Category: WCS General

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Up Coming Dance Events Worth Checking Out

Are you one of those dancers who tries to find something to learn in everything you do? If you are not I would like you to consider trying it this week. At last week’s Night Club Two-Step Lesson I caught a couple of eye rolls as I started out with the basics. Some teachers get upset when their students have this kind of attitude toward basics but if I am going to practice what I preach there must be a lesson to be learned from these fine folks…right?

If I do say so my self, I taught some pretty cutting edge technique during the first 15 minutes of class. My friends the “eye rollers,” who thought these basics where beneath them didn’t realize, until it was too late, what they were missing. My take away from this experience is less about the obvious part about how basics are vital and you can’t process as a dancer without them. Its that my mind, heart, and body must always be open to trusting the direction my coaches choose to take. 

As a coach I was both trying to catch the newbies up and give my more advanced students something to practice during the lesson. Of the more advanced dancers only half took advantage of the basics portion of the lesson. I heard from almost all of that half how this lesson opened their eyes to this more advanced Night Club Two-Step technique. Of course I want the best for all of my students and every dancer I come in contact with but I can’t force anyone to learn…What I can do is choose to open my mind, heart, and body to what basics have to offer and I hope you try the same! 

Dance On! 

Sunday Night (February 28th)

$10

6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J

6:45-7:30pm Night Club Two-Step  w/Mr. J

$10 (Just the Dance)

7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Donna Shea

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 

524 Minuteman Dr 

off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 

Wayland, MA 

Saturday Night (March 12th)
$25 Dance and 2 Lessons 7-8pm W/Mr. Jonathan
$15 Dance and 1 Lesson 8-9pm W/Mr. Jonathan
Lesson 1 – “Slow Motion Basics”
Lesson 2 – “The Big Reveal” Mr. J
$10 Just the dance 9-12:3ish DJ John Shimmel and Mr. Jonathan
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD

Sunday Night (March 13th)

$10

6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J

6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J

$10 (Just the Dance)

7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Mr. Jonathan

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 

524 Minuteman Dr 

off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 

Wayland, MA 

Saturday Night (April 9th)

$25 Dance and 2 Lessons 7-8pm W/John Festa

$15 Dance and 1 Lesson 8-9pm W/John Festa

Lesson 1 – TBA

Lesson 2 – TBA

$10 Just the dance 9-12:3ish DJ Mr. Jonathan

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD

(Rt 20) Wayland, MA

Sunday Night (April 10th)

$10

6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J

6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J

$10 (Just the Dance)

7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Mr. Jonathan

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 

524 Minuteman Dr 

off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 

Wayland, MA 

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The Dynamic Duo Returns

Tessa Is back at Longfellow’s this Saturday night. A champion professional Ballroom and competitive West Coast Swing dancer, Tessa Antolini has been sharing her passion for partnered dancing with students across the United States since 2009. Formerly a nationally-acclaimed theater, film and television actress, with degrees from conservatories in Boston, London, and Los Angeles, Tessa began studying dance and music at the age of 2. She is known for bringing a sense of humor and a deep interest in the physics of dance to her teaching. She is passionate about giving the “average Jane & Joe” the opportunity to learn to move to music! Tessa opened Forte Dance in June 2014 and is thrilled to bring her expertise in West Coast Swing, Social, and American Smooth & Rhythm to dancers in the greater Boston area. When not on the dance floor, you’ll find her planting peonies or rolling in stinky things with her two beautiful hounds.

Tonight

Forte Dance 

$10

3 Levels of classes from Beginner to Intermediate at 8:30pm

Dancing from 9:15-?

123 Muller Rd

Burlington, Ma

Saturday Night

$25 Dance and 2 Lessons 7-8pm W/Tessa

$15 Dance and 1 Lesson 8-9pm W/Tessa

$10 Just the dance 9-12:3ish DJ Mr. Jonathan

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD

(Rt 20) Wayland, MA

Sunday Night 

$10

6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J

6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J

$10 (Just the Dance)

7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Mr. Jonathan

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 

524 Minuteman Dr 

off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 

Wayland, MA 

This Month’s Top Ten Songs That I am Diggin’ On:

Down in the alley – The Clovers

Ain’t Nothing you can do – Van Morison and James Humter

Don’t Play that Song for me (you lied) – Mariah Carey or Aretha Franklin

Laying in the alley – Big Joe and the Dynaflowers

Loving you more every day – Leela James

Just in case – Jaheim 

Hang on to your love – Sade

Love Never Changes – Ledisi

Grace – The Bacon Brothers

Dancewitme – Maxwell

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Back In The addle Again

How much time did you put into your dancing this week? There was a time when I just couldn’t leave a social dancing event feeling anything but disappointment. I, like so many others, only practiced during class and on the social dance floor. 90% of my dancing was done with a partner making it virtually impossible to get any better. Every ounce of competence in West Coast Swing was completely conscious meaning I was aware of every step to every beat on every lead. At no point was my spirit allowed to express my self…I couldn’t dance to the music because I could’t get past all of the things I had to think about before they happened. 

It wasn’t until I began practicing solo that I began to lock my technique deep into my body. I went from being conscious of everything to thinking about nothing. The steps began happening on their own and began to tell the story of the song that was playing. My competence in the dance became unconscious and I was able to go beyond the technique and let myself self drift where the music took me. The better my technique got solo the longer and more fulfilling my drift was so that I get satisfaction from almost every dance I have!

Take some time every day to practice your dancing. It take 5 minutes a day to make yourself a better partner and unconsciously competent dancer. See you Sunday Night for something pretty exciting!
Sunday Night 
$10
6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J
$10 (Just the Dance)
7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Mr. Jonathan
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 
524 Minuteman Dr 
off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 
Wayland, MA 
Top Ten New Songs To Dance To:
So Ruff, So Tuff – Roger (111 bpm)
Stay with me tonight – Jeffery Osborn (118 bpm)
There’s gotta be a change – Johnny Lang (93 bpm)
Same Beat – Fred Wesley (89 bpm)
Let me go my merry way – Charlie Rich (110bpm)
Somebody else’s guy – Glennis Grace (108 bpm)
A little bit – Madeline Peyroux (105 bpm)
A lover’s question – Donny Gerrard (112 bpm)
After you – Ella Fitzgerald (112 bpm)
Rocksteady – Dawn Robinson (111 bpm)
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Forte Friday, Live Blues and Funk, Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

The plan is to get a lesson in on Friday night with Tessa and I teaching for the first time together and then as things wind down at her place we head on over to Ryles and catch the second and third set of Joe Barger’s “Soul Providers”. You can follow me over or meet us there!

Lesson Schedule

Friday November 20th
$10
Forte Dance
123 Muller Rd.
8:30 – 9:15 Lesson W/Tessa and Mr. J
9:15-? Dancing W/DJ Mr. J

Sunday Night 
$10
6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J
$10 (Just the Dance)
7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Steel Shane
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 
524 Minuteman Dr 
off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 
Wayland, MA 
Top Ten New Songs To Dance To:
Music – Walter Beasley (100 BPM)
Body – The Foreign Exchange (104 BPM)
I only Have Love – Syl Johnson (111BPM)
Jimmy Lee – Aretha Franklin (88 BPM)
Walkin’ After Midnight – Eva Cassidy (112 BPM)
Yes Indeed – Ray Charles (110 BPM)
At Last – Geraint Watkins (117 BPM)
I will Survive – Nils Landgren (91 BPM)
Come on Strong – Lena Horne (105 BPM)
Dance Floor – Zapp & Roger (110 BPM)
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I am coming out of Retirement

This Weekend is Swingin’ New England and Tessa Antolini has convinced me to come out of retirement and compete with her Friday night at 10:30. Its a “Strictly Swing” competition so we know who our partner is going to be (each other) but the music is up to the DJ. This has the potential to be interesting, entertaining, or a complete disaster (only in my convoluted thought process). If the DJ decides to challenge the group by playing brand new swing or blues music that non of us have heard before the competition will be interesting for me. If he/she plays a swing or blues song that we all know the entertainment factor will rise significantly for the audience. The disaster will happen if the DJ decides to play music that is not swingable like this song that was played at Summer Hummer…It will probably only be a disaster for me because I am looking forward to dancing like I did last weekend, but if it does happen it could trigger a revival of swing music in this dance which is much needed!

Here are 10 songs that are very new to me that I am digging right now:

Music – Walter Beasley (100 BPM)

Body – The Foreign Exchange (104 BPM)

I only Have Love – Syl Johnson (111BPM)

Jimmy Lee – Aretha Franklin (88 BPM)

Walkin’ After Midnight – Eva Cassidy (112 BPM)

Yes Indeed – Ray Charles (110 BPM)

At Last – Geraint Watkins (117 BPM)

I will Survive – Nils Landgren (91 BPM)

Come on Strong – Lena Horne (105 BPM)

Dance Floor – Zapp & Roger (110 BPM)

Enjoy!!!

Sunday night I am Teaching figures in both Country Two-Step and West Coast Swing.  The previous lessons are below if you need a refresher on either. See you ALL Sunday night!

Sunday Night 

$10

6-6:45 Two-Step with Mr. J

6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J

$10 (Just the Dance)

7:30-? California Mixer w/DJ Donna Shea

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 

524 Minuteman Dr 

off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) 

Wayland, MA 

Save the date:

Friday November 20th

Forte Dance

123 Muller Rd.

8:30 – 9:15 Lesson W/Tessa and Mr. J

9:15-? Dancing W/DJ Mr. J

Leadership is the manipulation of energy. 

Following is the embodiment of energy.

Connection is the tie that binds the two together.

Mr. Jonathan

www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com

603 475 1391