SMOOTH TALK. San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. Bringing Ballroom to our Community. President s Message. San Diego N.S.D.

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1 May 2013, Vol. 13 No. 10 San Diego N.S.D. SMOOTH TALK San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. Bringing Ballroom to our Community President s Message Mike Cowlishaw Another good month, another great party. Thanks to Polly and everyone else that made the evening such a success! Ines is our hostess for the May dance,. Please help her if you can.. The theme is Mardi Gras!! Al was kind enough to host the April business meeting. The turnout was great. We had several reports on the various meetings in Bakersfield. We will have a club sponsored bus for the convention. If you are planning to ride the bus, you need to make reservations ASAP. We have a nominating committee in action. We still need a few positions filled - like the social coordinator! The next business meeting will be at my new shop location. I m moving my business from near downtown San Diego to El Cajon. I hope you can make it! We will need a few people to bring chairs. The move is a major effort, so I hope you will understand if I keep this month s message short and hopefully sweet. Dance tip: Appreciate that we can dance! Some people never realize the joy of dancing. Savor each dance! I wish you happy hearts and happy feet! Mike I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living... In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. Martha Graham, c.1953 May 2013 Page 1 of 8

2 Queen s Message Kao My year has sure started out at full speed! Although I knew that the Bakersfield Boards would come right after my coronation, I had forgotten how quickly the other coronations would follow thereafter. Golden Gate s coronation is now already a fond memory as we begin looking forward to a visit to Visalia next month. I was so pleased when I saw the great turnout by our San Diego members at Bakersfield. We filled up a couple of tables and were able to provide full vocal support to our own San Diego competitors, as well as to everyone else out on the floor with numbers on their backs. Sue Kimbrell had a lovely coronation, and we really enjoyed the waltz she performed with husband Phil. At one point in the choreography they performed a very impressive lift, the one where the lady places her hands on her partner s hips while he interlaces his fingers behind her back and begins spinning with her; as they twirled rapidly together, Sue s feet rose off the ground for a beautiful lift. Very elegantly done, Sue and Phil! The hotel for the Boards was comfortable, the walk to the ballroom for each event was short, and the food for the formal dinner was excellent. We really appreciated having dinner early on Friday and being able to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast on Saturday morning. It was great to see plenty of support from all the chapters to meet the attendance goals. Mark has decided that this year we re going to turn these coronations into vacations, so he has come up with some side destinations for us. When I told him I had never been to Solvang, he decided we would spend a couple of hours in this charming Danish town on the way to Bakersfield. (If you ve never had aebleskivers, you need to try a couple in Solvang, before wandering through the many shops.) The Golden Gate trip allowed for even grander sightseeing. First, we arranged to spend the night in Bakersfield on the way up so that we could hang out with Bakersfield chapter friends Helen and Peter Wong and son Chris. Helen and Peter own a really fine Chinese buffet restaurant, the China Palace, where they invited us for dinner. Believe me, as one who loves Chinese buffets, this buffet is top-of-theline! We were very impressed that their son Chris, who s just getting started on an accounting career, hung out with us all evening both at dinner and then afterwards at Helen and Peter s home. How many young people nowadays would spend time with his parents dancing friends rather than head back to his own place in Irvine as early as possible? After a delightful evening with Helen and her family, and a restful night at the Doubletree, Mark and I got on the road to Foster City, arriving there late Friday afternoon. We wanted to see San Francisco, so after checking into the coronation hotel we drove the forty or so miles up north to the City. I was certain Mark had no idea how to find his way around San Francisco, but he assured me that it was almost impossible to get lost in the City: so long as we drove north and didn t cross any bridges, he knew we would end up at Fisherman s Wharf. Eventually he did actually get us there, and we had some really good fish and chips for dinner. Mark then found a throwaway tourist map on the sidewalk, which allowed us to find our way to Coit Tower, then to steep, crooked Lombard Street, and finally to China Town, where we parked again and wandered around the streets. What a wonderful evening! Mark seemed a bit frazzled trying to find his way to the 101 to head back; I promised him I wouldn t include any pictures of him from this part of the trip. Saturday afternoon we were enjoying the intimate, relaxed Hospitality that we remembered from three years ago, with friends from all chapters roaming continuously from one small group to the next. Later that evening we enjoyed the beautiful coronation, filled with music and dancing. The theme for Queen Shulamit Rabinovich s evening was When you wish upon a Star, and it seemed that at least some of her dreams did come true, as she was attended by husband Boris, their lovely daughter Liya and smartly dressed grandson Xander. Shulamit and Boris performed a beautiful waltz, which they both seemed to enjoy as much as their (Continued on page 3) May 2013 Page 2 of 8

3 SUNDAY NIGHT DANCE CLASS Chuck DiSessa What a wonderful time it has been in dance class this month. Irina Chalkevitch, working with Shawna Timms, another professional instructor, provided some great choreography and excellent technique in both the American Waltz at 5:00pm and the Cha- Cha taught at 6:00pm. On average, there were twice as many members than guests attending our classes. Irina spent some time with the ladies working on the individual hand styling and head movements for the waltz. The choreography is pretty and flows well around the line of dance. The dance class videos are a tremendous asset to class members. Once you attend class, leave your e- mail and you ll receive a video of the class choreography during the week. Ann V. was very helpful in this regard, preparing the videos for all of us to see on YouTube. (Continued from page 2) audience did. Rounding out the evening s entertainment, Nadia and Igor Tilinin performed a romantic rumba in Shulamit s honor, and the late evening eventually finished up as a very satisfying success for Golden Gate. Queen Kao and two Queen Barbaras join their fans for a violet Queens Circle. Photo by BK We rounded out our vacation on Sunday morning by heading up to Berkeley for a visit with Mark s daughter Jessica. Although we initially The Cha-Cha choreography was very entertaining. Irina mentioned that it would be good for all of us to develop a repertoire of 10 to 12 patterns for each dance. That way, by the time you dance them twice at the socials, the music would be finished, and the variety would have made it a lot of fun. That s exactly what Irina has done for us in our dance classes. In fact, she strongly encouraged all of us to practice the 10 to 12 patterns in the class choreography and use it at the socials. Every move is something she personally enjoys doing while dancing, and each pattern is a lot more interesting than the basics. I like the way the triple Cha-Cha going back and forth included spiral turns, and the syncopations in the New Yorker were an interesting and enjoyable challenge as well. We have the month of September open, and if there is enough interest I could schedule Irina again for another session that month. Talk to me and let me know how you feel about this. Coming up in the May and June classes, Carrie Kloss will be teaching the International Waltz at 5:00 p.m., followed by the American Tango at 6:00 (Continued on page 4) crossed the south end of the Bay via the toll-free eastbound Highway 92 bridge, on the way up Mark somehow got us on the toll-required westbound Bay Bridge back into San Francisco. (He told the toll attendant we really shouldn t have to pay the toll, since we didn t want to go that direction in the first place and we were actually trying to get to Berkeley. Anyway, five dollars later...) After a pleasant bay-side brunch with Jessica and her boyfriend, I told Mark that if he wanted to get home by Sunday night he d better let me drive: the Queen knows best how to return timely to her realm! Mark, being a wise consort, acquiesced, and I got us home at a decent hour. We re looking forward to Visalia next month. Mark claims that it s virtually impossible to get lost in Sequoia National Park: just one big circular road, so he says. With any luck, you ll hear about our adventures around Visalia in next month s newsletter... May 2013 Page 3 of 8

4 A Spring Fling for the Season Judy Miranda Kudos to Polly and her committee for an extremely successful dance party! We had a good turnout from our members and from the dance community at large. Jacky Yu was the DJ and did a fine job as usual. Entertainment was provided by Morgan Johnson (Caron s granddaughter) and Laird Moone: they are students of Olga Ginsberg, and the two dances they performed samba and jive were spectacular. It s always fun watching Morgan and Laird, as they develop into excellent Latin dancers. They have grown so much in the past two years and they are really making a name for themselves in the competitive dance world. Rounding out the evening s entertainment, Susan St. Martin and Ernie Rodriguez performed an exciting Argentine Tango routine choreographed by Michael Kiehm. All photos on this page by JM (Continued from page 3) p.m. As you may know by now, Carrie is very organized and always well prepared and has been very focused on helping all of us to elevate our standard of dance. So, plan to be there for a great learning experience. Also, please arrive early as a large class is expected. In addition FYI the air conditioning system is working just fine at the studio, so we should all be very comfortable even if the weather gets hot! In other member news, Chuck and Cathy were accepted to dance in the Senior Follies this July. This year s production is entitled Broadway Babes and contains about 3 dozen tunes taken from Broadway musicals (see: for more details). Al Folkman finds this show so entertaining that he says that he never wants to miss another production of it. Tickets may be purchased from the CCT box office at Several members have already purchased tickets for the 1:30 p.m. show on Saturday, July 20 th. (Buy early and get the best seats). We are having a very good year in our dance classes. Everyone has been so committed that the classes usually have a good balance of men and women, and are well attended. Thank you all once again for your faithful support. Sincerely yours for better dancing, Chuck DiSessa, Dance Class Manager San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. May 2013 Page 4 of 8

5 Queen of Screams meets the Prince of Wales Polly McDonald Our own Mary Murphy, owner of Champion Ballroom, and a Permanent Judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" where she was given the title of "Queen of Scream" flew to London in February for three days to meet Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, at Buckingham Palace at a Thank-you dinner given in honor of those who support one of his charities. The invitation for the event read: The Prince's foundation for Children and the Arts present a Gala Performance at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday Feb 5, 2013, in the presence of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The Prince wrote in the program: "I have always felt that the Arts should be part of everyone 's life and that the rich heritage of our literature, music, theater, and visual art needs to be available and accessible to every child in our nation. It's about returning a bit of magic into our children's lives." Mary said she was proud to be able to give Nigel Lythgoe an invite to this grand affair, after all he's done for her; although Nigel is from London he had never met Prince Charles. There were 180 people at the dinner, but not everyone was fortunate enough to shake hands with and get a picture beside the Prince of Wales. (Royal etiquette prohibits people from shaking hands with the Prince unless he initiates the gesture.) Just a select few individuals were lucky enough to be chosen. Of course Mary's table, which was set for ten, was noticed by the Prince: who wouldn't notice Mary? You can see Mary in the picture at the of the next column with her two business partners from the Hollywood Dancesport Championships Jonathan Roberts and Michael Chapman along with Nigel Lythgoe and Sheila Davis. Mary Murphy with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for a gala charity evening. Photo by MM Mary said it was an honor to meet and shake hands with Prince Charles the experience of a lifetime! saying it was "surreal." She never dreamed as a young girl from Ohio that all these wonderful things might one day happen to her. Mary said she was so nervous that she did the fastest curtsey in the history of ballroom curtseys! I asked Mary a "Red Carpet" question: "What were you wearing?" She said she bought her dress, which was designed by "Mandalay," at Neiman Marcus in San Diego. She thought everyone at the event would probably be wearing black, so she decided to brighten things up with this shimmering gown. Doesn't she look exquisite? A memorable moment occurred when Mary was introduced to Prince Charles: he announced to her that he has always wanted to learn the Tango." I think the Prince was flirting with Mary. What do you think? Look for Mary as she begins her 10th Season with "So You Think You Can Dance" on May 14 th at 8 p.m. on Fox. After an interview with Mary Murphy conducted by Polly McDonald and Mark Chapman. Ed. Note: For more than 35 years The Prince of Wales has been a leader in identifying charitable need and setting up and driving forward charities to meet it. From the early days of The Prince s Trust in the mid-1970s his charitable interests have grown to the point where his charities represent, as a group, the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the UK. The charities are active in a broad range of areas, including the Built Environment, Responsible Business and Enterprise, and Young people and Education. ( May 2013 Page 5 of 8

6 Thanks for the Help! Polly McDonald I want to thank all the people by name who helped me make the "April Fling" a success. First, Nancy Ross and Anthony Montalto for greeting the dancers and collecting their money. Nancy also ordered the two cakes from Costco and picked them up everyone knows that is a real pain in the neck!) Then the volunteers who brought food: Anita Tey, Kao and Mark Chapman, Ashlee Chu, Lou and Amante Reyes. Thanks also to those who came in early with me to help set up the tables with the table cloths and centerpieces. I want to mention new member Mel Mesa: although it turned out that he arrived a bit too late to help us set things up, he did make the effort to come in early to give us a hand. Come back again next month at about 6:00 p.m., Mel I know the next social team will be grateful! I really appreciated Al Folkman and Mark Chapman, who set up the tables that evening. Then thanks to all the folks who stayed and helped take the tables and chairs down and put them away at the end of the evening. Jackie Yu, thanks for the greatest music Job well done! A thank you also to Chuck for volunteering to buy the gifts for the performers. A special Thank-you to Kay Ryan, Patricia DiSessa, and Ann Meador, for having the supplies (tablecloths, centerpieces, utensils and candy) ready to go in a container in the storage room, ahead of time. What a help that was!!! I wondered, when writing this, how many people know what these ladies do by way of preparation to make things easier for the Social Chair each month. Wow!! Thanks ladies!! I didn't think ahead of time that I would actually enjoy the evening because of the stress I expected it to involve, but as it turns out I had the "Best Time." Maybe I will do this again sometime, maybe even sooner than I would have thought! Next Meeting: The next General Membership Meeting will be held on May 11 th at 2:30 p.m. at Mike Cowlishaw s new shop, located at 380 Vernon Way, suites C&D, El Cajon, Be sure to bring along a dish for the potluck afterwards! Photo Credits Key A big Thank you to those who contributed photos for this month s newsletter: BK JM MM Mark C. Chapman, publisher (619) Smooth Talk is a members service and resource: all NSD members are encouraged to submit ballroom-related items for inclusion in the newsletter. Please send proposed articles, photos, and suggestions for newsletter changes to: mcchapman88@yahoo.com. Monthly Deadlines: Submissions 15 th Been Kao Judy Miranda Mary Murphy Distribution 22 nd May Birthdays Fox, Ricci 5/8 Hunt, Mark 5/17 Ross, Nancy 5/25 Kloss, Carrie 5/26 Mom 5/26 Ghianni, Terry 5/29 Madrid, Rose 5/31 May 2013 Page 6 of 8

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