I am sure that I am not the only one who had to blow 3+ feet of snow over the last 10 days! With more on the way I am sure that dances and practices will be canceled due to the weather, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in one hell of a dance workout while you take care of business.
Snow blowers make great dance partners. Hear me out before you have me committed for typing crazy. All snow blowers are powered and move at different speeds that you, the operator can set. If you are working on your leading your goal is to get the snow blower to its final destination without stopping. I like to use my hips to steer as we (the blower and myself) move up and down the driveway. I keep my hands on the controls and I lean left or right with my hip pushing the handle bars left or right. Hip leading is the end result in all dances and I like to practice on my snow blower…Incidentally I have found that I can go for way longer using my hips to make things happen than if I use my arms. If you don’t own a snow blower the same techniques can be applied to your roof rake…its ALL in the hips!
If you are working on your following you will operate the blower like normal. When it moves forward you let it move you too. If you are too “Heavy” the blade will lift off the ground…If you are too light it may slip right out of your hands. There is so much about snow blowing that resembles following that there is little risk of picking up any bad habits.
My dad used to tell me that I would never be able to make a living by playing. Not that my life is over but so far I have been a gymnastics coach, a DJ, a dancer, a radio host, a comedy writer, and I get paid to smoke cigars…not one part of my life to date has been free from “playing”. This is not me bragging this is me pointing out that my dad and many others live their life looking at things as they are…snow blowing sucks and its just moving snow from where you don’t want it to where you do…I look at it as a game and use it to improve my dancing. I like to shovel to the beat and practice my foot work when I am sweeping the floor…in my world almost nothing is what it is…its a tool to make me a better dancer!
Sunday Night
$10
6-6:45 Night Club 2-Step lesson w/Mr. J
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J
7:30-? California Mixer w/Steel
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
WCS World Champions, Hazel and Tybalt Ulrich are coming up to teach and DJ WCS Saturday, February 14th and to just teach on Sunday, February 15th (Hustle and WCS). The WCS classes are billed as “Advanced Beginner” for the first class then “Intermediate” for the second. There will be a “Beginner Beginner” lesson as well on Saturday night taught by yours truly. On Sunday they are teaching a “Beginner Friendly” Hustle class followed by “Intermediate WCS” (then I am DJing).
If you have the means to take a private lesson with these two you really should do it. Protege of John Festa, Hazel and Tybaldt Ulrich began dancing together professionally in 2000, and have been inseparable since, performing and teaching a wide range of partner dance. In competition, they have won Hustle Classic, Theater arts, Just Dance, and Jack and Jill, in West Coast Swing Classic, Showcase, and Jack and Jill, as well as Cabaret, Triple Threat (WCS, Hustle, Salsa), and some decent placements in Carolina Shag, Balboa, Houston Slow Whip, and Lindy Hop. They’ve directed numerous teams in these dances as well as Country Two Step and Argentine Tango. Hazel has been inducted into the Living Legends of Swing…They are nothing Short of amazing! The cost is $80 for the 45minute private lesson and they will sell out quickly so please don’t wait on this…let me know ASAP! Lessons are available on Sunday afternoon and are booking in order of first come first serve.
The dance will be a Valentines day dance event so bust out the heart vest, the red lipstick, and the puffy shirts…The girls should also dress up! lol