 Survey
Please take the time to respond to our survey. The club board is always interested in suggestions and comments that improve your dancing experience. To that end we are conducting an electronic survey, please use the following link and help us be a better club:
Balboa Park Survey Page. |
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Classes
In January our smooth/standard dance is Viennese Waltz and the latin/rhythm dance is Nightclub Two Step. The Viennese Waltz is very energetic and fun but does require some skill; Nightclub Two Step is a club dance allowing the couple to move in a small area when the floor is crowded or travel when space allows. We schedule the Waltz lessons to help our attendees prepare for the Viennese Nights Ball - see below.
Viennese Waltz
What is now called the Viennese Waltz is the original form of the waltz. It was the first ballroom dance performed in the closed hold or "waltz" position. The dance that is popularly known as the waltz is actually the English or slow waltz, danced at approximately 90 beats per minute, while the Viennese Waltz is danced at about 180 beats a minute. To this day however, in Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and France, the words Walzer (German for "waltz"), vals (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish for "waltz"), and valse (French for "waltz") still implicitly refer to the original dance and not the slow waltz.
The Viennese Waltz is a rotary dance where the dancers are constantly turning either toward the leader's right (natural) or toward the leader's left (reverse), interspersed with non-rotating change steps to switch between the direction of rotation. A true Viennese waltz consists only of turns and change steps. Other moves such as the fleckerls, American-style figures and side sway or underarm turns are modern inventions and are not normally danced at the annual balls in Vienna.
As the Waltz evolved, some of the versions that were done at about the original fast tempo came to be called specifically "Viennese Waltz" to distinguish them from the slower waltzes. In the modern ballroom dance, two versions of Viennese Waltz are recognized: International Style and American Style.
Nightclub Two Step
Nightclub two step (NC2S, sometimes disco two step or California two step) is a partner dance initially developed by Buddy Schwimmer in the mid-1960s. The dance is also known as "Two Step" and was one of the most popular forms of contemporary social dance as a Disco Couples Dance in 1978. It is frequently danced to mid-tempo ballads in 4/4 time that have a characteristic quick-quick-slow beat. A classic example is the song Lady In Red.
The dance position for nightclub two step is with a more relaxed hold, or "what people tend to do without lessons". The lead rocks back on their left foot, the follow on their right, for one beat. The Nightclub Two Step is a great alternative for dancers who want to go beyond a simple slow dance with their partner. It’s a great dance to learn how to dance to slow music.
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Calendar
We have no cancellations at this time.
The ballroom dance party will be on January 11th.
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Ballroom Dance Party - January 11th
The ballroom dance party will be hosted by Stephen Showers.
For more than two decades, Stephen Showers has won acclaim as a professional dance instructor in both Arizona and California. Fred Astaire trained and certified, Stephen is accomplished in American and International styles for all of the Ballroom, Latin, Swing and Nightclub dances. Stephen welcomes students who desire to become confident social dancers, competitive dancers, or anywhere in between.
Originally from Tucson, Stephen is one of the few instructors in San Diego who has competed in nearly every style of dancesport. His experience as a teacher and competitor has helped him to develop a unique style of teaching that makes learning to dance easy. He teaches our intermediate level class.
We play music for a variety of dance styles, from classic ballroom (Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango) to Rhythm and Latin Dances (Salsa, Rumba, Cha-Cha, swing). We also take requests for your favorite song. There will be snacks and cool drinks in the foyer. Stephen will teach a short lesson to get everyone dancing and we will have a mixer or two.
Our parties are a potluck affair, we ask attendees to bring finger foods - sweet and savory - in disposable containers ready to serve. Too many people bring sweet items such as cookies and cakes, unless you have an overwhelming sweet tooth think about bringing chips, pretzels, crackers, or vegetables instead.
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John Nagel Coronado Swing Classes
Our beginner class instructor is teaching introductory classes as part of the Coronado Adult Education program. The first one is 4 weeks and is an intro to triple and single time swing. It starts Tuesday January 15th at 6PM-7:30 at Coronado high school. More information is here.
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Viennese Nights
On February 2, 2019 the San Diego Vintage Dance Society is hosting a grand ball where you will experience the enchantment of a traditional Waltz Ball, celebrating the music and dances of the Strauss family and their contemporaries. Doors open at 6:45pm, with music from 7:15-10:15 pm.
San Diego's own Grand Pacific Waltz Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Joe Dyke, will provide LIVE authentic music for Waltzes, Polkas, Quadrilles, Schottisches and more! The fabulous Ms. Joan Walton of San Jose, California is our favorite Dance Mistress for the evening. Ms Walton, an authority on historic vintage dances, will also teach a basic class in "survival waltz", as well as the specialty dances of the evening, in the afternoon prior to the ball.
From time to time we have surprise performances from sister vintage dance groups, such as Danse Libre from the Bay area.
The Ball and the afternoon class will both take place in our favorite grand ballroom, the Balboa Park Club, a 12,000 sf 1915 ballroom in famous Balboa Park, here in San Diego. Class is from noon-2pm, $20pp at the door.
We always encourage vintage formal wear of the 19th Century or early 20th Century, but this is not required. However, this is always a formal event, and formal wear is required (no jeans, tennis shoes, mini-skirts, sandals, tees,etc. allowed. Men, please wear jackets.
Tickets are $35pp prepaid by February 1. Student/military tickets are $25 at the door only with ID. After February 1, tickets are $40pp, and will be available only at the door. Tables of eight are available for $240.
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Housekeeping
Lost and Found
Remember we have a lost and found repository, please check for your missing item. We recently found a money clip sans cash, see a board member to retrieve it. At the beginning of each year the lost items are donated to charity.
Beverages in the ballroom
I want to remind attendees that the city has strict rules on beverages in the ballroom. Your drink needs to be in a non-spill container that is unbreakable.
Texting and talking on the phone
In the recent past we have had near collisions on the dance floor when people concentrating on their cell phone walked through the line of dance. Our dancers are pretty successful in floor craft when dealing with other couples, not so good when somebody walks through their peripheral vision. Please take care walking across the dance floor.
Parking enforcement
The city goes through cycles where the escalate parking enforcement. Beware that many spaces in the back and along the curb are marked with reserved or time limit signs and a parking violation fee can be in the hundreds of $$$.
Information on the calendar page
Every month we place links to videos and sample music on the calendar page. Especially for beginners this is a resource that should not be ignored.
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Facebook
The club has a Facebook group page. We invite you to join the page to allow the cub to better communicate and allow you to engage with your fellow dancers. Our instructors will be posting tips and special events to improve your dancing and the board will post last minute calendar changes and parking warnings.
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Tim Waldowski
President, Balboa Park Dancers
http://www.balboaparkdancers.org
Phone (outgoing message only) 858-859-1926.
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