http://www.dance-forums.com/album/ph...hoto-3691.html

Green Deirdre of London Smooth gown--$500. Nice starter gown for a lady ca. 5'4", roughly size 10 (will fit 8/10/12 US). Flattering rouching at the hips, open back (but not TOO open), high collar means no necklace needed. Blue, gold, green Swarovski stoning. This is a great gown for a pro-am lady who doesn't want to break the bank and who doesn't want to show too much skin. Would be easy to add wrist floats for Standard. See my photos on DF for a view of the front on a hangar.

http://steampunksweethearts.wordpres...don-81012-500/

Red and black Deirdre of London Rhythm/Latin gown, same size/height as above. Very similar back and illusion front to green dress above, only with a lower neck. FULL fringe skirt in red and black long fringe cut on a diagonal (on me at 5'4", long point of skirt is to right knee, short side to mid-thigh on left.) Black lace over red stretch material, with lots of Siam and Jet Swarovski stones. Again, good dress for a lady who wants movement, flattering, but not TOO revealing. $500.

So I'm looking at floor options. At the wedding site there's an outdoor courtyard made of stone which will most likely be the dance area. Rain option is a tent over it. What kind of outdoor dance floors have people gone with in the past? Anyone have any experience?

Probably about 100-120 guests at this point, and not many "dancer" dancers. So I don't know how to gauge what size we need. We will need enough room to do our wedding dance, but that doesn't have to be a large space... Argentine Tango was meant for small spaces. ;)

http://artsreview.stanford.edu/?p=7627
Quote: “Oh, just like on Dancing with the Stars!”

That’s always the first reaction, when I tell someone that I do competitive ballroom dance. “Yup, just like it!” I say and wag my head up and down, but it’s not really like Dancing with the Stars at all. We don’t get new dresses made for every performance; we never get the whole floor to ourselves; we’d never get away with mixing both American and International style in the same routine; and my mom certainly can’t call in to vote for me to win. All the same, that show has done a lot to convince the public that ballroom dance is kind of cool, or at least to convince them that it exists, so when called to pass judgment on it I’ll always give it my support. Plus, I have to admit it does a pretty good

...

Get ready for "your favorites from the past 14 seasons" to hit the Dancing With the Stars ballroom floor once more! ABC President Paul Lee just announced (while also talking about Happy Endings, Grey's Anatomy and Scandal—we'll get to that!) that Dancing With the Stars will have an all-star edition. But when? And who's in it? Lee just dropped scoop on ABC's just-announced new fall schedule, and here are the highlights you need to know: MORE: ABC Unveils Fall Schedule: Revenge and Happy Endings on the Move! • The DWTS all-star edition will air this fall and is casting now. "We can't talk about the casting yet but I would love to see fan favorites from past seasons come back," Lee says. "We have had many favorites. We're out casting now and I hope we come up with a really interesting cast our audience is passionate about." • Lee revealed that although a Hulk reboot couldn't come together in time for the 2012-13 TV season, the network is working on it for the 2013-14 season. ABC's parent company Disney owns the rights to Marvel, and Lee said they also have other Marvel shows in development, "but none that I can talk about at this point." • Revenge is moving to Sundays because, Lee feels, it's a perfect fit with Once Upon a Time. "Both shows have real cinematic ambitions," Lee suggests, while calling these two shows the biggest breakout hit dramas this season. In Revenge's old slot of Wednesdays at 10 p.m. is Nashville (starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panetierre) and Lee calls the move a "win-win for both Nashville and Revenge." Revenge will get a full 22 episode season and "you won't see as many repeats," Lee promises. • Grey's Anatomy is "still the No. 1 show on television," Lee insists, and sang big praises of Shonda's freshman series Scandal (holler!), saying what those of us who've been watching know: "Kerry Washington is brilliant in this one. The episodes are just getting better and better and better. If you haven't seen it please go watch on ABC.com." MORE: Spoiler Chat Daily: Scoop on Revenge, Gossip Girl, Glee and More! • Lee also mentioned that Happy Endings is "one of his favorite shows" with a "passionate, rabid fanbase," and that's he's excited about moving it to Tuesdays, after Dancing With the Stars as part of a new comedy block that is "edgy and incredibly inappropriate." • Lee gushed over the "brilliance" of many new series debuting this fall, and seemed particularly passionate about Nashville and Last Resort, the new drama from The Shield's Shawn Ryan starring Scott Speedman and Andre Braugher. And a final note for Marvel fans: The Hulk pilot was not picked up for fall, but the project continues to be in development and may be ready for the next development cycle, according to Lee. http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_wi...edition/316251

I am going up to gold in smooth in the Fall, and would like to purchase a smooth suit to attempt to fit the part lookwise (fitting it dancewise will be a bigger issue I presume).

Would like to know if anyone knows a tailor/shop that is in the Boston or NY areas where I can get a suit/pants/accessories. I assume someone who would personally tailor it would be preferable. Also price ranges would be good, I'm not on an unlimited budget.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05...oles-in-dance/

Does anyone have experience with doing flips with untrained partners? Naturally, I don't want to hurt anyone (or myself...), but it seems there must be a way to flip someone who doesn't actually know what is happening.
How would you train/prep for something like that?

Various sources I have consulted attribute 1912 as the start of Tangomania, first in Paris and then throughout Europe. For the first time, tango became a dance for the respectable middle class, and probably Europe led the way, with BsAs society catching up rather later.

Several Argentinian or Uruguayan musicians (notably Rafael Canaro, brother of Francisco) set up bands in Paris, and there is an interesting body of French tango (of very high quality, mixed in with rubbish of mawkish sentimentality), and some German music too. I haven't seen any publicity or comment regarding this centenary, but suspect that it was of considerable significance in terms of tango development, and must, surely, have had an effect back in BsAs. Would the change from early canyengue style dancing to Dos por Cuatro music have taken the same course without the new International component in the development of the dance? Would anything like what we now know as ballroom tango have developed in the salons of BsAs?

I took a couple of classes in the basics of canyengue at the weekend, and was surprised to find so much in it that is directly relatable to modern ballroom tango technique (but not characterisation, obviously). I hadn't expected that, and it occurred to me that either that one is the origin of the other, or that canyengue (as it is now understood) is largely the reverse-engineered product of taking more recent developments back in time.

Was 1912 a seminal year for tango, or was the explosion of interest in the dance form, not just in Europe, but in the US too, just a footnote in history, with no lasting effect?

Hi everyone,

I've only been dancing for five months or so and I'm having a hard time with my leading. Some of it may stem from me trying to use patterns I'm not confident in socially while other bits may be from me being afraid to step on someone's feet. I'm not sure if these two are the exact cause but any helpful tips on leading would be greatly appreciated as I'm looking to buckle down and really take my dancing to the next level.

I was think of getting this. Wouldn't that be novel? Would make for great pictures. :)

there it is...does physiology vary such that it can be difficult for one to teach a member of the opposite sex various technique neccesary to execute a pattern correctly?...and any other relatively related nuances.....

While most of the participants in this forum have a particular focus, the forum description says Social and Competitive.

My focus is social, and I've added American silver smooth. I've found it works well in a social situation, most ladies can follow me if I lead it well -- while we might not win competitions, social dancing is not about that. If you're having fun, and your partner is having fun, and the other couples on the floor are still having fun, then it's all good.

I'm going to take some private lessons to improve my technique but would also like to add some more figures to my repertoire. That is I'm wanting to some figures which work well in social situations with various partners of different skill levels on a crowded floor.

A lot of group classes teach long amalgamations which may include complex figures. Pre-canned choreography does not work on a social floor, with adjustments needed for the skill of your partner and other couples on the floor not realizing that you're the center of the universe and that they need to get out of your way. :tongue:

So I'm looking at some figure recommendations for foxtrot/waltz for social situations. Some criteria I'm thinking of:

• Something I can master
• Something an average follower can read
• Something that can be easily linked into different choreography that I make up on the fly to deal with other traffic (floorcraft).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

can anyone tell me about Anna Milkor (sp). She's a blackpool finalist i heard. thanks in advance.

Any idea about the title of this beautiful milonga ?
http://youtu.be/laQ0H_QnLi4

I have been dancing Salsa on and off for about 3 years. I used to enjoy the dance a lot till about a year ago where I focused on moving to the Bay area didn't social dance much at all.
After moving here I was really excited to see a variety of great teachers but soon hit a rut where I lost interest in dancing all together. One prime reason is that I felt that since I haven't danced in so long I have been losing my lead and a lot of moves I could do smoothly are now not so smooth. Worst of all I live in the South bay and most of the people here dance on 1 and if I have to dance on 2 I have to travel all the way to SFO usually on a weekday. Also office workload is heavy and career is my top priority.
I don't want to give up dancing though I am finding it difficult to find the movitation especially when work takes up so much energy. I was wondering if any of you guys have been in the same spot and how you got out of it.
I have been thinking of focusing more on Afro Cuban Rumba dancing to get more in touch with music. I feel if I improve my musicality I will enjoy dancing once again. Also thinking of regularly practicing for 15 minutes a day to maintain skill level. Can anyone suggest a good instructional dvd on afro cuban or salsa musicality?

Pro-Am and amateur Smooth video posted on Supershag site.

Cheers Chris

All pro RS and pro-Am Rhythm video posted.

Cheers Chris

I have these pair of boots, wondering if the sole is bad for two step/line dancing. It's a sort of a rubber sole.

http://www.sheplers.com/Ariat-Rambler-Cowboy-Boots-square-toe/2639.pro

Is it time to ditch these boots for something more traditional? I'm having a bit of a hard time dancing in these, but I've only used them once so far.

My mother recently started dancing, and she has literally tried on every pair of latin shoes at our local ballroom store. She has very narrow feet, so the shoes are typically a little loose towards where her toes start, causing blisters. Does anyone know of a good shoe brand which is fitted well for narrow feet? I had suggested Eckse to her, but the store did not have a shoe in her size so she doesn't know if they would even fit...

Hi All,
Could someone please post links to a few of the good beginner classes in the East Bay (SF) area?

Thanks
Mitch

We've gone on and on for 32 pages (and counting) about what makes a good teacher. However, they are only one part of the equation. The student has to do their part, too, if the relationship will be a successful one.

What makes a good student, in your view? Here are my thoughts:

-Is open minded about what the teacher is telling them, even if they're not sure it's correct (I am NOT turning my foot too much! Oh, wait, maybe I am...)

-Leaves their personal lives at the studio door and focuses on the lesson

-Practices thoughtfully between lessons to incorporate as much as possible of what they learned