Dance Talk ® 8/18/08

Happy birthday wishes to Madonna, Rosalee Lapergola, Rosa Peredes, Stanley Smalanowicz, Elizabeth Craner, Johnny “O” Ortiz, Jason Myra, Doreen Casali, Susan Conn, Marybeth Mernin and Jerry Hobbs.

The great one, Gene Kelly was born this week, 1912, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Junior & Emily Alabi, brother and sister World Salsa Champions in 2007, moved on to the next round of competitions on “America’s Got Talent“. Their fate is now in the hands of the viewing audience. They have lightning speed. Keep your fingers crossed.

Its an all star weekend at Hudson Swing Affair with Nicola & Robert Royston on staff. For all the details please visit www.HudsonSwingAffair.com

An incredible Christmas concert is scheduled for December 13, 2008. Vincent Montana, Jr. and The Philly Sound Orchestra, will be performing live. The “Godfather of Disco”, will play his Christmas medleys and more. The Sigma Sound Girls and Denise Montana will accompany him at the Commerce Bank Arts Centre, 519 Hurffville – Cross Keys Road in Sewell, New Jersey

DJ Fancy picks the “PussyCat Dolls” single, “When I Grow Up” as his song of the week. Its climbing the charts nationally.

He turns 50 this week, but Jerry Hobbs has been under the weather. We look forward to him getting back out on the dance floor soon.

Actress Danica McKellar, best known from the hit show “The Wonder Years,” has just finished a motion picture that will feature Swing dancing, one of her real life hobbies. Expect a 2009 release

The deadline for registration for NY Hustle Congress and to post an ad has been extended to this Friday, August 22. To be a sponsor go to the website. Its not to late to purchase tickets for the Saturday night dinner show. Visit www.nyhustlecongress.com

Congratulations to Debbie Lynn Tuttle on being awarded the Top Teacher at this years Swing Fling. She has been bestowed this honor for the last four years.

Great images from Ron’s birthday party @ Michael’s Cafe courtesy of Fred. http://whatsnew.fredf.fotki.com/

This weeks edition of DanceTalk is sponsored by Swing Niagara. Read all the details below www.swingniagara.com

Make it a great week,
Ron

Time Capsule
In 1979, Bob Fosse put his signature touch on the motion picture “All That Jazz” gaining great reviews. It was a box office success on the big Silver Screen but on the small tube, a new game show was breaking ground and would ultimately become the Grand daddy of today’s TV dance competitions. Merv Griffin always loved dancing. In his youth he performed on Broadway and was later discovered by actress/singer Doris Day. Griffin launched many game shows and ultimately became a media mogul. He went on to host his own afternoon talk show. In efforts to promote the motion picture “Thank God Its Friday,” Casablanca records executives co-oped with Griffin to host a two day promotion event for TGIF. The pre party included clips shown from the movie, Donna Summer performed and they hosted the finals of a national dance contest. The ratings were so overwhelming that Griffin created a spin off of the dance contest, developing a pilot show called “Disco Fever”. After testing & using focus groups, results concluded tweaking the show name. Looking for a more generic title, “Dance Fever” hit the mark. Producer Paul Gilbert traveled the country bringing in winners of regional contests from various cities. These couples would now compete (four couples per episode) head to head on the syndicated show. In 1979 Dance Fever debuted. Merv Griffin, the progressive entrepreneur, was on top of the dance frenzy. With multiple game show hits on his hands (Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune) Griffin could smell a winner. More then 14 million viewers watched weekly, which was 65% greater then the ever popular “Johnny Carson Show”. The show was seen in 125 markets. Dance Fever was aired in most cities on Saturday evenings, via CBS. Lets put this into perspective. The current hit show “So You Think You Can Dance” according to the Nielsen Media research, has been in the top 5 shows all season but has a viewer ship of almost half the original “Dance Fever”. Shows like “Survivor”, “CSI”, “Lost”, “Cold Case” and “Deal Or No Deal” all fall short of the numbers that Dance Fever generated. Now here is the killer. Dance Fever was ranked #1 as the original syndicated weekly show in every major category. Homes - women 18 - 49, 18 +, Men 18 - 49, 18 +. Hosted by Denny Terrio and Motion (his two females dance partners) they would have celebrity judges and musical acts…such as Catherine Bach, Steve Garvey, Anthony Geary, Charlene Tilton, Connie Stevens, Jayne Kennedy, Ann Jillian, Sammy Davis Jr, Rick Springfield, Barry White, Thelma Houston and the one time heart throb - Leif Garrett. Dance Fever enjoyed a 9 year run. Many of the players changed but the theme stayed the same opening the competition to all styles of dance. The show was relaunched on cable in 2005 but had lost its punch. Dance Fever became a spring board for many of the dance couples as well as for one lucky competitor that then became a member of Motion and would go on to a film career; Janet Jones-Gretzky. Merv Griffin passed away last year.

Swing Niagara Dance Championships
It is recognized as the most powerful waterfall in North America. The Niagara Falls are beautiful and the perfect back drop for this exciting Swing & Hustle event. Swing Niagara Dance Championships is only one month away. Its an incredible event in a wonderful town. Break away for a great weekend in the fall setting of Buffalo New York. The event begins September 12th thru 14th. It’s being held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel, located at 120 Church St., Buffalo, NY 14202 (800) 444-2326 There’s a special room rate for dance guests of only $110 per night. (rate effective until 8/28/08). The weekend will be memorable with competitions in Swing, hustle and plenty of social dancing to some of the finest DJs around. Whether you like to watch or compete in Swing and Hustle: Jack & Jills, Pro/AMs, the Pro/AM Challenge, Strictly Hustle and open dance divisions…its all here. You have the luxury of registering for this event on line by using Paypal, a safe and secure way to make payments without incurring additional fees (Swing Niagara absorbs them for you). There are two ways to pay for your registration through Paypal:
1) Email mcirino@twcny.rr.com they will then send you an invoice for the entire amount of your registration, or
2) For those more familiar with Paypal, once you log onto www.Paypal.com select the “send money” tab and type in mcirino@twcny.rr.com email address in the “to” box, put the correct amount in and select Service/Other. They will receive notification of your payment and contact you via email to verify your payment. There is no extra charge for payment via Paypal.The top talent in dance will be at this years Swing Niagara Dance Championships. Including 10 US champions: Mario Robau Jr. (two time US Open Champion and 2007 GNDC Entertainer of the Year), Angel Figueroa (US Open Cabaret Champion and many time Classic and Showcase Champion), Mary Ann Nunez (two time US Open Champion & many time Jack n’ Jill Champion), Parker Dearborn & Jessica Cox (2007 US Open Showcase Champions), Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake (two time US Open Champions), Arjay Centeno & Melissa Rutz (2007 USA Grand Nationals Showcase Champions) Bill Cameron (US Open Classic Champion), Heather Stants of Urban Tribal Dance Company (Totally Awesome Belly Dance Instructor & Performer), Jason Miklic & Sophy Kdep (2007 Americas’ Classic Showcase Champions), Fred & Tina Price (many time Hustle Champions) Larry & Heidi Mongeau (many time Jack ‘n Jill Champions), Marc Levetin & Stephanie Brown (Marc is the 2007 Americas’ Classic Rising Star Classic Division Champion), Lindsay Edgerton (belly dance teacher in Upstate NY who also is a member of the Northern Lights Dance Team), Julie Epplett (Jack ‘n Jill competitor & awesome instructor in the Toronto dance scene), Mike & Inge Evans (wonderful instructors from London, Ontario that teach dance on the high seas), Antoinette Giancursio (Jack ‘n Jill competitor, instructor from Rochester, NY, US Champion in Pro-AM Latin competition), Alysia Bonvino (advanced hustle competitor and popular instructor from Syracuse, NY) , Barb & Joe Tomasulo (beloved instructors from the Buffalo, NY area that add energy & enthusiasm to any class they teach and any dance they attend) World-Class DJs: Victor Loveira, Fred Price, Wes Carrajat, Tim Johnson & Joe Mahoney. Plan to attend now before the hotel rates go up. You can contact the Adam’s Mark Hotel at (800) 444-2326 ask for the special $110 per night rate (effective until 8/28/08). You can also take The WestCoastGroove Bus to Swing Niagara this year. The Premier Limousine motor coach bus is leaving from Connecticut and is picking up passengers in Springfield and Albany. Ride in style with other WCS dancers! Space is limited - visit their site to see more information http://www.westcoastgroove.com/event_niagara.html
For more details visit www.swingniagara.com

Letters to the Editor
Our dance friend Chris Bates lost his mom not too long ago from Alzheimer’s. Let’s all walk in honor and in memory of Geneva Jeffries on October 26th, 9am-1pm at Riverside Park in Manhattan for Memory Walk 2008. Please view the following link for more information on how to 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. The website is here.

On behalf of my family, I would like to extend our gratitude for the overwhelming generosity and loving support that was received from the dance community at Michael’s on Wednesday night for my Sister Nancy’s Leukemia benefit. Words cannot begin to adequately express how deeply grateful my family is for the kindness, care and concern expressed, prayers offered, and for the generous contributions. It is needed more than you know! I would also like to give a special thank you to Scott Michielli, Patrick Stewart, and DJ Mark for their tremendous help. It would have been difficult for one person to juggle. Scott and Patrick handed out flyers, made themselves available around the room for anyone wanting to buy tickets, and helped man the post, so we could all take turns to get on the dance floor for some dancing in between! DJ Mark did a fabulous job of making announcements throughout the night. It was definitely a team effort, and the support received from the dance community was truly remarkable! An overwhelming “thank you’ from the entire Keegan family.
Sincerely, Mary Keegan

Hi Ron, thank you for including me in your newsletter subscription. I have enjoyed the letters and different topics you cover. I did want to weigh in on the music, speed and advancing the hustle dance. I live in Mechanicsburg Pa and teach/coach high school soccer. In the summer I use to manage a night club outside of Lebanon (2003 - 2006). When I arrived the club had dance bands on weekends. To reduce the over head we hired DJs. Thursday nights were progressive/house night and weekends were pretty much top 40/disco. I agree with some of your readers that new music is what the college kids and young adults want to dance too. When our weekend DJ Nate would pop on an old disco anthem, the floor would get packed by mostly girls jumping up and down in a frantic. New music was the way to get people on the floor dancing together. We would get in some young couples that would hustle and swing dance. (Not sure if it was west or east coast). But the point was that people loved the current music regardless of the speed. From my experience it is not so much the speed of the songs but staying current is what made the difference in central Pa.
Thanks,
Bruce T.

Hi Ron!
I want to thank you and everyone else at Michael’s for making my birthday so special. I had a great time. Thanks to Denise for the cake, DJ Mark for the slammin’ music, Carole and Andre for the awesome table and decorations, video by Denise, Carole and Jeff, and special thanks to Patricia, Tim, Devon, Evie etc! I am grateful to the beautiful line of women who danced with me. They help me continue to earn my title of: “The King of Birthday Dances”!!!

Auditions, Competitions, Socials, Cruises & More…
Aug 18, Mon - FL The Sports Complex & Carl Charles presents Dancesport Mondays in Deerfield Beach. 2 beg NY Style Hustle Classes & 2 floors of social dancing, 1 floor 8:00 pm w/mix music during 8:00pm class. First Lesson at 7:00p level I, 2nd Lesson 8:00p level II. $12 for 1 & $15 for the entire evening. Dance only $12. Cash bar. Live DJ 9:00 pm mostly Hustle by DJ Carl. www.carlcharlesdance.com 3650 SW 10th St. (at Powerline Rd So., Deerfield Beach, 954 429 0283 / 754 422 0953

Aug 18, Mon - NY Dancesport Legendary Hustle Mondays at Paul Pellicoro’s DanceSport, w/ DJ Donnie Sheilds, 9:30p $10 admission; Registered students free. 22 West 34th St East Entrance 4th Fl bet 5th & 6th avenues. www.dancesport.com for more information.

Aug 19, Tues - NY IBBG (DJ’s International Buffet). We will be celebrating Rich Weinstein, Derrick Allen & Chris Bate’s Birthday. Marianne & Christa will be bringing Cake.There will be a 50/50 Raffle, door prizes. “The Original Tuesday Night Hustle Party” DJ Chris playing the best of old & new Hustle w/a dash of Latin & WCS hosted by Doreen IBBG1100 Stewart Ave. Garden City Exit M3W off Meadowbrook Pkwy 9 PM. Admission $8

Aug 19, 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 ABIGAIL DAVILA , door prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Aug 20, Wed - NJ DKN Dance weekly classes & social, Knights of Columbus 16-16 N Maple Ave, Fairlawn, 2 great Hustle lessons & social dancing w/ Diane K Nardone, 7:30pm to 8:30PM Beg Hustle, 8:30PM to 9:15PM 1st half of our practice social, 9:15PM to 10:15PM Inte/ Adv. Hustle, 10:15PM to 11:00PM 2nd half of social, 1 Class $10, 1 Class & Social $15, 2 Classes & Social $23, Social only $7. more info 201 666 6224 dkndance@verizon.net or visit www.dkndance.com

Aug 20, Wed - NY HUSTLEJAM @ Stepping Out, 37 W. 26th St Join your hostess Simone Assboeck for a WEEKLY Hustle & Latin party, 9:30p-12:45am, DJ Nelson “Paradise” Roman spinning the best in hustle & latin $9/pp $5 for SO Students, Tonight’s Special “Dancers Request Hour” 60 minutes of requests.

Aug 20, Wed - PA Michael’s Cafe, Celebrating Elizabeth Craner’s birthday & Chris Bates birthday, Natalie is bringing the cake. The hot spot every Wednesday night for the best in Hustle, Swing and Latin in between. DJ Mark plays classic and hot new club music from 8:30PM till 12:30AM, Never a cover charge and free parking. Come join the fun Street Road in Bensalem

Aug 21, Thurs - NY LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS at MIRELLE’S, 4 year anniversary, 2 great shows Billy Fajardo & Katie Marlow & Kelvin Roche & Lori Ann Greenhouse, 170 Post Ave, Westbury, Long Island, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 7:30PM to 12:30PM(Extra Hour) Great Hot Buffet, 45 Min. HUSTLE Dance Lesson starting at 7:30w/Louis. State of the art sound system, Air Conditioned, Door Prizes, Cash Bar Available, Admission $15, call Louis (516) 819 - 9016. Don’t miss it.

Aug 22, Fri - FL Swing Dance A Little Lindy Plus! Dance Lindy Hop, East Coast, West Coast & Blues w/Cindy Dance Lesson at 8:00 to 9:00 PM; Social Dance from 9:00 to late night. $10 lesson included. SHALL WE DANCE, 600 South Federal Hwy, Suite 219, Deerfield Beach, 954-254-3221 or 561-495-7571

Aug 23, Sat - VA The All White Moonlight Salsa Boat Ride. Nino Torre & NiteMix Prod. presents 2nd annual floating Salsa party, The EAGLE of the James River. 3101 Wharf Street By Main St. Landing, 9:00pm to Midnight with two levels for dancing & socializing, Advance ticket’s $35 pp until Aug 2nd, $40 after. (free Hot Buffet & free After Party in downtown Shockoe Bottom) Call: Nino 718-926-3704
21 with ID to Drink alcohol. http://www.NiteMix.ws/SalsaBoatride

Aug 23, Sat - NY BALLROOM, LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS, at DEER PARK VFW 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, Admission $14, call Louis for info (516) 819 - 9016

Aug 25, Mon - FL The Sports Complex & Carl Charles presents Dancesport Mondays in Deerfield Beach. 2 beg NY Style Hustle Classes & 2 floors of social dancing, 1 floor 8:00 pm w/mix music during 8:00pm class. First Lesson at 7:00p level I, 2nd Lesson 8:00p level II. $12 for 1 & $15 for the entire evening. Dance only $12. Cash bar. Live DJ 9:00 pm mostly Hustle by DJ Carl. www.carlcharlesdance.com 3650 SW 10th St. (at Powerline Rd So., Deerfield Beach, 954 429 0283 / 754 422 0953

Aug 26, Tues - NY HOT LATIN, WCS & HUSTLE TUESDAYS at CLUB 56 (56th Fighter Group Restaurant Lounge, Rt. 110 at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 7:00-11:00p, $14 incl.s Hot & Cold Buffet Dinner, free water, SALSA Lesson by ABIGAIL DAVILA , door prizes & dancing to a Salsa, Latin, WC Swing & Hustle Dance Mix by DJ Cody. (631) 744-7777 www.LIDance.org

Aug 23rd, Sat. NY Grand Opening Rivers Cafe, 26 Great Neck Rd, Great Neck LI. Full menu. Dance floor opens at 9:30 with DJ Bobby Morales playing Hustle, Salsa & Dance music $10 cover Free w/ dinner. Make reservations at (516) 466-6380 or visit Riverasfusion.com. The party will take a one week break for the NY Hustle Congress and return every Saturday beginning Sept 6.

Aug 27, Wed - NY - Dance Manhattan, grand opening hosted by David Padilla, this and every Wednesday to follow. Hustle and Salsa from 9:30PM to 12:30AM, with DJ Chilly Willy, 39 West 19th street, 5th floor, bet 5 & 6 avenue, cover is $10, refreshments served.

New York Hustle Congress August 28-September 1, 2008 The 4th Annual hustle event in New York City. Hosted by Lori Brizzi. This is a Hustle weekend with more social dance time then any other event. Featuring the incomparable Trampps performing live, DJ Jenny Costa, Jack & Jill competitions & more at the Hilton. 1800Hilton, mention SAL before rooms sell out. (516) 728-6101 Loribrizzi@aol.com www.nyhustlecongress.com

Hudson Swing Affair Aug 29-Sept 1 Hyatt Regency, Jersey City on the Hudson, presented by John Festa. WCS Social Dance Event w/ instructors Robert & Nicola Royston, Ramiro Gonzalez, John Lindo, Mary Ann Nunez, Sylvia Sykes, Charlie Womble & Jackie McGee www.HudsonSwingAffair.com

Aug 30, Sat - NY BALLROOM, LATIN, HUSTLE, WCS at SURBURBAN TEMPLE, 2900 Jerusalem Ave. Wantagh, Long Island, Presented by LOUIS DEL PRETE, 8:30p to 12:30am, Coffee, Tea, Cake, & Bagels! 30 Min. Dance, Lesson starting 8:30pm. Great Show!! State of the art sound system, AC, Door Prizes, Admission $15, call Louis at (516) 819-9016

Sept 7, Sun - NJ 100% Hustle 9p-1am w/ D.J. Johnny “O” spinning the best hustle music. EARLY BIRD SPECIAL $8 before 10pm Ice Cream Sunday. STARLIGHT Dance Ctr 7 High Street Nutley 973.235.9835

Swing Niagara Dance Championships Sept 12-14, Adam’s Mark Hotel, 120 Church St., Buffalo, NY 14202 Special rate: $110 per night, Confirmed Staff: Mario Robau Jr, Angel & Debbie Figueroa, Mary Ann Nunez, Parker Dearborn & Jessica Cox, Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake, Arjay Centeno & Melissa Rutz, Bill Cameron, Jason Miklic & Sophy Kdep, Fred & Tina Price, Larry & Heidi Mongeau, Marc Levetin & Stephanie Brown, Lindsay Edgerton, Julie Epplett, Mike & Inge Evans, Antoinette Giancursio, Alysia Bonvino, Barb & Joe Tomasulo, www.swingniagara.com

International Dance Cruise - Oct 10 - 16th, 2008 on the Queen Mary 2, Six day cruise, enjoy a complete dance program for ballroom enthusiasts. The largest grand ballroom at sea, Live Big band and DJ, 3 cocktail parties, 3 formal balls, dance workshops with championship instructors and demonstrations. Rates start at $1,499pp for details call 754-246-2874 www.BallroomCruise.com

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

Mediterranean Dance Cruise, November 17th - 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 the 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.

Stardust Dance Cruise III Jan 25-Feb 1, 2009 7 nights on Costa Cruise Line’s 5-Star Costa Fortuna, accepting reservations, Departing from 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 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 and a 3.000 sq. ft. dance floor in the 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