 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 April our smooth/standard dance is Waltz and the latin/rhythm dance is Nightclub Two Step. These are great first dances for the beginner. The Waltz is a staple of the wedding dance and the night club is a rhythm dance that works for many slow and medium speed ballads found in contemporary hits.
Waltz
Waltz is a dance born in the suburbs of Vienna and in the alpine region of Austria. As early as the seventeenth century, waltzes were played in the ballrooms of the Hapsburg court. The weller, or turning dances, were danced by peasants in Austria and Bavaria even before that time. Many of the familiar waltz tunes can be traced back to simple peasant yodeling melodies. Today Waltz is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, flowing movements, continuous turns, and rise & fall. Graceful and elegant, Waltz dancers glide around the floor almost effortlessly. The American style is punctuated with lavish open movements, underarm turns, and solo spins. At 28-30 measures per minute, the tempo is slow at best, but the expressive quality of the music often invites very powerful and dynamic movement from dancers. Waltz is the one of the easiest ballroom dances to learn so don't hesitate and join our classes and be ready for the holiday dances this months.
Nightclub Two Step
Nightclub two step (N2S, 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 when you want to dance to slow music.
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Calendar
Classes are canceled on Friday the 5th, we apologize for not announcing this at the last class but the permit office made the change Thursday and our club was not notified until after 5pm.
The ballroom dance party will be on April 12th.
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Ballroom Dance Party - April 12th
The April party will be hosted by John Nagel.
John Nagel has been teaching people to dance for over 15 years. His skills stretch from International and American Ballroom to many of the popular street dances. His high-energy and fresh approach add excitement. John and his talented wife, Lisa Duncan, dance together all over San Diego. John currently teaches our beginning level dance class.
There is open dancing to a wide variety of ballroom music and a number of mixers. Mary will teach a short lesson to get everyone dancing.
Our parties are a potluck affair, we ask attendees to bring finger foods - sweet and savory. While we prefer disposable containers you can bring an appropriate serving dish if you wish, remember to retrieve it before the party is over. 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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Around the ballroom
Remember our etiquette guidelines
We have had a few unfortunate events in the last month that should never occur in a social ballroom club. First we have reports that some men are inappropriately correcting the position of their partners to the point of roughness. This behavior unacceptable and if observed by a board officer we will take up the matter in closed session and evaluate the perpetrator's status in the club. Secondly, remember that we want to be a welcoming and friendly environment. We have newcomers every week that are just beginning to learn to ballroom dance. It is incumbent on everybody to be supportive and not criticize their efforts, we were all beginners once, remember that. Yes I know that sometimes people move up to a level they are not ready for, but rather than shun then or treat them badly they should be encouraged to rise to the challenge and welcome their advancement.
Board elections
During classes on Sunday 4/7 we will be announcing the slate of candidates for the next board of directors term.
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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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