Posts from — October 2008

For this upbeat Halloween Weekend, here is an ebullient mix from my friend DJ Paolo Solferino of Francavilla Fontana, Italy. Check out his promo video on youtube.com first here:

Paolo isn’t serving the overly energetic Euro-pop-house typical of Italian mixes, instead you’ll hear soulful deep vocals, good mixes (instead of jarring cold cuts) and garage-y melodies.

Take a look at DJ Paolo’s Facebook profile page here.

Here’s Paolo’s Mix:

p.s. Wait for the Quicktime player to load, if you don’t have a Quicktime player, grab Quicktime free here.

Grazie Tante DJ Paolo!!!

In this last week of Hispanic Heritage month I want to pay homage to Hustle’s Latin lineage. We have so many accounts of the history of Hustle; how and why it is where is today, but the one thing that is a constant is Hustle’s Latin roots.

Undeniably soulful and sassy, Hustle is a rebellious dance, belonging to the People, born from the streets and distilled over the years.

Because Hustle is a street dance, a step sibling to the over articulated, high brow Ballroom dances, it will always have a certain attraction for me; an edge, an attitude, a purity of spirit that cannot easily be taught or learned.

Hustle was always, ALWAYS called Latin Hustle, downtown. It was never called NY Hustle, I have no idea when calling it NY Hustle became popularized (I’m sure some of you out there do remember), but it was always Latin Hustle to us; the vibe, the creativity, the fighting spirit and it was clearly born in New York.

I remember as a young girl, in Manhattan, that the best Hustle dancers were always from ‘Uptown’, (which meant anything above 14th Street for me), they were Spanish; Cubans & Puerto Ricans and they danced to music that was played Orchestra style, meaning live musicianship was used in the records.

The best Latin Hustle dancers, to us, were the Mambo dancers and they clearly rendered that Mambo attitude to Latin Hustle. I admired the women so much, they looked glamorous. They would dance in dresses and with each other too. The men of course were dressed; much, much more dressed than they do now, they were gallant, and it was beautiful to watch.

Many, many years ago at a free outdoor concert in advance of Puerto Rican Pride Day, Celia Cruz and her band were playing live, with Tito Puente as a guest. Well into the Mambo/Latin Jazz set, the band went into the bridge playing a disco version of the song, and nearly everyone on the black & white checkered dance floor, on the Hudson River at sunset, was dancing Latin Hustle.

I romanticize Latin Hustle, I know I do, because I identify with the creativity, soulfulness and tenacity of spirit of the Latin culture in New York. Once the electronic synthesized version of Disco pervaded the mainstream, Latin Hustle stopped having a life of it’s own, and splintered into the ways it was being savagely pulled apart.

Hustle got into a relationship with Commerce and was put to charm school & tamed, became a well behaved, civilized, dance with rules & a syllabus and continues along this path today.

Change is change and we never go backwards, so we can’t call it Latin Hustle anymore. As we continue to dance this dance, and it continues to evolve, I hope the creativity and inventive spirit of the 70’s is still indulged in Hustle.

My personal wish is that new movement and music ideas are tolerated and embraced, not picked apart and over-analyzed, that Hustle does not become entirely institutionalized and that Hustle’s path is free & unencumbered, what about you?

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Happy birthday wishes to Brian Gallagher, Ken Rosell , Melba Moore, Loren Gardner & Kathy Johanessen.

Monday’s at Dancesport just got better. Starting Oct 27th, Diane Nardone will be teaching hustle thru out November & December from 8:30-9:25PM, levels 4 & 5 Int Adv/Adv. Immediately before Monday Hustle & Salsa social. You can schedule private lessons w/ Diane by calling Jody at (212) 307-1111

The hottest new song in the clubs is Bossy by Lindsay Lohan, it’s featured on DJ Fancy’s newest CD release, along w/16 hot new dance songs. If you love new music to hustle and/or swing to, you have to check this out. To order write sparda3636@hotmail.com, cost is only $15 & includes shipping.

Last weeks junior dance winner on DWTS was Maria Khasminsky. She was introduced as a Philadelphian, but is actually, a 7th grader at the Harrington School in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where she lives. She and her partner now advance to the finals on DWTS.

Watch for the motion picture “Move”, coming out next year. It stars Benji Schwimmer winner of SYTYCD, and many other dancers and choreographers including, Brian Friedman, Dorian Sanchez, Mandy Moore, Michelle Berule, Nick Drago, Tony Testa, Keith Diorio and Napolean & Tabitha D’umo

“Rehab” Grand Opening takes place on Monday, November 3rd. Featuring WCS & a little Hustle (7:30-12). Join Debbie Lynn, the “top teacher 2005-8 swing fling & 2005-7 MadJam event” for details www.dancewithdebbie.com

The Disney franchise, High School Musical 3, hit theaters this past weekend setting a new opening record for a musical. Kids of all ages packed theaters. Master choreographer Kenny Ortega returned to put his special touch on the dance scenes.

This weeks edition of DanceTalk is sponsored by the newest dance studio ballroom in New Jersey, Paso de Danza. Read all about it below www.pasodedanza.com

Make it a great week,
Ron

A New Dance Studio/Ballroom - Paso de Danza
Are you ready to add excitement to your life. Be surrounded by artistic, cheerful people, who will make learning dance a fun & rewarding experience. Isn’t that what it’s all about. Get ready for the newest dance studio/ballroom to open in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Paso de Danza, just minutes from the Pennsylvania state line. Seasoned dance professional Ellis Roderick, brings a new approach to teaching dance to New Jersey. Ellis studied dance in New York & Montreal and has won numerous competitions. He previously owned the Xanadu Dance Studio that was located in upstate New York. With over 20 years experience teaching dance, he brings his vast skills and knowledge in ballroom to you: Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Fox-trot, Swing, Two Step, Hustle, Rhumba, Tango, Cha Cha, Salsa, Merengue, Samba plus other dances. Are you ready to dance outside your comfort zone? Are you ready to learn some new dances or strengthen the ones you know? Get ready for the Grand Opening Open House at Paso de Danza. It all takes place on November 2nd, Sunday from 4 to 10PM. The new studio is located at 103 Foch Boulevard, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865 Ellis is a strong supporter of the importance and value of good health and the great cardiovascular workout you achieve from ballroom dancing. Research shows that ballroom dancing is found to be a preventative exercise for osteoporosis. “It offers a combination of athleticism and arts in one unique package, for all ages” shares Ellis. With a strong extensive background in tap, jazz, ballet, modern adagio, gymnastics and choreography, Ellis brings a full service dance program to New Jersey. He has choreographed spectacular routines for America’s Jr. Miss and Miss America Pageants as well as videos for CMT. Ellis is recognized nationally for his ability to break down dance to its fundamentals with a soft and gentle approach. He is a gentleman on and off the dance floor. In addition, Ellis has created a wonderful program to prepare couples for their wedding day. He strengthens “non dancers” skills giving them the confidence to shine on their special day. He gives couples the training to dance at their wedding with poise and elegance, making their day forever a memorable experience. Paso de Danza will also host a twice a month dance social on Saturday evenings. What a great way to practice and interact with other dancers. The socials will include a half hour dance lesson at 7PM then open social dancing til 10PM. Refreshments are served. Make sure to attend the exciting Grand Opening, Open House on Sunday, November 2nd from 4-10PM. Stop by for a dance, refreshments, demonstrations and performances. You can even enter a raffle to win a free dance lesson. The studio is located across from the Wal Mart and behind Slack Electric,
For details or directions call 908 454 - Step. Visit the site www.pasodedanza.com

Holiday Spectacular
The 2008 Holiday Spectacular returns to the Stardust Ballroom on December 6th, Saturday night, for the 16th year celebration. Donna Boyle & Ron Bess pull out all the stops to present the most exciting end of the year party….it’s simply Spectacular. The feedback from last year was so positive that they return to the Stardust for the incredible atmosphere and floor space. It is huge. Dress your holiday best as dancers from all over the great northeast will be attending. It’s the biggest one night dance reunion held anywhere. The party kicks off at 7PM with a group hustle dance lesson with Ron & Donna. Learn a great new hustle dance combination. There will be a Dance Contest, where anyone can enter, as they will crown this years King & Queen of Hustle. The music will be hot as DJ Mark will mix up grooves from the 70’s to current dance sounds including some Latin and Swing. There will be complimentary food and a cash soft drink bar. Lots of giveaways, a raffle, and surprises??? Kids are welcome and free under the age of 16. The party starts at 7PM till ???? Please join them for the biggest end of the year party, where friends can spend time with friends, make new friends, share a laugh, a dance and a smile. This is a smoke free ballroom. The Stardust is located at 363 W Browning Rd. Bellmawr, NJ 08031 $25 per person For directions contact the Stardust at (856) 931-4000
For information contact: Donna at donnaboyledisco@aol.com or Ron at Rowenlb22@aol.com

2008 Readers Choice Awards
The polls are open, it’s time to vote. The 2008 DanceTalk readers Choice Awards invites you to select the best of the best and….the unsung heroes. Vote for your favorite dancers, instructors and DJs, that have given so much of themselves to the dance scene. Our awards let you acknowledge your peers dance skills, talent and hard work…that should not go by unnoticed. *Please note, Derrick Allen and Eddie Vega have each won the “All Time Best Dancer”. Please select another candidate for this category. *DanceTalk staff are not eligible. Ballots must be received by November 14th. Please copy and paste the ballot below and send to Rowenlb22@aol.com

2008 DanceTalk® Readers Choice Awards Ballot
*** Favorite DJ -
*** Favorite Female Dancer -
*** Favorite Male Dancer -
*** Favorite Dance Couple -
*** Favorite Dance Couple (not hustle) -
*** Favorite Female Instructor -
*** Favorite Male Instructor -
*** Most Improved Dancer -
*** Favorite All Time Dancer -
*** Person of the Year -

Auditions, Competitions, Socials, Cruises & More…
Oct 27, Mon-NY Dancesport Legendary Hustle Mondays Paul Pellicoro’s DanceSport, back by popular demand, Nelson “paradise” Roman 9:30PM $10 admission; DS registered students free 22 West 34th St East Entrance 4th Fl bet 5th & 6th avenues. www.dancesport.com

Oct 28, Tue-FL The Paladium Night Club will be having a Pre Halloween Party starting at 9pm. So don’t forget to bring your scariest outfit. DJ Noel Colon will be spinning some of the best dance music in town. A special classic disco session will begin at 11pm so you won’t want to miss it. We will also be celebrating several Birthday’s this evening for Hal and Isabel

Oct 28 Tues-NY LIDance HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant Lounge) Rt.110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Prizes for Best Costumes, Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, Door Prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 28, Tues-NY “The Original Tuesday Night Hustle Party” continues at Rivera’s, 26 Great Neck Road (Great Neck Shopping Center) Great Neck, NY 11021. Diane Derosa will be celebrating her birthday. Ample dance floor space, elegant lounge area, full bar, light bar menu, abundant parking, great sound system. Chris playing the best of old & new Hustle with a dash of Latin & WCS.Hosted by Doreen Admission still only $8

Oct 29, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, with Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, 6:30- Fundamental WCS; 7:45 Inter. WCS, 8:45-11:30 DANCE. Halloween Costume Party, great prizes for most original and for BEST all around. Halloween parade yummy munchies, fun dancing! All for only - you bet - $5!! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken. Free parking.

Oct 29, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St. Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30pm-12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/PP $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is ‘Pre-Halloween Party’: Wear your favorite costume and get $2 off tonite’s admission.

Oct 29 , Wed-Pa Michael’s Cafe, we will be celebrating the King, Brian Gallaghers birthday. Come out for the fun. The hot spot for hustle, Swing & Latin in between. Dance to the tunes of DJ Mark, every Wednesday for the best classics & contemporay music. No cover, plenty of free parking. Street Road in Bensalem near the Philadelphia Casino / race track.

Oct 30, Thurs-NY LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS at MIRELLE’S,!! 170 Post Ave, Westbury, Long Island, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 7:30PM to 11:30PM, Great Hot Buffet, 45 Min. HUSTLE Dance Lesson starting 7:30w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air conditioned, Door Prizes, Cash Bar Available, Admission $14, call Louis (516) 819-9016. THIS EVENT RUNS EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT!

Swing City Chicago Oct 31-Nov 2nd, 2008 At the Westin Lombard Hotel in Chicago. The perfect spot for a Halloween weekend. Jack & Jill, Strictly Swing and DJ Challenge, plus a pro-show/Exhibition, Friday night Pizza Party and Saturday, late night buffet. Come join Maren, Jason Barnes, Erica Berg, Bill Cameron, Jason Miklic, Fred & Tina Price, Mario Robau Jr, Mike Topel for an incredible fun weekend of dancing. For more details and registration information visit: www.Swingcitychicago.com

Oct 31, Fri-FL Hallween Party, Shall We Dance is adding a Ballroom! We are planning a Kick Off Party for Halloween Night, with DJ VICKI KAY! Discounts for Swing Dance Club Members! Stay tuned for more details as construction continues!! SHALL WE DANCE BALLROOM 600 S Federal Hwy, 2nd Fl. Ballrooms Deerfield Beach, FL

Nov 1, Sat-NJ Halloween Boo Bash the Spinning W Ranch Costume dance party 8:00 till ? Calif mix Please bring a dish or bottle of wine. E-mail Wendy Lipincott w/your food choice. The party is free Please RSVP(609)953-3793 spinningw@aol.com Spinning W Ranch 266 Hartford Rd. Medford, N.J. 08055

Nov 1, Sat NY-Nov 1 Ultimate Dance Zone w/ Mark James & Karen Lupo, 8:30p-12:30AM, Jack & Jill Amateur Hustle Dance Contest + Prizes. At the beautiful Wantagh Jewish Center. More info @ http://www.mjames.org/zone.html

Nov 1, Sat NJ-Halloween Extravaganza, Nash Dancenter, 10-12 Emery Ave.Randolph, 973-328-7979 Lesson 7-8pm Dancing 8-midnight, Ballroom/Latin Mix & Cha Cha Lesson w/ Brian Nash California Mix & WCS Lesson w/John Festa, Hustle Lesson w/ Hazel & Tybaldt Ulrich Hustle Mix by Nelson Paradise. Dancing in all rooms, $20 in advance $30 event day (cash only) contests for best costumes. www.nashdancenter.com

Nov 1, Sat-PA Vai Dance Studio Salsa Rendezvous Dance Party The best of Salsa, Cha Cha, Bachata & Merengue 7:30pm Bachata & Merengue Lesson w/Victor Colon. 8:30pm Dance Party w/refreshments included $12.00 at door 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 www.vaidance.com.

Nov 1, Sat Halloween Mash with beg. Bachata Lesson by Winsor Li 8pm, Open dancing 8:30-midnight w/ DJ Kenny Arditi-Swing, Hustle, Latin, Waltz, Night Club 2 Step. No Name Dance-Suzanne Patterson Center Monument Drive, Princeton, No partner needed $12tix www.centraljerseydance.org, or call 609-945-1883.

Nov 1, 2008, Sat-NJ Ballroom Latin Dance Social, w/2 Hour NC2S workshop taught by Brian Thompson $12 for Workshop $10 Social, $15 for both. Students $10 for Workshop, $8 for Social $12 for both. For info http://hpds.webhop.org, hpds@optonline.net, 201-320-9176, Location 233 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Nov. 1st, Sat-NY Riveras Cafe 26 Great Neck road, Great Neck, L.I. Hustle & Salsa with Legendary NYC DJ Bobby Morales!! 9:30-2AM. FREE ADMISSION ALL NIGHT!!! Located in Great Neck shopping center. Plenty of free parking. Dinner til 10pm, tapas available til 1am. Foe more info or reservations call (516) 466-6380 or visit them at riverasfusion.com

Nov 2, Sun-NJ 100% Pure Hustle w/ Johnny “O” $8 before 10pm/$10 after. First Sunday is Ice Cream Sunday! GIVEAWAYS! Party passes, CDS, dance classes & more 9pm-1am New Music Hour by Johnny O at 11pm - Dont miss out! www.starlightdanceusa.com 973-235-9835

Nov 5, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St. Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30-12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/PP $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is “Lucky Draw” Everyone has a chance to win perx!

Nov 7, Fri-PA Vai Dance Studio Ballroom & Latin Extravaganza Dance Party. The best of Ballroom & Latin [Waltz, Rumba, Foxtrot, Samba, Tango, Cha Cha, EC Swing, Merengue, & more 7:30 PM Vienese Waltz Lesson w/Silvana Gallagher 8:30 PM Dance Party w/refreshments included. $12 at door 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083. www.vaidance.com

Nov 7, Fri-NY BALLROOM, LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS, at DEER PARK V.F.W.588 Long Island Ave. Deer Park, LI, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 8:00P-12:00AM, Coffee, Tea, Cake, Fruit & Veg.Platter! 40 Min. Dance Lesson at 8:00w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, 50/50 Raffle,Cash Bar Available, $13, call Louis for info (516) 819-9016.

Nov 7, Fri-NY “ABSOLUT DISCO” presented by Simone Assboeck. DJ’ed by the fabulous Nelson ‘Paradise’ Roman. 9.30-2.00am at Stepping Out Studios, 37 West 26th St (9th floor), Separate Salsa Room! We are happy to announce that our FREE Buffet now offers ORGANIC & Dancer light food. Also enjoy the OPEN BAR & Intriguing Performances! Admission:Current Stepping Out Students $10. General Public $15.

Nov. 7, Fri-Pa FIRST FRIDAY SINGLES NETWORKING HAPPY HOUR & Dance PartyIn Hollies Lounge — @ The Holiday Inn, Fort Washington, 7:30 HAPPY HOUR includes:COMPLIMENTARY APPETIZERS & DRINK SPECIALS , BAR SNACKS & FOOD MENU Available at Bar! DJ DONNA BOYLE & Dance Instructor , Hustle dance lesson at 830 pm Will be playing your dance favorites & dance classics, STARTING at 8:00, PLENTY OF FREE PARKING $ 8.00, $5 b4 8:30PM $5:00 w/ this email! info: www.social45.com

Nov. 8, Sat-NY Riveras Cafe 26 Great Neck road, Great Neck, L.I. Hustle & Salsa with Legendary NYC DJ Bobby Morales!! 9:30-2AM. FREE ADMISSION ALL NIGHT!!! Located in Great Neck shopping center. Plenty of free parking. Dinner til 10pm, tapas available til 1am. Foe more info or reservations call (516) 466-6380 or visit them at riverasfusion.com

Tampa Bay Classic Swing Dance Championships, Nov 13-16, 2008 Biltmore Hotel & Resort 4 days of dancing over 35 hours of social dancing, competitions in Jack & Jill, Pro/Ams, Classic divisions, Rising Star, Pro Strictly Swing, Invitational Jack & Jill Tournament and Exhibitions $108.00p/night (800) 237-8947 http://www.tampabayclassic.com/

Westie Weekend November 14 & 15, 2008 Swing superstar Jason Colacino comes to Got Swing? for a Westie Weekend! Workshops, Dances, Private lesons. Philly?NJ get ready for Jason. Save the date more details coming.

Nov. 15, Sat-VA The HARVEST LATIN BALL at The Columbian Center 2324 Pump Road Richmond, Va. 23233. Presented by Nino Torre & NiteMix Productions. Latin Dinner 7:00pm dancing @ 8:30pm til 12Midnight. $30.00 per/person $55.00 per/couple (Non refundable after 11/01/08) Includes Dinner, Wine, Beer, Soft Drinks & Entertainment. Onsite Babysitting available: must give notice in advance. Reservations required:No later than Nov. 1, 2008 Music by DJ’s Nino Torre & Tony Tan with live Salsa By Richmond’s “Son Quatro” Band. Call Nino for tix, reservations at (718) 926-3704 www.NiteMix.ws

Nov 15, Sat-NJ Salsa Sensation Mambo-on-2 lesson w/ Jose Papo Diaz 7:30p.m. Suzanne Patterson Center, Monument Dr. off Route 206, Princeton. Dance to the music of Anthony Ortiz: Salsa, Mambo, Bachata, Cha Cha, Merengue & more 8:30-11:30pm Door $12, students w/ID $8 Everyone welcome No partner needed www.centraljerseydance.org salsa@centraljerseydance.org or 609-945-1883.

Nov 15, Sat-PA Vai Dance Studio Anniversary Dinner Showcase & Dance Party. Music selection will be open to all dance styles & requests. Ballroom, Latin, Hustle, WC Swing, Country 2-Step 6pm Dinner Buffet opens 8pm Dance Party & Showcase $25.00 adv. tix $30.00 at door. For tix 610.789.3248.
801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 www.vaidance.com.

Nov 16, Sun-NJ 100% Pure Hustle w/Johnny O $8 b4 10/$10 after GIVEAWAYS! Party passes, CDS, dance classes & more 9pm-1am New Music Hour 11pm starlightdanceusa.com 973-235-9835

Mediterranean Dance Cruise, Nov. 17-29th 2008, A once in a life time event, on the Queen Victoria for 12 wonderful days starting in Athens and stops in Volos, Greece Dikili, Istanbul, & Kusadasi Turkey, Port Said & Alexandria Egypt Valetta in Malta Messina Naples and ending in Rome, Italy. From about $2200 for cruise, prior Cunard guests may get better rates. Call for lowest rates. This cruise is selling out fast. 25% of cruise fare due at cabin assignment & final payment due Aug.12, 2008. All prices per person based on double occupancy & include special dance events open to our group only. Call 215-855-2711 or info@blsdc.com for more information and a brochure.

Nov 21, Fri-NY Hustle & Salsa party hosted by Zulma at Bogart, 99 Park Avenue at corner of E.39th Street downstairs, NYC. Great hustle & Salsa music, dancing begins 9pm-2am. Admission $10 For info call (646) 678-0687

Nov 22, Sat-NJ Ballroom Latin Dance Social, w/2 Hour adv-beg/inte level WCS Workshop taught by Jason & Marybeth Lane. $12 for Workshop, $10 Social, $15 for both. Students $10 for Workshop, $8 for Social. $12 for both. More info http://hpds.webhop.org, hpds@optonline.net, 201-320-9176, Location, 233 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Nov 23, Sat-NJ The Three Amigos!!! They’re back!! 9pm-1am Johnny “O”, Bobby Morales & Nelson “Paradise” Roman Don’t miss this night Great Music by three DJ’s starlightdanceusa.com

Dec 6, Sat NJ-The 16th annual Holiday Spectacular, hosted by Donna Boyle & Ron Bess at the wonderful Stardust Ballroom in Bellmawr. The Holiday dance event of the season. Please plan to join us. Dance Contest, group lesson, give aways, food & more, kids are welcome. Dance to hustle, Swing and Latin with DJ Mark.

Stardust Dance Cruise III January 25-February 1, 2009 7 nights on Costa Cruise Line’s 5-Star Costa Fortuna, now accepting reservations, Departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sunday: Fort Lauderdale, Mon. Key West, Tues. Cozumel, Mexico, Wed. at Sea, Thurs. Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Fri. Grand Cayman Island, Saturday At Sea, Sunday back to Fort Lauderdale, http://www.stardustdancecruises.com/

Shall We Dance Cruise Feb. 1-7, 2009 Goldcoast Ballroom hosts a 6 night exotic Western Caribbean fantasy, dancing under spotlights, sunlight, moonlight and stars. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship. The Independence has an arena w/ 3,000 sq.ft. dance floor. Fares start at $687 p/p plus taxes & this includes hallmark dance classes, dance socials, entertainment. Last 3 cruises sold out early, please call: 754-246-2874 or visit: www.GoldcoastDanceCruise.com.

Hustle & Salsa Dance Cruise February 23-28, 2009 10th annual cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, This cruise will include over 20 hours of dance workshops by world class instructors, 25 hours of social dancing, & jack n jill dance contests. The ship has a fabulous discotheque & 3000 sq. ft. dance floor in main arena. Fares start at only $590 per person, for an inside cabin: Category N plus taxes, port charges & fuel supplement. Call Caren Casper at 754-246-2874 to make your reservation and receive a discount of $50 off for booking by Sept. 15th www.HustleCruise.com

When I first heard of the addition of Hustle to the “Dancing with the Stars” repertoire, it seemed to be a positive step toward bringing awareness and exposure to the dance. Upon further thought, the questions became evident as to how accurate these dances would be performed and how seriously the pros would treat them.

It is common knowledge that Hustle, as well as West Coast Swing, are viewed as rogue dances of the Ballroom World. Ballroom Pros use these dances in Pro-Ams to have an extra entry for their student at competitions; often using a Latinized style and perhaps a 4-count version of Hustle.

My feelings, after the routines that were performed on Monday night (see video below), were mixed. The most positive result was Tony Dovolani and Susan Lucci’s valiant attempt at executing a proper Hustle. They had the assistance of, Hustle supporter and sometimes judge, Paul Pellicoro of Dancesport in New York; a decision that gave me some respect for Tony. Pellicoro made a smart business decision as he had a party where Tony and Susan were in attendance and it was possible exposure for his studio.

Since there were no Hustle Pro performances to show proper technique and how the dance doesn’t have to include “Saturday Night Fever” moves, this routine was an adequate demonstration of basic moves even though it included the cheesy “John Travolta Style” pointing. Although it had all the flavor of a Saltine cracker. Hence, the not so positive reviews from the judges.

The routine performed by Kym and Warren, on the other hand, while having energy and sass, was an amalgamation of stereotypical “Disco” moves and bad Hustle. I am not faulting Kym for not really knowing the dance, as it has never been her job to learn the dance before. I just fear that this is the image that the public will have of the Hustle because the routine gained praises from the judges. Judges who don’t know the difference between “Disco” and the Hustle.

In general, I do not feel that the image of the Hustle was scarred too badly. Though I can’t help but wonder how this perhaps was a lost opportunity for “the powers that be” of the Hustle Community to use this as a way to grow the interest in the dance especially by young people. I feel that if the producers were contacted and bombarded with emails and/or phone calls encouraging them to feature a pro Hustle couple or have a pro help the competing couples, the dance would have gained more respect and the exposure that it deserves. Showing that the Hustle can be done to contemporary music would not have hurt either.

All we can do is hope that if there is another season of DWTS, that someone will have to motivation and foresight to do everything they can to spread the word. I believe there is no time like the present and the seed should be planted now for a chance to have a Pro Hustle couple featured next season. I feel the opportunity should be taken while it exists.

What do you think about how “Dancing with the Stars” showcased Hustle? Did it help or hurt the dance? Please weigh in with your opinions, they are always welcome. Here’s the video of Tony and Susan for those of you who did not see the show.

Go Phillies

Happy birthday wishes to John Fandokokis, Andre Phelps, Tim Kovalick, Donna Roesel, Mambo Joe, Mark Routzahn and Paul Pellicoro.

This past week Levi Stubbs the lead baritone vocalist of the legendary singing group the Four Tops passed away. With so many hits including, “Baby I Need Your Loving”, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”, “It’s the Same Old Song”, “Reach Out I’ll Be There”, “Standing in the Shadows of Love”, “Bernadette”. Stubbs comes from a singing family. His cousin is soul singer Jackie Wilson, his deceased brother, Joe, was a member of both The Contours and The Originals (Down To Love Town). He will be sadly missed.

Hustle & West Coast Swing will debut on Dancing With The Stars tonight. Paul Pellicoro (DanceSport NYC) the King of dance, gives Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani a hand with the hustle. Make sure to vote for them in support of the hustle.

English professor Dr. Peter Lovatt writes that his studies on men attracting women were impacted on how well a man dances. The better he moves the higher is rating. They suggest for men to “channel Travolta”. It really works.

It will be the 7th anniversary for Mad Jam, taking place March 5-8th, 2009 at Sheraton Premiere Hotel, Tyson’s Corner,VA. One of the most exciting events, anywhere. With over 50 dance experts on staff it’s the largest swing/hustle event in the mid atlantic. http://www.atlanticdancejam.com/

Brian Fortuna & Kristina Rihanoff along w/ Matt Cutler & Karen Hardy, Ian Waite and some of the pros dance a beautiful rumba on “Strictly Come Dance” see here.

Great photos from Kathy Austin’s birthday dance at Michael’s Cafe in Bensalem, Pa, courtesy of Scott Michielli, here.

Medical research says the hit song, “Stayin’ Alive” might be more true to its name than the Bee Gees ever could have guessed. At 103 beats per minute, the disco song has almost the perfect rhythm to help jump-start a stopped heart. Read the full story here.

This is the 7th year of the DanceTalk Readers Choice Awards. Please see the official ballot below. Take a few moments to vote and pass this on to your fellow dancers as well.

This weeks edition of DanceTalk is sponsored by Westie Weekend featuring the incomparable Jason Colacino. See more details below.

Make it a great week,
Ron

Westie Weekend
Its time for Westie Weekend w/ special guest instructor Jason Colacino. Come join Rob and Sheila’s on November 14 & 15 for an incredible wekeend of dancing. Jason Colacino is something to watch. Whether he is teaching, competing or just social dancing he is quite extraordinare. A staff member at many of the Swing dance events (Mad Jam, WHDC…), Jason has been invited to Japan to teach as well. His unique style combines his jazz and ballet training implemented into his Swing. Jason will mesmerize you with his skills. His style is soooooo cool, making him technically one of the most exciting dancers anywhere…and boy can he spin, one leg pirouettes and all. He has partnered with some of the most talented ladies in WCS including Katie Boyle & Mary Ann Nunez. He is a former three time world Cabaret champion , US Open Swing Champion as well as holding many other titles. Jason, being multi-talented, has performed on stage and in many shows including, “Swing”, “Evita” and “A Broadway Tribute”. He also appeared last year in the Disney Motion picture, “Enchanted”. Come spend a little time & get to know him, work with him and watch him dance at our the Westie Weekend Nov 14 & 15. Here is the complete schedule:
FRIDAY - Nov 14 - at The Atrium, Rt. 130, Pennsauken, NJ 08110
8:00-9:00 Workshop #1 Whatever Jason wants to teach…he knows what to do!
9:00-1:00 Got Swing?/Hustle Mix WCS dance ….demo ??
WCS workshop only with Jason = $20; WCS workshop and dance - $27; Hustle Lesson w/Brian G and dance - $12; Dance only $12
SATURDAY Nov 15 at Haddonfield School of Dance, 413 Crystal Lake Ave, Haddonfield, NJ 08033
2:00-2:50 Workshop #2 Balancing Your Spin finding your center for a beautiful centered turn and spin
3:00-3:50 Workshop #3 So You Think You Know Leverage & Compression – learn why Jason is one of the BEST at this swing delight
4:00-4:50 Workshop#4 Speed, Power & Control change up your timing and learn to use your body for some zippy moves like the PROS do
5:00-6:30 NEW!! Practice time for those taking workshops! DJ Rob will play some cool music for you to put what you’ve learned on the floor! Workshops $20 EACH ala carte. First preference will be given for those purchasing the weekend package up to Nov 12. Saturday workshops only will be limited to first 20 leaders and 20 followers. Weekend Special $75 includes all 4 workshops, Got Swing?/Hustle Mix dance & Saturday practice time. You can pay via Pay Pal at www.robandsheiladance.com add $2 for Pay Pal. Or send check for $75 made payable to Sheila Purkey at 902 Mansion Ave, Collingswood, NJ 08108. Please specify which role you will be learning: leader or follower. PRIVATE LESSONS: Available in Collingswood, NJ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $90. Contact Sheila at bpurkey@yahoo.com or call 609-519-0078.

2008 Readers Choice Awards
It’s election time again, where our readers have the opportunity to recognize the best of the best and the unsung heroes. Please take the time to vote for your favorite dancers, instructors and DJs, that have given so much of themselves to the dance scene. Our awards let you acknowledge your peers dance skills, talent and hard work…that should not go by unnoticed. Everyone is eligible to vote, just once. *Please note, Derrick Allen and Eddie Vega have each won the “All Time Best Dancer”. Please select someone else in this category. Ballots must be received by November 14th. Please copy and paste the ballot below and send to Rowenlb22@aol.com

2008 DanceTalk® Readers Choice Awards Ballot
*** Favorite DJ -
*** Favorite Female Dancer -
*** Favorite Male Dancer -
*** Favorite Dance Couple -
*** Favorite Dance Couple (not hustle) -
*** Favorite Female Instructor -
*** Favorite Male Instructor -
*** Most Improved Dancer -
*** Favorite All Time Dancer -
*** Person of the Year -

Letters to the Editor
(our goal is to post readers letters twice a month, unfortunately due to space limitations we can not publish them all)

Hey Ron,
L.A. California was great! Going to see “Dancing With The Stars” “LIVE” was amazing to watch!! It was a great experience to be there & especially to meet alot of the celebrities like, Brook Burke, Susan Lucci, Toni Braxton, Warren Sapp, Cloris Leachman just to name a few…The crew that puts the whole production together was tremendous & very well done! I want to Thanks Karina Smirnoff for inviting me there & spending time with all the pros & celebrities!! It was truly amazing & I hope to attend again in the near future! Pictures of the show will be posted on my wesite site in about a week at www.louisdelprete.com
Thanks again,
Louis Del Prete

Greetings Ron,
I enjoyed your story on the future of dancing & hustle. I wanted to mention that I was a product of the 1980’s and hustle dancing in the Wayne area of New Jersey, not far from NYC. We always had school canteens, dances and other places to go to dance. There was a skating rink that held dances and some of the adult night clubs also had teen dances, without alcohol. I have a son & a daughter (14 and 17 years old). There is nothing for them to do on weekends with dancing in mind. It is sad, I think they are missing out. I appreciate all that you do,
Sincerely,
Regina Casillas

Hi Ron,
I was just reading Dance Talk & the letters to the editor. I got a laugh out of the guy who wrote about Plato’s Retreat & the dancers on Sat. nights. That was us… me & Danny Llaurado, Ricky Quintana & Lee Rofrano, Eddie Espinosa & Gina Figueroa, & Deano Georgio & Jean Camilletti. Your newsletter always brings back great memories. By the way, we danced with our clothing on. LOL
Carol

Hey Ron,
Big fan of your newsletter as is everyone here in Utica. I do have to make some comments about your write up last week on the hustle. I agree with you for the most part that it was big business that drove disco. I was attending Community college not far from Syracuse, NY when Disco took off in the clubs. What I saw happen here was the discotheques had different things going on each night of the week. It brought dancers back night after night for fashion shows, live performances, exhibitions, pizza nights, new record releases and give aways etc… Each night was a little different & made you want to go back. There were some clubs we would go to 5 nights a week. In fact we did a lot of club hopping going to 2 or 3 clubs on some nights. It seemed like when the music and dancing died out, up here most the places converted to sports bars and put in huge TVs and billiard tables. The few clubs that remained still have a dance night but that was it, one dance night a week. The clubs don’t have the loyalty of dancers they once had and not sure if they will ever again. That’s my take,
Wes Lawson

For those of you that know me know that I have navigated through the most challenging 18 months in my lifetime. I attribute my deliverance in part to my Honey, my genetic family, my dance family. In my 6th year as a dance “rookie”, I’m still not a huge fan of being the center of attention. But what the heck, foolish apprehension aside, I went for it and finally experienced the legendary Michael’s Café birthday dance. To the Leaders, DJ Mark, Jennifer and my fellow dancers and friends, many, many thanks for the support; well wishes; cards, gifts and dances. And last, but never least, to my favorite partner on and off the dance floor, a heartfelt thanks to Wingo.
Kathy Austin

Auditions, Competitions, Socials, Cruises & More
Oct 20, Mon-NY Dancesport - Open for Columbus Day with llegendary Hustle Mondays at Paul Pellicoro’s DanceSport, back by popular demand, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman the entire month of October. 9:30PM -$10 admission; DS registered students free. 22 West 34th St East Entrance 4th Fl between 5th & 6th avenues. www.dancesport.com

Oct 21, Tues-NY HOT LATIN, WCS & HUSTLE TUESDAYS at CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant/Lounge), Rt. 110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, door prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 21, Tues-NY “The Original Tuesday Night Hustle Party” continues at Rivera’s Café, 26 Great Neck Road (Great Neck Shopping Center) Great Neck, NY 11021. Ample dance floor space, elegant lounge area, full bar, light bar menu, abundant parking, great sound system. There will be a 50/50 Raffle & door prizes. DJ Chris playing the best of old & new Hustle with a dash of Latin & WCS.Hosted by Doreen. Admission still only $8

Oct 22, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, w/ Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, NJ 08110. 6:30 Fundamental WCS; 7:45 Intermediate WCS, 8:45-11:30 Westie Wednesday DANCE! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken. $5 includes chips/cookies. Free parking.

Oct 22, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St. Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30pm-12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/PP; $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is “2 for $15″ Admission: You & a New Friend MUST show up together to get special admission price.

Oct 22, Wed-Pa Michael’s Cafe, we will be celebrating DJ Mark’s birthday (he really hates this so be sure to join us), & Andre Phelps birthday. Come out for the fun. The hot spot for hustle, Swing and Latin in between. Dance to the tunes of DJ Mark, every Wednesday for the best classics and contemporay music. No cover and plenty of free parking. Street Road in Bensalem near the Philadelphia Casino/race track. Next week we celebrate the birthday of Brian “the King” Gallagher. See you then.

Oct 22, Wed-NJ DKN Dance, w/ Diane K Nardone at Knights of Columbus 16-16 N Maple Ave, Fairlawn, 2 great Hustle lessons & social dancing, 7:30-8:30PM Beg. Hustle, 8:30-9:15PM 1st half of practice social, 9:15-10:15PM Inter/Adv. Hustle, 10:15-11:00PM 2nd half social, 1 Class $15, 1 Class & Social $18, 2 Classes & Social $25, Social only $8. Diane 201 666 6224 dkndance@verizon.net or visit our website www.dkndance.com

Oct 23, Thur Pa Salsa Social at Ballroom on High hosted by Star Seguinot. Every 2nd & 4th Thursday of month, 310 High St. Pottstown. Party 8pm with beg. salsa lesson & open dancing till 11. $10 includes lesson. $5 for students w/valid ID. Next event, Nov 13th, Nov 20th, Call Star for details at 215-920-4511. www.swingkat.com

Oct 23, Thurs-NY LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS at MIRELLE’S! 170 Post Ave, Westbury, Long Island, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 7:30-11:30PM, Great Hot Buffet, 45 Min. SALSA Dance Lesson starting at 7:30w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, Cash Bar Available, Admission $14, call Louis (516) 819-9016. THIS EVENT RUNS EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT!

Oct 24, Fri-NJ HALLOWEEN PARTY DKN Dance Monthly Friday Social w/ Diane K. Nardone. Costume Contest, Knights of Columbus, 16-16 N Maple Ave, Fairlawn, 8:30-9:00 pm Lesson, 9:00pm-12:30am Hustle/WCS/Salsa/Country/Ballroom & More Class & Social $15, Social Only $15 Dance to the sounds of DJ Dave Muzii

Oct 25, Sat-NY BALLROOM, LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS, at DEER PARK V.F.W. HALLOWEEN PARTY $$$CASH PRIZES$$$ COSTUME IS OPTIONAL! 588 Long Island Ave. Deer Park, LI, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 8:00PM-12:00AM, Coffee, Tea, Cake, Fruit & Veg.Platter! 40 Min. Dance Lesson at 8:00w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, 50/50 Raffle,Cash Bar Available, $14, call Louis for info (516) 819-9016.

Oct 25, Sat-PA Masquerade dance party hosted by Donna and Giavanni. An Annual Event, at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Mall Blvd, King Of Prussia. 7PM hustle lesson, 7:45 Mini Salsa lesson, dance from 8:15 til ??, $12 includes both lessons, costume contest at 10:30PM with Prizes for additional info call Donna at 215 740 3472 http://www.donnaboyledisco.com

Oct 25, Sat-MA Halloween dance, 7:30-8:30PM Special Workshop Option, 8:30PM–12:30AM dancing on 2 floors. Hustle, WCS, Salsa on 1, ballroom music mix on 2nd (8:30-9:00 free lesson w/dance) Costume contest w/ prize Special workshop: $15 Dance & free lesson $15, special workshop & dance w/free lesson:$22, refreshments & special haunting desserts www.studio665.com, KimVanamanDance@verizon.net Starting in Nov. Kim’s dances will be the 2nd weekend of each month. (617)965-4054

Oct 25, Sat-NY Riveras Cafe 26 Great Neck road, Great Neck, L.I. Hustle & Salsa w/ Legendary NYC DJ Bobby Morales!! 9:30 - 2AM. 1/2 off admission special ONLY $5!! Located in Great Neck shopping center. Plenty of free parking. Dinner til 10pm, tapas available til 1am. For more info or reservations call (516) 466-6380 or visit them at riverasfusion.com

Oct 26, Sun-NY Memory Walk 2008, Chris Bates lost his mom not too long ago from Alzheimer’s. Let’s all walk in honor and in memory of Geneva Jeffries. 9am-1pm at Riverside Park. You can donate in Geneva’s name. Click on “Find A Walker” and put in Susan Lazar. Then you can donate and/or sign up to walk by emailing Susan at susan_lazar@eisai.com. Eisai will match our donations.

Oct 26, Sun-NY 9/11 Dance Benefit, In Honor of Alex Jack, a fellow dancer (brother of JoJo) Hosted by Teri & Paul & the L.I. Dance Community, MC Charlie Paci, 4-9pm at Knights of Columbus, 400 S. Broadway, Lindenhurst, $25.00 PP ($30 at the Door) special Performances, Great Raffles, Hot buffet, & DJ Nelson ‘Paradise’ Roman. Tix available at IBBG, Mirelle’s, Stepping Out Studio’s, Danceport, 412 & Hustle Congress See: JoJo, Annette, Marianne, Marta, Lina, Teri & Paul and Robin for tickets and further info

Oct 26, Sun-NJ Kick Up Your Heels for Care. Country Western Dance Fundraiser at HIllbilly Hall. in Hopewell. The event will benefit Your ReSource…Please come out and join us. Tickets only 25 in advance (includes hor d’ouerves and desserts ) $35 at the door Cash bar, ! For more infor contact Carol 609-841-9083 or cjfdanceworks@gmail.com

Oct 28 Tues-NY LIDance HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant Lounge) Rt.110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Prizes for Best Costumes, Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, Door Prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 29, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, with Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, 6:30- Fundamental WCS; 7:45 Inter. WCS, 8:45-11:30 DANCE. Halloween Costume Party, great prizes for most original and for BEST all around. Halloween parade yummy munchies, fun dancing! All for only - you bet - $5!! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken. Free parking.

Oct 29, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St. Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30pm-12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/PP $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is ‘Pre-Halloween Party’: Wear your favorite costume and get $2 off tonite’s admission.

Swing City Chicago Oct 31-Nov 2nd, 2008 At the Westin Lombard Hotel in Chicago. The perfect spot for a Halloween weekend. Jack & Jill, Strictly Swing and DJ Challenge, plus a pro-show/Exhibition, Friday night Pizza Party and Saturday, late night buffet. Come join Maren, Jason Barnes, Erica Berg, Bill Cameron, Jason Miklic, Fred & Tina Price, Mario Robau Jr, Mike Topel for an incredible fun weekend of dancing. For more details and registration information visit: www.Swingcitychicago.com

Oct 31, Fri-FL Hallween Party, Shall We Dance is adding a Ballroom! We are planning a Kick Off Party for Halloween Night, with DJ VICKI KAY! Discounts for Swing Dance Club Members! Stay tuned for more details as construction continues!! SHALL WE DANCE BALLROOM 600 S Federal Hwy, 2nd Fl. Ballrooms Deerfield Beach, FL

Nov 1, Sat-NJ Halloween Boo Bash the Spinning W Ranch Costume dance party 8:00 till ? Calif mix Please bring a dish or bottle of wine. E-mail Wendy Lipincott w/your food choice. The party is free Please RSVP(609)953-3793 spinningw@aol.com Spinning W Ranch 266 Hartford Rd. Medford, N.J. 08055

Nov 1, Sat NY-Nov 1 Ultimate Dance Zone w/ Mark James & Karen Lupo, 8:30p-12:30AM, Jack & Jill Amateur Hustle Dance Contest + Prizes. At the beautiful Wantagh Jewish Center. More info @ http://www.mjames.org/zone.html

Nov 1, Sat NJ-Halloween Extravaganza, Nash Dancenter, 10-12 Emery Ave.Randolph, 973-328-7979 Lesson 7-8pm Dancing 8-midnight, Ballroom/Latin Mix & Cha Cha Lesson w/ Brian Nash California Mix & WCS Lesson w/John Festa, Hustle Lesson w/ Hazel & Tybaldt Ulrich Hustle Mix by Nelson Paradise. Dancing in all rooms, $20 in advance $30 event day (cash only) contests for best costumes. www.nashdancenter.com

Nov 1, Sat-PA Vai Dance Studio Salsa Rendezvous Dance Party The best of Salsa, Cha Cha, Bachata & Merengue 7:30pm Bachata & Merengue Lesson w/Victor Colon. 8:30pm Dance Party w/refreshments included $12.00 at door 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 www.vaidance.com.

Nov 1, Sat Halloween Mash with beg. Bachata Lesson by Winsor Li 8pm, Open dancing 8:30-midnight w/ DJ Kenny Arditi-Swing, Hustle, Latin, Waltz, Night Club 2 Step. No Name Dance-Suzanne Patterson Center Monument Drive, Princeton, No partner needed $12tix www.centraljerseydance.org, or call 609-945-1883.

Nov 1, 2008, Sat-NJ Ballroom Latin Dance Social, w/2 Hour NC2S workshop taught by Brian Thompson $12 for Workshop $10 Social, $15 for both. Students $10 for Workshop, $8 for Social $12 for both. For info http://hpds.webhop.org, hpds@optonline.net, 201-320-9176, Location 233 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Nov. 1st, Sat-NY Riveras Cafe 26 Great Neck road, Great Neck, L.I. Hustle & Salsa with Legendary NYC DJ Bobby Morales!! 9:30-2AM. FREE ADMISSION ALL NIGHT!!! Located in Great Neck shopping center. Plenty of free parking. Dinner til 10pm, tapas available til 1am. Foe more info or reservations call (516) 466-6380 or visit them at riverasfusion.com

Nov 7, Fri-PA Vai Dance Studio Ballroom & Latin Extravaganza Dance Party. The best of Ballroom & Latin [Waltz, Rumba, Foxtrot, Samba, Tango, Cha Cha, EC Swing, Merengue, & more 7:30 PM Vienese Waltz Lesson w/Silvana Gallagher 8:30 PM Dance Party w/refreshments included. $12 at door 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083. www.vaidance.com

Tampa Bay Classic Swing Dance Championships, Nov 13-16, 2008 Biltmore Hotel & Resort 4 days of dancing over 35 hours of social dancing, competitions in Jack & Jill, Pro/Ams, Classic divisions, Rising Star, Pro Strictly Swing, Invitational Jack & Jill Tournament and Exhibitions $108.00p/night (800) 237-8947 http://www.tampabayclassic.com/

Westie Weekend November 14 & 15, 2008 Swing superstar Jason Colacino comes to Got Swing? for a Westie Weekend! Workshops, Dances, Private lesons. Philly?NJ get ready for Jason. Save the date more details coming.

Nov. 15, Sat-VA The HARVEST LATIN BALL at The Columbian Center 2324 Pump Road Richmond, Va. 23233. Presented by Nino Torre & NiteMix Productions. Latin Dinner 7:00pm dancing @ 8:30pm til 12Midnight. $30.00 per/person $55.00 per/couple (Non refundable after 11/01/08) Includes Dinner, Wine, Beer, Soft Drinks & Entertainment. Onsite Babysitting available: must give notice in advance. Reservations required:No later than Nov. 1, 2008 Music by DJ’s Nino Torre & Tony Tan with live Salsa By Richmond’s “Son Quatro” Band. Call Nino for tix, reservations at (718) 926-3704 www.NiteMix.ws

Nov 15, Sat-PA Vai Dance Studio Anniversary Dinner Showcase & Dance Party. Music selection will be open to all dance styles & requests. Ballroom, Latin, Hustle, WC Swing, Country 2-Step 6pm Dinner Buffet opens 8pm Dance Party & Showcase $25.00 adv. tix $30.00 at door. For tix 610.789.3248.
801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 www.vaidance.com.

Mediterranean Dance Cruise, Nov. 17-29th 2008, A once in a life time event, on the Queen Victoria for 12 wonderful days starting in Athens and stops in Volos, Greece Dikili, Istanbul, & Kusadasi Turkey, Port Said & Alexandria Egypt Valetta in Malta Messina Naples and ending in Rome, Italy. From about $2200 for cruise, prior Cunard guests may get better rates. Call for lowest rates. This cruise is selling out fast. 25% of cruise fare due at cabin assignment & final payment due Aug.12, 2008. All prices per person based on double occupancy & include special dance events open to our group only. Call 215-855-2711 or info@blsdc.com for more information and a brochure.

Nov 22, Sat-NJ Ballroom Latin Dance Social, w/2 Hour NC2S workshop taught by Brian Thompson $12 for Workshop $10 Social, $15 for both. Students $10 for Workshop, $8 for Social $12 for both. For info http://hpds.webhop.org, hpds@optonline.net, 201-320-9176, Location 233 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Dec 6, Sat NJ-The 16th annual Holiday Spectacular, hosted by Donna Boyle & Ron Bess at the wonderful Stardust Ballroom in Bellmawr. The Holiday dance event of the season. Please plan to join us. Dance Contest, group lesson, give aways, food & more, kids are welcome. Dance to hustle, Swing and Latin with DJ Mark.

Stardust Dance Cruise III January 25-February 1, 2009 7 nights on Costa Cruise Line’s 5-Star Costa Fortuna, now accepting reservations, Departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sunday: Fort Lauderdale, Mon. Key West, Tues. Cozumel, Mexico, Wed. at Sea, Thurs. Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Fri. Grand Cayman Island, Saturday At Sea, Sunday back to Fort Lauderdale, http://www.stardustdancecruises.com/

Shall We Dance Cruise Feb. 1-7, 2009 Goldcoast Ballroom hosts a 6 night exotic Western Caribbean fantasy, dancing under spotlights, sunlight, moonlight and stars. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship. The Independence has an arena w/ 3,000 sq.ft. dance floor. Fares start at $687 p/p plus taxes & this includes hallmark dance classes, dance socials, entertainment. Last 3 cruises sold out early, please call: 754-246-2874 or visit: www.GoldcoastDanceCruise.com.

Hustle & Salsa Dance Cruise February 23-28, 2009 10th annual cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, This cruise will include over 20 hours of dance workshops by world class instructors, 25 hours of social dancing, & jack n jill dance contests. The ship has a fabulous discotheque & 3000 sq. ft. dance floor in main arena. Fares start at only $590 per person, for an inside cabin: Category N plus taxes, port charges & fuel supplement. Call Caren Casper at 754-246-2874 to make your reservation and receive a discount of $50 off for booking by Sept. 15th www.HustleCruise.com

Knowing there would be a dry spell for Hustle videos, we saved some of the videos from Lori Brizzi’s marquis event, New York Hustle Congress…here’s one for now, with more on the way…

In this video of social dancing at New York Hustle 2008, we have former World Champion Hustle Dancer Lisa Nunziella and 2005 World Hustle Dance Champion in the Professional Just Hustle & 2006 NY Hustle Congress Pro Open Theater Arts Champion Derrick Allen. It’s wonderful to have the big name Pros social dancing…

[Publisher's note: This is the 2nd in a series of Op-Ed posts by Derrick Allen. Derrick, an established and respected Hustle Professional who performs, judges and teaches Hustle writes in, discussing further, Hustle's unique New York DNA. The Op-Ed platform is an open platform for readers to contribute. I invite others to submit drafts for Op-Ed posts, go here to see guidelines for submission and fill out the form. Publisher]

In my last post, I spoke about why so many New Yorkers love the Hustle and how the “kids” of New York helped introduce this dance to the world. Now some people may have taken exception with that statement. After all, the world is a pretty big place and weren’t there more than a just handful of people doing this dance? And well, many people influenced and contributed to this dance, right? The answers to these questions are both yes…and no.

Yes, there were thousands upon thousands of people from all over the metropolitan area and the country doing the Hustle. Thousands from Westchester to Long Island, from Florida to California and beyond were stepping out onto the dance floor. Many others taught, borrowed and stole moves from each other as well as other dances. Some excellent dancers that were simply incredible to watch are only known in local places where they hung out; and for better or worse have become a footnote in Hustle history.

Ultimately the marketplace helped establish who the players were, and how they would become the face of Hustle to the eventual tens of thousands that were trying to emulate it. So no, there really aren’t more than a handful of dancers who can truly say they were the “face” of the Hustle, & be honest about it. These are the people who allowed themselves to be judged, applauded, embarrassed and even booed. They doggedly worked at perfecting what they were doing. They were creative, innovative and different in how they presented and performed this dance. These are the people who stepped up and decided to take the risk and the challenge of putting themselves out on the dance floor, in both show and competitive environments over and over again.

And to be honest, some really couldn’t do this dance that well. They where just good performers with maybe a great acrobatic trick, others were better dancers than they were performers, and some…were all of the above and more. Still, fair or not, the marketplace, through the public’s responses to their performances, was the final judge and jury. The marketplace has been instrumental in determining how some of these people would become the face of the Hustle and others would not. That’s not an elitist or myopic statement – it’s just a fact.

To make my point, how many people remember Michael Jackson’s electrifying performance of “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25 television special? The year was 1983. For millions it was the first time they had ever seen the moonwalk done. People talked about it for weeks and months and imitators galore sprang up everywhere. Forget the fact that the moonwalk had been done by pantomime artists for who knows how long and had been done by Break Dancers from all over the country for years. (I remember seeing it done in a club in LA while I was competing in the Playboy contest in 1979). Can anyone tell me who invented the moonwalk? Was it in some little club or street corner…somewhere? Does anyone know where it had been used, done or perfected with absolute certainty for the first time? No, I don’t think so. It took Michael Jackson and a knock out performance on national television to popularize it and he did it so well that he became synonymous with it and it with him. The marketplace decided that he, Michael Jackson, would become the “face” of the moonwalk.

The same can be said for the Hustle. Without doubt there were many contributors to this dance in direct and indirect ways. But why was it that a handful of kids from New York were able to dominate as the face of this dance called Hustle? Forget about the personalities and personal feelings toward any particular individual or the caliber of their dancing or even lack thereof. The question is, why did the general dance marketplace 9.5 times out of 10, time and time again, choose someone from New York or someone with a “New York look”, as the face of the Hustle?

Well, as I mentioned in my last article, in the beginning there were no dance events, socials or Pro-Am Competitions to build your name or to showcase your ability. Your skills were honed in the clubs and the club competitions are where you demonstrated and spotlighted your talent and abilities. It is where you got your credibility, your “street cred” so to speak. Although there were hundreds of contests and promotional events held in the mid-seventies and eighties from all over the country, there were only a handful that stand out as true landmarks in my opinion.

I consider them landmarks because they were predominately built around showcasing the Hustle or “Disco” and meet all of the following criteria: 1) the size of the prize or contract, typically 5k or higher, 2) large national or regional (3 states or more) exposure, 3) caliber of the competition and/or the number (10 or more) of contestants and 4) the impact that they had on popularizing this dance.

When these criteria are used as benchmarks you will see that the results all have a common element. That is, as a matter of historical fact, they were all dominated by the kids from New York. Without question, it would be these same contests or events that would put a face on this dance that is still evident today. Because no matter what you think of the personalities or even the dance abilities of the players, the bottom line is that you can’t take away or dismiss their accomplishments.

And these accomplishments are significant when you weigh their ages, lack of formal training, the poise that was needed to perform on these large stages, the newness of what they were doing and the fact that their accomplishments have withstood the test of time. (Some are still being talked about and in some cases still performing some 30 plus years later).

And to answer an analogy from my friend Chuck Fetta, yes there were many signers of the Declaration of Independence, but there were only a handful that had the courage, vision, initiative, drive and took the risk to make the signing happen. (Check out the HBO series John Adams – it’s really great.)

Again, I want to make clear that I’m just trying to give some perspective as to the how and why New York is the defacto standard for how the Hustle is done and became such a dominate force in Hustle to this day. It is not my intent to detract from any unsung heroes who have contributed to this dance in other ways. Nor am I advocating that winning a dance contest or dancing on a TV show automatically makes you a Hustle expert. Far from it! There is many a great teacher that have never won a dance contest or performed anywhere. But they have a true understanding of the dynamics of this dance, the theories behind touch dancing and how to communicate these things.

The facts are that from 1977-1981, as the dance took off, performing at a major event or winning a major contest was note worthy because they were groundbreaking, fresh, and new. They paved the way and set the standards by which people would be evaluated and helped shape the public’s perception of this dance. Perceptions that would last long after those events occurred. Some may even argue that some of the perceptions weren’t always in the best interest or the long term health of the dance, but that’s another discussion. So, for better or worse, like it or not, the names that continually pop up repeatedly were people from New York.

So I want everyone to sit back, take a breath and try to “hear” where I’m coming from in detailing how New York dominated the Hustle dance marketplace for so many years, set the standard for the dance, and how the marketplace helped determine how some people became the faces of the Hustle.

End Part I
Derrick Allen October, 2008

Happy Columbus Day.

Wishing a happy birthday to Gloria Gerhardi and Jim McGraph.

A British Broadcasting interview with Brian Fortuna and his celebrity dance partner Heather Small, about dancing salsa and rehearsal on “Strictly Come Dancing” in England, can be seen here.

We wish dance champion, Joe Kernan a speedy recovery from his leg injury. It looks like he’ll be out of action for the next 5 weeks, giving his leg the chance to recover from a soccer accident.

Come out to Michael’s Cafe as we celebrate Kathy Austin’s birthday. This Wednesday night, October 15th, its the best dance night all week. See more details below.

Get ready for the 2008 DanceTalk Readers Choice Awards. (Next week the ballots come out). Since 2002 we have held this annual poll. You get to vote for your favorite teachers, DJs, competitors and dance friends that deserve recognition. Voting begins next week and goes till November 14th. Remember, your vote counts and makes a difference.

Congratulations to Carl Charles, the competitors and attendees at the first “Salsa Hustle Summit” held last weekend in Southern Florida. First place winners were: Salsa - Betty Stutz & Adam Morley, Hustle - Caren Casper & Mario Montez, WCS - Adam Morley & Susan Radcliff

Pictures from Susan Edelsteins birthday celebration at Michael’s Cafe can be viewed at the website below, courtesy of Scott Michielli. Enjoy

The hit television show “Dancing With The Stars” has 27 versions currently underway in other countries which includes Chile, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Amsterdam and Russia just to name a few. It’s one of the top 3 watched shows in the USA.

This weeks edition of DanceTalk is sponsored by DJ Fancy and his newest release featuring today’s hottest club and dance music. Read more below.

Make it a great week,
Ron
http://www.mjames.org/ronbess.html

The Hustle Explosion-Can lightning strike twice?
Many conversations and debates question the downward trend of social dancing. Many readers have written, in search of how to rejuvenating the magic of the 70’s and 80’s. Can that level be attained again? Why is it that dancing has taken off on the tube but counter intuitively has not transcended into the clubs and ballrooms? Shouldn’t they be directly proportionate? Lets make the comparisons for ourselves, to find some answers. To move forward and create a revolution of dance you have to understand the history and what made it so successful. When Disco-mania struck it took the U.S. by storm. It was estimated at one point, that the disco audience numbered some 50 million people. Ages ranging from 13-60, (according to research of Jack Villari). Business minded folks from coast to coast scratched to get into this sector by investing in clubs, films, recording industry, books, periodicals, sound products, lighting, special effects, radio stations, roller rinks, marketing, consulting & design firms, disco record pools, disco franchises, dance schools, clothing etc…As you can see, the interest level helped drive the music and dance, to even higher levels as it was backed by investors. The disco scene became big business throughout the US and the rest of the modern world. As the popularity grew, so did job opportunities as new products were created. The growth effected other media forms and business markets. Disco and dancing were a true social phenomenon. Discotheques became the testing ground for new record releases. A 3 minute radio tune was released as an 18 minute, 12 inch vinyl, for club use first. The club was the laboratory. If dancers liked the song the DJs would continue to play those songs. It was now up to the radio stations to respond to this demand. This had a direct impact on radio programing. In so many words, DJs could proudly say, “you heard it here first.” More radio stations popped up with the disco format, playing longer songs without interruptions. As the popularity continued to mushroom, more execs jumped on board. Merv Griffin hosted disco specials including the famous TGIF promo and a special from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Phil Donahue, The Mike Douglas Show, Dinah Shore and even ABC “60 Minutes” presented disco artists and featured dancers. As you can see, the growth of the disco era was driven by commercial marketing. Many hotel chains retro fitted their establishments with discotheques. Everyone in business wanted to cash in on this hot commodity. The Disco era was different then the previous dance crazes of the 20’s and 40’s. It was a child of our modern age. It was new and different. Dancing has always been a means for social enjoyment as well as for cultural ceremonies. The success of the disco era trumped that of the earlier dance periods based on the advancement of the media. Today with the advent of the Internet, this has lead to diminishing music sales. Downloading videos and cd’s has played a major part in today’s society. Another contributing factor, is the multiple choices that teens have with extra curricular activities. Sports have always been around but today, in addition to football, basketball, baseball and hockey, kids are involved with soccer, lacrosse, rugby, golf, tennis, volleyball etc. Girls also have more selection. Today, lacrosse, track, basketball, soccer, swimming, gymnastics, softball, all these activities factor in, limiting time for young people to develop an interest in dance. As the youth becomes more actively engaged in sports, it bites into any dance time. And for the teens and college kids that do engage in dancing it tends to favor free style, not touch dancing. Can we put a positive spin on the growth of the hustle? Can there be a resurgence? Today we have various media vehicles that didn’t exist back in the 70’s. MTV, VH 1 and the Internet - for social networking sites. Integrating instant messaging as well as sites like Facebook, MySpace and Match.com, create new ways for people to connect. Night clubs were the playground for meeting new friends and potential Love interests. The number of clubs continues to recede as more folks utilize the internet to find their mates. Times have changed. We live in a hyper competitive world. The club scene no longer has the drawing power it once commanded. It appears it will take much more then just a hit movie to initiate a dance resurgence in the clubs. Sure the ratings for the popular dance TV shows are up but the overwhelming majority of viewers at home are non dancers. Could an economic crisis have an impact? Historically, after war, recession or a depression there are positive shifts. Entertainment becomes a primary outlet. I guess we will soon find out.

New Music for Fall
It’s autumn and time to Fall into the new CD release by mixologist DJ Fancy. This brand new, hot off the press disc, captures 17 fresh songs, including special remixes, that are climbing the music charts.
DJ Fancy has that uncanny ability to pick dance songs, weeks and sometimes months in advance, before they hit gold. No need to buy 17 different CDs when Fancy packs the best new songs all on to one convenient CD. “Ron, I have had many e mails from many Dancetalk readers talking about the music and different dance styles” explains DJ Fancy. “I’m not much of a dancer but I do know how to get down. My newest CD has a mix of melodies that will appeal to everyone’s listening buds. The beats per minute will fit for fast tempo hustle dancing to slower beats for smooth hustle and swing,” shares Fancy. “Ron I am very impressed by your readers and their knowledge on music and dancing. I am very grateful for their support.” The new CD has new releases by Rhianna, Lindsay Lohan (yes the Lindsay Lohan who now has a big hit on her hands), John Legend, academy award winner Jennifer Hudson, Cascada, New Kids On the Block featuring NeYo and Estelle accompanied by Kanye West. There are also some new, lesser known artists, including, Kreesha Turner singing “Don’t Call Me Baby Anymore,” Keo Nozari with his European hit “Rewind” and a song flying to the top, “What I Want” by Fireball. “I’m glad that dancers still appreciate this style of music,” explains Fancy. “Abroad, euro disco, club, deep dance is still main stream and out sells all other forms of music sales. Thank you too all those readers that have purchased music from me in the past.” Its over an hour of brand spanking new music that is hot in the clubs and heard exclusively on satellite radio. DJ Fancy knows how to pick the hits. If you love new dance music then you have to purchase this release. It’s a great CD for listening to in the car, at home, dancing to or a great gift idea for the holidays. The cost is only $15.00 per CD which includes shipping. To place your order email DJ Fancy at sparda3636@yahoo.com
If your hungry for new music, DJ Fancy has the right recipe.

The History of the IBBG by Robin Amante

On October 7, 2008, IBBG closed its door for possibly the last time with an astounding turnout of more than 110 people, probably the best night ever. 11 ½ years ago when the Savoy closed down, I went in search of a new venue to continue our Tuesday night Hustle party. Millie told me of a new place that open called Long Shore Brewery. I quickly went down there and negotiated a deal with the owner. After one week there, I talked him into hiring DJ Ken Holleman who previously played at the Sayoy. A few weeks later Doreen joined forces and it became known as “Doreen’s Singles”. We were there for 3 years when Long Shore Brewery sold the restaurant to new owners and we had to leave. Doreen found NCI where we danced on Wednesdays for about a year. When she heard that Long Shore Brewery had reopened as The International Buffet Bar & Grill and still had the dance floor, she renegotiated with them and back we went to Tuesday nights, now known as IBBG. Soon after that, DJ Ken was replaced with DJ Chris who has been playing the best of Hustle with a dash of Latin and West Coast Swing for the last 7 years. Some of the events over the years have included benefits for two of our dearly departed friends, Leslie & Anita. Donna DeSimone’s dance troop entertained us for both benefits. Thank you Donna. IBBG premiered upcoming competitor’s routines for Hustle events to be performed around the country. There were Dance contests and Halloween parties. Diane Nardone had her World Hustle Dance Championship kick off party there in 2006 & 2007. Mary & Luis Rosa hosted Friday Night Fever for a few months while mentoring a youth Salsa group who performed for us on several occasions. We had a few guest DJs over the years, Luis Rosa, Johnny O, Johnny V, Nino Torre, Bobby Morales & Nelson Paradise Roman. All in all, it’s been a great run. I feel privileged to be a part of this dance history. We hope to keep the party going at our new location Rivera’s Café in Great Neck starting this Tuesday, October 14th. See you on the dance floor!!! Robin Amante

Auditions, Competitions, Socials, Cruises & More…

Oct 13, Mon - NY - Dancesport - Open for Columbus Day with legendary Hustle Mondays at Paul Pellicoro’s DanceSport, back by popular demand, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman the entire month of October. 9:30PM -$10 admission; DS registered students free. 22 West 34th St East Entrance 4th Fl between 5th & 6th avenues. www.dancesport.com

Oct 14, Tues-NY “The Original Tuesday Night Hustle Party” continues at Rivera’s Café, 26 Great Neck Road (Great Neck Shopping Center) Great Neck, NY 11021. Ample dance floor space, elegant lounge area, full bar, light bar menu, abundant parking, great sound system. There will be a 50/50 Raffle & door prizes. DJ Chris playing the best of old & new Hustle with a dash of Latin & WCS.Hosted by Doreen Admission still only $8

Oct 14, Tues-NY HOT LATIN, WCS & HUSTLE TUESDAYS at CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant/Lounge), Rt. 110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, door prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 15, Wed-PA Michael’s Cafe, the hot spot for hustle, Swing and Latin in between, come join us for Kathy Austin’s birthday party. Dance to the tunes of DJ Mark, every Wednesday for the best classics and contemporay music. No cover and plenty of free parking. Street Road in Bensalem near the Philadelphia Casino / race track.

Oct 15, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, with Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, NJ 08110. 6:30 - Fundamental WCS lesson; 7:45 - Intermediate WCS lesson, 8:45-11:30 Westie Wednesday DANCE!! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken. $5 includes chips/cookies. Free parking. We’ll be having a Jack and Jill contest at this one with GREAT

Oct 15, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St: Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30pm til 12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/PP; $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is “Dancers Request Hour”: 60 minutes of your requested songs.

Oct 15, Wed-NJ DKN Dance, with Diane K Nardone at Knights of Columbus 16-16 N Maple Ave, Fairlawn, 2 great Hustle lessons & social dancing, 7:30- 8:30PM Beg. Hustle, 8:30-9:15PM 1st half of practice social, 9:15-10:15PM Inter/Adv. Hustle, 10:15-11:00PM 2nd half social, 1 Class $15, 1 Class & Social $18, 2 Classes & Social $25, Social only $8. Diane 201 666 6224 dkndance@verizon.net or visit our website www.dkndance.com

Oct 16-19, Puerto Rico Hustle & Salsa festival, 3rd Annual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Condado Plaza Hotel and Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Live performances, dance competitions, workshops and more www.puertoricohustlesalsafestival.com

Oct 16, Thurs-NY LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS at MIRELLE’S, 170 Post Ave, Westbury, Long Island, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 7:30PM to 11:30PM, Great Hot Buffet, 45 Min. SALSA Dance Lesson starting at 7:30w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, Cash Bar Available, Admission $14, call Louis (516) 819-9016. THIS EVENT RUNS EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT!

Oct 17, Fri NJ-Jersey Jumpers Swing Dance with live band. Beg. ECS lesson w/ Mike Davis 7:30 p.m. Inter. ECS lesson 8pm Dancing to live band, Slicked Up 9’s, 8:30-11:30pm Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Rd. $16 cost. $13 student with ID. For information www.centraljerseydance.org or jerseyjumpers@centraljerseydance.org or call 609-945-1883.

Oct 17, Fri NJ-”HALLOWEEN BIG BASH” AT ROBERTO’S DANCE STUDIO Knights of Columbus, 39 Washington St, Lodi NJ 07644. Best Hustle & Latin Party in Jersey! Starts with free class at 8:00 pm, and party after. Great Music, Performances, Light Buffet, Large Ballroom and Cash Bar! 201.288.1422 or 201.600.3152, robertohustle@yahoo.com

Oct 17, Fri-FL Swing Dance A Little Lindy Plus! Dance Lindy Hop, East Coast, West Coast, and Blues with Cindy. Dance Lesson at 9:00 to 10:00 PM. Social Dance from 10:00 to 11:30 PM. $10 , lesson included. SHALL WE DANCE, 600 South Federal Hwy, Suite 219, Deerfield Beach, 954-254-3221 or 561-495-7571

Oct 18, Sat NY-Millennium Hustle at Club 412 for ‘The Saturday Night Special’ 3 different rooms with 3 different DJs. DJ Nelson “Paradise’ Roman-Hustle Room DJ Jeff-Salsa Room, DJ Mark-Ballroom, Swing, Tango Room, Choice of free class 8-9 Dancing 9pm-1:30am 412 8th Ave bet 30/31 Str, 4th fl $15 www.loribrizzi.com or loribrizzi@aol.com

Oct 18, Sat FL-CHRIS & BOBBY’S 3rd Saturday Dance Party, Shall We Disco Intermediate HUSTLE Lesson 7:30-8:30, w/ MrDancePro-CHRISTOPHER HEMMER, HUSTLE PARTY w/DJ BOBBY GERARD-8:30 pm, SHALL WE DANCE BALLROOM, 600 S Federal Hwy, 2nd Fl. Ballrooms Deerfield Beach, FL

Oct 18, Sat NJ-Ballroom Latin Dance Social, 2 Hour Jive Workshop taught by Lori Ritter. Beg. Level: 5-6 pm, Intermediate: 6:10-7:10 pm, Ballroom-Latin Dancing 7:30-11:30pm. Workshop or Social $12, $15 for both. Students $10 for workshop, $8 for Social, $12 for both. For more info http://hpds.webhop.org, hpds@optonline.net, 201-320-9176 233 Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Oct 18, Sat NJ-Salsa Sensation with Cha Cha lesson by Candace Woodward-Clough Saturday Oct. 18 at the Suzanne Patterson Center, Monument Dr., off Route 206, Princeton. Lesson 7:30. Dance to DJ Miguel Lebron playing Salsa, Mambo, Bachata, Cha Cha, Merengue 8:30-11:30 p.m. Cost $12, students $8. Everyone welcome No partner needed www.centraljerseydance.org salsa@centraljerseydance.org or 609-945-1883.

Oct 18, Sat-PA Vai Dance Studio California Mix Dance Party. The best of Hustle & West Coast Swing with a splash of Country 2-Step, Cha Cha, Waltz, and more 7:30PM Country 2-Step Lesson w/Silvana Gallagher. 8:30PM Dance Party w/refreshments included $12.00 at door. 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 www.vaidance.com

Oct 19, Sun-PA 6th Annual Dance Party Benefit- Music for everyone, Jitterbug, Line dancing, Disco Hustle, & todays - Donation $ 15.00 BYOB, 6:00-10:00 Barren Hill Fire Hse 647 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill ,Pa 19444. given by Brenda & Tom Petaccio - contact mommiepet@comcast.net - get tickets early - supporting breast cancer.

Oct 19, Sun NJ-100% Pure Hustle w/ Johnny “O” $8 before 10pm/$10 after. GIVEAWAYS! Party passes, CDS, dance classes & more. New Music Hour by Johnny O at 11pm Dont miss out! 9-1AM, starlightdanceusa.com 973-235-9835

Oct 21, Tues - NY - HOT LATIN, WCS & HUSTLE TUESDAYS at CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant/Lounge), Rt. 110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, door prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 22, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, with Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, NJ 08110. 6:30 Fundamental WCS; 7:45 Intermediate WCS , 8:45-11:30 Westie Wednesday DANCE!! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken $5 includes chips/cookies. Free parking.

Oct 22, Wed-NY “HUSTLEJAM” @ Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St: Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30pm til 12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best hustle & latin $9/PP $5 for SO Students Tonight’s Special is “2 for $15″ Admission: You & a New Friend MUST show up together to get this special admission price.

Oct 24, Fri-NJ HALLOWEEN PARTY DKN Dance Monthly Friday Social w/ Diane K. Nardone. Costume Contest, Knights of Columbus, 16-16 N Maple Ave, Fairlawn, 8:30-9:00 pm Lesson, 9:00pm-12:30am Hustle/WCS/Salsa/Country/Ballroom & More Class & Social $15, Social Only $15 Dance to the sounds of DJ Dave Muzii

Oct 25, Sat-NY BALLROOM, LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS, at DEER PARK V.F.W. HALLOWEEN PARTY $$$CASH PRIZES$$$ COSTUME IS OPTIONAL! 588 Long Island Ave. Deer Park, LI, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 8:00PM-12:00AM, Coffee, Tea, Cake, Fruit & Veg.Platter! 40 Min. Dance Lesson at 8:00w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, 50/50 Raffle,Cash Bar Available, $14, call Louis for info (516) 819-9016.

Oct 25, Sat-PA Masquerade dance party hosted by Donna and Giavanni. An Annual Event, at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Mall Blvd, King Of Prussia. 7PM hustle lesson, 7:45 Mini Salsa lesson, dance from 8:15 til ??, $12 includes both lessons, costume contest at 10:30PM with Prizes for additional info call Donna at 215 740 3472 http://www.donnaboyledisco.com

Oct 25, Sat-MA Halloween dance, 7:30-8:30PM Special Workshop Option, 8:30PM–12:30AM dancing on 2 floors. Hustle, WCS, Salsa on 1, ballroom music mix on 2nd (8:30-9:00 free lesson w/dance) Costume contest w/ prize Special workshop: $15 Dance & free lesson $15, special workshop & dance w/free lesson:$22, refreshments & special haunting desserts www.studio665.com, KimVanamanDance@verizon.net Starting in Nov. Kim’s dances will be the 2nd weekend of each month. (617)965-4054

Oct 26, Sun-NY Memory Walk 2008, Chris Bates lost his mom not too long ago from Alzheimer’s. Let’s all walk in honor and in memory of Geneva Jeffries. 9am-1pm at Riverside Park. You can donate in Geneva’s name. Click on “Find A Walker” and put in Susan Lazar. Then you can donate and/or sign up to walk by emailing Susan at susan_lazar@eisai.com. Eisai will match our donations.

Oct 26, Sun-NY 9/11 Dance Benefit, In Honor of Alex Jack, a fellow dancer (brother of JoJo) Hosted by Teri & Paul & the L.I. Dance Community, MC Charlie Paci, 4-9pm at Knights of Columbus, 400 S. Broadway, Lindenhurst, $25.00 PP ($30 at the Door) special Performances, Great Raffles, Hot buffet, & DJ Nelson ‘Paradise’ Roman. Tix available at IBBG, Mirelle’s, Stepping Out Studio’s, Danceport, 412 & Hustle Congress See: JoJo, Annette, Marianne, Marta, Lina, Teri & Paul and Robin for tickets and further info

Oct 26, Sun - NJ - Kick Up Your Heels for Care. Country Western Dance Fundraiser at HIllbilly Hall. in Hopewell. The event will benefit Your ReSource…Please come out and join us. Tickets only 25 in advance (includes hor d’ouerves and desserts ) $35 at the door Cash bar, ! For more infor contact Carol 609-841-9083 or cjfdanceworks@gmail.com

Oct 28 Tues-NY LIDance HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant Lounge) Rt.110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00 to 11:00 PM, $14 includes Prizes for Best Costumes, Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by JOSE BOLIVAR, Door Prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Oct 29, Wed-NJ Westie Wednesday at The Atrium, with Rob & Sheila, Rt 130, Pennsauken, 6:30- Fundamental WCS; 7:45 Inter. WCS, 8:45-11:30 DANCE. Halloween Costume Party, great prizes for most original and for BEST all around. Halloween parade yummy munchies, fun dancing! All for only - you bet - $5!! DJ Rob plays some of the hottest music on the planet. Requests taken. Free parking.

Swing City Chicago Oct 31-Nov 2nd, 2008 At the Westin Lombard Hotel in Chicago. The perfect spot for a Halloween weekend. Jack & Jill, Strictly Swing and DJ Challenge, plus a pro-show/Exhibition, Friday night Pizza Party and Saturday, late night buffet. Come join Maren, Jason Barnes, Erica Berg, Bill Cameron, Jason Miklic, Fred & Tina Price, Mario Robau Jr, Mike Topel for an incredible fun weekend of dancing. For more details and registration information visit: www.Swingcitychicago.com

Oct 31, Fri-FL Hallween Party, Shall We Dance is adding a Ballroom! We are planning a Kick Off Party for Halloween Night, with DJ VICKI KAY! Discounts for Swing Dance Club Members! Stay tuned for more details as construction continues!! SHALL WE DANCE BALLROOM 600 S Federal Hwy, 2nd Fl. Ballrooms Deerfield Beach, FL

Nov 1, Sat NY-Nov 1 Ultimate Dance Zone w/ Mark James & Karen Lupo, 8:30p-12:30AM, Jack & Jill Amateur Hustle Dance Contest + Prizes. At the beautiful Wantagh Jewish Center. More info @ http://www.mjames.org/zone.html

Nov 1, Sat NJ-Halloween Extravaganza, Nash Dancenter, 10-12 Emery Ave.Randolph, 973-328-7979 Lesson 7-8pm Dancing 8-midnight, Ballroom/Latin Mix & Cha Cha Lesson w/ Brian Nash California Mix & WCS Lesson w/John Festa, Hustle Lesson w/ Hazel & Tybaldt Ulrich Hustle Mix by Nelson Paradise. Dancing in all rooms, $20 in advance $30 event day (cash only) contests for best costumes. www.nashdancenter.com

Nov 7, Fri-PA Vai Dance Studio Ballroom & Latin Extravaganza Dance Party. The best of Ballroom & Latin [Waltz, Rumba, Foxtrot, Samba, Tango, Cha Cha, EC Swing, Merengue, & more 7:30 PM Vienese Waltz Lesson w/Silvana Gallagher 8:30 PM Dance Party w/refreshments included. $12 at door 801 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083. www.vaidance.com

Tampa Bay Classic Swing Dance Championships Nov 13-16, 2008 Biltmore Hotel & Resort. 4 days of dancing over 35 hours of social dancing, competitions in Jack & Jill, Pro/Ams, Classic divisions, Rising Star, Pro Strictly Swing, Invitational Jack & Jill Tournament & Exhibitions. $108.00 p/nt 800-237-8947 http://www.tampabayclassic.com/

Westie Weekend Nov. 14 & 15, 2008 Swing superstar Jason Colacino comes to Got Swing? for a Westie Weekend! Workshops, Dances, Private lesons Philly NJ get ready for Jason. Save the date.

Mediterranean Dance Cruise, Nov. 17-29th 2008, A once in a life time event, on the Queen Victoria for 12 wonderful days starting in Athens and stops in Volos, Greece Dikili, Istanbul, & Kusadasi Turkey, Port Said & Alexandria Egypt Valetta in Malta Messina Naples and ending in Rome, Italy. From about $2200 for cruise, prior Cunard guests may get better rates. Call for lowest rates. This cruise is selling out fast. 25% of cruise fare due at cabin assignment & final payment due Aug.12, 2008. All prices per person based on double occupancy & include special dance events open to our group only. Call 215-855-2711 or info@blsdc.com for more information and a brochure.

Dec 6, Sat NJ-The 16th annual Holiday Spectacular, hosted by Donna Boyle & Ron Bess at the wonderful Stardust Ballroom in Bellmawr. The Holiday dance event of the season. Please plan to join us. Dance Contest, group lesson, give aways, food & more, kids are welcome. Dance to hustle, Swing and Latin with DJ Mark.

Stardust Dance Cruise III January 25-February 1, 2009 7 nights on Costa Cruise Line’s 5-Star Costa Fortuna, now accepting reservations, Departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sunday: Fort Lauderdale, Mon. Key West, Tues. Cozumel, Mexico, Wed. at Sea, Thurs. Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Fri. Grand Cayman Island, Saturday At Sea, Sunday back to Fort Lauderdale, http://www.stardustdancecruises.com/

Goldcoast Dance Cruise February 1-7, 2009 Goldcoast Ballroom hosts a 6 night exotic Western Caribbean fantasy, dancing under spotlights, sunlight, moonlight and the stars. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship. The Independence has an arena with a 3,000 sq.ft. dance floor. Fares start at $687 p/p plus taxes & this includes hallmark dance classes, dance socials, entertainment. Last 3 cruises sold out early, please call: 754-246-2874 or visit: www.GoldcoastDanceCruise.com.

Hustle & Salsa Dance Cruise February 23-28, 2009 10th annual cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, This cruise will include over 20 hours of dance workshops by world class instructors, 25 hours of social dancing, & jack n jill dance contests. The ship has a fabulous discotheque & 3000 sq. ft. dance floor in main arena. Fares start at only $590 per person, for an inside cabin: Category N plus taxes, port charges & fuel supplement. Call Caren Casper at 754-246-2874 to make your reservation and receive a discount of $50 off for booking by Sept. 15th www.HustleCruise.com

For the weekend, check out this great deep house mix by NYC’s own DJ RB (aka Rick Bernstein). If you are in Manhattan tonight, he’s playing at Mansion, if not, this is a great treat (I keep chair dancing to this at work!). Thanks DJRB; check out DJRB on Facebook, here.

p.s. The file loads and Quicktime player will load, if you don’t have Quicktime player, grab it free here.

Everyone has a Mother, sister, daughter, Grandmother or wife they should be concerned about as Breast Cancer can strike literally anyone, including men; take a moment to read a few statistics courtesy of The Center for Disease Control & Prevention, The CDC:

• Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women.
• It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.
• In 2004 (the most recent year numbers are available), 186,772 women were diagnosed with breast cancer
• In 2004 (the most recent year numbers are available), 1,815 men were diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Both in situ and invasive female breast cancer rates have been decreasing in recent years

So you see, Breast Cancer is something everyone should be concerned about, including Hustle Dancers.

To learn more about Breast Cancer go to The National Breast Cancer Foundation. Also see The CDC website they have excellent resources listed, publications to read/download and podcasts to listen to.

Here is a podcast regarding some good news about Breast Cancer:

Happy birthday wishes to Dorin Delnevo, Louis DelPrete, Bonnie Rowe, Andy Sessa, Mary Piazza, Diane K Nardone, Patty McConnell, Dave Muzii, Kathy Austin, Maria Torres, Debra Hampton, John Russomanno, Susan Riccio, Ted Kauffman, Harris Sulken and Cat Tito.

Our heart felt condolences go out to Karen Pomager and her family. Her mother passed away this past week. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Dance organizer/DJ/ Singer, birthday boy Louis Del Prete, will be in the LA studio audience for this weeks “Dancing With The Stars”. He is a personal guest of the beautiful dance star Karina Smirnoff. Speaking of DWTS, rumor is that Olympic athlete Misty May-Treanor will be quitting the show. The beach volleyball player has an injury to her Achilles tendon.

Pictures from Audrey Rigsbee’s birthday dance, courtesy of Scott Michielli, here.

Performing to Walk This Way, New Jersey’s own, Brian Fortuna and his partners continue to energize Englands version of DWTS called “Strictly Come Dancing”. Here is a video of Brian with Kristina & Haley, performed on the results show in the U.K. last week.

Every Monday night in October, it’s DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman at Dancesport in NYC. The ultimate hot spot for hustle dancing. Located at 22 W. 34th St. East Entrance 4th Fl bet. 5th & 6th avenues. www.dancesport.com

The 2008 Holiday Spectacular is Saturday night December 6th at the Stardust Ballroom in Bellmawr NJ. Get ready for the biggest one night gathering and the annual dance contest when we crown the King & Queen of hustle…plus many surprises. DJ Mark will be spinning the tunes. Save The Date.

So much to see at the Hustle Hall Of fame. Lots of new videos, pictures and biographies of the hustle legends and the new stars. Go to www.hustlehalloffame.com

November 29th, Saturday, is the launch of a new monthly dance social hosted by hustle specialist Donna DeSimone at DanceSport in NYC. Hustle, Swing, Latin & more w/ DJ Johnny “O”. More details coming soon.

Great images from Celie’s birthday celebration at Michael’s Cafe, courtesy of Fred, here.

This weeks edition of DanceTalk is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Classic Swing Dance Championships. See all the details at http://www.tampabayclassic.com/

Make it a great week,
http://www.mjames.org/ronbess.html
Ron

Dance Trivia
* US Professional Latin American Champions Corky & Shirley Ballas held the title for four years in a row from 1986 to 1990. Corky is now rocking on “Dancing With The Stars”.

* In 1982, the hustle preliminary’s for the New York Harvest Moonball were held at Roseland. The 12 semi finalists moved onto the finals in Madison Square Garden. First place winners were Kenny Gonzales & Laudes Jones, 2) Arte Philips & Maria Torres, 3) Stevie Mitchell & Lisa Ciao, 4) Ron Bess & Lisa Zimmerman.

* Since Tony Dovolani retired undefeated in the Pro American Style Rhythm division, (consumed with Dancing With The Stars), the new reigning champs are Jose DeCamps & Joanna Zacharewicz from New York.

* The Electric Circus discotheque opened in New York City in 1967. It was one of the first clubs to have a DJ. Downstairs from the Electric Circus was club “La Dom”. It was run by world renown artist, Andy Warhol.

* Napoleon & Tabitha D’Umo (So You Think You Can Dance) have chalked up television & film credits including “Zoey 101,” “The Grammy’s,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Soul Train” & “Legally Blonde.” They choreography for the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos

* In 1975, Van McCoy staged a disco show at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall with a complete orchestra, string section, dancers and all. This followed the release of his number one song, “The Hustle,” which later earned him a Grammy.

* Rufus Dustin could do it all. He won the Professional Theatrical title in 1975 with Donna Van Camp then returned to win again, two years in a row, 1979 and 1980 with Marianne Nicole. Rufus is still active in the dance world and resides in Florida.

* The motion picture “Saturday Night Fever” grossed over $32 million in ticket sales in just the first 26 weeks in 1977. The movie was rated R when first released and was banned in Malaysia. In 1978 an edited version of the movie was released, rated PG-13.

* Pierre Dulaine introduced his “Dancing Classrooms” to the New York School district. His life was featured in the motion picture “Take The Lead”. The program today is in 233 NY City Public Schools reaching over 30,000 children, in 7 other cities around the country. In January 2009, they will be adding 6 more cities.

Tampa Bay
Its only 5 weeks away. Time to relax in Tampa at the annual Tampa Bay Classic Swing Dance Championships. It all takes place November 13-16th at the Biltmore Hotel & Resort. 4 days of dancing with over 35 hours of social dancing, competitions in Jack & Jill, Pro/Ams, Classic divisions, Rising Star, Pro Strictly Swing, Invitational Jack & Jill Tournament and Exhibitions. $108.00 per night 800-237-8947 The Biltmore Hotel is Sold Out,The Hampton Hotel is the overflow hotel 727-585-3333. It’s 7 minutes away & they offer shuttle service. Event director Phil Dorroll invites you for an unforgettable weekend of dance fun, including the Newcomer Boot Camp, Saturday afternoon at the Pool with volleyball, contests and a cookout. A volleyball Challenge II (Pros vs Ams) and mixed Bag Jack & Jill (Late Night - 1:00 AM), and a Golf Tournament on Monday morning! Check out the talented staff: Robert & Nicola Royston (Robert-Emcee), Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann, Parker Dearborn & Jessica Cox, Robert Cordoba & Deborah Szekely, Beata Howe (Chief Judge) , Christopher Hussey & Katrina Branson, Terry Roseborough, Jason Miklic & Sophy Kdep, Michael Kielbasa & Jen DeLuca, Kevin Fitzhugh & Tammy Brown, Fred & Tina Price, Johnny Permar & Lisa Marion, Shawn Swaithes & Donna Bonham Steinfeld, Keith Gussoni & Celeste Pfefferle, Robin Smith, Mike Topel (Emcee), Doug Rousar, Danielle Blouin, Rick Weston, Teddy Kern (Judge), Paul Stewart (Judge), Bill Cameron, Ramiro Gonzales, Brennar Goree & Torri Smith. Top National DJ’s include: Victor Loveira, Ray Coker, Earl Yeomans, April Prince, Bobby Caudill, Fred Price & Kelly Faust Get out of the cold & into the heat at Tampabay Classic for all the details visit http://www.tampabayclassic.com/

Letters to the Editor
(our goal is to post readers letters twice a month, unfortunately due to space limitations we can not publish them all)
Good morning Ron,
I have been reading your dance report for ever. I wanted to tell you that I checked out the website for Lisa Nunziella and was excited. I didn’t know that is who she is. Let me explain. Over the years that I read dancetalk I would see her name pop up. But just figured she was some dancer from California. No big deal. Then I watched that video and said, I can’t believe it, that is the girl from Alexis dance studio. I knew her first name as Lisa but didn’t realize it was the same person. Very cool. She use to dance with many of my friends and was the smallest girl out there.. I also knew one of her dance partners Danny. He was a great person, it is very sad that he is know longer with us. It is great to see that she has accomplished so much.
thanks,
Rosie

Hi Ron,
That was a nice piece on the discotheques. It brought back some old memories and a club that I had gone to that you did not mention. Plato’s Retreat was a crazy club. It was a membership adult club for swingers, not dancers but real swingers. Some of the things that went on there…and too graphic to write about. I worked for a beverage distributor and we delivered there on weekend mornings. The management was very nice and would give us free ViP passes. This place had the most incredible music and sound system. My ears would be ringing for the next week. They also had dancers on Saturday nights do shows. When you talk about wild clubs like Studio 54, they were quite tame compare to this place…was unbelievable.
Regards,
Vinci Togley

Hi friends…a big thank you to all for celebrating my birthday last week! Special thanks to my good friend Alan for the planning, (and the cake was yummy!)…to Mark for making sure the timing and the music was perfect…to Jen for her thoughtfulness, (cute napkins!)…to Scott for capturing my joy in pictures…to Ron Bess who keeps us all in the know…and to all the guys and gal who made my