The rules state: -
If the organisers are compelled to combine sections through lack of entries then these couples must be marked as if they had competed in their own section.
 

1. The organisers send out entry forms and state the sections they will be catering for i.e. Adult, Seniors and Masters or only one Adult age group.  If they are catering only for an Adult section i.e. only one Adult open to all age categories, then you don’t have a choice. You will have to compete in the open Adult and take your chance with all the rest, and the judges will mark the section as one, regardless of age.  It is now up to you if you want to dance in that competition or not.  No dancer must be forced to enter a competition if they don’t want to.
2. If the organisers have stated on the entry form that they will be catering for all the Adult age categories, then you have a chance according to your age.  In your case, you will enter “Masters Gold”.  When all the entries are in, the organisers may be forced to combine age categories, due to lack of entries.  You would them be combined with “Senior Gold” (One age down), not the Adult Gold which is two sections down.  If however, there is only one couple entered in the Senior section then both of you will be combined with the Adult section.  The programme on the night must state “Combined Adult/Senior/Masters Gold”.  Then the public will know that you are in the over 45’s age category and there will be no reason for you to feel that you are making fools of yourselves.  I for one would envy you, as I would love to be as fit as you are and still be able to compete in this wonderful sport.

 

From watching competitions on S.A. TV I saw couples dancing in a combined section and when the results were called out, they were separated, so your letter surprised me.  In Zimbabwe, they are presently not judging a combined section separately and I agree that this is not obeying the rules and can be very humiliating.

It could be the inefficiency of the Scrutineers they are using, who don’t know how to do it as they use the Scrutineering programme on the computer, which is not programmed to do this.  The Scrutineer must remark a combined section by hand.

If the organisers of a competition are forced to combine sections, then they should notify the couples concerned before the competition, so the couples can withdraw and have their entry fee refunded.

This is the dancers’ Constitutional right to decide if they want to compete in a combined section or not, especially if the organisers intend to have the combined section judged as an open section.  (This is against the rules, if their entry forms stipulated the different age categories were being catered for).

I am appealing to you Milton and Yvonne, and all the other dancers out there, don’t give up doing what you love and enjoy and are still capable of doing, for the sake of the rotten system.  Let’s all work together to improve the system.  Continue to write your grievances down and send them to Jay.  The associations must stop burying their heads in the sand and take note of the grievances and do something about them.  Answer the dancer’s queries don’t ignore them.  There are too many dancers getting despondent and demoralised and give up because of the present system.  Let’s find ways to improve it.

Yours sincerely

Cherie Scott
Zimbabwe

On Wednesday 24thwe will be entertaining the Senior Citizens at the Kiepersol Community Hall in Eldoraigne -Line Dancing. Hope they will enjoy.
On Saturday 27th Maywe are having a social at the Aquitic club at Ifafi near in the Hartebeespoortdam area - Free Demonstration and a free lesson for thoseinterested. This is mainly to promote Line Dancing in that area.
Friday 2nd Juneour club will be dining at the new Barcellos Restaurant in the North near Onderstepoort.

Will keep you informed

Ed
Once you have entertained the Senior Citizens and done your rounds of promoting Line Dancing, give us a feedback.
 

How do we get a schedule of Zim. competitions?   We are making a fool of ourselves down here so we might as well do it elsewhere as well.

We went down to QwaZulu Natal and had a ball!  -  so this has opened a whole new life for us!   At our age we are certainly living it up!

Lots of love

Yvonne

Ed
Thanks.

Yvonne, you and Milton should seriously think of taking a dance trip to Zim. You will have a whale of a time. Those people are extremely hospitable, and that's according to all the officials and dancers who have been there. Contact Cherie, here's her e-address cassent@telconet.co.zw

Thanks to Jay's wonderful magazine these letters were seen by many dancers not only in S.A., but many other countries and, people have come forward to praise Jay for the wonderful job he is doing - "telling the truth of what is really happening".  Your type of letter is very much in the minority but, we need them as well.  Jay as you see, does not only print the nice complimentary letters, he prints them all.

If you had taken the trouble to obtain past copies of Jay's magazine, instead of just the one, after two years, you would know why these letters were written in that particular issue.  The paragraph in your letter stating - "these are my suggestions" I found very funny to say the least.  Every single one of your suggestions has already been dealt with in Jay's past magazines.  Some professionals have taken the time to put pen to paper and explained certain queries which have been a great help to the dancers.  The dancers have started to put forward their complaints and queries pertaining to rules for Dancesport, but the Amateur body have just criticised Jay.  They are the ones that should print their rules for all to see and answer any queries put to them, but they don't.

So Innocent By-Stander, get out of your armchair and tell us how to get "blood out of a stone".  You appear to know all the answers.  Have the guts to print your name because if you are retired, you will not have the fear of being ostracised as many of the dancers are today, if they speak out.  We accept an anonymous letter from these dancers, but not from people like you.

Please write again and give Jay some suggestions on how to reach our goals for this wonderful sport of dancing, that is, "Rules for all and not just the chosen few and working together for the love of the sport".

Yours sincerely

Cherie Scott

Zimbabwe

Ed
Cherie, true

Thanks for the e-mail, I'm not always so up-to-date with reading the mail.

Antoinette Heyns

Ed
Antoinette,  you are already on my mailing list and the R50 is an annual fee.

To subscribe, you pay your R50 into my account and then fax 012-34 33747 me the deposit slip.

You must also send me the details of what you would like on your page and I will design it accordingly.

Here are my bank details:

First National Bank
J.J. Helm
Branch: Sunnyside, Number 25-06-45
Account Number 510 6100 7775

Welcome aboard and thanks for your support.

We have read all the letters, but now we would like to print the odd ones for the people who do not have access to the web, but we do not want to print all the letters as our ink cartridges cost in the region of 1500 Zim dollars.

Please tell us how we can print the odd letter.  We have tried a few ways but nothing has worked.  Your most recent batch of letters, the background is blue and the writing is white.  How can we print these letters out?  We get a blank page.

We love the letter "Carousel Circus" about the dress code.  We will be putting our views in shortly on this topic, plus a few others.

I have received a copy of the ZADSA rules from one of the secretaries in Harare but it is dated 1998.  Have you been able to get the latest updated one for me?  I can now understand why the South African dancers do not understand the rules as I too, cannot fathom out what they are getting at and find some of their explanations totally confusing.

Ed
Cherie, this is what I do when I pilfer info off the web, it might help you. You select and copy what you want from the page you are looking at on the web. You then open your Word97 or whatever word processor you use. Now paste it into, let's say word97. If my text is white against white, don't panic, just select the entire letter and change the text colour to black once you are in word97.

You then go back to the WebPage, and do the same with the next letter you want printed and add it to those in word97. Because the WebPage format is very unfriendly, you'll need to re-arrange your text, tabs, etc. to suit the way you want it in word97. It is now ready for printing. That's if what I've said makes sense.

Should this not help, let me know and I'll happily change the colour scheme of my WebPage.

Another hit. When downloading my WebPage, let it download completely while connected, then only when it shows DONE, disconnect and jump around as much as you like without your phone bill following you around.

Although you didn't want me to publish this letter, it could be a great help to many who are unfamiliar with the tricks of the computer, and there are millions of cyber idiots around, and just when we get to know how it works, they change the works, and we're back to idiot status, they call it progress.

As for the rules, I'm very happy you received a copy from the secretaries in Harare, albeit the 1998 version. Vivier Nel, the chief of FEDANSA has promised to send us the amended version very soon. I'll let you have a copy, and I will also be publishing it on the net for every dancer to read and query.

Why the authorities must always make rules un-understandable beats me. A few years back, the British government re-wrote their entire tax return forms because even those who compiled the questionnaire couldn't understand a thing. I always thought things are written so that others can get to understand what's going on.

I am looking forward to reading those rules, just to see where the holes in the dress are supposed to be.

Cherie reply

Hi Jay
Thanks for instructions to print - had just been sitting with my daughter Sherryl and had just worked it out - but selected all, so your info made it even easier to just print one letter. We are LEARNING!!!

You don't need to change your colour schemes  now!

Don't mind if you print my letter - just didn't want the world to know how green we are on the internet! - Getting Better tho!!

Will write again soon

Regards

CHERIE (Zimbabwe)

Ed
Wise Chinese proverb: He who asks stupid question, looks like idiot, but becomes wise. He who keeps quiet when idiot, looks wise, but stays idiot. I learnt most of the little I know the stupid way - welcome to the Chinese club. And remember, although the fairer sex, initially, have a bigger mental block for the workings of the computer, they eventually become the brighter sex on the computer. Somehow I think that last sentence needs a rephrase.

ZIMBABWE AMATEUR DANCESPORT ASSOCIATION
P.O.Box WGT 639, Westgate, Harare,
Zimbabwe

Wednesday 17 May 2000

Sales Dept
Dance Info Magazine
South Africa

Dear Sirs
Kindly confirm as to whether your subscription year runs from January to December each year and as to how much it would cost us to subscribe to your magazine.

Yours faithfully

LRM Fryer
Treasurer
Mashonaland Branch
e-mail:  lfryer@mango.zw

Ed
Lesley, I'm publishing your letter mainly to answer the same question many have asked me.

My website is an improvement of my DanceInfo SA magazine. The info is immediate and reaches many more dancers.

DanceInfo SA (DISA) is the main Dancers’ Directory of South Africa. I include everything and anything to do with dancing. At present, I have accumulated thousands of email addresses from dancers and have generated many visitors from all over - In the first 9 months of being on the net, my site has received close to 10,000 visits, and it is increasing rapidly by the day.

Unlike many dance magazines on the net where visitors must subscribe to access info, mine is free to visitors.

As a Subscriber you are entitled to a free page on my site. You pay R50 for a year’s maintenance (the year starts from the day I launch your page), and I keep it freshly updated. I add animated dance images, photos, colour, etc. to your page, and design it to your specifications. Plus you may update your page as often as you like. The more frequently you update your page the more frequently do I send it to the Thousands of dancers.

With every update (your special offers, comp results, notices, etc.) I insert a flashing update image to your name and send your page directly to the thousands of dancers listed. As a subscriber, visitors will be able to access your  page to see all the glorified details of your studio/business.

Studios/businesses that don’t subscribe can’t be accessed. The idea is to update your info regularly, to promote what you specialize in and make it as attractive as you can.

This address takes you to my homepage: http://www.oocities.org/danceinfosa/

My main aim is to promote all forms of dance (as much info, and as many items as possible) to provide contacts for the public in South Africa and Zim, and to make it convenient for dancers.*

Hope to hear from you soon.

At present, I show one dance association listed from Zim, it would be nice to have you join us, and thanks for your interest.

Regarding the printed magazine, it no longer exists. I am now concentrating my efforts entirely on improving my service to the dancer through the internet.

Like a lot of others we are very sorry to see that you have stopped dance info. You certainly did an excellent job but I realise how much of your time it took - plus you teach.

At the moment all that I can tell you is our next event is scheduled for 23 September - Grand Prix Star Dance Sport Festival. We will have all sorts of plans in the pipeline for this event but nothing has yet been finalised. As soon as we have all the details will e-mail you.

What is the position regarding Cherie's' letters. Is she required to have a page for this! Please let us know and we will send the Rand 50.

Keep well and hopefully one day we will see you in Bulawayo.

Kind regards,

Yours sincerely

Ken Scott (CHAIRMAN)

Ed
Ken, "snail mail" that sounds serene, I think I'll take that route.

Cherie's letter I had on the net the same day it arrived, it's free. That's the beauty of subscribing with me. You get maximum coverage, and you can use your page to advertise whatever you like. The letters automatically go into the letters section; providing a free service to the dance community and the sport - my great pleasure... thevoiceof the people.

The R50 pays for the maintenance of your free page on my site, and I update it as fast and as regularly as you send me info. I've added the dates and the results you sent me to your page and also showed it in the forthcoming events of the Zim section, and sent it e express to all the dancers on my list. Thanks for your support.

Just to give u a bit of background, the FEDANSA Carousel Festival was held in the Springs Civic Centre on the 13 May 2000.  This letter is not to complain about the dancers or even the spectators, but the officials.  Some of the dancers did not behave properly, but for the most part of it they did.  The audience was very supportive and carried the dancers throughout their sections.

One thing that did however leave a foul taste in ones mouth was the behavior of the officials.  In the beginning of the year FEDANSA printed a set of rules on the dress code.  These rules were to be enforced the 1 April 2000 onwards.  One of these ridiculous rules was that the girls’ leotards were not supposed to have any holes in it.  The leotard is supposed to be plain.  Fair enough, but what about couples from Latin Look and other studios that have standardized on one costume for all their female dancers.

This outfit, just as an example has a hole in the back.  So I thought to myself, does that mean that Latin Look and other studios had to redesign their outfit.  Worst of all what about the poorer couples that cannot afford to purchase a new leotard at every whim from FEDANSA to change the rules in regards to the dress code.

Well this stupid rule was never implemented and I thought that somebody complained to FEDANSA top management and thus the rule was discarded.  They started implementing the rules at the Battle of the Giants Comp at Sun City.

However, only a few girls with holes in their leotards were called to the stage.  After some complaints, Avril Bennett from FEDANSA stated that apparently u could have holes in the back of the leotard or on the sleeves, but not in front.  I mean, hello!  Almost all the leotards complied with this rule to start off with. FEDANSA was very quick to publish their idiotic rules, but slow to inform the dancers that these rules were actually hogwash.  FEDANSA was now speaking with a forked tongue, only applying some of the rules when it suited their needs (or so it seemed).

Well to get back to the Carousel “CIRCUS” Festival.  This was probably one of the biggest comps this year in the East Rand!  What should have been a pleasant comp where South African Couples went to enjoy dancing and compete against their peers soon turned sour.  Yes it was the dress code again! But this time FEDANSA Officials completely lost it.  Mrs. Avril Bennett went around with a measuring tape and measured the length of the girls’ dresses.

Let’s just stop here for a minute.  First of all this is very degrading for girls.  Their dresses being measured in front of the whole audience.  Then matters turned even worse.  Mrs. Avril Bennett went to the stage and after each section, some couples were called to the stage.  Now usually when u r called to the stage it’s because u were doing let’s say a Silver Step in a Bronze Routine and u could get disqualified.

This time however this was not the case.  The couples were called up to the stage to have the girls dresses measured!!!!  Now what was the audience supposed to think of that?  I felt disgusted, to say the least!  New couples, who were coming to their first comp were confronted and told they would be disqualified as soon as they got onto the floor, because their dresses were too short.  Now if u went to your first comp and were told u would be disqualified even before u danced one step, how would u feel?

And to make matters even worse!  According to FEDANSA rules Bronze and Silver Couples are not supposed to lift their arms above their shoulders.  This rule was also conveniently discarded!  Some of the Bronze and Silver Couples lifted their arms HIGH above their shoulders!  When some of the Spectators complained about this, they were confronted by Mrs. Bennett and asked whether they were PROFESSIONALS.  On replying no she told them that then they can’t lodge a complaint!  Again FEDANSA speaks with a forked tongue.

It doesn’t matter if u haven’t danced a step in your life (most of the FEDANSA Officials haven’t), if they were so STRICT on the rules then why only the ones that suited them.   Rather have a look at how the couples dancing and stop complaining about what they are wearing.

And this is only the beginning.  If I had to go on I could write a book!  My question is this: Do we dance to get the best of the South Africa couples into the International Spotlight or is this just a fashion shoot, where what u wear is more important than how u dance?  As far as I am concerned, it doesn’t matter if u dance in a grain bag, as long as u dance with style.

FEDANSA’s dress code is turning good Dancers away from Competitive dancing.  One of these dancers might be the next Michael Wentink!

I would suggest that they put Dancing Professionals or at least people who have danced in FEDANSA top management.  I think these people would be more concerned about the DANCING!  There r only two people in FEDANSA top management that belong there according to me!  Sack the rest!

<Nearly end of complain>

I am actually curious to see what new idiotic rule FEDANSA is going to implement at the next comp!  Perhaps the rules will change so that the girls dresses have to touch their ankles and they have to wear Voortrekker “kappies”!

<End of ranting>

P.S.!!  On another note, why did u stop printing the Dance Info?  I understand that apparently the Officials are going to release a glossy mag, but why not print the DI until they do?  I do not think they will ever print a glossy mag, for two reasons.  First of all, who is going to sponsor it? And what r they going to charge us for it?  There r only a few dancers in SA that will actually buy such a magazine, so they will probably charge us R200 per copy.  I like the idea of DI on the Net, but not all people are connected, and relied on the Printed DI to keep them updated.  If u stop printing the DI then people like the FEDANSA Officials have won!  A sad day indeed . . .

From: Savra.

Ed
Thanks for the email. The new mag was supposed to have been launched in April, but so far no one has seen or heard a thing. It won't cost you R200 a copy, maybe R199, but never R200, . Seriously, the glossy one will go for about R13 or R14. I really feel for those who aren't connected, but many, many more dancers read DI now that it's solely on the net and free of charge.

Savra, let me tell you, the only way FEDANSA will ever win is by supporting me and supplying me with positive information willingly and REGULARLY, and answering letters like yours.

My site is fast becoming the giant of the dance scene and I haven't even started. The fact that they did not send me the change of the dress code rule, substantiates your statement "I would suggest that they put Dancing Professionals in FEDANSA's top management".

What they don't seem to understand is, my magazine gives the sport much more coverage than any other dance medium, and it's mainly because I don't wait for tomorrow, I do things NOW. Unless and until someone at the top realises the efficacy of my efforts, they'll always have me working against them, instead of for them. The social dance fraternity think the competitive officialdom a laughing stock, and I'm beginning to believe them.

DRESS CODE - Cherie Scott replies

I agree totally with Sava.  This is a “stupid rule”.  It is unbelievable that the Amateur bodies are so paranoid about this one rule.  I think it is the only one they can relate to and understand, but as yet have not managed to get the dancers to obey it.  The main reason being they keep changing their minds about what is allowed and what is not, and if a member of their association ignores the rule then they turn a blind eye – so the others feel if some can get away with it, then why not all.

 I cannot believe the goings on at the “Carousel Circus”.  Did this really happen!!  WOW!!!  Next they will be running onto the floor dragging the poor girls off by their hair.  There are so many more rules broken by the Amateur body, so I think we need to publicly reprimand them.

What has happened to this elegant sport?  Now let’s talk about fact.  This is one rule from the IDSF, WDDSC or BDC rules that any country can ignore on their home ground if they wish to do so.  Every other association or organisation can opt for Minimum Dress Code if they wish.  It will not harm the dancers in any way, if you have Minimum or Maximum Dress Code.  If they wish to compete in another country then they must abide by the rules adopted in that country.  Having competed on home ground in a beautiful Ballroom gown or exciting Latin outfit will not endanger their chances when they dance elsewhere.  Wake up you people and spend time on more important rules that can affect a dancer if they are not adhered to.

The wearing of plain unadorned outfits was probably introduced years ago, purely to make the sport more affordable to the majority.  It is only the lower grades that are not allowed to dress up.  Overseas there are thousands of dancers mainly children who take up the sport and they are still growing, so new outfits every year would be too costly, except for the rich, and many would not be able to afford the sport and would give up.

I will refer now to the situation in Zimbabwe.  Compared to S.A we are very small and so we have to do what’s best for us.  Many years back they were getting on the floor in tackies, bug-squashers or platform shoes.  Their outfits were anything they could lay their hands on and the ladies often in jeans.  The men shared tailsuits, no matter if they fitted or not.  Little girls were wearing high-heeled shoes that they could barely walk in, let alone dance in and often looked like miniature over-dressed adults. (This could be very harmful to their backs in later years).  We had to do something, so we decided to introduce Minimum Dress Code, which was similar to the Maximum Dress Code.  Dancesport is an elegant sport and should not lose its lustre and finesse.

Boys  Same as today.
Girls Skirt and blouse or simple party dress.  (No high-heeled shoes for those not yet in their teens).
Men Same as  today
Ladies  Any suitable dress or skirt and blouse or a cocktail type dress.

Tails were only permitted in Adult sections but not compulsory.

If a couple wished to wear full Ballroom or Latin outfits they could do so.  Sequins and trimmings were not barred.

The white couples helped the blacks to get started and everything worked fine.  We did have a few moans about some people can afford expensive outfits and others can’t.  We told them that the couples are judged on their dancing ability and not on their outfits and before long they had fancy outfits anyway.  They all want to go back to the way things used to be.

In Zimbabwe we do not have enough couples to run separate competitions for grades and dress sections.  They are all run in one night.  It is obvious most of the spectators prefer the dress sections and only arrived at the competition halfway through the evening, although they had booked the front row seats.

Let’s face it, the wonderful dresses worn in Dancesport is the main attraction to both Competitor and spectator.  There is no other sport in the world were you can see the ladies in these beautiful dresses and the men dressed in their tails and Latin outfits.

Most children take up the sport so they can dress up, and now they are losing interest.  It takes too long to get to the dress sections because of the point system and grading.  We have dancers that used to dance all four dances in Ballroom and Latin in the Juvenile section and used to dress for their sections.  Since the introduction of the grades they were down graded to Bronze where they only do two dances and cannot dress up.  Some are still in Bronze after five years of dancing.  They are bored stiff and many have given up.  Very few dancers move up a grade because of the bad management of the points system.

In the past, if you won a section twice, you moved up giving the other dancers a chance to also move up.

S.A do not do Classical Sequence, but we do and when you see the graded couples doing this style of dancing in leotards and skirts it looses all its grandeur.  The elegance of the couple is lost especially as the lady uses her skirt to enhance the character of this style of dancing.  In leotards and skirts it is absolutely dead.

If the Amateur body wish to continue with their stupid Dress Code rule then they must use it in their competitions and perform the fiasco as they did at the “Carousel Circus” when the dancers strive for originality.  You can probably afford to lose some of your dancers.  We cannot.  Leave the other Associations to do as they please.  IT DOES NOT HARM THE DANCER IN ANY WAY.  Time will tell which competitions the dancers and spectators prefer to support.  I still cannot believe that this happened at a public function.  What in the world will happen next?

Still in shock.

Cherie Scott
Zimbabwe

The DI magazine was not just full of lacklustre adverts as so many tend to be these days and was certainly value for money. I can remember seeing my first copy of DI at the Tanz Cafe just after the venue opened a few years ago - my last copy from the subscription will be a definite “hold onto” piece of literature.

Speaking (writing?) of the Tanz Cafe, I can only agree with Mareli’s letter regarding “student poaching” by the Tanz Cafe i.e. In all the times we have danced at the Tanz Cafe ( I have also played a few gigs there), not once have Mareli or Eddie tried to influence Rienie and myself to join their classes while we were taking lessons elsewhere.

On the subject of dance floor etiquette, this as you well know, is a major problem in the social dancer's life, especially as we dance at “open” venues all the time, where Joe Public is free to roam. The big “irritation” in particular, are those dancers that do not follow the basic anti-clockwise-round- the-outside rule of the dance floor, mostly because of ignorance, as they are not regular dancers.

The times when you are doing a Swing or a Rumba in the middle of the floor and Joe Public and partner come slamming into you as they wander aimlessly every which way in all directions across the floor (many a time a nasty ankle or heel attack without so much as a gesture of apology, has resulted in a retaliatory well-aimed shot next time around - with an innocent apology of course! ) Then there is the “Windgat” exhibitionist couple, who need to have the whole floor to themselves to demonstrate their talent to the whole room and in so doing, mess up everybody else's right-of-way.

One of our fellow dancing friends refers to them as “taxi dancers” , as they also attract a one-finger-in-the-air gesture - enough said! The answer to this problem of ignorance/ disregard can easily be rectified, by the venue owner/manager/ess getting the DJ or a Band member to announce the basic dance floor rules on a regular basis in a very diplomatic way. A poster at the entrance to, or inside the venue, plus maybe a leaflet on the tables will also help to make every dancers life a lot more pleasant.

In closing Jay, a suggestion/request on your web site home page. You have two (2) “Have your say” pages, one with a topic and one without, the latter being the letters page, which is what it was called before. Perhaps re-naming it as letters/letters to the Ed will be more specific and reduce unnecessary searching for the letters page. Small point. The site on the whole just keeps improving and is of course now open to the whole internet world, with Australia and the Netherlands already participating. But alas, unfortunately DI is no longer available to those who don't have a connection.

However Jay, DI is not dead, it has just been married to cyberspace and had its name changed as in any marriage - Dance Internet!

Cheers & regards

Wez Mayo

Ed
Wez, I've changed my homepage, it’s now “letters”, a good suggestion, thanks. I’m glad you responded to the “Q for June” because, there are many dance hogs out there who use their partner as a ramrod to cushion the blows at collision time. I call it law mowing.

I think the idea of the DJ throwing a few hints, and pamphlets being distributed on the table, is a brilliant one - it can only help.

No studio may dictate to Joe & Jolene Public where to spend their money for dancing lessons, that’s a big laugh. Wez, imagine if Checkers told you not to buy at the OK... I know exactly how high you would tell Checkers to go and take a jump at themselves. This sort of talk makes me very nervous about the attitude of some social dance studios. Mareli's setup at Tanz Café is like ours; happy- chappy, free-for-all stuff. If a studio looks after their customers, their customers won't want to go else where, period, and if their customers want to spend their green bags where they feel they are having more fun, then that's marvelous.
 

We live in the South of Johannesburg. I wonder if you have any ideas that may help me find a suitable place??

Thanks for your help

Regards

Joanna Jones (Cell: 082-804-3072)

Ed
Joanna, I’ll find out for you. In the meantime try this list of dance studios on my website:
http://www.oocities.org/danceinfosa/disastulist.html

I only saw the webpage on Thursday or Friday last week.

I was really surprised because I did not even answer your last question on the specifications and haven't even paid you yet, so Simon and I were surprised when someone phoned us and said he saw our webpage.

Speaking of the webpage, it is perfect, I could not believe how colourful and fun it is, you also added a touch of humour which is great, because that is what our school is about, fun,  laughter and passion. Simon has not seen the webpage yet (we don't have E-mail at home. I only have it at work) so he might want to add something, but I am 100% happy with it .

I want to thank you a million times for your hard work, and I want to compliment you on your imagination and creativity.

Thank You

Ipatia

Ed
If you and Simon receive one customer through my site in a year, then you will have recouped your annual R50 maintenance charge many times over. I have received many thanks from dancers because of the contacts  they made through my site - that's great news.

Incidentally, that insane skeleton ape dancing like a demented idiot on your page, I replaced with your sedate, original dance figure. Too quiet for me, but I can always change it back to the hectic ape. I reckon, a few dancers would learn some groovy moves from that monkey.

Ipatia, you mean you haven't paid yet... that's a disgrace, I'm gonna have to charge you double. Never mind, I just won't feed my kids for a week.

You and Simon must now make a list of all the dancers and pupils who have email, and send these to me, and I'll keep them regularly updated.

Follow-up letter

Hi Jay
Thanks for your letter. You mentioned a dancing ape that you had on our web page, I actually did not get to see it, please put him back on, especially if it would teach some dancers new moves (we always try to improve the standard of dancing at the Dance Planet), and could you also add my cell no 0823141612.

Here is one e-mail address you can add on to your list; willemien@intersoft.co.za, and when I get more I will send them to you, but most of my pupils that have e-mail are already on your list.

Jay I also teach bellydancing at the studio,  but I don't think enough people know about it, do you think a seperate webpage for the bellydancing at the Dance Planet would be a good idea?

Rwgards

Ipatia

Ed
I'll re-instate the ape. Everybody wants the ape, but since I put it on yours 1st, it's yours. You don't need a seperate page for your Belly dancing. I'll add that to your page and then link it with the Belly dancing section. This will get visitors to that part of your page directly, no sweat.

Thanks to the new email address. I want every dancer to regularly read the dance excitement this site offers
 

Greetings

Zani

Ed
Zani, What you could do, since you work off the same Line Dance tape as we do, get your dancers prepared for our exams. Let them join our exam function, kick up dust in dem denims, cowboy boots, buckles, and Stetsons. We have a special Line Dance diploma which they can complete. If you prefer your own diploma, I can design a nifty one for you in a jiffy, just whistle. Your group is very welcome to join us, and it will also help promote Line Dancing.

I like that dancing cactus on your page, you're lucky, because many wanted it on their page, and I said NO! It's Zani's
 

I'm very keen to do that, but have no idea what's required of me or where to go. I'd probably do it in Cape Town. I live in Zimbabwe at the moment but am going there soon. I'd really appreciate it if you are able to send me any information you have on this type of dancing.

Thanks very much,

yours sincerely,

Samantha

Ed
Wow! Cage-dancing, long-time no hear of. That was done way back in the late 60's and 70's by GoGo girls. It also changed partnership dancing to loose disco jigging, and social ballroom was never to be the same. If the modern version of GoGo dancing is done in Zim, then Zim are streets ahead of Zuid Afrika. If Cage dancing is done at raves these days, it must be a gas.

I'll try to find out more about this for you, but in all honesty, I thought Cage dancing was long gone and buried 25 years ago.

You can phone me in office hours on (011) 838-2816.

Thanks

Susan Graham

Moving into Dance

Ed
Moving into Dance, l like that name. It spells action.

The idea of having a webpage is for you to promote the things you and your pupils excel in. Such as prestigious achievements or awards, or anything you do that others don't. Publish pupil exam results, reviews, forthcoming events, etc. The more you promote your activities and accomplishments through dance, the more we are able to promote the art.

Susan, send me the details of your School, I'll design your page and then email you a copy. You then decide what you would like to keep in or take out. From there, it's a matter of adding fresh information occasionally or regularly - regularly sounds better to me... Let's keep Moving into Dance.

I know you are leaving for Canada very soon, but try to give me as much info, before you leave, so that when you get there, you can sit back in the Rockies and admire your beautiful page, while you're doing that many others might be doing the same.