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Letters & DanceTalk - November 2001 - Letters: Oct 01

1. Fred Astaire dancers leave bodies lying around on crowded floor - Mad about dancing
2. Belly Dance Show in aid of the S.P.C.A. - phyllis
3. Scala Dance Studio add ballet and contemporary classes to their teaching - julene
4. ego in dancing - the physician
5. are video tapes a helpful tool in learning to dance? - topical
6. past SA ballroom and latin champions - remember them?
7. floorcraft in social and competitive dancing - are you a floor hog?
8. student of mine needs videos on International Ballroom technique - meryl
9. South Africa couple Grant Mandon & Viveca Peterson excel at Amateur World Championships - latino
10. fan to hockey stick - topical
11. comp results: gold cup SADTA - durban / SA rising star freestyle championships
12. NotablyUnique... the largest ballroom and Latin suppliers - dale & edward
13. details and photos of latin dresses for sale - sharon
14. raw deal with SAs and Michael & Beata dance in action - latino
15. thanx for Alan's answer to my Q - rgp
16. Alan Sasnovski replies to date for the South African National Championships - alan

 

 



SA couple Grant Mandon & Viveca Peterson excel at Amatuer World Championships Hello Jay
Just wanted to say congratulations to Grant Mandon & Viveca Peterson who represented South Africa at the Amateur World Championships that was held on the 3rd November, they were placed 30th over all beating the current South African champions who were placed 32nd. Well done !!!

Regards, Latino

PS: you can get the results at "The world dance plaza".

Ed
Thanks for the input - great achievement


Fred Astaire dancers leave bodies lying around on the floor Hi Jay
Friday 2 November I attended Sylvia's DanceClub social at the Lion's Club in Pretoria, and as per usual I thoroughly enjoyed myself; great music, people, atmosphere, etc. What I like most of this event is that it truly brings many of the social dance schools together, and this time even a small band of Fred Astaire members joined in. Although they came in few numbers, the FA dancers really made their presence known by battering around the floor without any respect for the other couples. It is very obvious that Fred Astaire don't include floorcraft in their curriculum, but I must say I was quite impressed with their style and dancing.

This time Sylvia organised two cabarets from the Dance Well studio, both Argentine Tangos and super entertainment. The one that blew my mind was Breton and Sharon's show, they make an excellent pair.

Last but not least, Jay, you're a star with the best website.

Mad about dancing

Ed
Thanks for sharing your dance news & views, and for the praise.

Sylvia's set-up is an deal occasion for dancers who prefer to do more than just the One-Step, and the happy news is that I have only heard compliments for what Sylvia does - a pleasure to have her on my site. Her next social dance is Friday 30 November at the Lion's Club.

Re Fred Astaire's floorcraft showing, here's a link to an article in my Dancers' Dictionary page which every social dancer should read with an open, considerate, conscientious mind: ETIQUETTE IN FLOORCRAFT


student of mine needs videos on International Ballroom technique Jay, Hi
A student of mine needs videos on International Ballroom technique.  Do you have any??

Also can you let me have a list of videos that you do have which may be of interest.

Many thanks, Meryl Williams

Ed
Meryl, the only Ballroom and Latin technique workshop tape I have is the one my staff use to gain teaching knowledge. The Ballroom/Standard section is presented by the ex-professional World Ballroom champions Michael and Vicky Barr. This section deals in detail with the use of "hold and posture" to produce the correct "outline". They also include "foot and leg" action, etc.

The Latin part on the tape is done by an English couple Keith Todd and Karen Alexis. They study, in detail, the "Rumba walks forward and back", "Latin hip movement", arm styles, etc. They also cover the style, character and technique pertaining to Jive, Cha-Cha, Samba, Paso Doble. We, and many rural coaches, have benefited enormously from both sections.

Here's a link that takes you to an article about the instructors on the videos that I've got:
http://www.dancesport.uk.com/tid-bits/issue055.htm

And here's my list of instructional video tapes: http://www.oocities.org/danceinfosa/disavideot.html

Sorry, nothing new in stock at present. Ordering has become outrageously expensive with the R/$ exchange rate these days.