Classic Christmas Showcase, 2015
Some videos are here.
Here's a note from one of the spectators:
Hello Sandra,
Every year seems to exceed the prior year with avant-garde approach and technique. What I liked most about last night, other than the delicious food and great company, was the flow from one dance to another using the same music. Sheer genius! The kids were also graceful and elegant, even the hip hop/rock number which I totally enjoyed. Everything was wonderful. I just had to tell you that we had a great time.
Sandra Martin
Hello Sandra,
Every year seems to exceed the prior year with avant-garde approach and technique. What I liked most about last night, other than the delicious food and great company, was the flow from one dance to another using the same music. Sheer genius! The kids were also graceful and elegant, even the hip hop/rock number which I totally enjoyed. Everything was wonderful. I just had to tell you that we had a great time.
Sandra Martin
Lots of preparation....Lots of excitement...Lots of planning....
Performance #1
The Youth and Juniors, Level One and Level Two, will present a Hustle/Merengue. It starts with an enormous entrance with all the dancers. the hustle is performed by Level One dancers while Level Two dancers do some 'back-up dancing.
Then Level Two dancers do their merengue while the Level One dancers do some back-up dancing.
Level One dancers repeat their hustle with a change of partners while Level One do the back-up dancing again.
Then all the dancers who can handle the 'new' choreography for the merengue will dance the 'scratch your back' and 'tunnel.'
The final section is going to be some dancers doing partner exchanges and maybe some merengue mixer.
We'll see when the whole thing gets the final stamp, 'DONE," on Friday, Nov. 20.
Performance # 2
Cynthia and Don doing a tango with a story and some props. As usual, Cynthia is likely to have the best showcase for the event.
Performance # 3
Illan LOVED a quickstep we used on Monday night. The Pdr class was asked to do the samba to a song labeled 'Samba.' The whole class said, "Whoa! That's a quickstep!" So I had the idea to combine a quickstep with a sambe for the song Illan loved. Now we have a cute routine with Groucho Marx and a Hotsie Totsie, Illan and Olga.
Performance #4
Last year Matt and I did a waltz to a classical piano interpretation of a Chopin Nocturne. We will do it again this year--only better. The music is extremely challenging. It is certainly NOT 'strict tempo.' It is so satisfying to dance with the expressive ritards and accellerandos of real music.
Performance #5
John and Ann learned their First Dance last summer. It is REALLY GOOD. We are using it as the impetus for a 7 minute routine that will include them, the Monday silver international class, the Tuesday American class, Illan with Sandra and one more couple, maybe a junior couple, not sure...oh yes, and now our guest dancers will open the routine and one of the junior couples will fill a section with swing.
Performance #6
The SAMBA is a HUGE undertaking. Besides the 34 beat phrases, it's over 5 minutes long and calls for CAPE WORK at the opening. It will include the juniors, the Pdr, the adult Pdr, the silver routine, the Level One dancers. Yikes! Could turn out to be stupendous or something less.....
Performance #7
Don and Marta are doing a swing to some Christmas music. I helped him plan an entry and suggested he use the same thing for the exit. Haven't seen the results yet. The youth wheelchair dance class will be part of this too.
Performance #8
The Tuesday class is doing a bolero and near the end the Wednesday night Pdr dancers will join with their center floor routine. This is turning out really well the interesting thing is that instead of all congregating in the back, the Pdr dancers jostle for spots in the front.
Performance #9
The Monday night Gold/Open class will open this and then Josh and Ariel will dance the second half. It might end up including a junior couple. Actually, its the other way around. Josh and Ariel will open the dance and the gold dancers will bring it to a gorgeous conclusion.
Performance #10
Jaiden and Maya will do the Viennese waltz with mostly traditional construction...maybe
Performance #11
The Malinsky Family Waltz. This is going to be a new kind of waltz-"Whisper Down the Alley Waltz." Dick & Barb came in and learned the routine. Now they plan to teach it to their daughter who will in turn teach it to Ava.
Performance #12
Ruth + John will do pasodoble. We put a big ending onto it. Their pasodoble, as all their dances, gets better each time I see them.
Performance #13
The Malinskys used to take lessons here. They've been gone for over 10 years, but they are still dancing and will do a foxtrot to Winter Wonderland.
That might be about it. Or maybe I forgot one for the moment.
Performance #1
The Youth and Juniors, Level One and Level Two, will present a Hustle/Merengue. It starts with an enormous entrance with all the dancers. the hustle is performed by Level One dancers while Level Two dancers do some 'back-up dancing.
Then Level Two dancers do their merengue while the Level One dancers do some back-up dancing.
Level One dancers repeat their hustle with a change of partners while Level One do the back-up dancing again.
Then all the dancers who can handle the 'new' choreography for the merengue will dance the 'scratch your back' and 'tunnel.'
The final section is going to be some dancers doing partner exchanges and maybe some merengue mixer.
We'll see when the whole thing gets the final stamp, 'DONE," on Friday, Nov. 20.
Performance # 2
Cynthia and Don doing a tango with a story and some props. As usual, Cynthia is likely to have the best showcase for the event.
Performance # 3
Illan LOVED a quickstep we used on Monday night. The Pdr class was asked to do the samba to a song labeled 'Samba.' The whole class said, "Whoa! That's a quickstep!" So I had the idea to combine a quickstep with a sambe for the song Illan loved. Now we have a cute routine with Groucho Marx and a Hotsie Totsie, Illan and Olga.
Performance #4
Last year Matt and I did a waltz to a classical piano interpretation of a Chopin Nocturne. We will do it again this year--only better. The music is extremely challenging. It is certainly NOT 'strict tempo.' It is so satisfying to dance with the expressive ritards and accellerandos of real music.
Performance #5
John and Ann learned their First Dance last summer. It is REALLY GOOD. We are using it as the impetus for a 7 minute routine that will include them, the Monday silver international class, the Tuesday American class, Illan with Sandra and one more couple, maybe a junior couple, not sure...oh yes, and now our guest dancers will open the routine and one of the junior couples will fill a section with swing.
Performance #6
The SAMBA is a HUGE undertaking. Besides the 34 beat phrases, it's over 5 minutes long and calls for CAPE WORK at the opening. It will include the juniors, the Pdr, the adult Pdr, the silver routine, the Level One dancers. Yikes! Could turn out to be stupendous or something less.....
Performance #7
Don and Marta are doing a swing to some Christmas music. I helped him plan an entry and suggested he use the same thing for the exit. Haven't seen the results yet. The youth wheelchair dance class will be part of this too.
Performance #8
The Tuesday class is doing a bolero and near the end the Wednesday night Pdr dancers will join with their center floor routine. This is turning out really well the interesting thing is that instead of all congregating in the back, the Pdr dancers jostle for spots in the front.
Performance #9
The Monday night Gold/Open class will open this and then Josh and Ariel will dance the second half. It might end up including a junior couple. Actually, its the other way around. Josh and Ariel will open the dance and the gold dancers will bring it to a gorgeous conclusion.
Performance #10
Jaiden and Maya will do the Viennese waltz with mostly traditional construction...maybe
Performance #11
The Malinsky Family Waltz. This is going to be a new kind of waltz-"Whisper Down the Alley Waltz." Dick & Barb came in and learned the routine. Now they plan to teach it to their daughter who will in turn teach it to Ava.
Performance #12
Ruth + John will do pasodoble. We put a big ending onto it. Their pasodoble, as all their dances, gets better each time I see them.
Performance #13
The Malinskys used to take lessons here. They've been gone for over 10 years, but they are still dancing and will do a foxtrot to Winter Wonderland.
That might be about it. Or maybe I forgot one for the moment.