Current Dance Week

Week of: August 25th, 2008 Save the date: Linda will be holding another one of her fabulous dances on Sat., Sept. 6. Of course lessons will be held beforehand. Stay tuned for more details.

Lots of other dance events are heading our way, including the Day of Dance for Ed Putnam Fundraiser and the Wiggle Waggle Party and Dance Fundraiser for the Woods Humane Society. And the San Luis Blues Society begins its 2008-2009 concert series next month. All the important info is located below in the Happenings section of this email. Don’t miss out!

Ed Putnam Fundraiser

Every now and then, there comes a time for the local dance community to come together to help others when they are in need. This is one of those times.

For the many of you who frequent the Madonna Inn or have hung out at any of Linda’s parties over the last decade, you have probably met, seen, or, if you’re one of the many lucky ladies, danced with Ed Putnam, better known as half of Ed & Shirley Putnam. What you may not have known is that Ed has been battling cancer for the past few years, seemingly beating it down.

Unfortunately, the cancer has fought back. In retaliation, Ed has had to resort to new, experimental, and expensive treatment, which is not covered by his health insurance (don’t get me started down that road!).

Suffice it to say, this new treatment has created an economic hardship, but we can help. Here are some ways that you can chip in to help ease Ed’s burden.

  1. You can make a direct financial contribution. There will be account set up at a local bank to which you can add directly–I’ll provide more details about which bank next week.
  2. You can make a tax deductable donation to a silent auction that will be held Sept. 20. Email JoAnn Gray at jogray17@sbcglobal.net or call her at 772-5399 to make your donation.
  3. You can attend the Day of Dance on Sept. 20 (and silent auction) at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Maria during which local dance instructors (including our own Linda Drake) will be providing workshops throughout the day. At night, music will be provided by R&B/Funk/Soul band Soulamente.

I will provide more details about this event as they are made known to me…keep an eye on future emails.

The Schedule

Wednesday

  • 5:30 Argentine Tango III with Rich
  • 6:30 Beg. Argentine Tango with Rich (week 1 of 6)
  • 6:30 Nightclub 2-step lvl. 1 1/2 (drop-in) w/ Linda
  • 7:30 West Coast Swing II w/ Linda
  • 7:30 Beg. Cha-Cha Series (week 4 of 6) w/ Chris E.
  • 8:30 West Coast Swing Styling and Syncopations w/ Linda
  • 8:30 Int. Waltz w/ Chris E.

Styling & Syncopations: come learn how to add more flare to your swing; this class is great for both leaders and followers.

Int. Waltz: for all of you who have been taking the previous Beg. Waltz series classes this summer as well as anyone else with basic Waltz experience.

Thursday

  • 6pm West Coast Swing I 1/2 w/ Laura & Ryan
  • 6pm West Coast Swing II w/ Linda
  • 7pm West Coast Swing Series 1A (week 4 of 4) w/ Laura
  • 7pm Int. Cha Cha w/ Linda
  • 8pm East Coast Swing 1 1/2 w/ Linda
  • 8pm Salsa 1 1/2 w/ Javier

WCS 1 1/2 - We will be focusing on 8-count patterns such as “the whip” and variations of the whip as well as working toward stringing together sequences of moves. In addition we will be focusing on techniques to make each dancer a better leader or follower. This is a drop-in class: completion and comprehension of all West Coast Swing 1 moves is required.

Beg. WCS 1A - this class will cover leading and following of the following moves: push break, under-arm pass and left-side pass as well as push break and left-side pass tucks and inside rolls. This class is designed to get all dancers comfortable leading or following these moves in a social setting and introduce connection, resistance and basic lead and follow techniques. Series 1B will begin upon completion of this series. ($30 or 3 marks on your dance card)

Int. Cha Cha - Last week saw numerous men lined up to dance with just a couple of women…so women, come on down and join in the fun.

Class Info

Happenings

Featured Dance Videos of the Week

Upcoming WCS and Dance Events

  • South Bay Dance Fling, Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 29 to Sept 1) at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose, CA.

  • Wiggle Waggle Party and Dance Fundraiser for the Woods Humane Society. - Sunday Sept. 14, 2008 at Oddfellows Hall. A fundraiser for Woods Humane Society. Many of you know that when Laura isnʼt helping Linda on Wednesdays and Thursdays she is off doing wild and crazy dog contests. This seasonʼs event is the Wiggle Waggle Walk for Woods which is a major fundraiser for Woods Humane Society. Lauraʼs team, The Paw-ty Pack, has decided to host a dance as a kick off to their fundraising efforts, so grab your friends and come out in support the Paw-ty Pack and all of our four legged friends at Woods Humane Society.

    The event will start with beginning level dance lessons at 6:00 designed to get everyone moving and having fun. This is a great excuse to bring all of those friends, coworkers and spouses out!

    The open dancing will start at 7:00 featuring a DJ playing a great mix of all of your favorite dance songs. The event will include a silent auction, raffle, door prizes, appetizers and desserts.

    Please contact Laura for more information or sponsorship opportunities (805) 451-3333. There is still room for items in the silent auction so if you have anything you can donate please give her a call.

  • Day of Dance for Ed Putnam, Sept. 20 at Maverick Saloon, 510 S. Broadway, Santa Maria, CA. Local dance instructors (including our own Linda Drake) will be providing workshops in Nightclub 2-step, Cha Cha, Country 2-step, and, of course, West Coast Swing, throughout the day (schedule available soon). At night, music will be provided by R&B/Funk/Soul band Soulamente.

    All proceeds for the event will go to the Ed Putnam Cancer Fund to help our local favorite dancer win the battle against bone cancer. You can also make a direct financial contribution. There is an account set up at a Wells Fargo Bank to which you can add directly (ask for the Ed Putnam Cancer Fund, Acct. #280-6833675).

    Donations for the Silent Auction can be made: please contact JoAnn Gray at jogray17@sbcglobal.net or call her at 772-5399 to make your donation.

  • The SLO Blues Society resumes its concert series Sept. 20 when they welcome the Larry McCray Band to the Vet’s Hall on Grand Ave. in SLO. Of course, SLO Dance (that’s us, by the way) will be offering free East Coast Swing lessons prior to the show. Dance lesson at 7:30, concert at 8:00, tickets are $17 for members, and $20 for non-members.
  • Halloween SwingThing and Halloween Hustle, Oct. 30-Nov. 2, Hyatt Regency, Irvine, CA.
  • Monterey Swingfest, Jan. 15-19, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, CA.

Places to Dance

Our very own Salsa instructor extraordinaire, Javier Rangel, is hosting Latin Dance Night on the 2nd Saturday of each month at Dance Pavilion. Open dancing starts at 8:00PM and goes to 10:30PM. $5.00 Cover Charge. Music includes a variety of dance styles: SALSA, MERENGUE, BACHATA, MAMBO, CUMBIA, CHA-CHA-CHA, CALIFORNIA 2 STEP, WEST COAST SWING, TANGO AND HUSTLE.

The Dance Pavilion is located at 1200 E. Grand Ave. (corner of Brisco) in Arroyo Grande. For more information, call Dawn at 474-0772 or email her at dawn@dancepavilion.com

I just got word from Cal Poly Salsa that the Z Club (located on Parker St. near Smart & Final in SLO) is playing Latin music on Wednesday nights now. I haven’t checked it out yet, but if someone does, give me a nod as to what it’s like.

Pelican Point on weekend nights; smallish floor that needs a little resurfacing work, but still can be fun–I recommend wearing leather-bottomed shoes rather than suede. Fellow dancer Les Beck and the Night Run Duo will be performing Feb. 1, 8, & 9.

Jazz at the Inn at Morro Bay every Friday night; variety of jazz styles. I recommend that ladies wear flats or wide-heeled shoes (dancing on tiles can get tricky in stilettos). The first Saturday of every month, the jazz is of the Latin variety…lots of Salsa, ChaCha, Rumba, and Cumbia. Come check it out.

For you North County residents, check out Level 4 Speakeasy in Paso Robles…but you gotta know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebodyto find it (actually, it’s not that difficult, but I like to maintain the illusion). Concrete floor with random couches thrown in the mix, but the music is generally good: Blues and Jazz.

Of course, Sunday nights at the Madonna Inn with the lovely Nancy Lara DJ’ing.

Questions? Call Linda at 541-5678.