We Love to Dance..... Ras-This! » country 2-step

Dancing at Los Angeles Dance Premier

Ras #1 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:00:21 +0000

If you’ve never been to a dance event before, the Los Angeles Dance Premier is a great one to attend. It is a country event with competitions and workshops in Country 2 Step, Night Club 2 Step, Cha Cha, East and West Coast Swing, Polka, Triple 2 Step, Hustle and even Waltz. There will be a Swing room and a Country room.

There will be a great teaching staff:

Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias
Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin
Aaron & Tiffany Lorenzen
Mike Eads & Annick Paquet

just to name a few. Joe Tschirhart and I will be teaching a Country 2 Step Lesson as well. If you’re there, look me up for a dance or two!

Country Countdown

ras#2 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:12:29 +0000

It was turning into another successful night of dancing at the country dance club’s monthly dance. Music was good, dance partners were plentiful….okay, okay…….maybe not plentiful, but reasonably good by local standards…..and we were enjoying the night. It was getting late and the club staff was starting to clean up…..putting chairs away…….turning lights off…………………WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!………….lights off?? We still have 6…..that’s one more than 5……..minutes left! That equates to 2 more dances!! TWO!! And……..to all of you who are dance addicts (did you take our previous poll to see if you qualify?) two dances is still worth fighting for. Well………..the lights came back on and we danced to the last two songs…….it’s 11:02 (early by the standard of many dancers, but past closing time for the club) and the music has not been turned off…………..a county 2-step comes on and a loud groan (we love to 2-step).is heard through the crowd………OK…….5 dancers is not a crowd…..but we can obviously make a whole lot of commotion. Once again, the club gurus acquiesced, and not only did we get to dance one more dance, we got to dance one of our favorites. Who ever said life wasn’t great!

Dancing Magic!

ras#2 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:04:04 +0000

I decided to put dancing and mental health (mine) to the test last night. Long story short, I’ve been an emotional wreck over the past 2 weeks (nearly recovered now, thank-you), to the point I even chose not to dance one night when I was feeling particularly crabby. So, even though I didn’t really feel like it, I forced myself to go dancing with the swing dance club at one of the local honky tonks last night. I discovered, or likely re-discovered, that dancing can indeed improve, sometimes dramatically, your state of mind. Although all but one other gal and I were there with a partner, I am fortunate to belong to a dance club where the women graciously share their dance partners with those of us who have none. While the music, with a mix of oldies, some country and band material, was not always the best for swing dancing, I did get in several 2-step dances along with a few east and west coast swing dances. The icing on the cake, however, was when one of the swing dance instructor’s husband told me that my dancing had definitely improved.

Life is good and dancing helps it to be that way!

Dance Choices

ras#2 — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:32:25 +0000

I am so confused! For the past two years I’ve been concentrating on learning a variety of swing & country dances. About a week ago, the ballroom dance club held a 2-day dance workshop. I signed up for the Saturday classes in which they taught ballroom waltz and the rumba. After the workshop, they held a ballroom dance with a free Bolero lesson.

I loved them……………….I mean I really loved them! I am so confused now! Which direction do I go, what do I learn next……….help me please. I’m afraid to try anything else new, or I’ll just be more confused. I want to learn them all! I love every kind of dance I’ve ever tried, well maybe with the exception of one, but I’m not going to tell which one that is, because I know many who do love it. So even if I eliminate that one, there are dozen’s more I love. I know there are many dancers who stick with just one dance and become very, very good at it and I do envy the fact that they are so good…………but………..I love too many to just pick one or even two. I guess I’ll just have to resign myself to being a jack of many dances……master of none! Not sure that is all that bad.

Dancing and Balance

ras#2 — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:27:11 +0000

Last night, at the monthly ballroom dance, I had the chance to talk with a friend who has been dancing about as long as I have. I was explaining (more likely complaining) to her how hard it has been for me to learn balance (still working on it). She responded “You too? I thought it was just me.” I explained to her that both Ras#1 and I have had to work extra hard to overcome our natural tendency towards klutziness.

Her comment reminded me of all the times I have been frustrated, nearly to the point of quitting, thinking that I was the only one having trouble learning some facet or another of dancing. Well, it isn’t so! Sure, there are those beginners who just have that natural grace and talent that allows them to learn with ease. And then there are the rest of us, some of us with more talent, some with more grace, and some of us with just desire and determination. So, while these occasions can be frustrating and even depressing, take comfort in that you ARE NOT ALONE! Others now and before you have shared the same fears, frustrations and even despair while attempting to learn how to dance. Ras#1 and I have both been and sometimes continue to be there and while we continue in our quest to become better dances, always remember…..even those of us with no god-given graceful attributes can learn to dance!