There will be no new calendars posted this week, because nothing listed has
changed, and no new events have been added.
For information on the DI summer dance courses, check the DI web page or
see me for a printed flyer.
I would just like to point everyone's attention to the following two
excellent events that are fast approaching. Please contact me for further
info on either of them. In past years we have always had groups attend
both and return with great reviews.
Mark
ps - DI Practice sessions in May are at the Regent, Thursdays, 9:30 - 11pm
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(*) 13th Annual St. Louis Swing Invitational, June 13-16, at the
Collinsville Gateway Center
Hurry if you want to reserve good seating!!! We need 8 more people to
commit to buying tickets for Saturday's events in order to reserve a table
for the Dancing Illini. Tables are going fast and ticket prices go up $5
on June 4!
This event starts with dancing Thursday night, then brunch, dinner and
dancing on Friday, then Free Workshops on Saturday June 15th from 9 am to 2
pm (Free if you buy a $35 admission ticket to the Saturday events):
East Coast Swing -- Randy Atlas (South Florida Swing Dance Society)
West Coast Swing -- Bob Budzinsky (Michigan Swing Dance Society)
Bop Patterns -- Bill Maddox (Florida Boppers, Inc.)
Push Patterns -- Louis Oliver (Dallas Push Club)
Imperial Patterns -- Stan Meyer & Linda Landwehr (South Side Imperial Club)
Beginning at 3:00 pm, Saturday:
Swing-dance competition featuring some of the finest Imperial, Bop, Shag,
West Coast, East Coast, Lindy and Jitterbug dancers in the country.
Plenty of general swing-dancing between competitions.
Ends around midnight.
Groups of DI have gone to this event in the past and have come away with fun
new swing-dance patterns and a new appreciation for what swing-dancing is all
about. If you haven't seen real swing-dancing before, don't miss this event!
If you are a hot swing dancer and want to compete, contact Mark right away
for forms and info.
For more information, contact Mark Balzer at 337-5980 or m-balzer@uiuc.edu.
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(*) Little Bit O'Texas Dance Convention, South Bend, IN, May 24-27
Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27, 1996
This spectacular event, located near Notre Dame U, features 40 instructors
and over 150 workshops in a variety of dances. If you want to learn TONS
of West Coast Swing (WCS), East Coast Swing (ECS), Cha cha, Waltz, Country
2-step, and even a little nightclub 2-step and Hustle, don't miss this
event. You will learn so many things that you will NEVER learn in Dancing
Illini classes.
Workshops are only $5 per hour, with weekend and day passes available too.
Pick from several each hour! Evening social dances are a blast! Come for
1 day, or the whole weekend - there are lots of cheap hotels in the area.
See Mark Balzer for copies of the flyers for this festival and hotel
listings. Let's try and get a group together to attend.
Here is a tentative schedule of the workshops being offered:
Friday, May 24:
noon: How to dance with anyone you ask or asks you - Dance Mechanics,
Carrol Shaw and Marta Elder
1pm: The feel, form and frame of Waltz - core elements of Waltz:
rise/fall, frame, posture, styling, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
Jazz up your East Coast Swing, Mike Wagner
West Coast Swing Body Isolations and Syncopations, Carole Rousseau
Intro to 2-step, David Baggett
2pm: Fun and Flashy East Coast Swing Syncopations, Gloria Casey
Why he can't lead and she can't follow, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
Hot moves in West Coast Swing Ralph Segal
Intro to Chacha, Beth Emerson
3pm: How to get your hips south of the border - Cuban motion workshop
for Chacha, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
2-step technique laboratory - Detailed analysis of 2-step, David Baggett
Intro to West Coast Swing, Carole Rousseau
4pm: Working the slot in West Coast Swing, Ray Mikkleson
Hot East Coast Swing Combos, Bill Robinson and Linda Hembree
Neck-rolls, Ducks and Tunnels, Gloria Casey
Intro to Waltz, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
Leadable patterns for social 2-step, Beth Emerson
5pm: Turns and Spins, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
Hot West Coast Swing Combos, Beth Emerson
6pm: Intro to East Coast Swing, Carrol Shaw and Marta Elder
Easy West Coast Swing Patterns, Kathy Nate
7-midnight - open dancing in the ballroom
7pm: Waltz made Easy, Don McCarty
Beginner Night club 2-step, Gloria Casey
8pm: Fun East Coast Swing, Doc Blanchard
Beginner 2-step, Pat Smalley
Saturday, May 25:
9am: WCS Patterns, A.T. Kinson
Waltz Styling, Gloria Casey
2-Step with the Masters, Bill Robinson and Linda Hembree
10am: Advanced Waltz, Mike Haley and Patti Miller
ECS Boogie Moves, Clark and Debbie Fulbright
2-step patterns, Kal Branson
11am: Sexy Cha cha - perfect your cuban motion, Don McCarty
Fun 2-step moves, Greg Underwood
noon: WCS with the Best, Paul Watson
Waltz for Social Dancers, Layton Erickson
Leadable 2-step patterns, Clark and Debbie Fulbright
1pm: WCS Patterns,
Ducks and Tunnels
Choreography Tips
2pm: ECS Original Moves
Romantic Waltz Patterns
3pm: Hustle Basics
Advanced Cha cha
Lead and Follow Tips
4pm: 2-step patterns
Hitting Breaks
ECS Leadable Patterns
WCS for Dummies
5pm: Spin like a top - spins workshop
ECS Patterns
Beginner 2-step
6pm: Beautiful Waltz
Sexy WCS Patterns
Beginner ECS
7-midnight - open dancing in the ballroom
8pm: WCS - Beginner plus
Cha cha - cuban motion for beginners
9pm: Social 2-step patterns
Styling Tips
Sunday, May 26:
9am: 2-step patterns
Lead and Follow workshop
WCS Styling
10am: Advanced 2-step
Turns and Spins workshops
11am: Waltz patterns
WCS patterns
2-step patterns
noon: Waltz patterns
Cha cha patterns
1pm: Lead/Follow workshop
WCS with style
Hot ECS
Beginning Cha cha
2pm: ECS moves
Styling for ladies
New 2-step patterns
Beginning Waltz
3pm: Hustle made easy
Waltz technique
Hot 2-step
Beginner WCS
4pm: Advance your cha cha skills
Waltz patterns
Beginner 2-step
5pm: WCS Patterns
6pm: 2-step - cool choreography
Beginner ECS
9-11pm - Ice cream social dance in the ballroom
Monday, May 27:
9am: Light-touch leading and full-balance following (2 hrs), Ray Mikkleson
Beautiful Waltz (2 hrs), Mike Haley and Patti Miller
Two Step, Rick Lovins
10am: East Coast Swing, Mark and Karen Luckie
11am: East Coast Swing Technique, Carrol Shaw and Marta Elder
West Coast Swing, Don Doyle and Pam Sosa
Styling Techniques (2 hrs), Gloria Casey
noon: Body Rolls, Ripples and Cuban motion, Carrol Shaw and Marta Elder
Two Step, Kevin Taff
Q: How much does it cost?
A: You can pay in a variety of ways, it depends on your plans,
which is the best option for you... IF youy want to go for only a
day or two and primarily take workshops and dance in the evening, I'd
skip the weekend passes and just buy individual workshop tickets and
dance passes. You can look at the merchandise during the dance.
Pass Package options are more for those who want to watch the comps or
focus on beginner workshops. Details shown below...
Weekend Pass options:
(If buying either "weekend" pass, preregister by May 11 to save $10)
Premium Weekend Pass for $138 - all weekend long this pass gets you into
the beginner, intermediate & advanced level workshops, the competitions,
the dance exhibitions, the evening dances, and access to the vendors
selling dance supplies.
Weekend Pass for $50 - all weekend long this pass gets you into the
beginner workshops, the competitions, the dance exhibitions, the evening
dances, and access to the vendors selling dance supplies. You have
to buy $5 tickets to attend any of the 1 hour intermediate & advanced
level workshops.
Pay As You Go" options:
Day Pass - $25 available at the door only - gets you in to the day's
competitions and the evening dance, and access to the vendors selling
dance supplies. You have to buy $5 tickets to attend any of the 1
hour beginner, intermediate & advanced level workshops.
Evening Dance Pass - $10 available at the door only - gets you in to the
evening dance, and access to the vendors selling dance supplies. You
have to buy $5 tickets to attend any of the 1 hour beginner,
intermediate & advanced level workshops.
Workshop Tickets - Just come and buy tickets to the 1 hour workshops
at $5 each, two hour workshops at $10 each