Two Left Feet

Moving up and moving on

2008-06-24T17:06:00.001-07:00

As many of you know the new ballroom year is well underway, complete with new events, new fun, and of course your new officers.
The new team has set up a new online home which is regularly updated and filled with all the best information.

Thanks for reading and happy dancing.

Signing off,

Lindsey Loughman

Spring back into Ballroom

2008-03-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hi,

 I hope that everyone has had a good break.  We have all of our normal events this week with the addition of the new Argentine Tango Club.

Happy Dancing

Lindsey

Regular Weekly Updates

------------------------------------------------

No Partner or Experience Necessary

On Campus

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swing Club – Monday, March 17 
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Argentine Tango Club – Monday, March 17
Lesson taught by Fuad
Lesson at 7 p.m. 
Myers Programming room 
For more information contact: 
Zach Gaeta zagaeta(at)yahoo.com

Friday Night Dance Party, March 21 
Lesson: TBD
Free Lesson at 7 p.m. 
Dance Party from 8 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. 
New Dance Theatre 
$3 for students $5 for non students

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday March 23 Lesson: TBDBeginner lesson from7-8 p.m.Advanced Lesson from8:30-9:00 p.m. Open dancing till9:30 p.m. Memorial Hall Ballroom$2

Rueda Salsa - Sunday March 23 (Its like group salsa) promptly6:30 p.m.before the Sunday Night Lesson Free

Dancing around town

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swing and Ladies – Tuesday, March 18 
Buffalo’s Café in Alps Shopping Center – Tuesday 
Lesson: 9- 10 p.m.  
Dancing 10 – 12 p.m. 
$3 at the door
Just go through to the back room.  Also feel free to show up early to dine.

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, March 18
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

SpicySalsa - Wednesday, March 19
The Library in downtown Athens - http://tinyurl.com/yv76wq
420 Clayton Street(formally last call)
Lesson by Matt @ 9p.m.
10 p.m. Open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink.
$4

Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, March 22
No Lesson 
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. 
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+) 
$5 cover ($10 is live band)

~BDC~

Ballroom Events

2008-02-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Few announcements:
There is no Rueda Salsa this week.
There is also no Friday Night Dance party this week.

Happy dancing,

Lindsey

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

On Campus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Dance Lesson - Sunday March 2nd
Lesson: Foxtrot
Beginner lesson from 7-8 p.m.;
Advanced Lesson from 8:30-9:00 p.m.
Open dancing till 9:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Swing Club - Monday March 3rd
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Dancing around town
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, March 1
No Lesson
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+)
$5 cover ($10 is live band)

Swing and Ladies – Tuesday, March 4th
Buffalo’s Café in Alps Shopping Center – Tuesday
Lesson: 9- 10 p.m.
Dancing 10 – 12 p.m.
$3 at the doorJ
Just go through to the back room. Also feel free to show up early to dine.

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, March 4th
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 pm
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

SpicySalsa - Wednesday, feb 27
The Library in downtown Athens - http://tinyurl.com/yv76wq
Lesson by Matt @ 9p.m.
10 p.m. Open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink.
$4
~BDC~

February is about Lovin' Latin Workshops

2008-02-18T19:33:00.001-08:00

Our first workshops of the semester will be held next Sunday. The first part of the day will be in the Ramsey center from 1-4 p.m. while the second part will take place at our normal time of 7-8:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall Ballroom.

The day has three sessions: the first two are Argentine Tango lessons and the final session is a Cha Cha lesson. Pricing is $8 per session for students and $10 for non students for each additional session you attend the pricing goes down (see flier picture for matrix). If you are wondering why the pricing is different than our regular Sunday Night Lesson, the answer is that, workshop teachers are paid for their time and are not volunteers.

We are very excited to have Fuad Elhage teaching our Argentine Tango lesson. So many people have requested this lesson we are truly excited that it has come about.
Fuad's day job is all about teaching Spanish at the university, but in his dancing life he has taught Salsa at Last Call in downtown Athens, taught Argentine Tango with TangoRojo, a local Tango troupe, and preformed Tango and Salsa in Atlanta.

The cha cha lesson will be taught by our usual instructors, Rachel Holland and Brandon Buckner. You can look forward to new and fresh moves we often miss in our regular lessons and and styling tips.

You can attend the both cha cha and first Argentine Tango lesson with no prior experience. However, in order to attend the second tango session, you must attend the first tango session or have previous Argentine Tango experience.

We really hope you will come out and join us.

Valentine's Day Events

2008-02-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day,

I hope you all are having a great week.

Mark your calendars! We are having an Argentine Tango with Fuad and a Cha Cha Workshop on Sunday 24th. We hope you'll join us.

Happy Dancing

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

On Campus
----------------------------------
Valentines Day Dance: Friday Night Dance Party, Feb. 15th
Ramsey- Areobics Room B
Free Rhumba Lesson- 7-8
Open Dance- 8-10:30
Cost: 3$ for students, 5$ for non-students

*** Wear Red if you're in a relationship, white if you're looking and pink if your really don't care.

Night Dance Lesson - Sunday Feb. 17th
Lesson: Salsa and/or Rueda Salsa
Beginner lesson from 7-8 p.m.;
Advanced Lesson from 8:30-9:00 p.m.
Open dancing till 9:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Rueda Lesson- Sunday Feb. 17th
(Rueda salsa is like group salsa)
Lesson starts at 6:30 pm before the Sunday Night Lesson
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Swing Club - Monday Feb. 18th
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Dancing around town
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, Feb. 16th
No Lesson
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+)
$5 cover ($10 is live band)

Swing and Ladies – Tuesday, Feb. 19th
Buffalo’s Café in Alps Shopping Center
Lesson: 9- 10 p.m.
Dancing 10 – 12 p.m.
$3 at the doorJ
Just go through to the back room. Also feel free to show up early to dine.

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday Feb. 19th
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 pm
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

SpicySalsa - Wednesday Feb. 20th
The Library in downtown Athens.
Lesson by Matt @ 9p.m.
10 p.m. Open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink.
$4

Salsa at Tasty World – Wednesday Feb. 20th
Tasty World Downtown
Lesson at 9 p.m.
10 p.m. open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink
$4

~BDC~

Contact Us:
Bdcuga@gmail.com

The Refusal to Dance

2008-02-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

Etiquette provides us with guides for behavior, rules to general acceptance to fall back on. While many of us may rail against the Man and his ways , the Ballroom community still adheres to some of these traditions. To not follow them, may have the same effect as wearing orange to a GA game...
Here are some tips for Etiquette Mistress herself Ms. Emily Post:

THE REFUSAL TO DANCE

If [a girl] is sitting in a group, he [the man] can go up and ask her, "Don't you want to dance some of this?" She then either smiles and says, "Not just now-I am very tired," or if she likes him, she may add, "Come and sit with us!"

To refuse to dance with one man and then immediately dance with another is an open affront to the first one- excusable only if he was intoxicated or otherwise actually offensive so that the affront was justifiable. But under ordinary circumstances, if she is "dancing," she must dance with every one who asks her; if she is "not dancing," she must not make exceptions.

...In certain communities, a girl dancing with her eyes shuts is recognized as signaling that she does not want to be "cut in on." This is an excellent practice but not one to be followed either often or for too long a time. This is done sometimes in order to give thise who dance well together a chance to enjoy at least one long dance.
At a public ball or cabaret- or wherever "cutting in" is not practiced, it is always the priviledge of the girl to stop dancing; a man is supposed to dance on and on, until she- or the music- stops..."

Thanks to Rachel Holland in providing the research for this post

Super Salsa Wednesday

2008-02-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

If you've been missing Salsa, now all you need to decide is where you want to go and dance.

Here is line up for this Wednesday:

Salsa Benefit
Benefiting victims of last week's tornado
At Buffalo's Southwest Cafe on Alps
9 p.m. free lesson
10 p.m. open dance
$5
Just go through to the back room. Also feel free to show up early to dine.

SpicySalsa (from the Ritz)
Beginning this week.
The Library in downtown Athens.
Lesson by Matt @ 9p.m.
10 p.m. Open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink.
$4

Salsa at Tasty World
Tasty World Downtown
Lesson at 9 p.m.
10 p.m. open dancing
18 to party, 21 to drink
$4

Happy Dancing

Tango Music

2008-02-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

Tango music can be some of the hardest music to hunt down but while I researching for the last post I found this site on building a good tango music collection.

Happy dancing

Looking back on Tango

2008-02-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

This post is a long time coming: Review of our Tango lesson on Jan 27.

If your interested in learning more Tango, you should mark your calendar for our Argentine Tango Workshop on Feb. 24 in the Ramsey Center from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

On to the review.

The beginners lesson we learned:

The Basic - Slow slow quick quick slow (Aka T-A-N-G-O)
Outside of partner- This occurs when the lead gently pulls the follow's shoulder so that their frames are side by side each other rather than in front of one another.
The Lunge - In class we learned the Tango lunge to side, where the lead's left leg is bent and the the right leg is extended to the side. Lunges can also be done in forward movements as they as are in the Leg Crawl.
Cameo or Leg crawl - In both the beginning and advanced lesson we covered the basic leg crawl. This is time for drama and to show off your passion. However, its o.k. your not "passionate" with every partner. Here is a great example of a passionate leg crawl.
Tango Rocks - A move that is best used when trying to get around and blocked up dance floor. The lead pulls gently on the follow to rock minimally forward and backwards during the first two slows of the basic.

In the advanced lesson:

To begin we discussed the two different faces of Tango. The face of anger and machoness, as displayed Tango Roxanne from Moulin Rouge and the face of passion, as displayed in the True Lies Tango.

The moves we dicussed were:

Ochos - or figure eights are executed by the woman twisting her frame and feet so that they appear to float over a very tiny figure eight pattern.
Beat alterations - This is simply something to play around with. All moves can be expanded to include more moves or moves of different beat structures as long as they eventually fall back in basic time.
Drunken Sailor- This move had many different parts to it and I am going to try to summarize them as best I can. If you have questions please comment and we will try to clarify this description or come and visit us on Sunday night.
The counts (in 4/4 time where slow equals one beat and quick equals half of a beat) are divided thusly

In promenade position to the lead's left for - Slow quick
Forward steps into Ronds de jambe in which the outside leg moves forward and then back; quick and slow
closing up; quick quick slow
Into Twistes; quick quick slow
Back brake into and full leg crawl; quick quick slow

Valentine's week events

2008-02-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

Hello Dancers,

Happy news, Swing is back this week at Buffalo's on Alps rd. Also Rueda Salsa is returning to Sunday Nights!

On other notes, we are planing our first "workshop" for Sunday the 24. The workshop will be from 1-4 p.m at Ramsey.

We wanted to know: Are you still interested in having a Sunday night lesson that night?

Please give us some feedback.

Happy dancing,
Lindsey

On Campus Dancing
--------------------------------
Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday Feb, 10
Lesson: Waltz
Beginner lesson from 7-8 p.m.; Advanced Lesson from 8:30-9:00 p.m.
Open dancing till 9:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Rueda Lesson- Sunday Feb 10
(Rueda salsa is like group salsa)
Lesson starts at 6:30 pm before the Sunday Night Lesson
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Swing Club - Monday Feb 11
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Off Campus Dancing
--------------------------------------
Buffalo’s Café in Alps Shopping Center – Tuesday, Feb 12
Lesson: 9- 10 p.m.
Dancing 10 – 12 p.m.
$3 at the doorJ
Just go through to the back room. Also feel free to show up early to dine.

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, Feb 12
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 pm
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

Near Future
----------------------------
Valentine's Friday Night Dance Party - Feb 15

~BDC~

Contact Us:
Bdcuga@gmail.com

Events

2008-01-31T21:49:00.000-08:00

I know that you all are anxiously awaiting last weeks Tango review, and I promise it is coming soon. In the mean time you can check out BPG's Tango this evening. Here are the rest of the happenings this week:

On Campus Dancing Events
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary


Friday Night Dance, Friday Feb 1
Lesson: Tango
Free Lesson at 7 p.m.
Dance Party from 8 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
New Dance Theatre
$3 for students $5 for non students


Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday Feb 3
Lesson:
Beginner lesson from 7-8 p.m.; Advanced Lesson from 8:30-9:00 p.m.
Open dancing till 9:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Swing Club - Monday Feb 4
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Downtown Dancing Events
------------------------------------
Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, Feb 2
No Lesson
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+)
$5 cover

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday Feb 5
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 pm
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

~BDC~

Dancing this week

2008-01-24T17:41:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you all have weekend plans to see BPG's Ballroom magic show this weekend.

This week you can look forward to the return of Swing Club to Monday Nights.

And in other news we will be set up at the Winter Student Activities Fair on Tuesday, so please stop by and say hello. We would love to have some of you come and dance throughout the day, so if your interested just send me a quick e-mail.

Happy Dancing
and Break a leg BPG,

Lindsey

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

Ballroom Performance's Group Annual Show
BALLROOM MAGIC 2008--Choose from 3 shows left!!!
Jan. 25 8pm Friday
Jan. 26 2pm AND 8pm Saturday
New Dance Theatre
$8 for students
$12 nonstudent
Tickets Available at the Tate Center Box:706-542-8074
http://www.ugaballroom.com/

Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, Jan 26
No Lesson
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+)
$5 cover ($10 is live band)

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday Jan 27
Lesson: Tango
Beginning lesson at 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Advanced lesson at 8:00-8:30 p.m.
Dancing till 9:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom

Swing Club - Monday Jan 28
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday Jan 29
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 pm
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

Winter Activities Fair - Tuesday Jan 29
Stop by and say hello, you can even dance a little for us
10-3
Memorial Hall Ballroom

Near Future
---------------
FNDP: Feb 1

Events

2008-01-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, January 22
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

Ballroom Performance's Group Annual Show-------
BALLROOM MAGIC 2008--Choose from 4 shows!
Jan. 24 8pm
Jan. 25 8pm
Jan. 26 2pm AND 8pm
New Dance Theatre
$8 for students
$12 nonstudent

Directions to the dance building: http://www.franklin.uga.edu/dance/directions/index.htm

Tate Center Box Office Info:
706-542-8074

Visit our website for more information about our group and performances:
http://www.ugaballroom.com/

Near Future
-----------------------------------------
Sunday Night Lesson - January 27th
Swing Club - Monday, January 28th
Rueda Lesson- Sunday, Late January Early February

Rumba Review

2008-01-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

Last week Rachel did a great job of teaching us Rumba.
Here is a quick review of what she taught:

In the Beginning Lesson:

The Basic - slow quick quick slow
Rotating Basic - turning the basic box in quarter turn increments
5th Position Breaks - where the foot goes behind
Cross over breaks - where the foot comes in front
Pivot Turns - turning 180 degrees in one place
Arch Turns - leading the turn away from you
Loop Turns - leading the turn towards you

In the Advanced Lesson:

Swivels - shake it!
Rumba Cuddles
Cuddles exited by a loop turn into crossover breaks
Cuban breaks
Sliding Doors

This video is really good for review a lot of the beginner moves and a few more intermediate moves. Some of the moves they may enter in to or preform differently than we may have taught and that is ok. There are many different dance schools out there who have there own styling. As dancers you will have to learn to be flexible to the community and, if performing, the directors around you.

Here are the marks for the different moves so you can "fast forward" to what you want to review.

Box step 0:00
Underarm (Arch turn) 0:42
Open break underarm turns (turning from the open position) 1:32
Crossover breaks 2:12
Parallel breaks 3:10
Alternating open breaks 3:41
Ladies underarm turn into side-by-side turn 4:33
2nd position breaks (Cubans) 5:33
Extended box 6:10
Alternating crossover breaks 6:50
5th position breaks 7:40

Happy dancing

Avanced Lesson Sucess

2008-01-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure about everyone else but I felt that the advanced lesson was a breath of fresh air for some of our old hats. Rachel did a great job teaching moves that will really enhance our dancing dictionary and I can't wait till week after next.

Look out for tonight's lesson notes in future posts

happy dancing

Back in the Black: First weeks events

2008-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Its a much shorter events this week, the Ritz is not having their weekly dances which is quite sad to the Athens dance community. Also their will be no Rueda lesson until after Ballroom Magic (Jan 24 -26) as our fabulous teachers will be in rehearsal.
On the bright side we are trying out a short intermediate lesson at the end of the regular Sunday Night Lesson. We know that many of you, would like to take it to the next step, so we are giving it a try. Please feel free to give us feed back (go ahead hit that comment button), and bear with us as we try to iron out the seems in the process.

Happy dancing,

Lindsey

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday, January 13
Lesson: Rumba
One hour lesson at 7pm; Intermediate Lesson 8:00-8:30ish; Dancing till 9ish
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, January 15
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

Saturday Night Salsa - Saturday, January 12
No Lesson
Dancing is from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Upstairs at Tasty World, Downtown Athens (18+)
$5 cover ($10 is live band)

Near Future
-----------------------------------------
Friday Night Dance Party - Friday, January 18th
Swing Club - Monday, January 28th
Rueda Lesson- Sunday, Late January Early February

New Semester- New Start

2008-01-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today the officers and teachers meet the hash out plans for next semester, and I have to say I'm really excited. Last semester, as many of you know had its fair share of disasters, but so far it looks as though this semester will run much more smoothly.

Things to look forward to,

Workshops - I think we really mean it this time
Formal - your chance to get all gussied up
More advanced moves in lessons
And maybe even some Valentine's Day Fun

Our first lesson is next Sunday, and we will be teaching Rumba!

Hope to see you dancing soon.

Thank you

2007-11-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

As many of you know this blog has been a project for my social media class at UGA, as the class is over all of my required posts and hits are through as well. I will probably keep this blog open as a channel for people to talk about ballroom dance and ballroom dance here at UGA, but there will be hiatus in post until after finals, Dec 12.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading, and if you have any comments about what you'd like to ses from this blog in the future please let me know.

Dance Events in Athens

2007-11-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

Weekly Events - Nov. 29 - Dec 7

Apprentice Audition Info and Practice Session - Thursday, November 29
7 p.m.
Carver studio in the Dance Building
It Free - just come out to get tips and help before auditions

There is no Sunday Night lesson or Rueda this week - We hope to see you all next semester!!

Apprentice Auditions - Tuesday, December 4
If you wan to try out for the Ballroom Performance group, please come out and audition.
6:45 pm - 9:45 pm
New Dance Theatre
*Semi Formal/Sunday Day dress appropriate

"Swing & Ladies" - Tuesday, December 4
Lesson: east coast, west coast, Lindy or Charleston
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. - Lesson at 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$3 cover

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, December 4
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

"Salsa @ The Ritz" Wednesday, December 5
Lesson: Salsa by Spicy Salsa
Doors open at 8:30 - Lesson 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$4 Cover

Snow Ball - Friday Night Dance - December 7
The Ballroom Performance Group will be hosting its final friday night dance party of the year. Come and help make this Snowball a blast.
Lesson: Tango
Free Lesson at 7 p.m.
Dance Party from 8 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
New Dance Theatre
$3 for students $5 for non students
---The dance is holiday themed, so feel free to break out in those holiday colors and Santa hats.

**There will be a special performance by the Ballroom Performance Group

Apprentice Auditions - The Scoop

2007-11-28T06:25:00.000-08:00

UGA's Ballroom Performance Group will host its semesterly audition on Tuesday, December 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the New Dance Theatre in the Dance Building on campus.

These auditions will place you in the Apprentice group, which serves as kind of prep school for BPG. While in the Apprentice group you will have lessons every Tuesday with the director of BPG, Eddie Bonnell and the option of a special lesson on Thursdays. These lessons are a part of your training as a dancer, and will become more frequent after you have graduated into BPG. This is not to scare you off, but you should be aware that there is a significant time commitment in joining these groups. You must have at least 3 semesters remaining here at UGA, to consider auditioning.

If you are interested in auditioning there is an information and practice session tomorrow, Thursday, November 29 at 7 p.m. in the Carver studio of the Dance Building.

Preparing for the audition -

Be early - You should arrive at the New Dance Theatre at about 6:45 so that you will have time to sign in and get settled.
You should dress nicely.

Men: button up shirts with a tie and a nice pair of slacks
Ladies: dresses or skirts and nice tops
NO JEANS
Keep in mind that you will be dancing so that super short skirt may not be appropriate for dips and spins

Remember to smile and exude confidence - BPG is a performance group so it is important that you can look relaxed and confidant even though your partner just stepped on your foot.

What you can except in the audition

There are two parts in the audition process: social dancing and choreography

In the choreography section everyone will be taught a simple series of moves. These will not be advanced moves but merely intermediate to basic moves strung together in sequences with some flare. Everyone, in groups, will then be asked to perform those moves. They are looking for how accurately the moves are performed, how closely you stay on beat and sequence, as well as your overall performance of the move ie did it look fun, did it look sexy, ect.

In the dance portion of the audition you will dance three dances with members from BPG as your partners.
Ladies: BPG men should not/will not lead into to anything but basic and intermediate moves.
Men: You are allow to lead anything you know, or think you can pull off -

The three dances are Cha Cha, East Coast Swing and Waltz

Recommended Moves

Cha Cha

Basic
Cross over breaks
Outside(right) turns aka pivot turns
Cross body lead
The Chase
Men:

Waltz

Rotating American Style Basic (There will not be international waltz- if you don't know what that means, no worries)
Walk around turn (outside turn - 6 counts turns)
Progressives
Arch and loop turns (3 count turns)
maybe Twinkles,

East Coast Swing

Triple step basic
Open and Closed positions
Cuddle
American Spins
Arch and Loop turns

Other recommendation

If might be helpful to know a few other moves, just in case they came up. In East Coast Swing,: twisties and Back walks with kicks. In Waltz: right turning boxes. In Cha Cha Mens turn, and loop turns .

West Coast Moves

2007-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

West Coast Swing is a cool dance that is filled with slick and sliding moves. You might remember the example of West coast styling from previous post that demonstrated the cool attitude of the dance.

West Coast is know as a slot dance, which means that is does not move around the floor like waltz does but instead the dancers stay in position with each other as if they were in slots. Many West Coast moves involve passing by the partner to exchange places with in the slot.

In the following videos Micheal Mitchell and Meghann Niesen teach Neck Pulls, Whips, and some West Coast spins. This lesson was taught at a Friday Night Dance, so the dynamic is a little different than it might be in some of the more personal videos.

On a fun note, Micheal can never remember the name of the moves he is teaching so just to translate "neck thing-y" is he new "technical" name for he neck pull :)

Neck Pulls and Whip

West Coast Spins

Great article

2007-11-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Richard Davis sent me this heart warming article about dancing through the aging. Its a great article for an age.

Samba Basic: one- uh - two

2007-11-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Per Ashley's request these next posts are about Samba.

Samba is not a dance that we cover very often here at UGA for a couple reasons: 1) most of our regular teaches don't feel comfortable with teaching dance 2) its really quite hard to pick up. While the moves themselves are not all that difficult there is a great deal of styling in Samba, which is crucial to making the dance look and feel like it is supposed to.

This video is Dance Vision and explains the basic. It does not go it in to how the styling for the abdominal muscles work. I'm still searching the web for a good styling video, if know of one please feel free to leave a comment.

Events - Nov 15

2007-11-15T17:59:00.001-08:00

Friday Night Dance Party - November 16
Lesson: Rueda Salsa
Free Lesson at 7 p.m.
Dance Party from 8 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Ramsey Center
http://maps.uga.edu/website/htmlviewer/hyperlink/viewer.htm

Building number: 1690)
$3 for students $5 for non students

Salsa w/Grogus and Macuba (both floors) - Saturday, November 17
Tasty World
10 p.m.

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday, November 18
Lesson: East Coast Swing
One hour lesson at 7pm; Dancing till 9 pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Rueda Lesson- Sunday, November 18
(Rueda salsa is like group salsa)
Lesson starts at 6:30 p.m. before the Sunday Night Lesson
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Swing Club - Monday, November 19
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

"Swing & Ladies" - Tuesday, November 20
Lesson: east coast, west coast, Lindy or Charleston
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. - Lesson at 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$3 cover

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, November 20
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

"Salsa @ The Ritz" Wednesday, November 21
Lesson: Salsa by Spicy Salsa
Doors open at 8:30 - Lesson 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$4 Cover

FAQs about UGA's Ballroom Dance Club

2007-11-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

These are some of the most popular questions I get about our Ballroom Dance Club, so I'm posting them here as a reference.

How do I join? We don't have a formal membership, you pay per event; there are no club dues.
I never danced before, can I still come? Yes, absolutely. We start with the basics every week at the Sunday Night lesson, so it is completely ok that you've never stepped foot into a ballroom.
Do I need to bring a partner? No, just bring yourself. We rotate partners during lessons so even if there are more girls than guys, everyone gets a chance to dance.
What should I wear? For a regular lesson ie Sunday Night or Swing Club's Monday Night Lesson, dress causally in whatever makes you comfortable. The dress code is a little higher at Friday Night Dances. Most men wear button -up shirts, some with ties and the ladies generally wear skirts or nice slakes.
Do I need special shoes? Yes and no. Its important in ballroom to be able to slide. Tennis shoes which have alot of grip were not designed for this kind of dancing. You should try wear shoes with soft soles like bowling shoes or ballet shoes or just wear socks. It is not necessary to buy ballroom shoes. For more info check out my shoe post.
What do you teach? We teach the social ballroom dances:waltz, foxtrot, rumba, tango, cha cha, west coast swing, east coast swing, salsa. On occasion we teach other dances like samba, lindy hop and Argentine tango but this is highly defendant on if teachers are available for those dances. We teach in rotating pattern, meaning that every week we highlight a different dance .
What is BPG and are they same as BDC? This is really kind of confusing and not to terribly important because all of the ballroom organizations try to work together in a unified fashion so you don't have to keep up but here is the break down:

The Ballroom Dance Club (BDC) is a non-audition, social dancing organization. We host the Sunday Night Lesson, Workshops, and the Ballroom Formal.
The Ballroom Performance Group (BPG) is an audition only, performance group. They host Friday Night Dances and Ballroom Magic.
There is also the Swing Club who host Monday Night Swing Lessons and Swung, the audition only Swing performance group.
Finally there is downtown, the bars do there own thing we just let you know whats up.

These are the most popular questions but if you have others please comment.

Cha Cha music

2007-11-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Cha cha is one of the easiest dances to find music for when building a playlist. It is written in 4/4 time, the most common time signature in today's music.

The typical tempo for cha cha is around 125 beats per minute (BPM). If your not a musician with the background in figuring out BPM, you can download this nifty tool to do it for you at MixMeister. Remember that BPM translate directly into steps per minute for your dancers, so you should be cognizant of their ability to keep up with the tempo.

Below is short list of some songs you might know, but not as cha cha songs:
(I should note that Ballroomdancers.com has a very extensive list its worth checking out)

Link disclaimer: So that you could click and actually hear some of these song I've linked to You tube. You should note all of these video have nothing to do with ballroom, they are for musical purposes only.

Kiss the girl- The little mermaid
I'll Die another Day - Madonna
Smooth- Santana
Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
All I want to do -Sheryl Crow
Rhythm is Gonna get you -Gloria Estefan

First Dates and Cha Cha

2007-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

If Rumba is for passionate lovers and tango is for the lovers quarrel, then cha cha is for first dates. Not the awkward awful 'I can't even make conversation with him' first dates but the first dates with playful eyes, teasing giggles, and not-so-hidden winks. Cha cha is cheeky, flashy, and flirty.

This video is of Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj who are dancing international Cha Cha. They are professional dancers so the level of difficulty is in moves and styling in this video is very high, but you can still see some basic moves like the chase.

Change in events

2007-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Two quick changes in the weeks events

1) Swing club's Monday night lesson has moved to the Tate Gallery. It is still at 8 p.m.

2) Swing at the Ritz is canceled this week but should be back to normal next week.

Blast from the Past

2007-11-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

I really can't talk about Lindy Hop at all with out posting this clip from the 1941 movie Hellzapoppin'.Its probably the most known clip of Lindy, and its insane.

Learning Lindy

2007-11-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

In the 20s and 30s, Harlem was bursting with new life. Jazz, the black literary renaissance and new swing dance the Lindy hop swept through the city and the nation forever changing American culture. Lindy hop or the subway swing was a fusion of popular swing dances like the Charleston's and African dancing. The name Lindy hop was thought to be coined when famous dancer Shorty George, while dancing in 1928 dance marathon, was asked by a New York Times Reporter what he was dancing. With out missing a beat he replied,"The Lindy Hop... Were flyin' just like Lindy did!" He was referring the Charles Lindbergh's famous quote about flying non-stop from New York to Paris as doing the 'Lindy hop.'

The dance is most recognizable by its sling shot movement in which the the lead throws out and pulls back in the follow in one basic count. The the most prominent styling is a very cool, grounded, with a kind of gorilla bounce. In this video Randall Barnes and Rachel Holland teach the basic footwork and styling technique.

Dancing in Athens

2007-11-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Regular Weekly Updates
------------------------------------------------
No Partner or Experience Necessary

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday, November 11
Lesson: Tango
One hour lesson at 7pm; Dancing till 9 pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
$2

Rueda Lesson- Sunday, November 11
(Rueda salsa is like group salsa)
Lesson starts at 6:30 p.m. before the Sunday Night Lesson
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Swing Club - Monday, November 12
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

"Swing & Ladies" - Tuesday, November 13
Lesson: east coast, west coast, Lindy or Charleston
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. - Lesson at 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$3 cover

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, November 13
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

"Salsa @ The Ritz" Wednesday, November 14
Lesson: Salsa by Spicy Salsa
Doors open at 8:30 - Lesson 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$4 Cover

Near Future
---------------
Friday Night Dance- November 16th

Salsa w/Grogus and Macuba (both floors)
Tasty World - November 17

10 steps to being lame

2007-11-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

Ladies, we've all met this guy around town, that guy who is fabulous at (insert amazing talent here) ... and knows it.

Its not that he is bad at what he does, after all give credit where credit is do, but we don't need a press release of your greatest and latest accomplishments. Instead I would much rather discover your ever present amazing-ness on my own, after all if your that great I should be able to tell.

To be honest I think that every dance community has one or maybe more of these types within them. I know that I've had the "pleasure" of dancing with a few here in Athens myself. Its important to note that they might not be that way about all dances, maybe its just their favorite dance. That being said it might a good tactic to know what dances make people tick and plan according, if he only dance waltz his best waltz buddies maybe you don't really want to dance waltz with him.

The Dance Primer posted a list of the "10 Steps to becoming that guy NOBODY wants to dance with" which I'm reposting here.

Ladies: this list is an all to true statement of the way those guys are, so enjoy it
Gentlemen: Take heart, we'd love to dance with you but please check the ego at the door

1. Stare at your feet. Or, if you are dancing with someone wearing a low cut blouse - simply look down…
2. Don’t apologize, or even notice, when you throw you partner directly into another moving couple.
3. Do your largest, flashiest, fanciest tricks as often as possible. If your follow doesn’t do it well, make sure everyone knows she’s the one who messed up.
4. While dancing, scan the room for girls you’d rather be dancing with.
5. Ensure your follow always does exactly what you want her to at all times. Use force when necessary. Realize it’s her fault if she gets hurt, ’cause she just not following right.
6. Teach your partners how they should be dancing. Don’t forget to be giving constant feedback.
7. Ensure everyone knows that you know you are the best dancer in the room. When sitting on the sidelines, make sure you talk about how terrible the DJ is, what a bad job the organizers are doing, and how nobody in this town is any good at dancing.
8. Be highly selective about who you’ll dance with: young hot single girls, or only the best follow in town.
9. Offer free lessons to the newest girls, to ensure some alone time with them, and then make sure they know you’re interested in more than just dancing with them.
10. Only smile if your partner is up to your high standard, which, unless she’s going out with you, nobody in this town really is.

Good tension or a kick in the face?

2007-11-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Good tension between partners in crucial to good dancing in ballroom. Without tension, partners would have no way to communicate with each other. The lead controls the follow by pushing of pulling them, either by the shoulder in closed position or by the arms in open position. But in order for the lead to push the follow, the follow must have resistance or tension. This does not mean the follow should fight the lead and refuse to move, but a little independence never hurt anyone.

In this video Randal Barnes and Rachel Holland demonstrate why have good tension is so important.

Simply Salsa

2007-11-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

To me, salsa is one of the best night club dances, its tight, close, casual and fun. By casual I mean that for those of us who don't have or know great technique, salsa still looks pretty good and dances easily. (I know that there are salsa connoisseurs and teachers who are cringing right now- my apologizes). The rhythm is also fairly easy to follow with the music, as salsa utilizes the down beat and falls in even time. This is unlike some other dances like foxtrot which may get off of the down beat for two-thirds of the time. Salsa is known for its use of spins and pretzel-looking moves(technical term :) ), which Justin Nix and Brittany Slonina demonstrate in the video below.

On a side note, you may have noticed that none of the lessons I record from our dancers have any music. This is because of my very new understanding of the strict rules of copyright law and my lack of desire to get busted this semester. Most of the dancers I film are pretty discouraged by this, after all What fun is dancing with out music? But none of the dancers where as determined as Justin, who dances in the next video.

Whipping out his cell phone he asks 'What if I wrote a song and said you could use it?'. 'Of course,' I answer, 'but we are filming now where will you get a song?' For the record, he has no cds, no ipod, no musical instruments only his cell phone, on which he is button mashing as we speak. I stare in curiosity, but seconds in salsa music streams out of the little phone. The music he composed in spare time with an application in his phone is playing merrily. So it is with great glee and amusement I ask you to enjoy the music; Copyright Justin Nix.

Athens Weekly Ballroom Events

2007-11-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

If your in the Athens area and your looking to go dancing here is what going on this week.

Friday Night Dance Party - Nov 2
Lesson: Cha cha
Free Lesson at 7 p.m.
Dance Party from 8 p.m. - 10:30
Ramsey Center
Building number 1690
$3 for students $5 for non students

Sunday Night Dance Lesson - Sunday, November 4
Lesson: Waltz
One hour lesson at 7pm; Dancing till 9 pm
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Building Number 0670
$2

Rueda Lesson- Sunday, November 4
(Rueda salsa is like group salsa)
Lesson starts at 6:30 p.m. before the Sunday Night Lesson
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

Swing Club - Monday, November 5
Lesson: East coast, West coast, Balboa or lindy hop
Lesson at 8 p.m.
Memorial Hall Ballroom
Free

"Swing & Ladies" - Tuesday, November 6
Lesson: east coast, west coast, Lindy or Charleston
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. - Lesson at 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$3 cover

Casino Salsa (aka Rueda Salsa)- Tuesday, November 6
Lessons are available
Dancing is from 8-10 p.m.
The Upstairs bar at Transmetropolitan, downtown Athens
$10 cover

"Salsa @ The Ritz" Wednesday, November 7
Lesson: Salsa by Spicy Salsa
Doors open at 8:30 - Lesson 9 p.m.
The Ritz, downtown Athens
$4 Cover

Dancing in the Dark

2007-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Night Clubs are dark for a reason. They serve alcohol for the same reason (besides extraordinary profits): Getting out in to the public and 'shakin' it' like you do in living room is terrifying. Unless of course you know that you are a fabulous dancer or so good looking it doesn't really matter then perhaps the world truly is stage. The rest of us worry a little to much, in all the dancing we do from night club to ballroom, about who is watching and what they are thinking.

But why should we?

Dancing is fun. Grovin' to the music is an universally awesome experience, even if your just bobbing your head to the beat in the car. In Don Baarnes post I Can't Dance Like Nobody's Watching he talks about using his car time to practice isolation exercises and worrying less about anyone taking notice. (You may remember that isolations are key in Latin styling).

When I take a cold, hard look, it’s obvious I shouldn’t care what they think. If I actually continue my exercises, possibly entertaining them and giving them a good laugh, I’m making their world more interesting and improving my dancing. In a way, I’m giving them a gift, even though they may be laughing at me rather than with me....

Think of them telling their friends, “Yeah, I’m sitting in traffic, and this gray-haired guy in his Lexus is grooving to something. I think he was on drugs, or maybe he was having a seizure, I almost called 911, but then I figured out he thought he was dancing and I laughed so hard I had to pull over and wipe the tears from my eyes. This guy is a hoot. Watch for that gray Lexus.”

Baarnes reminds us that dance takes practice, not just practice of the steps or in his case isolations but practice of the spirit. We have to work at letting go, looking dumb, making mistakes and going out of our comfort zones. Not only for the sake of being better dancers, who are focused on our partners and our expression, but for the sake of being better people, who live life more fully and with more joy.

Couldn't get enough of Latin Week--Get some style

2007-10-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Last week's Dancing with The Stars featured the spicy Latin dances, the samba and the rumba. These dances along with cha cha, paso doble, mambo and tango all use basic Latin styling.

While it may seem like Latin styling is just a lot of ‘booty shaking’ it does take a lot of practice to do and look good. The key is to the keep control of your hips and to move fluidly into to each weight change. Most challenging part of styling is that while your hips and legs are moving your upper body is isolated and still. Working your abs to keep to your ribs and hips separated is quite a work out and explains why all those dancers have pretty flat mid sections.

In this video Randall Barnes and Rachel Holland explain the Latin styling from the waist down.

I dip, You dip, We dip

2007-10-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

As the music is winding down and the dance is coming to an end, the question becomes How can I stop dancing with out being really awkward? The Answer: The dip. The most classic of dance endings, there are many different variations of the dip. Some have spins before them, while others begin from a sway.

What is important to remember while dipping is the relationship of trust between the two partners. The lead will decide how low the dip will go, by how much support he gives the follow. The follow must commit to the dip by letting go and falling into the lead. However, this does not mean that follow is not holding their own weight in their legs, with out that support the follow will quickly overwhelm their partner with their weight, no matter how light the follow is.

In this video Michael Mitchel and Amanda Melton demonstrate how to dip in Waltz.

Waltz - 1, 2, 3

2007-10-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

In these videos, Michael Mitchell and Amanda Melton demonstrate the basic for waltz. The basic consists of a basic box step and the rotating box step. The rotating box step, allows dancers to move counter clockwise across the floor. This rotating is what gives waltz its characteristic spinning effect and gives the dance movement across the floor.

The Basic Box Step

\

The Rotating Box Step

Back to the Basics

2007-10-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

In ballroom dance ‘The Basic’ refers to the most simple and fundamental steps of any dance. A dancer could easily go through any entire song with only the basic steps, it would however become dull very quickly. More often the basic is used as ‘home’, a place to come back to after doing special moves to regain the feel of the dance. As dancers become more advanced they return the basic less and less, filling the dance with strings of combination of moves that flow into each other.

Waltz- Its not just for Princesses

2007-10-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

The waltz is probably the most recognizable of all the ballroom dances. Immortalized by Disney and other movie corporations, it is burned in our mind as the dance of prince and princesses. It is romantic yet distanced, unlike its Latin counter-part the Rumba which displays more of the physical understanding of love.

Waltz is considered a Standard or Smooth dance, as opposed to a Rhythm or Latin dance.
Its danced primarily in Closed position. The movement is conducted in ¾ time in which the down beat or beat #1 is emphasized. The movement of the dance has long smooth steps and follows a gentle rise and fall pattern. The most characteristic movements are pivots, hesitation and dips.

Closed Frame- Getting close with your partner

2007-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Frame is the relationship of positions that you dance in with your partner. There are many stylistic variations on frame, but generally there are two frames: open and closed. In closed frame dancers hold each other closely while dancing, whereas in open frame dancers merely hold each others hands allow for an open space to form between them.

This video demonstrates how to dance in closed frame. This frame is used in all ballroom dances but is most recognized in dances such as waltz, foxtrot, rumba and tango where many of the moves originate from closed frame.

West Coast Example

2007-10-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

In this clip Canadian champions Ben Morris and Tessa Cunninghamin dance a super smooth West Coast Swing.

Dressing Your Feet

2007-09-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Watching dancers, as in the west coast video in the post below, it is amazing to see dancers slide across the floor as they were dancing on ice. While 95% of this ability is skill, ballroom dancers do get a help from their shoes.

Unlike ordinary heels and dress shoes, ballroom shoes have a suede soles that allow for gliding. Suede is ideal because it slick but not, lose control of your limbs, fall over on your bum slick.

Dancers keep control of the smoothness of the shoes by brushing the suede after dancing. By brushing the the soles of their shoes dancers pull up the suede making it rougher and increasing the friction the suede has with the floor.

Dance shoes are also different in the way that they fit. Toes, when in dance shoes, should extend all the way to the edge of the shoe, so that the dancer has complete control over the every inch of the shoes. This connects the dancer to floor by allowing them to feel every point of contact with the floor.

Both men’s and women’s dance shoes have substantial heels. This is so that the center of balance is moved forward in the body and pressure is placed in the ball of the foot. Here the dancer has the greatest control and movement.

Although dance shoes have many benefits, they can be expensive. Most shoes run around from $80 to $130. Many beginners choose to dance in socks, ballet shoes, and bowling shoes. While others simply find dress shoes that have fairly slick soles.

Two Left Feet

2007-09-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

I mean technically, I have both a right and a left foot; they just aren't always that coordinated. I love ballroom dance and quite haphazardly I became the president of the University of Georgia's Ballroom Dance Club. They didn't make the decision based on my dancing ability. In fact I would have failed the Cha-Cha part.

So maybe your wondering why are you reading a dance blog from a girl who can't even successfully Cha-Cha?

The answer is that while I can't Cha-Cha, I know a few people who can and since I'm already bumming lesson off them, Why not share those lessons with everyone?

So began " Two Left Feet" a blog about learning the steps of some our favorite ballroom moves and all the basics. We will walk you through the steps and you can let your mirror be your judge. When you got everything mastered in your living room or your just ready to get moving I hope that you'll go out and dance in your community and let us know how it went.

Also:
For all those dancers out there who are already fabulous, post some your favorite moves. We'd love to see them and bask in your glory.

Happy Dancing