Gainesville Ocala Israeli and Folk Dance Newsletter 2014-10-20

Israeli, Line, International, Hustle, Salsa

Hello and Gainesville Ocala Israeli and Folk Dancers,

Israeli Dancing yet again this Monday night at 7 pm at B'nai Israel. $5

Line Dancing again at the Senior Center on Thursday at noon. This is the last session in this series. Sign up for the next series, starting next week, via SFC

International folk dancers meet this coming Friday.

There is a new dance in town, Dance Trance, which is dancing for fitness. They meet at By Ear Musican a few days each week. www.dancetrancefitness.com/gville

Line Dancing in Hawthorne, Hustle! Salsa!

Line dancing starts in Hawthorne next Tuesday. Sign up via SFC.

Your chance to learn the basics of two great dances, Hustle and Salsa, both lots of fun and useful. 4 week series starts Thursday, October 30, Salsa at 6 pm, Hustle at 7:10 pm. Sign up now via Santa Fe College Community Education (SFC). Call Jennifer 352-395-5193 or visit www.sfcollege.edu/cied/communityed

What Are You Looking At

Recently, I did a dance program at the Altrusa House, which is daycare for those with dementia or are disabled. Several of the residents and staff got up to folk dance, and they all had a good time. We did a few circle dances and a partner dance.

At my regular dance sessions, I am constantly trying to get people to not focus on the feet. Watching the feet is a difficult way to learn to dance, causing people to get stressed out and quit. When you try to learn dances by watching the feet, you throw yourself off balance and disorient yourself.

This is not just a problem for folk dances, but a problem for social dances too. In swing dancing, often a follower will lock herself into a six-count rhythm and do step, step, triple-step, triple-step, even when you lead an eight count movement. She will do her six-count footwork right through the eight counts, so when you start your next movement, she will come forward with a triple-step, instead of a step, step. This happens because she is focusing on footwork, instead of on dancing skills.

What you should do in all your dancing is maintain good posture, balance over each step, listen to the music, dance to the rhythm and orient yourself by following the body.

No matter how often I tell people, they keep looking back at the feet. Not the residents at the Altrusa House though, they had fun doing the dances without looking at my feet at all. Most kids are that way too. We can learn from them.

Feet are for moving the body. Focus on dancing, not steps. You will have more fun and develop a useful skill.

Happy Dancing,
Andy

publish@gainesvilledance.com
352-327-3672

Dance Calendar for Gainesville and Ocala

www.DanceCalendar.info/u/event.asp?idarea=19

Note: if you do not see the calendar in color, click the compatibility view in your browser. In Internet Explorer, press alt-t, then check Compatibility View.

Dance Quotes

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it. ~ Marcus Aurelius, 121 CE to 180 CE

Dance Schedule

Confirm all programs before going

1. Monday 10/20 - English Country Dancing
2. Monday 10/20 - Israeli Dancing with Andy
3. Tuesday 10/21 - Square Dancing with Lon Ligon
4. Wednesday 10/22 - Irish Set Dancing and Sean Nos at the Civic Media Center
5. Thursday 10/23 - Senior Line Dancing with Andy 4 of 4
6. Thursday 10/23 - Israeli Dancing with Kol Simcha
7. Friday 10/24 - International Folk Dancing
8. Tuesday 10/28 - Line Dancing in Hawthorne with Andy
9. Thursday 10/30 - Senior Line Dancing 1 of 3 with Andy
10. Sunday 11/02 - Contra Dance
11. Saturday 11/15 - Contra Dance
12. Sunday 11/16 - Vintage Waltz Brunch

Ongoing Dancing

• Line Dancing with Terrie Nielsen, beginner and intermediate, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 to 7 pm, at Trinity Methodist Church on NW 53 Avenue, $3, terrienielsen59@aol.com

Classes with Andy

To sign up for classes offered via Santa Fe College Community Education (SFC) call Jennifer 352-395-5193 or visit www.sfcollege.edu/cied/communityed

1. Israeli Dancing on Mondays at B'nai Israel, 3830 NW 16 Blvd, 7 pm, $5, no sign up required, ongoing.
2. Line Dancing on Thursdays at noon at the Senior Center, sign up via SFC, ongoing.
3. Line Dancing in Hawthorne starting September 9 from 6 to 7 pm for 4 weeks, sign up via SFC
4. Private Lessons, classes for Novice Dancers, Wedding Dances, also for Argentine Tango, Contra, Hustle, Lindy, Line, West Coast Swing, Vintage Waltz contact Andy

Israeli Dances

See www.IsraeliDancing.info for videos to the Israeli dances we have been doing.

Line Dances

See www.LineDancing.info for videos to the line dances we have been doing.

Thank you for subscribing to the Gainesville Dance swing and social dance newsletter. My other business is Internet and computer consulting. Contact me if you need help with the Internet, with anything from websites, marketing your business online, email newsletter, selling on Amazon or Ebay, publishing books, to software development and so on.

Follow Gainesville and Ocala dancing on

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=276987733518
www.twitter.com/GainesvilleDanc

You can find the Gainesville Ocala Israeli and Folk Dancing newsletter here
www.gainesvilledance.com/Newsletters

Disclaimer: Bronze Inc. provides this free email newsletter service. Bronze is a for profit business and may get compensated for services and products mentioned here and on Bronze websites.

Copyright (c) 2014 to present by Bronze Inc. Gainesville, FL

www.GainesvilleDance.com - Gainesville Ocala dancing

www.PartnerDancing.com - How to Dance with a Partner using the first, only and simplest method for communicating every step in every dance unambiguously

You may forward, print or post any part of this email provided you include this copyright notice. All other rights reserved. Contact us for other uses.

Andrew Weitzen, publish@gainesvilledance.com, 352-327-3672, Gainesville, FL