Ombailamos

DanceSport in SoCal

A while back I referred to the lessons and rehearsal Mr. P and I have undertaken as we get back into amateur DanceSport competition.  On February 6, we competed in the USA Dance Southwest Regionals.  Turns out there have been substantial rule changes since we last competed, and partially as a result of that, we did not place as well as we'd have liked.  We should have done more homework!  However, we now know everything we need to know and are looking forward to our next three outings.  We will be participating in the High Desert Dance Classic, Orange Blossom Ball, and USA Dance National Championships - all conveniently listed below, with other competitions through 2nd quarter!

 

February 27: Berkeley Ballroom Classic; UC Berkeley.  www.ucbd.org/classic.

 

March ??: Dance by the Shores, UC San Diego.  http://recadmin.ucsd.edu/sports/teams/dancesport. (not confirmed)

 

March 5-6: Vegas Showdown.  www.vegasshowdown.com.

 

March 12-14: High Desert Dance Classic!  Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, CA. www.highdesertdanceclassic.com.

 

March 26-28: San Francisco Open. www.sfopen.com.

 

April ??: Cal Poly Mustang Ball, San Luis Obispo.  www.cpdancesport.org. (not confirmed)

 

April ??: Desert Challenge, UN Las Vegas.  http://usadance.unlv.edu. (not confirmed)

 

April ??: Dance of the Roses, Cal Tech, Pasadena.  http://ballroom.caltech.edu/comp. (not confirmed)

 

April 3: Orange Blossom Ball, UC Riverside.  www.orangeblossomball.com. 

 

April 9-11: USA Dance National Championships, Downtown L.A. Marriott, Los Angeles. www.usadance.org 

 

April 24: Cardinal Classic, Stanford.  http://cardinalclassic.sbdt.org.

 

April 28-May 2: Emerald Ball.  LAX Hilton, Los Angeles. www.emeraldball.com.

 

You'll note that several of these events are listed as unconfirmed.  It appears that the economy has hurt some of the SoCal colleges who've put on events in the past.  I'm hopeful that collegiate dancers will join us at High Desert.  It's an unusually fun event, with lots of workshops and social dancing, as well as competition.

 

We went to Orange Blossom Ball last year where Mr. P competed with an acquaintance of ours.  It was an exceptionally well-run event and we are looking forward to participating this year.  And finally, USA Dance Nationals: we went years ago when it was held in San Jose, and then a few years later we traveled to Minneapolis to compete in Nationals again.  But we're thrilled that it will be here in Los Angeles - it was an opportunity not to be missed.

 

A bit of Clarification

 

I am now a certified ballroom instructor, so how is it that I can still compete as an amateur?  Well, USA Dance is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.  As such, they've been working for years to bring rules for amateur dancesport into line with the rules for other USOC organizations.  One of those changes was relaxing the ban on amateurs earning money by teaching/coaching.

 

A ballroom instructor can still compete as an amateur competitor as long as 1) s/he is not employed by a dance studio as an instructor (i.e. is a freelancer); and 2) s/he is not registered to compete as a professional with NDCA.  Since I teach only a few hours a month, out of my home, and am not pursuing a professional competitive career, I am still eligible to compete as an amateur.  Yee-ha!

sunny Monday

This morning I got the full experience of a city that was not built for precipitation.  There are potholes on Wilshire Boulevard that I believe have, so far, swallowed a Prius and two Smart Cars.

However, this weekend was full of the features that put a little squeeze on the hearts of those of us who love Los Angeles.

First, the weather.  Cool, sunny, clear.  Driving east on Santa Monica Boulevard, one could look down a colonnade of palm trees past the Hollywood sign to the snow-covered mountains beyond; spectacular.

Second, the farmer's market.  For years, Mr. P and I missed the Beverly Hills market because we were usually in a class or two while it was going on.  Now that our Sundays are less fully-committed, we've ventured out and discovered a brave new world of organic, local roots, herbs, and fruit; grass-fed beef, poultry and eggs; artisan goat cheese; and handmade blessings like honey, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.  Plus, there is a petting zoo, with two of the cutest, tiniest, furriest black piglets you ever saw.

Third, the movies.  This town would probably continue to exist if the world stopped watching movies, but until it does, we have all the awards shows and red carpets and premieres, and the corresponding poshness in department-store windows.  We also have multiple multi-plexes at which to go and see things like "Avatar" in 3-D.

I was not eager to see "Avatar" but am happy to report that I am fully converted.  I really enjoyed it; fast-paced, well-constructed, beautiful to look at, and emotionally satisfying.  I will say that I think the avalanche of praise for James Cameron's vision (and stamina) has overshadowed the human element that makes the movie work, in particular the completely engaging performance of Zoe Saldana.

And on top of everything else, we danced a lot this weekend.  Mr. P and I are in training for the USA Dance Southwest Regional Championships, coming up on Feb 5-6 in Long Beach.  Thanks to a couple of revelatory sessions with our longtime coach Sonny Perry, we are looking forward to our first competitive foray in nearly two years. 

I will also be teaching Bolero for the next two weeks at Ballroom by the Bay.  Come out and join us at 7:00 on Wednesday at the Santa Monica Bay Women's Club!  We will be covering basic figures, variations, and technique before the general-dancing fun starts.

tidying up

I see from my TypePad Dashboard that there actually are a few people looking at this thing!  Hi y'all! 

I started keeping a reading journal a couple of years ago, which has been great because it's given me (a klepto-biblio-maniac) a feeling of safety in letting go of books.  Once I write something down, I tend to remember it forever; keeping the journal has enabled me to make brief notes which usually suffice to bring the whole reading experience back to mind.  Without actually having to keep the book.  Which is important to someone who wants to keep most of the surfaces in her home uncluttered, even by books.

When I started up this little blog I included a "typelist" reading journal, which was just a simple list and displayed over with the other widgets on the right.  But I've taken it off because all I was listing was the titles, and people couldn't click in to scroll through to see (and appreciate, of course) the insanity that is my reading habit.  I doubt anyone ever tried, honestly, and I'd rather keep that space uncluttered, too.

In Year Two of Ombailamos, I have a Plan about what to post and on what kind of schedule.  This first year has been very experimental, getting used to the tools and getting used to writing regularly again.  However, the real purpose of the site is to provide information to web readers who might be looking for a coach/teacher/trainer/advisor of my qualifications and specialties.  So Year Two will be a little more focused.

The blogs that I read that I really love are the ones that convey true personal stories along with information.  There's a limit to how personal I'm comfortable with getting, especially since Ombailamos is not a diary but, I hope, a resource.  Also, I'm still getting used to the whole notion of blog etiquette, so if you see something that strikes you weird but you like the subject matter, bear with me!

Let me know what *you* would like to see here, especially your specific questions about ballroom dancing, yoga, and general health/nutrition/fitness stuff.  I'm shooting for five entries a week in 2010 and I would love to have a dialogue with the ever-growing community of dancers.

If you're stopping in for the first time and wondering what the heck this is all about, take a look at my All the Business and Red Carpet DanceSport archives.  I'm going to be refining the categories a little bit over the coming weeks, so your comments would be very helpful.  Thanks for stopping by, and best wishes for the New Year!

back in business

Mr. P and I had the honor and pleasure of performing last weekend for the National Smooth Dancers' state convention in Torrance.  What a lovely group of people!  They had a great event with three nights of dinner dances, afternoon tea dances, meetings, classes, and ceremonies.  I hope we can be involved with them again in the future.

Upcoming dance events include ... my three-week series of Viennese Waltz, which starts next Wednesday at Ballroom by the Bay;  socials at L.A. Dance Experience, this Saturday and two weeks hence; a USA Dance party at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Sept 20, featuring a lesson by champion dancer Nadia Eftedal; and other dance parties too numerous to list here - do visit the USA Dance Los Angeles website for a comprehensive calendar.  A relative newcomer to the social dance scene is Balliamos studio in West Hollywood; I hope to get to one of their dances soon.  They have a ballroom social on Monday nights and Salsa on Wednesdays.  Santa Monica & Robertson, check it out!

As the weather starts to cool (we hope) we can expect to see even more people come out dancing.  If you are a social dancer, invite a friend to one of your favorite dance events.  Social dancing is one of very few activities wherein rank beginners and advanced students can have fun together, and don't forget - free lessons are included with many, if not most, of the social dances offered by local studios and clubs.

Also upcoming is the USA Dance Los Angeles Showcase, scheduled for Saturday October 17.  This will be a daylong event with something for everyone.  If you are a beginning dance student, consider coming to watch - you will get a great introduction to the full spectrum of dance styles and proficiency levels, and will have access to a wealth of information about local studios and instructors.

Long story short, don't just stay home watching "DWTS" (starts 9/21) and "SYTYCD" (running audition episodes starting this week).  Get out there and dance!

recreation

This week there are several interesting dance things happening.  First, I'm teaching the third of three Samba classes for Ballroom by the Bay on Wednesday.  Then, on Thursday, the Santa Monica Pier's centennial celebration goes big with "La Monica Ballroom Redux."  Saturday night there's a party at L.A. Dance Experience, plus an outdoor Swing Thing in Pasadena.

In a couple of weeks (August 9) the Los Angeles chapter of USA Dance is hosting another big party at the Culver City Memorial Auditorium.  They'll have a cha-cha lesson from Alec Mazo and Edyta Sliwinska.

There are more and more social dance events in Los Angeles these days, classes are full, dance on TV is huge.  It's great!  Dancing is such an inexpensive social activity, and such a great way to expand your circle.  It's fun, it's creative, it's good exercise.  There really is no downside.

One of the great things about being an adult is that you really can decide exactly how you want to spend your free time.  Unfortunately, a lot of us get so caught up in things we think we "ought" to do, that we stop thinking about what we want to do.  Maybe it's keeping the house tidy, or taking care of kids, or catching the latest episode of Gossip Girl.  Just stuff that we do because it's there, because it needs to be done (well, except for Gossip Girl).

The thing about doing what's there, and not thinking about what else we might choose, is that a lot of time can go by.  We find ourselves at midlife having done a lot of things that just came up, and maybe we've completely forgotten things that we thought, way back when we had a little more time to dream, we *had* to do.

Well, it's my recommendation that, during the next few weeks, everyone give themselves a night off.  Find one of the 15+ free concert series near you and go hear some live music.  Have a glass of wine or a cappucino at a new coffee shop, in a neighborhood you've driven through but never stopped in.  Take advantage of some of the great things about our crazy city that we often leave unexplored until relatives come to visit.

Get a little recreation.  And if it happens to include dancing, so much the better.

making it official

I've written here before about the DVIDA teacher-training course I took in 2008.  This past Saturday I did my first certification examination, with Teresa Shiry down at the Regency Ballroom.

Since finishing the course, I've been studying with one of my classmates, the lovely and talented Maria Torres.  We got together about every ten days and practiced reciting the theory, performing the figures, and generally discussing how best to respond to various teaching questions.  During our practices we worked out problems we were having with leading or following, and worked on making our theory answers concise and specific.

The exam was very much as described in the DVIDA "Getting Certified" manual and DVD.  We had one theory question for each of the figures in each of the dances (seven figures in each of Rumba, Cha-cha, and East Coast Swing, and five figures in Bolero) included in the Junior Associate exam.  Then we had nine teaching questions, and we each danced a combination of all the figures in each dance as both leader and follower.  Teresa made the whole process very painless.  It was great for me to be able to do the examination with Teresa, who has actually judged me in amateur competition before.

It's a relief to have crossed this first hurdle.  There are eight more dances for me to be examined in before I receive my full Junior Associate certification, so I have plenty more studying to do.  But having done the exam now, and received Teresa's feedback, I'm confident that my preparation method is working, and I'm looking forward to completing the process.

new flyer for teaching/training information!

The home studio is open for business.  Contact me to set up a teaching or training session!Download Ombailamos flyer

ABCs of Rhythm

It is week 4 of the current session and we are still working on the Bolero combination we began last session.  Attached is a video of a walk-through that Sonny and I did to set the choreography.  This piece features basic actions of Bolero - turning basic, left side pass, right side pass, crossover break, etc. - combined with more advanced elements including syncopations and checks.  We've used this combination to work on lead/follow, connection, musicality, compression & leverage, rise & fall, rotation, and other important rhythm dancing techniques.  Download Dancing 001

muy caliente!

Today through Sunday, check out the Los Angeles Salsa Congress at the LAX Radisson.  This annual event features tons of workshops and is a great way to see and learn the latest moves.  Visit the event website, www.mysalsacongress.com, for schedule and parking information.  We have a friend performing in one of the many shows on Sunday, so we'll be heading down to see her.  Go Kelly!

Saturday night, there is a studio social at L.A. Dance Experience.  These dances are always open to the public and begin with a group lesson which starts at 7 p.m.  Visit the link at right for address, etc.

This weekend and next, Goddess A Go Go Dance Theatre presents "dances celebrating Earth and the Divine Female," at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood.  Schedule, directions, etc are available on their website, linked at right.

Last night, I wrapped up three weeks teaching group Rumba lessons for Ballroom by the Bay.  I'll be back next week to start a series on Waltz.  Hope to see you there!

shock & awe

Complete amazement and - I have to admit - some disappointment here, over the DWTS results.  I like Ty a lot, but I really would have loved to see Kim's next performances.

Big Deal Coming Up - mark your calendars - USA Dance Los Angeles is hosting an amateur, pro-am, and professional showcase event on October 17.  This is going to be a great chance for teachers to bring their students who have a choreographed routine, for amateur competitors to polish a new piece, and for local professionals to demonstrate their special and unique skills. 

A showcase offers the same opportunity for practice and improvement as a competition - without the judging part.  If you've ever thought you'd like to do a little show dance, this is the perfect target event for you.  The chapter will need to know by June 19 if you want to enter a routine.  There will be an entry fee, to help cover the cost of securing the venue for the full day.  I'll post more information as I receive it, and you can also check the USA Dance chapter website linked at right.

And somehow I, the big dance geek, managed not to hear about this till tonight but there is a new dance movie opening this weekend called Love N Dancing, which appears to be a romance but is actually set within the world of competition dancing.  The Wayans brothers also have a spoof coming out called Dance Movie, which I have to confess I will probably wait to see on cable.  Love N Dancing, however, will require a field trip.

Finally, I'll be teaching Rumba at Ballroom by the Bay tomorrow at 7:00.  Come on out and dance with us!