Mr. Jonathan’s World

Six Weeks ago I set a goal: Lose 23lbs in 8 weeks or less so that I can fit into my tuxedo. I am heading to a trade show and have been invited to 2 black tie affairs. The choice was simple. Either get below 200lbs or have my wardrobe let out at the waist line. 

Since I chose to drop the weight there was a second choice: Diet or exercise? Both is really not an option for me because I am not looking for a quick change so I can go right back to my old life style. Working out at a traditional gym is not my thing and its very time consuming. Now,  I know what you are thinking “Mr. J you dance 3 nights a week isn’t that enough exercise?” Its really not…Since I have been dancing 3 nights a week for a decade and a half and through that time I managed to put on 43lbs (I started dancing WCS at an even 180lbs). The only real choice was to find a diet that I could turn into a lifestyle and maintain for the duration.

After much thought and research I arrived at the Paleo or “Caveman” Diet. This is the easiest one to remember and stick to because there are no rules about how to start, or what to eat at what time, and there is no calorie counting. The concept is sound and even if you eat out every day (which I do) there are options other than the obligatory diet salad. The best part is that, if you stick to the plan, you almost can’t help but lose weight because whole food doesn’t pack the calories that processed food does. 

There are 4 groups of food that you can eat: Meat, Veggies, Fuit, and Nuts and the combinations are truly endless

Other than knowing a handful of things about food like potatoes, rice, and corn are actually in the grain family and not vegetables (sweet potatoes are a root vegetable and are ok to eat) the diet is simple. The first week was little tough because you really can’t eat anything grain based like pastas, breads, rice…and I was an addict! Now that I am 6 weeks in I feel like my body’s reset button has been pushed and I am full of energy. 

If you are looking for a way to reset your body, I urge you to give the Paleolithic lifestyle a shot I am glad I did!

Now for dancing stuff…Deb and I started working on the lesson plan for August 2nd at DNE’s Weekly Ballroom dance/Night out and its pretty badass!

Below is the Two-Step Pattern for This Sunday night Plus I am the DJ that night so wait till you hear some of my new stuff!

See you all for this week’s Pizza Party/WCS dance at DNE this Friday night!

Rush, Rush, Rush…Its what we do as a society. We see a couple dancing well at a wedding or dance demo and assume that within a month or two we will be able to dance at a comparable level. If you are like me (at 19 years old) you may be imagining giving a speech about the years of dedication and practice that went into your dancing, while you are putting your shoes on to take your third class.

Learning Swing is like learning a foreign language. Unlike most foreign languages, which start off with learning how to conjugate the verb “to be, dance starts off with learning how to repeat 7 basics and mostly without a partner. It is like teaching someone how to speak spanish by asking them to repeat “Tu Madre es una Mexicana sucia” (Your Mother is a dirty Mexican). The only thing you get out of that is how to piss of both your mother and any Mexicans that happen to be within ear shot. 

If people had a longer attention span we could start off with “connection” and work our way into forming patterns. Unfortunately we don’t have longer attention spans and so we are stuck learning patterns until the bad habits set in. The only way to break the bad habits is to practice concepts instead of patterns, take private lessons at least once a month, and then more practice! 

This week we are going to break down the left and right side pass like they are foreign languages…this will be a group class with private lesson intensity and it will work for ALL levels!

This Friday  (Pizza Party)

$10

Lesson 7:30-8:15 

Dance 8:15-?

DNE School of Dance

78 Princeton St.

Chelmsford, Ma

Sunday Night

$10

6-6:45 2-Step lesson

6:45-7:30pm WCS

7:30-? California Mixer

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20)

Wayland, MA

Have you ever considered dancing a contact sport? I didn’t until I was elbowed in my right eye by my follower and as the spectrum of colors exploded over my field of vision I was first filled with an understandable amount of rage at my partner. But, as the flood of tears gushed over my eye a sense of personal responsibility also washed over me…

“I am so sorry” she said.

“No, no, I was my fault” It was all I could do to come to terms with the fact that my instructor was right.

“Its almost always the leader’s fault!” she would say and she was so right!

I as a leader did not follow the golden rule of West Coast Swing…Each Partner must have a default setting of “Stretch”.

West Coast Swing as a dance is built on the premiss that when in doubt each partner will default to an away energy. I had gotten off time with my partner and took a step toward her. Had I stepped away I could have eaten the steak instead of having to put it on my eye.

This week we are working on a couple of patterns that involve some serious stretching!

This Friday  (Pizza Party)

$10

Lesson 7:30-8:15 

Dance 8:15-?

DNE School of Dance

78 Princeton St.

Chelmsford, Ma

We had so many newbies last week that I am splitting the class into 2 parts. Part 1 is basics. Part 2 is what to do with them. During last week’s pattern we learned that good footwork in our whip is important when we step out of the basics and get into something a little more challenging. The people that had never done whips before seemed to perform the intermediate version of the basic more consistently as I watched the class. My guess is that they only knew the one way to do the whip and stuck to what I had shown them 15 minutes prior. Without the time to develop bad habits these beginners seemed to not struggle as much. 

Could a dancer wipe the slate clean and start over from scratch? Lets find out this Friday! 

This Friday  (Pizza Party)

$10

Lesson 7:30-8:15 

Dance 8:15-?

DNE School of Dance

78 Princeton St.

Chelmsford, Ma

Saturday night 

I am teaching the Beginner Class

Robert Royston Is teaching the Intermediate (here he is in action)

8-9 pm Workshop $20 cash per person (includes dance)

Dance only is $10 per person (admission after 9 pm)

9-? WCS Dance with DJ Un-Known

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20)

Wayland, MA

Sunday Night

$10

6-6:45 2-Step lesson

6:45-7:30pm WCS

7:30-? California Mixer

Longfellow’s Club JoEllen

524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20)

Wayland, MA

 It never fails…When I am teaching a private lesson and give a correction. There is something in our minds that make it difficult to take criticism, even though you are paying me to give it to you. I know that I am guilty of it as well…”My friend, so and so, took a lesson from “X Teacher” and they told him to do it this way.” Now I am all for talking about dance and bouncing theories off of my friends that dance. Lots of good comes from talking about something and then doing that very thing…However, I am always very careful when the information they are sharing with me comes by way of a private lesson they just had.

A good coach in any sport will tailor their guidance to the student in question. The most extreme example of this happened to me while teaching a wedding couple. The groom kept switching his feet to the bride’s footwork. If I said right he stepped left…In order to get these two set up with a first dance in a timely manner I actually had to say the wrong foot to get him on the correct foot. How would my reputation fair if he started naming names? What if he started telling everyone that his teacher ALWAYS said left when he meant right and that is how every teacher does it? Dancing is 50 Shades of Grey…There really are only a few rules that are hard and fast (moving from your center, moving from Point A to Point B…) and the rest becomes instructor preference (don’t tell anyone I said it like that either). Although the best way to learn is in a private one on one setting, because the instructor can tailor the instruction to your needs, but you must take what your coach says to YOU as instruction to YOU alone. You may be that guy or girl that needs the wrong thing said to you to get the right result. Also only hire a coach if you like their dancing and not because they are “supposed” to be the best.  This Friday  (Pizza Party) $10 Lesson 7:30-8:15  Dance 8:15-? DNE School of Dance 78 Princeton St. Chelmsford, Ma  DNE Ballroom Dance Saturday night  $10 (no lesson just dancing) Dance Starts at 8pm DNE School of Dance 78 Princeton St Chelmsford, Ma Sunday Night $10 6-6:45 2-Step lesson 6:45-7:30pm WCS 7:30-? California Mixer Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) Wayland, MA