will
automatically stand erect, keep your eyes level, and press up into the turn. If
you don't, you won't be able to stay balanced and keep your feet close
together. With their newly found success most ladies will say, "I keep
reverting back to my old ways." They probably will revert to their old
ways. So, we have to develop a learning technique, through which repetition
will finally solve the problem. Now that the ladies know what to do, they can’t
expect to execute the turn correctly every time the man leads her into a double
turn. The lady still needs more help. Ladies, when you find yourself reverting
to the your old unsuccessful turn technique, stop right now. Tell who ever you
are dancing with that you want to work on improving your double turn technique.
Tell him how to lead you, and tell him when you want him to repeat the lead. He
won't mind at all. In fact, he will be flattered and feel good knowing he was
able to help someone improve their swing dance technique. Experienced swing
dancers take their dancing very seriously. They know swing is a very difficult
dance to learn. They are very proud of their accomplishments and most are very
happy to help other less experienced dancers improve their dance technique.
They know someone helped them to learn and are quite willing to help others in
return. Please note, this double turn technique applies to men as well as
women. However, the practice methods will differ.
Published
in Flagstaff Swing Dance Club, Inc. Newsletter, August 1994 Published in NTA
(National Teachers Assn.) Newsletter, November 1994
