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
Need Volunteer
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 c/o Newsletter
Chairman, PO Box 9583, Rapid City, SD 57709
Check out our DTDC Website!
http://rap.midco.net/reedde/www
Notes From the board
It’s time to dust off
those dance shoes and enjoy the new dance year! We hope everyone had a relaxing and
enjoyable summer (hopefully, not too much dust collected on those dance shoes).
A DTDC board meeting
to plan for the upcoming dance year was held on 8/28/05 at the Reed’s. We
reviewed the treasurer’s report and completed preliminary planning for the
coming dance year. The board proposed a schedule of dances and lessons similar
to last year with the exception of the spring dance and summer dances at the
Moose Lodge, which were not well attended this past year. Instead of the spring
dance an October Fest Dance is proposed for October 21st. (See
details in this article.)
Our annual September
Potluck Dinner and Dance will be held on Saturday, September 24th at
6:00 p.m. at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizens Center. Everyone is welcome! Please bring your friends or family members
who enjoy dancing. The potluck dinner
will start at 6:00 p.m. in the library adjacent to the Viking Hall. The club
will furnish coffee, cups, plates, napkins and utensils. Please bring a dish to share. The Wilt Brothers band will be playing in
the Viking Hall at 7:30 p.m. for your dancing enjoyment. This is a great time to get reacquainted
with fellow DTDC members and welcome new members. As you may be aware our membership numbers have been decreasing;
it is especially important to renew your membership and invite others to join
us in support of dance in our community.
A new activity to add
to this year’s dance schedule was accepted by the DTDC board. We are
tentatively planning to co-sponsor along with the Moose Lodge and the German
Club an October Fest Dinner and Dance on Friday, October 21st
at the Moose Lodge on East Saint Patrick St.
Traditional German food will be served at the Moose Lodge at
6:30 p.m. and dancing will follow at 8:00 p.m. with the Rick Borger German
Dance Band. Our club’s monetary
commitment for this activity is $275.
Please support our efforts to provide a variety of dancing opportunities
by attending this fun event. Everyone
is welcome; bring your friends and family.
Final plans for this event will be shared with you by email in October.
Dance lessons and practice
will begin on the first Tuesday of October at 7:00 p.m. in the Viking Hall of
CLSCC with Linda and Henry instructing. Be sure to thank them for donating their
time and talents to our club. Lesson
prices will remain the same. (See
Linda’s information in the Practice Section of this newsletter).
Our annual Christmas
Dinner/Dance is scheduled for Sunday, December 4th at 12:00 noon. We will have a potluck dinner at noon and
dancing with Midnight Sun band from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you would like to do a spotlight dance
(couples, group or line dance) please contact Linda Splittstoesser or any board
member. We had a great program last
year with outstanding attendance for the dinner/dance. Be sure to put it on your calendar.
Any ideas or suggestions for additional
activities are welcome from all of you.
Just give your ideas to any board member or attend the board meetings,
which are scheduled on the 2nd Tuesday of each month except
December.
Remember to attend the monthly DJ dances on
the second Friday of each month beginning October
14th. 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 had a nice turnout last 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 – 10:30 p.m. on the fourth
Friday of each month and are hosted by Debbie Ellerton. DJ music is provided with a free dance
lesson beginning at 7:00 p.m. Colleen and Terry Marvin will be providing a
beginner lesson on the Carolina Shag at the September 23rd
dance. The wood floor is wonderful for
dancing and the room is smoke-free.
Plan to check out this new facility.
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!
Also, Les Harrington
will be available every Sunday afternoon (1:00 – 3:00 PM) at the
Rapid City Moose Lodge, for those dancers and students who wish to practice
and/or receive instruction.
Have a wonderful dance
season!
Treasurer’s
Report:
04-12-05 through 08-28-05
Beginning Balance 788.02
Income:
Graduation dance 225.00
Dance lessons 425.00
Member Renewal 30.00
Total Income 680.00
Expenses:
Wandave Enterprises 100.00
Civic Center 90.00
Copy Country 7.41
Senior Center 160.00
S.D. State Treasurer 15.39
ASCAP Dues 187.00
Postmaster 48.00
Total Expense 607.80
Ending Balance 860.22
Dennis Wilkerson
DTDC Treasurer
next
dtdc board meeting: 10/11/05 6:30 p.m. clscc viking hall
We will continue to hold monthly DTDC board
meetings at 6:30 p.m., on the second Tuesday of the month during the coming
dance season 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!
Welcome
to the new dance year!
Our
first lesson will be on Tuesday, October 4th in the Viking Hall at
CLSCC. We will be teaching basic level
2-Step and Jitterbug at 7:00 p.m. and basic level West Coast Swing at 8:00 p.m.
We will continue this format each Tuesday
evening in October. Lessons cost $2 per
person and dancers may stay for either or both sessions for the same price.
In November
we will be teaching basic level Cha-cha at 7:00 p.m. and intermediate level
Waltz and Polka at 8:00 p.m.
There will
be no dance lessons in December. We
will resume lessons again on the first Tuesday of January (January 3rd).
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 evenings from
October through April. The charge is $2 per person. Beginner level lessons,
emphasizing basic footwork, are at 7:00 PM.
Intermediate level lessons, emphasizing patterns and moves, begin at
8:00 PM. Please note in October we will
be teaching beginning level West Coast Swing during the 8:00 PM lessons. We
would like to give everyone the opportunity to learn or review the basic elements
of this fun dance.
[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’S
NEWS
Many
of you are aware that Wanda and Dave Pakalski will not be providing lessons in
our community next year. They have
become permanent RV dwellers in their new 5th Wheel complete with
garage! Wanda and Dave will be doing
volunteer work for a Christian Church organization in several different
locations of the U.S. during the coming year.
They are very excited about their new venture and hope to get in a lot of
sight seeing, warm climates in the winter and opportunities to make new friends
from all over the country. We wish them
well and thank them for all the great dance instruction and DJ music. Wanda and Dave have been members of DTDC for
many years and will be missed very much.
They plan to spend some time in Rapid City again next summer. Best Wishes, Wanda and Dave!
Several DTDC members attended the
Colorado Country Classic in Denver last June.
Terry and Colleen Marvin, John and Lorry Talley and Don and Elaine Reed
all enjoyed taking lessons from top-notch instructors and a wonderful dinner
show and dances. Again this year, Rapid
City dancers were given great seats for the dinner show. The performances were awesome and the Jack
and Jill swing contest afterward lasted on into the wee hours with fabulous
dancers. The Classic is held every year
in June.
If
you have attended a dance function or have other family news to share please
email the information to Don Reed, Newsletter Editor and we will include it in
the next newsletter.
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.)
Encourage your friends to join us. See you on the dance floor!
Elaine Reed,
Membership Chairman
Upcoming Events
The
fourth Friday of each month, dance
at the Rapid City Recreation (Swim) Center. Host Debbie Ellerton, with DJ
music. 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).
Sunday Afternoons from
1:00 PM until 3:00 PM Les Harrington will be
at
the Rapid City Moose Lodge, for those dancers and students who wish to practice
and/or receive instruction over the summer period.
09/09-09/10 2005 Polka Fest at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizens
Center Viking Hall.
Father Kari Band, Midnight Sun Band and Julie Lee and the White
Rose Band.
09/16-09/17 2005 Polka Fest at the Mitchell, SD Corn Palace. Features 5 different bands.
09/16/-09/17 2005Keystone, SD Polka Fest at Gutzum Borglum
historical Center Parking Lot. Tent with large wood dance floor.
Features Larry Olson and Happy Wanderers and Matt Borberbarggen Bands.
09/29-10/02 2005 New
Mexico Dance Fiesta Albuquerque NM 803-802-7743 www.dancefiesta.net CW,SW UCWDC
09/30-10/01 2005 Dakota Country Dance Club 21st Annual
Dance Festival Sioux Falls, SD. Knights of Columbus Hall,
315 N Summit Ave., Sioux Falls, SD.
Featuring Ron Shepard, dance instructor from Omaha, NE. For more info, contact Jerry Burns
(605-373-8164).
10/14-10/16 2005 River City Dance Festival
Edmonton Alberta Canada 780-439-5773 rivcty@planet.eon.net CW,SW UCWDC.
Dance Basics
My
Magic World of Music & Dance
By: H.
Leon Raper March 5, 2004
-Come with
me into my magic world of music and dance.
-Where, if
only for a fleeting moment, we become one with each other, the music and the
dance.
-Where
friends and lovers share feelings that only dancers know.
-Where time
seems to stand still. And we experience each other, seemingly forever.
-Where the
rest of the world does not exist, only you and I, the music and the dance.
-Let me show
you the world in which I live.
-Please take
my hand, come with me.
“CENTERING”
Skippy
Blair - March 2002
The number of “Centers” in one individual
dancer seems to be the biggest question on “Centering” today. Logic tells us
that any object has only one “Center”. In my study of the “Psychology of
learning”, I was fascinated with how the “rules” carried over into dance.
The idea that we “learn much faster if we
have only one definition for one word” was one that I had always subscribed to
- even before my detailed study. The
study also confirmed my belief that simplicity is the key to fundamental
learning. Many times, I have been asked to make a dance decision as to who was
right and who was wrong. Fortunately,
my mind usually cuts through the fuzzy stuff and is able to observe that both
parties are saying the same thing - but each person is expressing it in a
different way. I have a favorite saying: “NOTHING is wrong - if you are doing
what you set out to do.” The flip side
of that is that “what you set out to do” might not be the highest level that
you are capable of performing.
When it comes to “Centering” - or any other
concept - my MAIN concern is that I want the student to LEARN. I spend many hours dissecting information
and rearranging that information in a way that will assist the recipient in developing
better dance habits. It is important to me that the student be able to
immediately apply each new concept once that concept has been presented.
The Universal Unit System® maintains that
there is only ONE center. However we DO
acknowledge, and regularly refer to, three separate “ZONES”:
Shoulder
Zone:
Encompasses the area from the top of the shoulder, down to the bottom of the
rib cage.
Hip Zone: Starts at the top of the hip bone and
goes down to where the leg connects to the hip.
Center Zone: Covers the lower edge of the rib cage -
down to the upper edge of the hips. The Center Zone, ties all three Zones
together.
Let’s pretend that you have a wide support
belt that goes around your waist. Place this support belt tightly around your
waist, with the top of the belt barely covering the lower ribs - and the bottom
of the belt - barely covering the top
of the
hipbones.
This center “support” has now pulled the
body all together into one dynamic dance machine. Once the whole “Center Zone”
gets controlled, you can narrow down the concentration into the top of the
Center Zone, which is the “Center Point of Balance.” When you concentrate on
your “CENTER” and move that center, you will feel the effect on all three zones
of the body. A feeling of power and control starts to develop. You begin to
experience a cooperative effort among all of your body parts. It’s a very
secure feeling. You can experience this feeling rather quickly (with the aid of
a support belt) or you can experience this feeling by pulling all of your
abdominal muscles up into your center. This process takes a little time and
effort, but I guarantee that it’s worth the effort. This exercise has become
known as: “squeezing the banana”. It feels like someone squeezes all of your
center area into your middle forcing your center upward and your shoulders back
and down.
Locating
your own CENTER (CPB) –
Which is short for “Center Point of
Balance”.
Unlike a
center of mass (used in martial arts for a lower base stance) or a center of
gravity (which seems to change location with every body type), our “Center
Point of Balance” is located in the same place on every person. It is
located in
the Solar Plexus - right in the center - where the ribs come together. If you
stand with your feet together you will find that you can move your “derriere” 4
inches forward, backward or sideways and still not lose your balance or have to
move your feet. You can do the same with your head - shoulder - arm - foot -
but NOW - move your “Center” four inches in ANY direction and you will have to
move a foot. Your “Center” has changed the location of your body to a new
location. That is the whole point of “Centering”.
Another way to identify the location of your
center is to assume that your body is a mannequin. Place a fist into its Solar Plexus - that’s the area where the
rib cage meets well above the waistline and well above the naval.
Placing a fist in the Solar Plexus area, we
could lift a mannequin a few inches off the floor. The feet would fall directly
under it’s “Center” and the head and shoulder area would stay upright. If we
placed a fist in the lower abdomen of the mannequin, its top half would fall
over. If we placed a fist in the shoulder area, it would immobilize the
shoulders producing stiffness and a lack of flexibility and body flight.
Dancers who use their hips or shoulders as their
“Center”,
are easily identified by those who
understand
the concept. It is amazing to see the
difference in the level of performance once they learn to tighten the zones and
move from the “Center Point of Balance”.
INDIVIDUAL
CENTERING
Being “Centered” lines up the Power Point of
the foot, through the knee, through the “Center Point of Balance”, and up
through the chin, in one coordinated movement that allows the body to land
precisely ON the beat of the music.
Correct,
individual “Centering”, produces great posture and a sense of body dynamics. It
creates a look of power and a feeling of professional performance.
You can identify this look on specific
dancers, but if I tried to list the ones who have it, I would certainly miss
someone and get myself in trouble. The next time you are observing social
dancing where upper level dancers are simply enjoying the dance - look around. You will be able to identify that extra
element of “centering” by the tingle it creates in your own spine.
In evaluating the performance of a ballet
dancer or a jazz dancer, the same degree of professionalism exists. Movement is
classified by how well the dancer moves from the “Center” and not foot first.
They are not evaluated by how fast or how complicated but how well the body
moves from the center. “FOOT follows FRAME.”
The center moves first. Once you can control
the center to move on the “&” count - prior to a weight change - moving
from the center becomes the focal point for all movement. That one act alone
immediately adds an extra “Dynamic” to your dancing. You will be able to FEEL
the difference. It takes a little time before you can maintain the feeling, but
just feeling it ONE time, allows you to experience that the dynamic exists and
is within your grasp.
PARTNER
CENTERING
It is very difficult to perfect “Partner
Centering” if the individuals involved are not “Centered” themselves. However,
one partner that is well centered can have a positive influence on the
centering and total performance of the other partner.
STAGE ONE in
learning “Partner Centering” is what we call the “Flashlight Technique”.
This simply teaches each partner to aim their
center either toward each other or toward a destination. This will help even basic dancers to start
the centering process.
For the Man:
His “Flashlight” (Center Point of Balance) will be aimed either at his partner
or in the direction that he wants the partner to travel. This makes a strong
connection without the necessity for arm leading, and also maintains a sharper
slot. (A wonderful feeling for the follower.)
For the
Lady: Her “Flashlight” will aim at her partner’s chin. This tends to lengthen
her upper torso which in turn develops better posture and centers her whole
body toward her partner’s center. As she rotates in various patterns, her
“Flashlight”
will return to him as quickly as the tempo of the music allows. This one
technique alone will elevate any performance that was lacking proper centering.
Competition
Observation: “Centering” to the judges
is not considered good taste. There are times when centering to the judges is
part of the natural unfolding of the routine when both partners are actually
facing the judges.
However,
there are times when either the leader or the follower seems to center their
“Flashlight” toward the judges instead of toward each other when it is not
appropriate. In judging circles, we refer to that as “mugging the judges”. It
is particularly noticeable if the lady faces the judges on every anchor instead
of facing her partner. It not only detracts from the performance but also
loosens the “center” connection of the partnership.
STAGE TWO of
developing “Partner Centering” requires more control of each partner’s
individual “Center”. More than having
each partner simply face each other - a certain degree of leverage (based on a
tight control of the 3 zones and a lifted “Center”) - develops a more professional
“attitude” which is the
hallmark of
the upper level dancer. When two
partners are really “Centered” to each other, an astute observer becomes aware
of the action/reaction that takes place in one split second. If you are part of
the partnership, you should be able to feel that action/reaction. The leader’s “Center” moves on “&a” and
the follower reacts to that lead. This allows both partners to land - at the
same time - precisely on the beat of the music. Both partners may choose to
dance different rhythms - even different syncopations - and still be totally
“Centered” because they are connected from one partner’s “Center” to the other
partner’s “Center” - THROUGH the hands - but not only BY the hands.
As a teaching technique I sometimes use
slightly flexible ropes to show how the “Center” does the leading rather than
the arm. The rope is wrapped around the
man’s “Center” while the lady holds on to the rope. He finds out that his
“Center” needs to move in the direction that he wants the lady to go. Their
hands are not connected and yet she is able to follow his lead. In the real
world the lady frequently has to compensate for an arm lead in order to make
the move look more fluid. However, the reverse is also true. Many ladies
strong-arm their partners, believing they are doing a better job of
following.
It is sometimes impossible to determine who
did what to whom because “arm leading” leads to “arm following” and perpetuates
the problem from both sides.
Most
patterns are best led with body leads, directly from the “Center”.
SkippyUUS@aol.com
or phone (562) 869-8949.
