Strictly Tuesday

The regular Tuesday night west coast swing party held by Strictly Westie in Manhattan was at Connolly's again this week and will be there every Tuesday for the month of May. The dance floor at this Times Square pub is devine. The DJ (artist du jour), Brian Kidd, provided music fit for the ride to heaven!

This is the second time that Strictly Westie has hosted a dance at Connolly's. This time, the tables were moved to the other side of the room, freeing up quite a bit of dance floor. It also made it easier to mingle and find dance partners. There was an attempt to make the room more intimate by drawing the curtains but I liked it better when the lights were up a bit more.

http://www.connollyspubandrestaurant.com

The DJ was excellent! Every song was fun to dance to. Unlike most DJs who have a tendency to play some uninteresting contemporary and even hustle music - this was not the case with Brian. It was west coast swing all the way.

The only thing missing from this event were many New Jersey people. Blarney is two blocks from Penn Station and the PATH train. Connolly's is 15 blocks away - through the heart (and crowds of tourists) of Times Square. And parking - forget about it! I miss seeing those people.

Still, about 60 people showed up and danced until they were forced against their wills to leave. I was one of them. Had to take the late train and end up sitting in Hoboken. You know what, it was worth it!

Stepping Out Open House

One of the best venues in New York City is the monthly Open House Party at Stepping Out Dance Studios. It is free to everyone without obligation or pressure to sign up for lessons. There is a free dance class (no need for a partner), social dancing in the ballroom and a spectacular show. http://www.steppingoutstudios.com/

One of the reasons the show was so spectacular is that my Hustle Performance Class did its farewell performance. We were as good as we could be and proud of how far we had come in developing hustle skills. Lorianne Greenhouse did an amazing job of choreographing this routine to "Native New Yorker." The material was easy to remember and we never got sick of it over the whole four months. Our last performance was polished and fun!

There were several other astounding performances as well. Jules Helm came out dressed as the GQ version of a matador. Together with his student, who was quite handy with a black lace shawl, they wowed the audience with unique and memorable Paso Doble fit for "Dancing With the Stars"!

Tybaldt Ulrich and his student performed a hustle routine that I truly believe showed his ability to teach the dance. His student accomplished this piece at a level most of us only hope we can achieve. I am sure that Stepping Out inspired members of the audience to register for hustle classes.

Before, during breaks and after the show, the ballroom was hopping. No one could sit while the music played. There was also a latin room which was filled with salsa dancers. At least 200 people attended on Friday evening - I think that every one of them would agree that Stepping Out was the place to be!

Platinum Party

The third Friday night of every month in Manhattan is blessed by Eric Novoa's Platinum Party. This month featured a hustle lesson by Silvana Gallager. The DJ was Wes Carajat who always finds the best funky music. It was very difficult to sit out a dance. http://www.swingshoes.net/

This event is supposed to be a mix of hustle and west coast swing. Eric Novoa is certainly trying to promote hustle. And, there was an excellent turnout in Sylvana's 30 minute crash course. However, most of the crowd were west coasties and that's the music they ultimately asked for.

As always, the atmosphere at Platinum is comfortable. The usual dancers that can be found at the west coast swing events attended. But, unlike some of the other events, it can be a little tough getting a dance because there are usually more followers than leaders at Platinum.

Some dancers have an natural gift for the music. They hear tones and feel variations in the rhythm that many dancers miss. Sometimes the leader is busy leading convoluted patterns. Sometimes the follower is too absorbed in syncopations and styling to become hooked into the rhythm with their leader. Then, there is an occassional leader that is so totally hooked into the music that it is impossible to do one's own thing.

I had a dance with one fantastic leader and it was the highlight of my evening. This particular person is at the top of my list for slower, more sultry music. He interprets the rhythm like a trained musician. It is as if he is literally plugged into the sound system.

It was very difficult to end the evening. I never seem to get my fill of this dance. Judging from the rest of the crowd who lingered until the end of the last song, I was not the only one.

Stepping Out - Hustle Jam

Every Wednesday night an eclectic mix of old and new school hustle dancers from Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and New Jersey stream into Stepping Out Dance Studio in New York City to dance hustle the way it was meant to be danced! http://www.steppingoutstudios.com/

Nelson "Paradise" Roman was spinning all the old favorite tunes from back in the day. Requests were being taken seriously. The girls all brought it on - their stylized arms and graceful spins - a flash of gold lemé and rhinestones. The boys took THEM seriously too!

When songs like "Don’t Leave Me That Way," "I Will Survive" and "Staying Alive" came on, hustlers flooded the dance floor, their sequins reflecting off the disco ball. The air was electrified with energy - as if lightening had struck! Every dancer transcended into disco nirvana.

Its good to know that the hustle is alive and well, in New York City!

Hustle Performance Class

Last night at Stepping Out Dance Studios in Manhattan, this class rehearsed before our performance at the upcoming Wednesday night hustle party. Lori Ann Greenhouse, nine times world hustle champion, did a wonderful job of choreographing and patiently teaching us a terrific routine danced to "Native New Yorker". http://www.steppingoutstudios.com/

What an experience this has been! When the class first convened in January of this year, most of us did not know each other - nor did we have dance partners. But that all changed. LoriAnne made created excellent partnerships between us and together we formed a cohesive team.

We met every Monday night and sometimes on Wednesdays to rehearse our routine. Little by little we memorized the material. All of us took private lessons with Lori Ann and learned how to execute hustle patterns more effectively and much more stylishly.

We are about to perform this routine for a second time. Our first performance was okay - we managed it without any screwups. Our timing was off in some places but overall, we were proud of ourselves. Everyone was really jazzed after the show. I got my partner to admit - and I suspect this is true of everyone on our team - that there is superstar inside of us just dying to be let loose!

Millenium Party - Ballroom Dancing

You Should Be Dancing is a HOT dance school in the middle of New York City. Twice a month it hosts an amazing dance venue in which it features three rooms of dancing: salsa, ballroom and hustle. http://www.youshouldbedancing.net/

Even though it was the night before Easter Sunday, this place was packed! The darkened, sultry hustle room was filled with dancers. Franklyn Ayala was the DJ in the salsa room and it was at capacity. The ballroom was hopping, too.

It was a very friendly group of people. It didn't matter if you were a seasoned pro (Lou Brockman and Heather Gehring from Dance Manhattan glided over the floor) or a beginner. Everyone danced with everyone else.

And I met dancers I hadn't had a chance to know before. It was a breath of fresh air and a change of pace. Highly recommended!

City Swing at the Iguana

This west coast swing party is normally at the Blarneystone on 8th Avenue and 31st Street in New York City on Thursday nights but their floor is being resurfaced. Though there was a low turnout, we had a good time just because those who came were in the right kind of mood. http://www.cityswingnyc.com/

Dimitry Lapidus was the DJ and he played a wonderful selection of dance music. The floor at Iguana, on the lower level bar, is trash. The Iguana should be ashamed. That floor isn't fit for green beer night on St. Patrick's Day.

Only about a dozen people showed up but they were all very friendly. (Of course, more followers than leaders.) It was an opportunity to break the ice between a few of us who haven't spoken before. We all danced together a lot more because we were all we had. And Brian Faust, the event coordinator, danced with a lot of the followers. Brian is always fun to dance with.

There was no lesson, no mention was made of the event on the Strictly Westie website during the day, its the middle of the holidays (Passover/Easter), and the location - may have affected attendance. What a pain to get there! Anyone who resides outside of NYC has a heck of a time getting from Penn Station or the PATH train to 54th and 7th Avenue on the subway, bus or taxi right through the Times Square insanity. I don't even want to think about parking. And to top it all off, it was a full moon!

But, thanx anyway to Brian and Kelly Faust for trying. As far as some of us are concerned, there can never be too much west coast swing dancing.

New Dance Shoes!

My hustle performance class at Stepping Out Dance Studios in New York City had its first show Friday night. When I saw our pictures, I was really proud of how we looked. Then I saw my shoes - yikes!

First, I headed over to the biggest dance shoe store in New York City, Worldtone on 23rd Street and 7th Avenue. There is a good but limited selection and anyway, everyone seems to be wearing the same three styles that they got from there. I wanted something different. http://www.worldtonedance.com/

So I logged onto the internet and I must have looked at 1000 pairs of dance shoes. There are just too many choices! In the whole world there must be half a dozen styles for men. For women - the choices are endless!

I've bought shoes from Ballroom Dance Shoe Store before and was very pleased. They had a very tempting pair of shoes in tan but I wanted silver (I've decided that I must have something special). I bet every woman would love a pair of silver dancing slippers! http://www.danceshoesstore.com/

There is a company called Star Dance Shop that had some really great and different styles. Since I wouldn't dare try to dance in high heels, it was great to find this on-line shop with a good selection of thick 1 1/2 inch heels and they even had them in gold and silver. http://www.stardanceshop.com/

Then I discovered Ebay has some very interesting discount private sellers. A company called Apple sells Very Fine shoes at a discount and has a 99% approval rating. Ballroomroom 2007 is an outfit out of China selling "Wemen" customizable shoes at a 98.2% approval rating.

And then there is Step One Dance Shoes which offers the "Fantasy" collection. The shoes can be special ordered with charge per variation such as changing the heel for $5 and adding a rhinestone buckle for $2.50. It is also possible to go really nuts and have them build me a special order at a hefty price. http://www.steponedanceshoes.com/

I spent all day looking at shoes and have NO IDEA of what to get!

A Three Minute Love Affair

For many people, west coast swing becomes very important. Some people find it almost addictive. It can be so difficult to learn really well that it can become somewhat of an obsession. What is it about this dance that drives us nuts?!

Some of us, particularly younger dancers and those with dance training, pick this dance up easily. They see their friends doing it. Its just another fun thing to do and easily taken for granted.

Others of us either fall in love with this dance because of the music. Rhythm & blues has a sultry, subtle elastic quality that the dance interprets. Its the musical embodiment of the physical attraction between two human bodies - a three minute love affair.

But its not easy for most of us to learn really well. We want to look good on the dance floor. We want to hit those breaks with style. So they take classes, go to dances, take private lessons, spend a fortune on dance shoes and even enter dance competitions.

Perhaps then we can have those tender, anxious moments, in a precious dance.

Strictly Connolly's

What a fantastic venue this was! The usual Tuesday night dance held by Strictly Westie at the Blarneystone was temporarily moved while the floors are being done. Connolly's is in the heart of Times Square and getting there included a fun walk through the area viewing the giant neon billboards and listening to the sound of tourists being amazed. http://www.strictlywestie.com

Connolly's is a bigger space than Blarneystone and has an stunning dance floor. Our level jumped up - just because of it! There was plenty of room to spread out and tables where people could congregate into smaller groups. Dimitry Lapidus was the DJ and he was really on his game - spinning the best contemporary and rhythm & blues music. Every song was inspiring.

I will say that Blarney is a little funkier and more atmospheric. Since the space is more narrow, there are few areas to congregate into groups. People mingle more and its either dance or get out of the way! It was certainly fun, however, to go on a "roadtrip."

The highlight of my evening was a really good dance with Michael Diener (one of the creators of Strictly Westie). He is more advanced than I am so it is a good indication that my skills are improving.

Many thanx to Strictly Westie for organizing an unforgetable night of dancing!

Gotham Saturday Night

New York City's Gotham Swing Club has a monthly dance on the first Saturday of every month. This month Jennifer DeLuca gave workshops. John Lindo, event organizer for Liberty Swing held in New Jersey every summer, was the DJ and played an excellent selection of rhythm and blues and contemporary tunes. http://www.gothamswingclub.org/

The New York City west coast swing scene is very fun. Everyone dances with everyone else and the atmosphere is very friendly and comfortable. This event enjoyed an amazing turnout which included people from the tri-state area.

During the evening there was a Jack n' Jill. Unfortunately, in the effort to maintain ease and simplicity, there were no partner changes - as is customary in competative events. Instead, we danced two dances with the same partner - and for some of us - this was not a good thing. But those are the breaks.

Hats off to Gotham Swing Club for creating a truly memorable swing dance experience!

Social Dance - Today's Singles Scene

Every town has them: social dances of all kinds. Most people are surprised at the vibrant party scene they discover when first learning to dance. All ages and types join together at ballroom dances, tango salons, swing venues and hustle parties.

Dance schools exist in every hamlet all over the globe. Some cities have large schools with three or four lessons of various dances being taught each hour, every night (all day on Saturday and Sundays). Smaller towns have teachers renting space anywhere they can find - the local firehouse, an elementary school, a church. Students always change partners which makes it easy to meet new people.

There are dance weekend events at resorts and dance cruises which host several dance teachers and offer lessons, social dancing and competitions. These events attract people from all over the USA and sometimes abroad such as the annual Boston Tea Party held in Massachusetts. http://www.teapartyswings.com/

Its really fun to attend venues in other countries. Paris has a spectacular tango scene. London is fabulous for swing dance. Barcelona zings with Cuban style salsa. People may not speak the same language but they share a common method of communication - DANCE!

Dance is all about feeling the music, spending time with friendly acquaintances, (maybe developing a special friendship) and having something fun to look forward to doing - all the time!