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| ~ Next Dance ~ |
Instructor-DJ
Alyssa Gillespie
7-8 pm Lesson
West Coast Swing
8-11 pm Dance
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February Dance
Opportunities*
(Classes/Dances/Workshops)
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C'VILLE STUDIOS/GROUPS
AREA DANCE GROUPS
~ THURSDAYS
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CSDS' Swing Swap @ the
7:30-9 pm Dancing (Free!)
Visit the CSDS website!
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*
CSDS lists non-CSDS dance hosts and events as a courtesy; reciprocity is expected. All events are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice so confirm all details with Event Hosts (not CSDS).
Event Hosts:
send info about your events by the preceding Wednesday to ensure inclusion in our Monthly Dance Announcements, and by the 20th to ensure inclusion in the following month's Newsletter.
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January & February CSDS Members
Birthdays
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JANUARY:
(sorry we forgot!)
Emma Rhodes (6th) Morganne Ashlie (7th)
Valerie Williams (7th)
Carl Hott (9th)
Helena Lindholm (9th)
Cliff Lewis (16th)
Katie Bigelow (21st)
Elaine Kraus (25th)
Barb Franko (29th)
FEBRUARY:
Kathy Stacy (4th)
Kathy Chang (5th)
John Williams (7th)
Yolanda Shelton (9th)
Jerry Scaglione (12th)
June Taft (16th)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
($5 Admission for Members the Month of your Birthday)
Members, let us know if
we've missed your birthday!
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| ~ Dance Schedule ~ (2018) |
January 20th ~ ICUMC
February 17th ~ ICUMC
March 17th ~ ICUMC
Board of Directors Election
April 21st ~ ICUMC
Workshop Weekend
May 19th ~ MAC
June 16th ~ MAC
July 21st ~ MAC
"Bring-A-Friend" Night
August 18th ~ ICUMC
September 15th ~ ICUMC
October 20th ~ ICUMC
Halloween Dance
November 24th ~ ICUMC
December 15th ~ ICUMC
Holiday Dance
Admission:
- $10 CSDS Members
- $13 Non-Members
- $5 Students (Full-Time
with ID), First-Timers
Venues:
ICUMC: Ivy Creek United
Methodist Church
Charlottesville, VA 22901
MAC:
Municipal Arts Center
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Time*:
Lesson: 7-8 pm
Dance: 8-11 pm
* with rare exceptions!
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Board of Directors &
Helpers
(2017/2018)
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| Board of Directors April Northcutt President Bonnie Strickler Vice President Alyssa Gillespie Secretary Mark DeBow Treasurer Ed Guida Director Rich Gullick Director Christina Morton Director Helpers Allison Bennett DJs/Instructors/Workshops Beth DeBow Helper-at-Large Wendy Frazer Webmaster Leon Gorman Dance Greeter Lisa Morales Swing Swap Hostess/DJ Brian Muszynski Sound System, Signs Billy Northcutt Swing Swap Instructor Kim Perkins Refreshments Larry Saunders PayPal Account Adela Su Newsletter Editor, Social Media June Taft Helper-at-Large Next BOD Meeting Thursday, February 8th
6:15 pm,
email CSDS for
location. Members welcome!
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~ Booty's Corner ~
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New Dance Shoe Line
Dance pro Kellese Key and partner Taryn Crosbie of
Key & Crosbie have come out with a new dance shoe for women (see above)! These ballet style shoes with a low heel (~3/4") are a nice (and more comfortable to some followers) alternative to the common Westie 1.5" heel sandal, esp. with dress slacks. If you're interested in seeing what they look and feel like, contact
Adela who can also tell you how you can make your own version, with a slightly higher heel (~1.25"), for about $15. And, visit the "Shoe & Tell" display at the CSDS March dance where you can look at a variety of dance footwear and ask questions!
Shoe & Tell (Jan. 2016)
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P.O. Box 4442
Charlottesville, VA 22905
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~ Saturday, February 17th ~
West Coast Swing
Beginner Intensive
& CSDS Monthly Dance
Alyssa @ Atlanta Swing Classic
Charlottesville's rock star All Star level dancer, competitor and instructor
Alyssa Gillespie pulls double duty this month, on Saturday, February 17th. She's teaching a
Beginner West Coast Swing Intensive in the afternoon, and then she'll be the Instructor/DJ at our
monthly dance that night. Here are all the details:
Learn to dance West Coast Swing! Already know some West Coast Swing, then solidify your basics! Experienced West Coast Swing dancers, learn the opposite role! This is for ALL of US!! Spend 3 hours in a friendly beginner-oriented group lesson with Alyssa, an accomplished dancer with years of experience teaching beginner-thru-advanced level dancers in many different styles of partner dance. More details can be found
here. #gettoclass
SCHEDULE:
1:30-2:00 pm - Registration
2:00-5:00 pm - Intensive
5:00 pm - Q&A Session
COST:
- $25 per Person
- $45 per Leader/Follower Combo
- Payment: Online (
here) or on site (cash, check, credit)
All attendees will receive a $5 off voucher for our dance later in the evening, at the Ivy Creek United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. If you are a first-time attendee to a CSDS dance, then your admission to the lesson/dance that evening is FREE with the voucher!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alyssa
will teach the pre-dance lesson in West Coast Swing (inc. in your admission), from 7-8 pm, and then be our DJ froom 8-11 pm, all at the
Ivy Creek United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
Dance Admission:
- $10 for CSDS Members
- $13 for Non Members
- $5 for First Time Attendees & CSDS Members with
February Birthdays :-)
- Children Under 16 are Free (babysitting not provided)
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FOOTWEAR: please wear either dance shoes or light-colored soles; whatever you wear must be non-marking!
PARKING & INCLEMENT WEATHER:
As parking is limited, we encourage you to carpool to our dance. In the event of inclement weather, we will post any schedule updates/changes on our public
Facebook page (you don't have to have an account), by 11 am for the Intensive, by 2 pm for the dance.
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Next Up ... Charlotte Westie Fest!
Alyssa Gillespie is also once again part of the professional staff at
Charlotte Westie Fest, February 1st-4th, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Book your hotel room
here.
Adela is organizing tables for the Charlottesville area dancers so if you're planning to attend,
let her know!
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| Smooth Sailing's First Westie Dance!  Smooth Sailing Ballroom studio owners Adam and Alexis Reed Mehring are happy to announce their first Westie Dance, on Saturday, February 24th! Eddie + Adela are the guest instructors and DJs; the lesson is 7-8 pm and dancing is 8-10 pm. Then on Sunday the 25th, they'll host a WCS Drills Intensive with Eddie + Adela, from 3-5 pm, with practice/open dancing from 5-5:30 pm. We're excited they are embracing West Coast Swing and look forward to more WCS events there in the future!
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Dance Footwear, "Shoe & Tell" in March
by Adela Su, Newsletter Editor
After being asked a lot recently about dance footwear, I thought I'd devote some space in the Newsletter to help educate those who are in the market for dance shoes! First, read
this article by Canadian Swing Champion Tessa Cunningham Munroe; it covers the why and most of the options out there. Just as West Coast Swing dancing and teaching evolve over the years, so do our choices and preferences about dance footwear.
Women: most common are the Westie dance sandal (with open toe, closed heel and 1.5" wide heel), the boots, practice/coaching shoes, and TOMS street shoes. There is a new ballet flat inspired shoe too. Lots of variety in each of these (style, color, heel height, etc.). And of course, you can always DIY, take a pair of street shoes and add suede leather to the bottoms.
Men: most common are standard ballroom oxfords, dance sneakers, hybrids, and TOMS. Men can also DIY, take a pair of street shoes and add suede leather to the bottoms.
Ideally you can try on shoes before purchasing; locally, we know of The Hip Joint which sells dance shoes (let us know if there are others!). If you don't mind driving, there are shoe vendors at the weekend dance events, with the closest events being in NoVa (
Swing Fling,
DCSX); while you're at it, if you've never been to a dance event, you could dip your toe into the pool by attending one for just a day!
Here are links to the companies from which many (local) dancers purchase their dance footwear and accessories. They are not listed in any particular order, nor does CSDS benefit from purchases made by our local dancers.
Footwear preferences and solutions are unique to each person; what works for one may not work for another so the most important thing is to get what works for you. More experienced dancers, however, can also tell you about their "dance shoe journey" to help you be more aware of the factors that may influence your footwear choices, now and down the road, when you become a more skilled and experienced dancer, so feel free to ask any of our local instructors and more experienced dancers about their choices and preferences in dance footwear!
At the CSDS March dance, RVA Westie Tammy Davis and I plan to host another "
Shoe & Tell" display in the lobby of dance venue. We'll bring all of our own dance shoes, womens and mens, to let you see and feel them, and talk to anyone who is interested to hear the pros and cons of each style. We also welcome anyone who has dance shoes that they no longer wear, yet still have some life in them, to donate them to someone who could use a (new to them) pair of dance shoes. Stay tuned for more details!
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Kristin's Group Dance Classes
Photo Courtesy of Carl Lind
Kristin Wenger's next session of
group dance classes starts Tuesday, March 6th! The sessions are 6-weeks long with West Coast Swing Level 2 from 6-7:30 pm and West Coast Swing Musicality from 7:30-9 pm. Classes are held at the
Murray High School gym, where CSDS'
Swing Swap (free!) also takes place on Thursday nights. You can register online
here; please note that pre-registration is required and Kristin cannot accept payment in person/class. Want to get better, then get to class!
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Dance Resources
DanceJamDC
Skippy Blair
Upcoming Dance Events
Feb. 1-4:
Charlotte Westie Fest - Charlotte, NC
Feb. 9-11:
Dance Camp Chicago - Oak Brook, IL
Feb. 15-18:
Capital Swing - Sacramento, CA
Feb. 16-18:
Sweetheart Swing Classic - Tampa, FL
Mar. 1-4:
MADjam - Baltimore, MD
Mar. 9-11:
Chicago Classic - Lombard, IL
Mar. 22-25:
Swing Over Orlando - Orlando, FL
Mar. 22-25:
Boston Tea Party - Newton, MA
Mar. 22-25:
5280 Westival - Denver, CO
Mar. 23-25:
Novice Invitational - Houston, TX
Mar. 29-Apr. 1:
Easter Swing - Seattle, WA
April ??:
Sweet Side of Swing - Atlanta, GA
Apr. 12-15:
City of Angels - Los Angeles, CA
Apr. 19-22:
ESS Camp - Boxborough, MA
Apr. 26-29:
Swing Dance America - Lake Geneva, WI
May 10-13:
Swing Diego - San Diego, CA
May 18-20:
Jordan & Tatiana Weekend - MD
May 24-27:
Grand Nationals - Atlanta, GA
May 31-Jun 3:
Michigan Classic - Michigan
Jun. 7-11:
Jack & Jill O'Rama - Garden Grove, CA
Jun. 28-Jul. 1:
Liberty Swing - New Brunswick, NJ
Jul. 5-9:
Wild Wild Westie - Dallas, TX
Jul. 12-15:
TOSHC - Toronto, Ontario
July:
Swingtime in the Rockies - Denver, CO
Aug. 3-5:
Tampa Bay Classic - Tampa, FL
Aug. 9-12:
Swing Fling - Herndon, VA
Know of a dance event not mentioned above? Let us know so we can list it and help spread the word, thank you!
Adela is often the Table/Group Dinner Organizer for events attended by "C-ville Westies" (and Central VA) dancers ~ if you're planning to go to any of these or other events, let her know! And reserve your hotel room ASAP as the event hotels usually sell out well in advance; you can always cancel it later. Don't wait until you decide to go to book your room; it will be too late!
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Interested in being a
member of CSDS? It's only $15/year (the equivalent of 4 Starbucks coffees!) and your dues help us continue to put on
monthly dances, workshops,
Swing Swap (our FREE weekly dance practice) and gives you a $3 discount at all of our dances!!
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