Tickle Your Funny Bone

TICKLE YOUR FUNNY BONE:

"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance."

                                                                George Bernard Shaw

"If God had intended us to do Ballroom dancing, he would have made women's knees bend the other way."

                                                                                             Author Unknown

“I do everything the man does,only backwards and in high heels."

                                        Ginger Rogers  

“Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.”

                                                                  George Bernard Shaw  

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”

                                    Vicki Baum  

“Dance first.  Think later.  It's the natural order.”

                                                                  Samuel Beckett  

"Beginning dancers prefer to take "intermediate" level classes. Intermediate dancers prefer to take "advanced" level classes. Advanced dancers take private lessons to work on their basics. Go figure"

                                                                   Author Unknown

Do Dance T shirt design # 062 distributed by So'Danca

 

 

 

 

                                           

                                             

STARS SHINE ON ABC

                                      “Dancing with the Stars” delivers its best season yet.

                                            Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani receive the 
                                                                 Mirrorball Trophy

The much - touted season 15, featuring the All Stars cast, did not disappoint. Of course one can question why some contestants were even there (Pamela Anderson?) and why others were glaringly absent (Jennifer Grey?) but all in all the show turned out to be one of the best ever. Kudos to all participants!!

If you’ve never watched, this show pairs off a professional ballroom dancer with a celebrity partner who may or may not have any dance background. Some clearly do (Season 15 All Star winner Melissa Rycroft) and others clearly don’t (season 5 Mark Cuban). Still, the crazy mix of celebrities is a lot of fun. Each week, viewers eliminate a couple (or two) until three are left to compete for the trophy. Dance styles (samba, fox trot, quick step etc.) are imposed on the couples. And, if you are like me, not knowing who these “celebrities” are beforehand, you will definitely know and appreciate them by the end of the show.

I’m always amazed at the celebrity contestants who, despite some rocky beginnings, turn out such good performances. . Sure not all of them can overcome having two left feet but the entertainment factor is always there. Others will surprise you, like All Star contestant  and former football star Emmitt Smith. That man can dance! The professional partners are not going easy on them either. Choreography is getting increasingly challenging so that this is no walk in the park. 

So congratulations to all the celebrities and their pro partners for a terrific season. What will I do with my Monday nights now!

                      If you've watched the show and would like to comment, please do so here!

IT'S NUTCRACKER TIME!

With “Nutcracker” season upon us, this is a stressful time for all young dancers. Schedules go crazy, there is little sleep and even less thought to proper meals. The very last thing you want is an injury at this juncture which will take you out of what you’ve work so hard toward. So here are a few reminders.

 INJURY PREVENTION:

The standard rule of thumb is that, for every day you miss class due to injury, it will take you two to come back. Out for a week, two weeks to return to your former shape before you were injured.

Accidents happen, of course. They are not always avoidable. But, in many cases, some forethought might have prevented it altogether or, at least, from being worse than it should be. See if any of these apply to you:

1.     1..  Not warming up properly. That means doing a ballet barre, not just a couple of hasty plies, before rehearsal or performance. It also means being careful about what steps you practice  before you’ve warmed up! Leaps across the floor with no warm up is an accident waiting to happen.

2.      2. Not getting enough sleep. By this I mean getting only a few hours sleep (like at a sleepover) and then expecting your body to have the same reflexes the next day. It will not. You will be sluggish and your muscles will NOT respond the way they should.

3.      3. Arriving late to class or missing part of the warm up sequence.  You think you can make up the time by doing a couple of tendus on your own. You cannot.

4.      4. Not having enough body “awareness” when you work. No one is perfect. Most of us have to deal with some kind of inherited physical trait. Examples: swayed backs, weak abdominals, hyper-extended knees, tight hamstrings etc. Your teacher will have pointed these out to you. Your responsibility is to work on this all the time and to pay extra care when warming up for a show.  .                              

5.    5.Not eating properly or enough to maintain muscle strength! This is absolutely crucial since “you are what you eat.”

 Remember, “Nutcracker” is you first priority at the moment. Parties, sleepovers or other distractions should be put on hold. If you are out for any reason, the entire team suffers. It’s not just you. 

With a little bit of care to your instrument (a.k.a. your body) you will have a wonderful rewarding "Nutcracker" and create a lifetime of memories!