48 people showed up for our dance last Friday including half of UMASS LOWELL…IT was awesome!
John Festa is coming back for our Dance on March 8th…Mark your Calendar. He is the most prim and proper pro on the circuit. Rather than try and out dress him I thought it might be fun to horrify him a little. March 8th will be an “Ugly Sweater” Party so dig deep into the depths of your attic and find those ugly sweaters. The uglier and more miss matched the better…You get bonus points if you can give him a headache with your outfit by the time class begins!
Weekly Bloviation:
Patience is one of the most virtuous qualities a one can have in their list of characteristics that make up who they are. Who among us doesn’t know someone that we deeply respect because they have put up with us through the years. Someone who is quick to forgive and slow to judge is an indispensable partner in life and is often described as the “glue” that holds that relationship together.
When this dance was filmed I had been teaching almost 5 years and Kim had been dancing for 3 or 4 months. Even with this obvious difference in experience she and I took turns being patient. Notice that no matter how different or “non swing” the pattern is she never panics or reaches out to reconnect. She patiently holds her place and lets me do my job. During the several disconnects during the dance (the most of any couple during that competition) I never once panicked or reached out to “fix” the problem.
Dancing has a way of working it self out if both partners do their job and are patient with their partner. No one has to “dance up” or “dance down” to meet anyone in the middle. When your partner can trust that you will be where you need to be and is willing to wait for you when you are not nothing will ever be able to go wrong. John Festa will be running two ALL levels workshops that are both centered in Patience on March 8.
He is teaching 2 workshops:
“The Work of The Foot” AKA Footwork for Dummies. John lives and breaths by the Acronym K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid) he is going to share how he breaks down footwork so that its not as hard to put in our dance. Everything from the basics, to how swing starts from the center and dictates how our feet move, to a couple of his favorite footwork patterns.
and
“Whip It Good” How to make your whip look good to others and feel better to your partner through the lost art of patience. Add more style, control, and power through stretching. No one whips like John and its time for him to teach us why!
Reserve your spot for $30 for both workshops (you can pay $10 more and attend Saturday’s dance at Longfellows), the dance, a pizza party, and all the water you can drink. The event is March 8th and will sell out like the last one did so try not to put it off!
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Friday: March 8th DNE 78 Princeton St. Chelmsford, Ma $30 ($40 if you want to attend Saturday at Longfellows 7:00 Pizza and Ugly Sweater Party 7:30 Lesson “The work of the Foot” 8:30 Lesson “Whip it Good” 9:30 Dancing to John’s and My Music till our feet fall off! Saturday: Longfellows 524 Boston Post Rd Wayland, MA March 9th $15 per workshop/$10 for the dance “Whip it Good the Sequel” and “Keeping the Swing in your Swing” 7-8pm and 8-9pm Dance begins at 9pm with DJ John Festa This Sunday: Longfellows 524 Boston Post Rd Wayland, MA $10 6:30 Lesson (Two-Step) 7:30 Dance I am teaching only. Leadership is the manipulation of energy. Following is the embodiment of energy. Connection is the tie that binds the two together.
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