Dancing Our Demons Away
This Weekend is going to be about feeling good about our dancing. According to Wayne Dyer “When we dance our purpose isn’t to get to a certain spot on the floor, its to enjoy every step along the way!” This is a concept that is often over looked by dancers and instructors alike but it doesn’t have to be. When I made up my mind to become a better dancer through the study of my body, music, and teaching I suffered from a similar disease to an alcoholic who just gave up drinking…Everyone around me had a serious problem…No one knew what they were doing!
Not that I am all that mature at all, but as I am maturing in this dance I am realizing that we all dance for different reasons. We are all on this journey for a release from what ever our demons are and dance gives it to us. Along the way if we can pick up a tip or two its a bonus.
There have been many times after a lesson that a student has come up to me to tell me how much the lesson meant to them. So many times its been the student that seemed to have gotten worse during the lesson, not better…Some teacher I am, I remove dancing from my students instead of adding it! Enough about me…back to my student…The lesson meant so much because they got a break from of all the bullshit they have going on in their life (cancer, troubled teen at home, loss of a loved one, an overly critical significant other…). Here I am thinking that I am offering my students this wealth of knowledge that I have collected over the years and the whole experience has NOTHING to do with me at all!
Dance by itself has the power to heal a broken heart, mend fences between rivals, and offer its user a mini vacation from the bullshit that plagues us all. I wish that I could type that my class has all the answers but there is a power greater than my ability to explain a tuck turn and its what calls us to the dance floor every week.
Dance on!
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 John Festa
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
Sunday Night (April 10th)
$10
6-6:45 WCS w/John Festa
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/John Festa
$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 To Get Your Swing On
Sweet Surender – Dion
It’s Gonna Rain – Charles Johnson
Fly me to the moon – Bobby Womack
Midnight in Austin Texas – Renee Ousted
Break away – Bobby Caldwell
Be Beautiful – Mindi Abair
Dollar Bill – Angie Stone
Down in the Valley – Michael Grimm
Reasons for the Tears I Cry – Vince Gill
Take Me To the River – Kaleida
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
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
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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 |