Category: Featured

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February 9th – SpeakEasy Swing Dancing Dinner Party

We are in this generation’s “roaring 20’s” and no one seems to be leading the charge to bring back getting dressed up, going out for a meal, and a night of dancing in a ballroom…until now. As you know I am good friends with the owner of the Roma Restaurant awho was open to us having a swing party there and everyone had a blast!

Since this is the year my teaching career turns 21, I want to go all out and celebrate by having a black tie affair February 9th from 7-11:30pm. I would love the guys and gals that attend to really go all out and get dressed up for a swank dinner party. No one with a ticket will be turned away for being under dressed…I hope you play along but I am not forcing anyone to wear a tie. Tickets are $75 each. There will be Cash and raffle prizes for best dressed and most matched couple along with 2 levels of lessons, dinner, and a couple of surprises I am working on this and next week.

There are only 75 tickets available and 354 people on my email list…they will sell out! Tickets can be purchased at the Roma, in person, at any swing dance I am teaching/DJing at, or via the mail. Mail checks to me at:

Jonathan Barbeau
304 S. Broadway
Salem, NH 03079

Tickets can be purchased at the Roma in person, over the phone with a credit Card (978)374-8001 (The Roma’s front desk line)

The event is being held at:
The Roma Restaurant
29 Middlesex St
Haverhill, Ma 01835

Dinner 7Pm
Lesson 8Pm
Dancing 8:45-11:30
• Dinner includes:
* Salad
• Sirloin Tips
& Vegetable Medley
• Chicken Parmigian
* Rice Pilaf
* Pasta With Sauce
* Coffee/Tea
• Intermediate Lesson (Beginner Lesson Available for new comers)
• Black Tie strongly encouraged
• Cash bar
• Dancing till your feet hurt!

Do I have to dress up? No you don’t…I would like you to so you feel pretty and handsome for that night but I get that its not for everyone.
Do I have to wear 20’s attire? No you don’t you can…some will…I will be dressed to the 9’s but in modern clothing.
Do I have to bring a date? Nope…We have lots of singles signed up and have worked very hard to have a culture of dancers that all dance with each other.
Do you take Venmo, PayPal, Cashapp, or a Credit Card? I do not personally but I spoke with the Roma and They are willing to take the cards over the phone (978)374-8001. Otherwise I take checks and cash.

The Roma is also running a special running the month of February for my students. Mention to your server that I (Mr. Jonathan) sent you and you get 20% off of the food portion of your meal (not alcoholic beverages)

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Finding Your Connection in WCS

Finding your connection starts with great contact with the floor. It then comes from good central movement from both partners. Once contact is made, connection happens only when both parties are in complete opposition to each other.

The video above is a great illustration of what we drilled this last Thursday. Watch how Melissa keeps turning (about 30 seconds in) as she is searching for Ben’s connection. She makes no assumptions about what he may be leading. She simply (not saying its easy) goes from point A to point B and from connection to connection. She sits in the “pocket” of Ben’s lead for what seams like an eternity yet they are never off time or out of sync.

We are starting our second Finding Your Connection class this Thursday and then continuing the concept the very next day at the Roma. These classes will not be “stacked” meaning you do not have to go to one to understand what is going on in the second. If you go to both you will just have more information and practice with the connection drills.

We are back at it at the Sweeny Post this Sunday with Master instructor Ray Huard teaching you how to take your Foxtrot from boring to bad ass

Sunday, January 14th
Sweeny Post
for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 Foxtrot Patterns W/Ray Huard
Dancing 7-9 (Julie Lutter DJ)
Cost: $20

January 18th is our next Thursday night Class

Here are the details for our next Thursday class:

The Thursdays Class, January 4th
6:30 lesson (WCS)
7:30ish There will be a guided dance practice time that follows and I am available for dances and questions with plans to wrap the night up by 8:30.

The cost of the night is $20
Its held at 304 S. Broadway in Salem, NH
Its Two Guys Smoke Shop across from T-Bones on Route 28
You are welcome to park anywhere in the lot including the spots out front labeled for 20 minutes. We are using the door closest to the giant sign which will be marked with a sign.

Up Coming Events:

January 19th
Roma Restaurant
29 Middlesex St.,Haverhill, MA
(Some GPS units may have this listed as Bradford, Ma)
7:30pm Lesson WCS
8:30-10:30pm WCS Dancing
Cost is $20
This is a restaurant with a full menu downstairs. My Friend Brett just bought it and has been making some serious improvements on the menu. If you like Italian style food you can certainly go a little early and have a meal making for a great date night. The thing to get on the new menu is the fresh pasta…it’s spectacular! Also if you are hungry after dancing they are open till midnight.

I reserved a special room for anyone looking to dine simple say you are with Mr. Jonathan and they will walk you to the private room.

The dance will be held on the second floor in the function room. This may be a beginner crowd and has potential to draw a younger audience so I am coming in with the plan being no plan. I must be ready to teach to what ever level of dancer shows up and if it goes well we may have a new spot to dance on the 3rd Friday of every month. The dance floor is hardwood and is spectacular!

January 28th
Sweeny Post
for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 Night Club 2 W/Mr. Jonathan
Dancing 7-9 (Mr. Jonathan DJ)
Cost: $20

Sunday, March 31
Authur Murray Dance Studio
10 MA-27
Natick, Ma 01760
$20 WCS Lesson (w/Mr. J) and Dance
$15 Dance only (DJ Mr. J)
Lesson 5:30pm
Dance 6:30-9:30
California mix of WCS, Ballroom, Country

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West Coast Swing in January

Thank you to all my West Coast Swing friends who showed up to not only support me as the DJ but the country dance scene in general. We are running out of venues who play this style of music and it felt so good to get out there and party with all of you. I was also able to dust off some Musical gems that I have not played or heard in a long time as well as the new music I found in the last couple of weeks.

This week December 24th Class is West Coast Swing Musicality

We are going to do a quick recap of some of the musical patterns we just learned and start to play with HOW to use them in our dance. I plan to keep it light, playful, and of course musical!
Here are the details for our next Thursday class:

The Thursdays Class, December 21st
6:30 lesson (West Coast Swing)
7:30ish There will be a guided dance practice time that follows and I am available for dances and questions with plans to wrap the night up by 8:30.
Cost $20
Its held at 304 S. Broadway in Salem, NH
Its Two Guys Smoke Shop across from T-Bones on Route 28 (Front Right hand Door)
You are welcome to park anywhere in the lot including the spots out front labeled for 20 minutes. We are using the door closest to the giant sign which will be marked with a sign.

Up Coming Events:
January 7th
Sweeny Post
for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 Cha-Cha Patterns W/Ray Huard
Dancing 7-9 (Julie Lutter DJ)
Cost: $20

January 14th
Sweeny Post
for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 Foxtrot Patterns W/Ray Huard
Dancing 7-9 (Julie Lutter DJ)
Cost: $20

About Ray Huard
PaperMoon Ballroom Instructor & Choreographer
Raymond Huard began ballroom dancing in 1997. He has studied at studios throughout New England, most notably with coaches Ian Folker, Ed Simon, Michael Ulbrich, and Suzanne Hamby. He specializes in American Smooth, American Rhythm and International Standard and has won the trust and affection of many students, who regularly place at or near the top of their events at Pro/Am competitions. Ray began competing in the Professional Rising Star American Smooth category in September 2009 with his partner Maria Huard under the coaching of Larinda McRaven, and danced in the finals at competitions throughout the Northeast.

January 19th
Roma Restaurant
29 Middlesex St.,Haverhill, MA
(Some GPS units may have this listed as Bradford, Ma)
7:30pm Lesson West Coast Swing
8:30-10:30pm West Coast Swing Dancing
Cost is $20
This is a restaurant with a full menu downstairs. My Friend Brett just bought it and has been making some serious improvements on the menu. If you like Italian style food you can certainly go a little early and have a meal making for a great date night. This may be a beginner crowd and has potential to draw a younger audience so I am coming in with the plan being no plan. I will be ready to teach to what ever level of dancer shows up and if it goes well we may have a new new spot to dance. The dance floor is hardwood and is spectacular!

January 28th
Sweeny Post
for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 Night Club 2 W/Mr. Jonathan
Dancing 7-9 (Mr. Jonathan DJ)
Cost: $20

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Why Should I Care About Musicality?

Students often ask me, “Why should I bother with Musicality when I can hardly distinguish between 6 and 8 count patterns?” My response varies, ranging from “Maybe it’s not your priority right now” to “It’s the essence of why you should embrace this dance.” I’ve given every possible answer in between. I understand that not everyone is as immersed in dance as I am, but as someone with ADHD, let me tell you why this dance has held my fascination for the past 25 years!

To comprehend the significance, we need to grasp what it means to be musical. In our dance, we work with 6 and 8 count patterns, each having its own inherent pulse accentuated by direction changes, pauses, or accelerations. Similarly, music has its pulse with accents typically on counts 1 and/or 5. Musicality is the art of harmonizing the natural accents of each pattern with the song’s accents. The more you achieve this synchronization, the more fulfilling the dance experience becomes. I’m not suggesting you can’t have fun without being musical; it’s like enjoying cake without knowing how to bake one. However, like everything else, there are different levels to this dance, and I hope you’ll join me on this journey!

What I find most appealing about musicality is that you can improve with practice. Constant exposure to new music keeps things exciting. What’s great is that both you and your dance partner don’t have to engage in musicality simultaneously. Two dancers at different skill levels can have a blast—one embracing musicality while the other focuses on maintaining the tempo during their triples.

Here are some patterns that lend themselves really well to being musical:

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Good Leaders Do This, Great Leaders Do it More!

Last week I wrote about the ways that followers can really be there for their leaders. This week its the leader’s turn. There is something that good leaders do, that Great leaders do more.

During our Two Step class last Sunday part of our time was spent on things leaders can do to eliminate options for the follower. So often, for leaders, being in the correct position not only makes the physical act of leading easier but by great position (out ahead on the end of the weave for example) narrows the options down for your follower. Imagine if you could make it so that there was only one place for the follower to go and that happened to be what you were about to lead?

As hard as it is for followers to follow they do have it a little easier at the beginning. The real struggle is in staying in the pocket and following their wrist. I am not saying it’s easier as an activity I am saying it takes up less RAM in the brain. Leaders MUST start and end each pattern on time, have an idea for the next pattern, and then on top of it all execute the lead in a clear way. There is a lot more to think about at the beginning for leaders. There is a way to speed the process up.

The answer is footwork. The leaders that drill their footwork, in a solo setting, find it MUCH easier to be in position than the leaders who get their practice in only during lessons and socials. You can improve by 33% in one week with less than 5 minutes of practice per day (10 if you dance both rolls)…I still do this every day for both rolls and like learning a foreign language I am able to think as a leader, follower, or switch mid step in real time.

See you:
December 10th for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 WCS W/Mr. J
Dancing 7-9 (Mr. Jonathan DJ)
Cost: $20

This week December 14th’s Class is Canceled as the room has been rented…See you next week!
Here are the details for our next Thursday class:

The Next Thursdays Class, December 21st
6:30 lesson (WCS)
7:30ish There will be a guided dance practice time that follows and I am available for dances and questions with plans to wrap the night up by 8:30.

The cost of the night is $20
Its held at 304 S. Broadway in Salem, NH
Its Two Guys Smoke Shop across from T-Bones on Route 28
You are welcome to park anywhere in the lot including the spots out front labeled for 20 minutes. We are using the door closest to the giant sign which will be marked with a sign.

Sunday
December 10th for our California Mix at
Sweeny Post #2
251 Maple St, Manchester, NH 03103
Lesson 6-7 WCS W/Mr. J
Dancing 7-9 (Mr. Jonathan DJ)
Cost: $20

Sunday
December 17th
Kadance
368 W. Cummings Park
Woburn, Ma 01801
6-6:30 Beginner 2-Step w/Anne Flemming
6:30-7pm Beyond Beginner 2-Step w/Anne Flemming
7-9:30 pm California Mixer w/DJ Mr. Jonathan
$20 for the whole night $15 dance only