SMOOTH TALK. San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. Bringing Ballroom to our Community. The San Diego Chapter of National Smooth Dancers. President s Message

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1 Sept 2015, Vol. 16 No. 2 The San Diego Chapter of National Smooth Dancers SMOOTH TALK San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. Bringing Ballroom to our Community President s Message Mike Cowlishaw Convention is here! Yeah! We have a great group heading to Palm Springs! A long weekend of dancing, eating, dancing, catching up with friends, and more dancing awaits! What could be better? Remember our classes and social will be at different times and locations in October. Our Social will be October 10 th, 7:30 p.m., at the Infinity Dance Sport Center, 4428 Convoy St #288, San Diego, CA Our classes will be Sunday starting at 4 p.m., at Dance for 2, 7528 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, It will be exciting times as we transition! You ll want to be at the classes for sure if you plan to dance in the Christmas Showcase. The time is here to start thinking about next year. We have elections at the November meeting for the offices of President, board-member Delegate, Social Chair, and Queen. The nominating committee will be appointed at the September meeting. The Queen nomination will be handled by the Queen committee. We ll need some capable and reliable people to step up! I ve had a few people indicate they want to perform at the December social remember I can t read your mind! No late/last minute entries this time! Contact me DIRECTLY if you wish to participate. I m looking forward to seeing you at the convention! Remember to thank Kay, Patricia, Al, and all the rest who have done SOOOOOO MUUUUUCH WORK to make it a fun time. Dance tip: Music is a variable, right? Some music has a very easy-to-hear beat, some less so. (This can also be affected by the sound system, you bet.) IF you have trouble with music, (Continued on page 2) I used to look at the people in the audience and try to make a connection with them, but it would break my concentration. There are so many distractions that can throw you off in a performance: the light blinds you, you notice the tape on the floor, someone in the audience coughs. I found it s better when I don t see the audience and let the music guide me. What I m always aiming for is to get into that zone.... It comes to you fleetingly in the form of seconds incredible seconds. You train for years and years, hours and hours, for those few precious seconds. Rasta Thomas August 2015 Page 1 of 6

2 PALOMAR CORONATION "EVENING OF FAIRY TALE ROMANCE" Caron Schattel My "EVENING OF FAIRY TALE ROMANCE" Coronation experience began on Friday evening when two ladies from the Bakersfield Chapter - Susan Salvucci, Reigning Queen, and JoAnne Georgio, Queen Elect - came to spend the weekend with me. After they recovered from a hideous drive south from the L.A. area, we went to Sardina's for dinner followed by an evening of learning more about each other. After a leisurely beginning to Saturday and an easy drive to Oceanside we went to the Ocean Hills Country Club for a fabulous "Hospitality." Darlene Drury and Debbie Kincaid presented an exceptional array of food, desserts and drinks that were enjoyed by everyone. My escort, Mark Chapman, met me there and, once we were suitably stuffed, we went to rehearse for the Coronation. Everything went very well until George Mozes announced that there had been a change in the recessional music. (We were supposed to dance a foxtrot on our way out.) The new music had a strong polka rhythm. Thanks to Mark's excellent dance skills we were able to do the polka without a problem. (Continued from page 1) it s another area to work on. A really great dancer will look good with any music, and any partner. Oh, wait, did I really say that? Yes a good leader can find a way to make it look easy with almost any partner, any music. A good follower can help the leader without making it obvious, sometimes even to her current leader! Back to music though don t blame it, work with it! The Palomar committee planned our time well so that the participants had about a one-hour break between the rehearsal and the time to get ready. I really enjoyed having an opportunity to visit with people from other chapters and not feel rushed to get ready for the ceremony and dinner. The color scheme for Queen Geri Deutsch's event was shades of pink and white and the decorations reflected this in the vases of pink roses and pink accents. Queen Geri's gorgeous pale pink gown had a beaded top and chiffon skirt which looked stunning when she and Fred did the Queen's Foxtrot. Her niece, Michelle Robles, was the flower bearer and her grandniece, Malia Robles, was the crown bearer. The tiara and flowers came into the ballroom in a princess carriage that was built over a wagon. Len and Peggy Lee did a lovely Viennese Waltz as the Honor Dance. Overall, the Coronation was well planned and was conducted very smoothly. Following the ceremony an excellent buffet dinner was served and enjoyed by all. Lots of dancing followed, including mixers. Los Angeles Chapter members Victor Lee and Debbie Ku did two exhibition dance sets for our entertainment. Their excellent performances were very much appreciated. It was a wonderful evening filled with good food, excellent company and lots of fun and dancing. The next morning a champagne buffet was served for the Queen's breakfast at the El Camino Country Club. Everyone enjoyed the scrumptious food and camaraderie. The gazebo on the patio was a perfect setting for picture taking. As always, everyone headed home with lots of special memories of an outstanding weekend and cherished friendships. As I reach the half-way point of my reign, I am beginning to realize how much I will miss the people and the opportunity we have to spend together more (Continued on page 3) Is it a strength or weakness in your dance envelope? IF not a strength, work on it! Watch some of the professionals at a competition, and see what they can do might just be an inspiration. Wishing you happy feet and happy heart, Mike August 2015 Page 2 of 6

3 SUNDAY NIGHT DANCE CLASS Chuck DiSessa Classes continued in the month of August with Irina Chalkevitch at the helm teaching the International Foxtrot at 5:00 p.m. and the East Coast Swing at 6:00 p.m. This was pure International Standard at its best: interesting choreography and challenging Gold and Silver Level moves, coupled with excellent technique throughout the two months of instruction. In the Foxtrot, the shaping of the Weave from a Three Step was the first challenge the men faced. Meanwhile, the ladies were constantly working on their head styling and body positions throughout the instructional period. One of the biggest challenges for the men was to master the Reverse Wave with a syncopated Chasse added after the Back Feather and Back Three Step. Additionally, learning the Double Reverse Spin with a Pivot ending also posed some problems when initially introduced. The choreography worked its way around the ballroom floor and eventually the class as a whole were executing fairly well. The East Coast Swing was a lot of fun for many of us, especially for those who struggled with the International Foxtrot. At last, a comfort zone was achieved for them in the Swing. (Continued from page 2) frequently. The amazing long-term relationships between our members is something to be treasured, as well as the joy it brings to those of us lucky enough to be part of the Crown Circle. I am especially impressed by the support and caring of the spouses, gentlemen friends and other escorts who accompany the Queens to the Coronations - not only their own Queens but former Queens as well. These Irina introduced some very attractive moves. I liked going from an Inside Turn and backing four steps to Step Points and Pivots before doing the Back Step. Another interesting variation had everyone doing an Outside Turn from a Closed Rock-Step and double-kicking on the next Rock-Step. Irina constantly stressed the correct technique for all the new patterns, and only moved on when we looked good executing the steps to music. Classes ended with the usual Champagne party with tasty Russian hors d oeuvres prepared by the Chalkevitch family. It was a fitting ending to a wonderful summer of instruction. Moving on, Carrie Kloss returns this fall to teach the October and November classes. The music has been selected, and some exciting choreography will be presented. Only those who attend these classes will be eligible to sign-up for the Class Demonstrations performed at our annual Christmas Showcase. Barring a change of plans, Dance 4 Two, on Clairemont Mesa Blvd., will be the new location for classes. Please make a note of the earlier starting time: Carrie will teach the American Waltz at 4:00 p.m. and the Cha-Cha at 5:00 p.m. Please plan to arrive early as a large class is expected. Many of our class members will attend and perform at our State Convention. We wish you well and say, Thank you, to the many hands contributing their time and talent to make this happen. In closing, sincerest thanks to all of you whose faithful support of our Intermediate Level dance classes allow us to thrive and grow with excellent instruction, year in and year out. Happy Dancing Feet at the State Convention!! Sincerely yours for better dancing, Chuck DiSessa, Dance Class Chair San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. men invite them to dance, visit with them and help all the ladies as needed. As a solo lady, I really appreciate what you do. So, SDSD Gentlemen, I salute you for being who you are and thank you for being so caring and supportive of all the Queens and other ladies. Queen Caron Schattel August 2015 Page 3 of 6

4 August Luau Judy Miranda Chuck DiSessa with his committee of workerbees did a fantastic job of hosting our annual luau. The tables were decorated with green palm trees and leis. Many of the guests came in aloha attire, which added to the festivity of the evening. Over 160 people attended our last dance at the Hillcrest Champion Ballroom. The great music was provided by DJ Mike Cowlishaw. Entertainment was provided by Sandy Long and her pro partner Jason Rivers; they did two fun dances, one of which was inspired by Sweet Charity. Chuck & Cathy did a sassy foxtrot that they will also be performing as a show dance at our convention. Great job! to all of them. Call for the Queen 2016 SDSD Ladies: If you are a member in good standing and have been active in and a contributor to San Diego Smooth Dancers, we d like to have you apply for the position of SDSD Queen The Coronation will take place early in March You would be expected to attend the Coronations for our sister chapters from March 2016 to March The application form is on our SDSD website under Members Only. Look for the Queen Candidate Questionnaire. You can send it to me electronically or mail it to: Ann Meador 5466 Chaparajos Ct San Diego, CA The deadline is September 19, If you have any questions, feel free to call me at Being elected to Queen is a special honor to a special member each year! August 2015 Page 4 of 6

5 Hello! to our Chapter from Mary Anderson Dear San Diego NSD Members: Thank you very much for the many cards and get-well wishes I received from you during my long hospital stay. You have no idea how much I appreciated hearing from you! It is going to be difficult missing your Convention. We have never missed one in our 28 years of membership, so you can be certain Ralph and I will be thinking of you and wishing we could be there. Thanks again, Dear People. Much Love, Mary Anderson [Editor s Note: Many of our members have known that Mary Anderson, who has long been a member of Palomar Chapter with husband Ralph, has had some health issues recently which have kept her from participating in NSD events. We have missed Mary and Ralph during Mary s recovery time, and all of us who know this wonderful couple will be sure to miss them at our upcoming NSD Convention. We send Mary our love and our wishes for her quick recovery so that she may soon rejoin us at the NSD activities she loves.] September General Meeting The next General Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday September 12 th at 2:30 p.m. at Betty Halvin s home at 9130 Jonell Court, La Mesa, Be sure to bring a dish for the potluck afterwards! Photo Credits Thank you to our photo contributors for this month s newsletter: JV Judy & Vern Miranda Mark C. Chapman, Editor Been Kao, Distribution Editor Smooth Talk is a members service and resource: all NSD members are encouraged to submit ballroom-related items for inclusion in the newsletter. Any articles not credited are by the editor. Please send proposed articles, photos, and suggestions for newsletter changes to: mcchapman88@gmail.com. If you move, your changes, or you re not receiving Smooth Talk, please contact Been Kao to update your subscriber information. September Birthdays Robert Gu 9/3 Been Kao 9/5 Harold Thoman 9/8 (The ladies are missing you, Harold!) Jacqueline Kendall 9/12 Linda Hammerton 9/14 August 2015 Page 5 of 6

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