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Next Dance!!
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Saturday, August 15th at
the MAC at 1119
Fifth Street SW. Our DJ is Robin
Grimsby.
Upstairs: Beginner West Coast Swing
with Robin Grimsby.
Downstairs: Beginner Salsa with
Edwin & Amberlyn Roa.
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Special Events
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Wednesday, August 5th
Lindy/Blues Workshops by Swing C'ville. $5
Discount if you enter "CSDS" in the promo code box next to
PayPal button; they'll refund you $5. Atomic
Blindy Dance afterwards, free to workshop attendees.
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August Dances
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Weekly Dances & Complete
Listings (inc. Classes:
Check the CSDS
website!
Note: All
events are subject to change and/or cancellation. Please be sure to
confirm each event before attending!
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2009 CSDS Schedule
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GOC: Greek Orthodox Church Fellowship Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22902
MAC: Municipal Arts Center
Charlottesville, VA 22902
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CSDS Board Of Directors & Helpers (2009-2010)
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Board Of Directors
Helpers
Swing Swap
Newsletter Editor, Photos,
E-Mail Ginny for directions!
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Charlottesville Swing Dance Society (CSDS)
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P.O. Box 4442
Charlottesville, VA 22905
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CSDS Newsletter Contributor Diane McDougall talked to dancer
Jeff Freeman, who referees women's college basketball and has been
dancing since 1995. He and his girlfriend, dancer Mary Rose
Serafini, also DJ and teach dance in Harrisonburg and Waynesboro, where
Jeff lives. Jeff once told Diane that he practices his dance steps
alone, to improve, so she asked him more about it ...
How do you practice dancing alone? If you hear a song
and recognize it as a Cha-Cha or a Waltz or a Two-Step, get your feet
moving in time to the music. It makes your dancing
automatic-pilot when you're learning new steps. As a leader, that
makes your dancing easier, because you don't have to think about moving
your feet in time to the music - instead, you can concentrate on the lead
and what steps you can lead from that tempo. If I'm driving or
cleaning and I hear a song, I think about the steps. Even when I'm
cutting grass, I can think about a song and think about steps or a
routine. Visualization is the biggest part of it - thinking, What
could I dance to this song and what steps could I lead? You can't
dance every step you know to every song; you might save more complicated
steps for slower songs. For followers, you can practice styling for
when you're lead into a free turn or a side pass. Or practice your
anchor step in West Coast Swing. Visualize how you want it to look;
watch yourself in a mirror.
Beginning leaders often say, "I learn a new pattern in
class and then I forget it so quickly." Generally, I'll
take a step or two from a pattern I've learned in class, and I'll
incorporate them. There are some steps I don't like to lead or don't
think I lead well, so I don't choose to take them to social dances.
I always write them down after a lesson. I have all my lessons for
the last few years written down in a notebook. I practice between
classes too. I think that's important. To get the most out of
your lesson you've got to practice.
Anything else to tell us? Mary Rose and I
both enjoy DJ-ing - we have been DJ-ing singles dances, anniversaries,
parties and weddings in Harrisonburg. One goal would be to DJ one
night for a CSDS dance. We take it seriously. When we
DJ, we write down how many are dancing to every song; the ones people
don't dance to, we don't play again. And we're always adding new
songs to our playlists to change them up.
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 Swing Fling
The second weekend (6th-9th) in August marks
the annual dance event, Swing Fling in
NoVa! Dance promoter Barry Durand promises another exciting weekend
full of competition, workshops and social dancing until the wee hours of
the morning. Lots of Charlottesville dancers are going so if you've
never been to a weekend dance event, consider going to Swing Fling!
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Swing Swap ~ FREE Weekly Dance Practice!
Swing Swap has been going
strong all summer - if you haven't been coming, you're missing
out! Thank you again to The Dance Oasis for
hosting our FREE
weekly dance event. Swing Swap is every Thursday night and
it's "Open House" style - come whenever you can between
7:30 - 9 pm. DJ Lisa Morales plays your favorite dance tunes
(requests too!), a nice mix of East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing,
Hustle, Country 2-Step, Nightclub 2-Step, Cha Cha, Salsa, Waltz.
Before Swing Swap starts, from 6:30-7:30 pm, The Dance Oasis offers a
West Coast Swing Clinic (open to all levels) for $8/person. Hope
to see you there.
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Highlights from the July Dance
Debuting as a DJ for CSDS, Aidan Keith-Hynes did a bang up
job for us at the August dance at the MAC! Thanks, Aidan - we look
forward to having you DJ for us again. Below are some of the happy dancers
from that evening:
Click here to go to the
complete CSDS photo gallery!
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