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

Transcription

1 The San Diego Chapter of National Smooth Dancers SMOOTH TALK San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. Bringing Ballroom to our Community May 2014, Vol. 14 No. 10 President s Message Mike Cowlishaw Welcome to May! Less than four months to the annual convention it s time to get those reservations! Palm Springs, here we come! This is a great time and place for a fun weekend of dancing and renewing friendships with our dance family.. I often hear people refer to our friends and family in our conversations about the National Smooth Dancers. If you haven t been to the convention, you are missing out! Our club will be hosting the hospitality event Friday evening, and I hear the DJ will be playing some great music on Saturday night! We have several people who constantly step up and give their time and energy. Every month there is another chance to give a little time, and get involved. Please ask Amante if he can use your help to set up or clean up after the dance the clean-up is always the hardest part. We d all like to have someone else do this but we each need to take turns as someone else. Many thanks to those that stay involved, and keep things going!! Words are truly not adequate when it comes to thanking those who give of themselves. Wandalee set the gold standard. We were able to celebrate her life yesterday. She was certainly a Queen! We need someone to step up and get a formation team organized for the convention are you fired up for this! Up to four minutes of fun! Our business meeting will be at Kay Ryan s house this month: May 10 th, 2:30 p.m. This is another chance to get involved.. See you on the 3 rd, and keep your feet happy! Dance tip step outside your normal dance routine. (Ha! Ha!) Take a lesson from a different instructor, maybe go to a different dance, or try a new partner for a dance or two! You never know what you might be missing.. Mike El Prez Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it. Martha Graham May 2014 Page 1 of 9

2 Queen s First Message Lou Reyes The Bakersfield 50 th Coronation 2014 was synonymous with elegance and excitement; it was indeed a Golden Jubilee celebration. Upon our arriving and checking in at the hotel, the front desk clerk greeted us courteously and gave us a couple of super yummy chocolate chips cookies. On Friday evening an early buffet dinner was prepared for us in lieu of the hospitality refreshments that most of the chapters usually serve. This was followed by general dancing, mixers and entertainment. The Disc jockeys for the evening Dennis Acosta, Ken Silber and Rich Gonzales played a variety of exquisite music. Since it was Bakersfield s Golden Anniversary, the entertainment depicted 50 years of Hollywood Movies along with collage posters of past queens, each poster representing a coronation. Some of the entertainment featured look-alikes of John Wayne, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Dorothy, the Lion and the Scarecrow from Oz, the movie theme from Cherry Blossom, the Pointer Sisters, Roy Rogers and many more. Saturday morning was devoted to competitors dance practice; to meetings for the dance rules committee, presidents and board of directors; and to the dance seminar. The Queens reception was again marked by elegance: the queens were very beautiful in their nice dresses and hats. Frances Hein made me feel at home instantly. The Saturday dinner and dance event Coronation were close to perfection. The beautiful new Queen, Dorothy Vaughan, wearing a long white beaded gown, was escorted by her handsome dance instructor Dan Goss. They performed an amazing waltz and glided across the dance floor. It was a breathtaking routine. Several NSD members competed in the afternoon and evening. Here are the results of the competition: Senior Waltz 1. Antonio and Wen Shi Rodriguez (Bakersfield) 2. Peter Hanson ( Palomar) and Karla Hartunian (Fresno) 3. Steve Martsolf (SDSD) and Donna Thornton (Palomar) Beginner s Waltz 1. Antonio and Wen Shi Rodriguez (Bakersfield) 2. Doug and Jane Hammond (SFV) 3. Bill Morey and Gee Gee Barden (SFV) Beginner s Cha Cha 1. Antonio and Wen Shi Rodriguez (Bakersfield) 2. Paul and Wendy Storey (Visalia) 3. Amante and Lou Reyes (SDSD) Beginner s East Coast Swing 1. Peter and Janice Imperial (Golden Gate) 2. Amante and Lou Reyes (SDSD) 3. Les and Roberta Lazar (SFV) Intermediate Smooth Waltz and Foxtrot 1. Shane and Myra Nielsen (Visalia) 2. James and Andrea Gutman (SFV) 3. Les and Roberta Lazar (SFV) Advanced Smooth Waltz, Tango and Foxtrot 1. Greg and Barbara Uichanco (Visalia) 2. James and Andrea Gutman (SFV) 3. Peter and Janice Imperial (Golden Gate) Finally, the professional performances by Nick Cheremukhin and Viktorija were stunning. Queen Lou (Photos by JV) May 2014 Page 2 of 9

3 SUNDAY NIGHT DANCE CLASS Chuck DiSessa Carrie Kloss will once again instruct our classes for May and June, starting with the International Foxtrot at 5:00 p.m. and the American Cha-Cha at 6:00 p.m. (Welcome back, Carrie!) Everyone is encouraged to attend, as the body styling and technique used in International Ballroom will carry over to improve your overall movement and appearance in American Ballroom. For example, it helps the ladies improve their head styling and it helps both partners to improve their frames as well. Who doesn t want to look better and feel better as they move across the floor?? (I DO!, I DO!, I DO!) Carrie will present an interesting variety of moves at the intermediate level that will both challenge us and provide us with several opportunities to improve our technique. Once you learn the choreography from the beginning to the end, your diligence in practicing the technique is what will allow you to grow by leaps and bounds in your dancing skills. Many professional competitors use the moves we are learning in their competition routines; the difference is in the way they look when they execute those moves. Being consistent in working on the correct technique during your practice sessions during the week will make a world of difference in your dancing as well. Our instructors will provide you with all the proper technique you ll need to dance the choreography well. You just need to learn the routines and then apply the technique over and over again until it feels comfortable for you. That s why our after-class, open practice sessions are available. Experienced dancers will be on deck starting at 7:00 p.m. to help you work through any areas where you might be stuck. Feel free to take advantage of this fine feature the San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc., offers us in their continuing efforts to help us grow and improve in ballroom dancing. By the way, American Cha-Cha is always fun, and our organization s state competitions in March and September always offer a beginners Cha-Cha and Waltz competition for those who are interested. Come learn with us and get more involved. Looking ahead, some members of the March- April classes are scheduled to demonstrate their Paso -Doble routine, taught by Irina Chalkevitch, at our May, CINCO-DE-MAYO Social. (GO TEAM!!) Several class members attended the Celebration of Life ceremony for Wandalee Dimond, held at the home of Al Folkman. Our deepest sympathy goes out to him. In closing, our electronic marketing campaign started in 2010 is working very well. New names are added as we get their permission to send out our promotional ads for both our dance classes and our socials. Thank you all for being a part of our continued growth and success as an amateur dance organization. Your continued support of our dance classes is deeply appreciated. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, and I ll see you on the dance floor! Sincerely yours for better dancing, Chuck DiSessa, Dance Class Chair San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc. May General Meeting The next General Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday May 10 th at 2:30 p.m. at Kay Ryan s home, located at 4303 Coronado Ave, San Diego Be sure to bring a dish for the potluck afterwards! May 2014 Page 3 of 9

4 Social Chair Report Amante Reyes I am now becoming more confident in preparing and hosting the SDSD social events; my apprehension is slowly disappearing. This is due to all the help and support I am getting from the officers and members of SDSD. For the April 2014 social event I would like to express my thanks to the following people: Alberta and Peter Valintini for checking in the guests. Al Folkman, Larry Plummer, Larry Knost, Mel Mesa, Jacky Yu, Bob Churchill, Bill Mackenzie, Maria Wilson, Ann Vutisaksatit, Jeannie and Doug Holmes for setting up and cleaning. Special thanks to Mike our President. Ann and Dave Saul and Judy and Vern Miranda for donating fresh fruits. Been Kao and Mark Chapman for bringing in the cake. Kay Ryan, Patricia DiSessa, and Ann Meador for getting the decoration and drinks ready way ahead of the event. Lou Reyes, the SDSD Queen and my wife, who was everywhere, setting up the studio, preparing and setting up the refreshments and the mini cupcakes and rice cakes that she baked early that Saturday. Russell Jenkins for his excellent playlist of music. Members and officers of Palomar Chapter who drove all the way from the north county. I announced at 8 p.m. that the dance floor was open for dancing and the food area for dining. Russell played first-rate music. Many stayed till 11 p.m., enjoying and dancing to his music. The evening was marked with a small accident: one of our lady guests tripped on her partner s foot and fell down, hitting her head on the wooden floor. I came to the couple along with other concerned guests and found she was okay. When everybody settled down, there were smiles on some guests lips: I found out that when the lady fell down the lyrics of the song being played went, Don t hurt me. The following two days after the social, Lou called the lady and inquired if she was okay; she was fine, and Lou reported the incident to Vi Aguilar. One major objective I plan to achieve as the SDSD social chairperson is to find ways and means to ease the difficult task of setting up and cleaning the venue for every dance event. Some proposals have come to mind: To hire outside help to set up and clean the studio for big events like Anniversary Day, Coronation Night, New Year s Eve. Since SDSD s contract with the studio is 6 to midnight, there will be little time to prepare the studio. To encourage more members and officers to volunteer to set up and clean the venue. To find ways to ease the transfer of kitchenware, decorations, bottles of sodas, juices, coffee pots and accessories, etc. One method would be the use of dollies and carts. To contact the social chairpersons of the other NSD chapters and inquire how they inspire their members to help out before and after their social events. To recognize those who untiringly help the association, perhaps to set up a recognition night for one of the social events. To all the volunteers who support our club in a thousand different ways with no thought of remuneration, thank you so much. (Photos by JV) May 2014 Page 4 of 9

5 Bakersfield: The First Fifty Years Judy Miranda Bakersfield hosted a great dance weekend for 237 members and guests again this year. Instead of having a hospitality, they had a buffet dinner from 5:30-7:30 with optional dancing. The dance party officially started at 7:30 and ended at midnight; the six hours of dancing should have satisfied even the most avid dancers. There was a buffet breakfast the next morning, with meetings as well as time for competitors to practice. The afternoon began with a free dance seminar with Pro instructors Nick Cheremukhin & Viktorija. Everyone loved the class, and the turnout was great. The afternoon party gave us more time to dance as well as to either watch or partake in the competitions until it was time to rest up and get ready for the Coronation Ball. Lastly I want to add that each dance party had at least one, and sometimes two skits. There were Wizard of Oz characters, sultry dance girts (played by the men), Charlie Chaplin, George Burns & Gracie Allen Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Jimmy Buffet, the Pointer Sisters and an Army Girls trio. The competitions were fun to watch and three of our members brought home medals: Steve Martsoff (dancing with Donna Thornton of Palomar) and Lou and Amante Reyes. Following a wonderful dinner, Bakersfield celebrated their 50 year anniversary. They had many of their past Queens as part of the ceremony preceding the Coronation. That part culminated with Frances Hein and Dan Goss doing a short dance. Frances is their oldest member and is still very active in the club, as well as in her insurance business. The Coronation was beautiful and Dorothy Vaughan stood out in her regal white gown escorted by Dan Goss. They did a beautiful Queen s waltz followed by the current reigning Queens, past Bakersfield Queens and then all past Queens. It was very impressive seeing all the lovely Queens on the floor in their lovely white gowns. Following the Coronation, Nick & Viktorija did a feisty foxtrot, romantic waltz and a red-hot tango. They were loved by everyone there. Some Things Lost... and Many Things Gained Cathy O Harra performed in the "Things Lost" portion of the SDDT's Aging Creatively senior dance program on April 16 at the White Box Theater. The ladies danced to Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T. A performance jazz dance class is taught every Tuesday at the Dance Place at Liberty Station by noted choreographer Reina Bolles. Many of these senior ladies also appear in San Diego's Senior Follies. (Photo by Cathy O Harra) May 2014 Page 5 of 9

6 My Fond Memories of Wandalee Al Folkman I met Wandalee about 30 years ago at a singles dance gathering in Mission Valley. At the time our whole conversation was probably nothing more than, "Would you like to dance," and she said, "Yes," and we danced and did "small talk." We were both there for the same reason: Wandalee had been recently divorced and was trying to get back into the social world and I was recently separated and doing the same that was in the early 1980's. So we were both doing the singles scene. There were two groups of singles that meet regularly to dance: the "Single Set" and "Thursday Night Club." On one of these evenings the dance was at a place off Pacific Hwy near the airport. I think it was called "Jim's Flying Club" or something like that. Anyway, Wandalee was there and so was I. She made it quite obvious that she was interested in getting to know me better because, as Terry Walp (a mutual friend) said, "She followed you around like a puppy dog." So after the dance I asked her if she'd like to go out for a snack. We went to Love's in Mission Valley. We ordered some food and started conversing and we discussed our "single" situation. The conversation must have gotten around to dating and all I can remember is Wandalee saying, "Try me. You'll like me." I'm not sure, in her innocence, that she knew the connotations of that. She didn't just say it once but three or four more times during our conversation. Well, what's a guy to do? Needless to say, that was the beginning of our relationship and the rest is history. Wandalee was at that time working for CMA, which was a distributor of party goods and greeting cards. Her territory was most of San Diego County and I think part of Orange County. Prior to that she had worked for "Mother Rice" in a Hallmark store so she was very familiar with the items she distributed. One of her good party store friends was Katy Hogbin, whom some of you know because she helped us create balloon decorations for our conventions and also some of our socials. Anyway, Wandalee lost her job with CMA and decided to go into business for herself and that's when she opened her store "Party Place" in Santee. Business was never good and Wandalee also had the first of her many medical operations then, so she closed her store after about three years of operation. It was in that same time frame, the late 1980's, when Wandalee and I joined SDSD. The club was somewhat floundering at the time. However, Wandalee being in the party store business and loving to decorate volunteered to run for social chairperson. She knew how to throw a good party and always had great decorations and lots of food. Wandalee was social chairperson for probably fifteen years. Nobody ever ran against her because she wouldn t allow it; she loved doing the decorations and planning and was very good at it. She was also the chairperson or co-chairperson of our conventions in 1996, 2002 and It was about the time of our last convention when Wandalee started slowing down. At first she was just treated with physical therapy for her loss of balance. That didn't seem to help much and her doctor ordered an MRI of her brain, which showed a lot of white matter. Her doctor finally diagnosed her as having Parkinson's disease; she was treated for Parkinson's for over a year but didn't get any better. Wandalee also started to develop cognitive impairment and was in the beginning stages of dementia. We had two or three years where Wandalee was still somewhat active. We went to the Zoo and Balboa Park concerts and Friday night concerts in Pioneer Park. Wandalee also enjoyed watching the Turner Classic Movie channel with the old-time movies. In January of 2013 Wandalee fell in the entry way of our home and broke her hip. She was in a nursing home for two weeks and then we bought her home. She was then put in the Hospice program, which usually means terminal care management. Michele and I decided to get a caregiver to help with her care and so we hired Rosie. Rosie took excellent care of Wandalee during the days, and I had the night shift and the times Rosie had off. Wandalee was also a fighter and within two months she was taken off the Hospice program and put back on Transitions. We actually had a good 2013 and Wandalee went to Pioneer Park during the summer months for the free concerts. She enjoyed watching the kids play and all the other activity and the music. We also had some good moments together where I May 2014 Page 6 of 9

7 could look at her and she would look back at me with a smile on her face, and the "I love you" silent communication in those moments felt really good. We had the Queen's brunch here on March 2 nd of this year and Wandalee seemed to enjoy the company. It was shortly after that when she seemed to make a noticeable change in her eating: she seemed to cough more and have more trouble swallowing. Hospice did another evaluation and put her back on the Hospice program. The following weekend she had a fever and a very sore throat. Rosie and I tried to treat her and got her fever down. On Monday the Hospice nurse came to the home as Rosie and I were trying to feed Wandalee and give her water through a plastic-tipped syringe. The nurse told us not to do that if Wandalee didn't want to eat or drink we should not force feed her. She said it would just cause Wandalee to aspirate the food and water into her lungs and cause pneumonia. I asked the nurse if Wandalee didn't eat or drink how long she had and she referred me to one of their booklets where I read one to two weeks. I cancelled my trip to Bakersfield Boards, and on the morning you had your farewell breakfast there, Wandalee said farewell to life. I will miss Wandalee immensely; she was the love of my life. Taking care of her the last few years really brought us closer together. I had a really hard time dealing with the reality of her passing. I tried to keep myself busy. And my family tried to keep me busy. And SDSD members also tried to keep me occupied. I went to the gym several times during the week; while you're working out you have lots of time to think and bounce your thoughts around. It was at one of these workouts that my thoughts went to, "What if the tables were reversed and you, Al, were the one who was to pass away what would you say to Wandalee? I think I would say this: "Wandalee. I hope you'll have fond memories of me when I'm gone. I hope you will remember me always and the good times we had together. But I want you to go on with you life. Live each day to the fullest. Enjoy all life has to offer. And when you happen to think of me I hope it's a pleasant memory that brings a smile to your face. But please do not dwell on the past, but look forward to all the new adventures life has to offer." I think that's what I would have said to Wandalee and I think Wandalee, if she had been able to communicate, would have said the same thing to me. So that is what we are doing today. We will remember Wandalee and share some of our fond experiences of her and then we will go on with our lives. Lastly, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful cards you sent with the comforting verses inside. They have all made my sorrow more bearable. Thank you all. (Editor s Note: Al delivered these words during the memorial held at his home for Wandalee Dimond. The turnout of family and NSD friends was a tribute to Wandalee s memory. Al wishes to thank Kay Ryan, Ann Meador, Patricia DiSessa, and Caron Schattel for putting together an excellent lunch for the Memorial.) Mark C. Chapman, editor (619) 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. Photo Credits Thank you to those who contributed photos for this month s newsletter: JV Judy & Vern Miranda May Birthdays Ashley Chu 5/14 Jasmine Chow 5/17 Melvin Mesa 5/24 Nancy Ross 5/25 Carrie Kloss 5/26 Rose Madrid 5/31 May 2014 Page 7 of 9

8 May 2014 Page 8 of 9

9 May 2014 Page 9 of 9