Board
Members
Gary and Kathy Willmes 343-3309
Henry Olivier and Linda Splittstoesser 399-9813
Don and Elaine Reed 343-8929
Dan and Ronalda Driscoll 348-2557
Treasurer – Dan Driscoll 348-2557
Committees
Cards: Kathy Goodrich-Willmes 343-3309
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
Rapid City
Terry Marvin 341-1285
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
CHECK
OUR WEBSITE:
http://rap.midco.net/reedde/www
Notes From the board
Happy Holidays,
We’re off to a good start!
Our Board Members met
on November 9th to finalize plans for the annual Christmas Potluck
Dinner and Dance. Please invite friends
who enjoy dancing to attend! What a
great way to kick off the holiday season!
All DTDC members and friends are invited to attend our
annual Dakota Territory Christmas Potluck Dinner and Dance.
DATE: Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
TIME: 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
PLACE: Moose Lodge on E. St. Pat.
MUSIC: Midnight Sun Band
No Admission Charge: donations are requested to help defray
the cost of hiring the band.
Ham, buns, coffee, plates, cups, utensils, napkins, and
condiments will be furnished by the club.
Please bring a side dish or snacks to share; doors open at 11:30
a.m. Potluck Dinner will begin at 12:00
noon. Midnight Sun Band will be playing
music for dancing from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Linda and Henry have had increased attendance in the weekly Tuesday
night dance lessons since they began in October, especially in the
beginner classes. Their DJ dances will continue on the 2nd Friday
of the month (8:45 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) at the Moose Lodge. (No
charge; donations only). The next DJ dance is on Friday, December 14th. Be sure to mark it on your calendar! And just a reminder to singles, be sure to
attend! We need more singles (men as
well as women) to attend so everyone can enjoy all the dances.
In addition to
offering club-sponsored lessons and dances, we would like to increase the
number of opportunities for DTDC members and friends to dance together. If you know of a good band that will be
playing locally or would like to celebrate a birthday or anniversary at a local
club, please
E-mail us at: reed de@hotmail.com and we will pass on
the information to all club members. We
would also like your input on adding an additional “practice night” to the
weekly schedule. (See announcement under Dance Practice for more information).
Also, don’t forget to
attend the monthly DJ dances now held at the Canyon Lake Senior
Center Viking Hall, on the 4th Friday of each month. Debbie Ellerton of Heartland Dancing hosts the dances.
Debbie’s next dance
will be on Friday November 30th from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (Admission is $5 per person). A free lesson on
turning technique will be held at 7:30 p.m. prior to the dance.
Les Harrington offers
dance lessons, free of charge
every Sunday Afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on East St. Patrick Street.
November,
2007 Meeting Minutes
Dakota
Territory Dance Club
November
9th 2007
The DTDC Board held a brief meeting to review
the current Treasurer’s Report and plan for the coming Christmas dance. Dan Driscoll, Treasurer, submitted the
following treasurer’s report:
July through November 07, 2007
Deposits:
(lesson fees & membership dues)
Jul. $000.00
Aug. $000.00
Sept. $000.00
Oct. $
90.00
Nov. 07 $305.00
Expenses:
Jul. ($ 56.00)
Aug. ($000.00)
Sept. ($ 13.39)
Oct. ($225.00)
Balance:
Jul. $1,019.49
Aug. $1,019.49
Sept. $1,006.10
Oct.
$871.10
Nov. 07 $1,176.10
PRACTICE
THE DANCE CLUB NEEDS YOU & YOU & YOU! We can’t have too many people!
Waltz
and Two-step lessons will continue through November; but there will be no
lessons during December. The lessons for January will be beginner level Jitterbug and West Coast Swing. In February we will teach Cha-cha and continue instruction in West Coast Swing.
Each week’s lesson will build on the skills learned in the
previous lesson. Have a great time with
us and enjoy the challenge!
We will
be working off a pre-set schedule of dances for each month. The beginner level lessons will address the
basic footwork and basic moves of both dances from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The intermediate level lessons will offer
you the opportunity to learn more complex moves and patterns. This session runs from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00
p.m.
Note: The advanced lessons will require a good
knowledge of all dance steps, foot positioning and techniques, prior to
registering for these lessons!
Cost for the lessons is $3 per person, per evening. Our lessons are held in the Viking Hall at
the Canyon Lake Senior Citizen’s Center, on Tuesday evenings, October through
April, with a break in December.
We need volunteers for everything!!!
Speaking of volunteers if any would like to volunteer to teach a
move at the second class please get a hold of 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. That's all from my corner.
We need
single men and women!
Linda
Splittstoesser,
Practice
Chairperson
Attention!
We need “YOUR” input!
At our September meeting we discussed having a weekly Practice Night in addition to
our current Lessons night.
It would just be a social hour or so to practice individually;
whatever you wish.
We’d provide the music and also help out
if someone needed clarification or an example. (No lessons will
be provided).
There would be, by necessity, a one or two dollar charge; in
order to pay rental hall fees.
If you have any interest
in something like this please call or E-mail:
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
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 Chairperson
P.
S. Is your
membership about to expire? Renew your
membership at the Christmas Dance or at the Tuesday night lesson. If you are not sure when your membership is
due, just ask and I will check that for you—Thanks!!
Member Profile
Janene Trammell-Polk,
I’ve lived in the Rapid City area for over 22
years. I’ve been in the Home Financing
business for 20 years and work at First National Bank as a Real Estate Loan
Originator. I have a son, Andrew and 2
Westies, Liam & Lola. My hobbies
include riding my 1994 Harley Softail, skydiving, traveling with my friends,
and dancing.
Music has been a major part of my life since childhood. Everyone in my family has been involved in music either singing, dancing or
playing guitar, likewise, I’ve tried playing several different instruments from
piano, Irish Flute, tin whistle, dulcimer, to the Irish Bodhran to accompany in
the family music sessions. In the spring
of 2005 some of my friends encouraged me to take dance classes, probably so
they didn’t have to listen to my Irish Flute concerts. I am truly grateful, dance class and dancing
has become a passion of mine. Dancing
has been a way to keep music in my life, it’s great exercise and I’ve met many
wonderful people thru dance classes. I
love all types of dances; however, my favorites are West Coast Swing, Night
Club Two Step and Cha-Cha. Of course
there was a time when Beginning Jitterbug was a huge challenge so it is nice to
see my skill level improved because part of my enjoyment in dance classes is
assisting the beginner student and encouraging the student who is frustrated by
letting them know it really does get easier with lessons and floor time.
Enjoy life, treasure friends and dance-- it’s
good for the heart!
(Let us know if you would like to be
featured in the member profile; we can email a form for you to complete or you
can submit your own information.)
LOCAL
EVENTS:
11/30/07;
12/28/07; 1/25/08; 2/22/08 – Heartland Dancing hosts Friday night DJ dances
each month at the Viking Hall, Canyon Lake Senior Center; 8:00 – 11:00
p.m. Free dance lesson at 7:30 p.m.
12/2/07
Dakota Territory Dance Club’s Annual Christmas Potluck Dinner & Dance at
the Moose Lodge on E. St. Patrick St.
Doors open at 11:30 am. Dinner
at 12:00 noon; Dance to Midnight Sun 1:00 – 5:00 pm.
12/8/07;
1/11/08; 2/8/08– Linda and Henry host Friday night DJ Dances at the Moose
Lodge. 8:45 – 11:00 p.m.
4/24-
4/26/08 – 12th Annual Black Hills Dance Festival at the Rapid City
Civic Center
SURROUNDING
AREA EVENTS:
5th Annual
“Dance Steps”
Dance
Showcase & Workshops
Saturday, May
3, 2008
Liederkranz, 403 W 1st Street, Grand Island, NE
Other
Links:
http://www.oklahomadancefest.com
http://www.jitterbug.org/december06.htm
http://www,dancefun.com/index.htm
http://www.ucwdc.org/eventschedule.shtm
All
About Dancing
Type these locations into your web browser
and watch several free West Coast Swing (WCS) instruction videos.
http://www.expertvillage.com/videos/intro-swing.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9DLqhZlJ48
DANCE
BASICS:
THE
ELEMENTS OF DANCE FUNDAMENTALS OF MOVEMENT
by
Morwenna Assaf, Director
Based on works by Robert Cohan "The
Dance Workshop"
When you start dancing, it is
important to recognize the tools a dancer needs. There are eight (8) elements
in dance that are most vital. As you progress your understanding will change as
you discover what they mean to your body. The total sum of these elements is
what is meant by technique.
CENTERING:
This is fundamental to your
ability to dance well. This is maintaining a sense of your own body center that
holds you together as you move. It allows you to move gracefully and freely.
This means you have to have the ability to move, to hold, to organize yourself
around your own physical body. If you are centered you can eventually learn how
to do anything. If you are not centered you may develop beautiful looking arms
and legs but never be able to move well. Liken your center to home. If you
don’t have a sense of home you will probably get lost every time you go out.
Your body needs to be balanced like a seesaw. Position fluctuates between
individuals. Center for Middle Eastern Dance is in the solar plexus. Every
movement has to go through center. This is what makes it Oriental or eastern.
Your natural base is approximately just below the navel but the movements for
this dance form come from the solar plexus. Everything emanates from there.
Start by feeling how your arms and legs work from the same central point in the
back. Moving from your center will make movements easier to control.
GRAVITY:
This is the force that holds
you to the earth. It is a force you have to work with because it constantly
inhibits movement. Try to become aware of the pulls in your own body. What
points are taking the most weight? When you push on these points can you feel a
rise up from them? You should be holding yourself better. When you dance you
want to feel as if someone is pushing you under your buttocks and the base of
your spine and directing the energy up through your breastbone.
BALANCE:
Balance is concerned with more
than balancing on one leg. Your aim is to achieve and constantly maintain an
inner balance of the whole body. It is tension of mutual support among all
parts that brings the whole together in a new way. It is an inner relationship
between all the points of your body, which you hold in your awareness. It is
not something you do once in awhile. It is constant. A sense of balance whether
you are moving or standing. In the actual act of balancing, if you can find
inner balance, you are nearly there. If you are aware internally the need for
the sensation of balance, you should be able to get it. * Remember, balancing
in both states is an active state.
POSTURE:
To achieve this element you
need to change your perception of your body, there is often a wide discrepancy
between what feels right and what looks right. Dancers work all their dance
lives on their posture, also called alignment. It is the key to balance and
movement. Your posture not only reveals your feelings but can also reveal
feelings in you. Learn how to stand properly. You will actually feel brighter
and more aware.
GESTURE:
Gesture involves using the body
as an expressive instrument to communicate feelings and ideas in patterns of
movement. With subtle gestures and postural attitudes we show cooperation, give
confidence to friends or display aggression to enemies. Arms crossed over chest
create a protective wall. Hands on the hips mean "show me", fists on
hips is even more challenging. Anger patterns are depicted very differently
form joy or sadness. Weight on one hip -waiting. Hands out in front you ready
to give or receive. Raising shoulders is a gesture of not knowing or caring.
Shoulders forward expresses pain. Tapping foot boredom. Observe! Recognize what
the body is saying.
RHYTHM:
Finding rhythm is largely a
matter of paying attention. It is something everybody has; though, some people
are not as aware or sensitive to it. Our hearts beat to a rhythm, our lungs
breathe to another. Rhythm is essential for a dancer. Pay attention! Generally the
beat is carried by the drum. Make sure you are right on the beat, not slightly
late. All the work going into making a beat has already been completed by the
time you hear it. In fact to get it right, you have to anticipate the beat
slightly. Feel as if you are making the beat with your body as well as hearing
it. Try to be at one with it, rather than dancing to it. It is the rhythm and
the beat of the dance that form the "threads" which allow you to
memorize the structure of the dance.
MOVING in SPACE:
You need to be as aware of the
space around you as a cat. You have to move with care and awareness, gauging
the space. Space is not just empty air but a tangible element that you move
through. Consider the space an area you must go through. Consciously go through
space. Feel your accomplishment as a journey through space. You will express
thoughts and emotions. Actually press your feelings out through your torso and
limbs in such a way as to show other people how we are feeling and to satisfy
our desire of movement. Our muscles feel better when they are used, and once we
get used to moving them, the whole body will respond by working in harmony with
itself; to dance.
BREATHING:
Breathing is crucial to dance.
Not only does it bring oxygen to the body but it also gives your movements
fluency and harmony. It is an expressive tool. Calm slow breathing suggests a
certain degree of self-control and denotes a specific quality of movement. A
movement with breath has a controlled and considered extension of time, a clear
beginning and end no matter how fast or slow the phrase. A phrase without
breath looks stiff and mechanical. It is important to learn how to do two or
three things at the same time. You frequently have to divide your attention
while dancing. You must learn to breathe deeply expanding your ribs at the back
of the body rather than from the front. This will also give a more emotional,
organic look.
WEST COAST SWING BASIC
Dance
Tips by Gil Maldonado
Specialist
Dance Instructor
TC
Dance Club, See Gil's page.
West
Coast Swing really has 2 basic steps. The first is a basic step very similar to
the East Coast Swing basic step. The second is the Sugar Push basic step.
First West Coast Swing Basic
Frame:
As in East Coast Swing the partners are in "promenade" dance
position. This is a "V" shaped dance position where the man's right
hip and the lady's left hip are close at the point of the "V". The
dancers' heads face the open end of the "V". The feet are in third
position, which is heel to instep.
First WC Basic Step - Gentleman
The man
takes a step tap forward, than a triple step back and finishes with a rock
step. All this is done in promenade dance position. The gentleman can do this
basic step one or two times until he is ready to lead his partner into the
second West Coast Swing basic, the Sugar Push.
Throw Out into The Sugar Push
The
Throw Out into the Sugar Push is the transition between the first West Coast
Basic Step and the second basic, or Sugar Push. When he is ready to lead his
partner into the Sugar Push, the gentleman will use slightly different footwork
than if he were doing a regular basic step. Instead of doing a rock step, the
gentleman takes a side step, in second foot positioning, with his left foot as
the lady is rocking back. He then leads the lady to take 3 running steps
forward, with a turn at the end.
While
the lady is doing her running steps, the gentleman does a triple step in place.
At the end of her turn, he triples away from her slightly. The partners are now
facing each other and they are ready to begin the Sugar Push basic step.
Sugar Push Basic Step - Gentleman
The
gentleman takes two small steps back starting with his left foot (count 1,2).
Stopping all movement back on the second step, he then does a tap with his left
foot (count of "3"). He then recovers the distance he traveled
backward by taking a step forward with his left foot (count of "4")
and then does a triple step in place (count of "5 & 6").
First WC Basic Step - Lady
Starting
on her right foot, the lady takes a step tap forward then a triple step back
and finishes with a rock step while done in promenade position. The lady
follows as the gentleman repeats this step one or two times or until he is
ready to lead her into the second basic, the Sugar Push.
Throw Out for the Lady
While
the gentleman changes his foot- work from rock step to side step, he will lead
the lady into her running steps. The lady will still do her rock back, then
runs for three quick steps, passing in front of her gentleman and swiveling to
face her partner on the third step. She then adds her triple step in place.
Sugar Push Basic Step - Lady
West Coast Swing is not a dance
where the partners "mirror" each other. The lady begins the Sugar Push
with her right foot and takes 2 steps forward (for the count "1, 2"),
taps with her right foot (count of "3"). Reaches back to recover the
distance with her next step (count "4"). She then finishes with a
triple step, starting with her left foot count of "5 & 6").
