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5 Basic Foot Positions July 10, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General, Tips & Techniques, health.
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Many line dancers are just taught mere steps but not the correct foot positions which enable dancers to balance better and avoid injuries. Line dancing steps, like any other types of dance steps, use or derive from the 5 basic foot positions.

footpositions

For example, when you do a grapevine, you are actually doing Pos#2 on count 1, Pos#5 on count 2, Pos#2 again on count 3 and Pos#1 on count 4. Check if your feet are in the correct positions and if your toes are pointing at the correct directions by referring to the diagram above.

Have fun dancing!

Cha Cha Conchita on May24 June 21, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in Video.
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Here’s me leading a sea of reds and whites dancing to Cha Cha Conchita on May 24, a party organised by DAP at Petaling Jaya. Enjoy!

Line Dancing: Myths & Facts June 18, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General.
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Myth – Line Dance is danced to country music only.
Fact – Line Dance is danced to all sorts of music, eg. Latin, Pop, R&B, Soul, Rock, etc.

Myth – Line Dance is a pedestrian activity, only for senior citizens.
Fact – Line Dance is danced by people of all ages. The choice of dance is extremely varied, ranging from the simple to the more advanced; the gentler rhythms to the more energetic.

Myth – “Yeehaa” is what you shout out when you Line Dance.
Fact – This was created by the media and seems to have stuck.

Myth – You have to wear cowboy outfits.
Fact – Anything goes, as long as you wear comfortable supportive footwear.

Myth – Line Dance only consists of very basic steps such as walk walk stomp stomp.
Fact – Line Dance encompasses many dance styles, drawing from a variety of influences such as Latin, Ballroom, Jive, Irish, Funk, Salsa, etc. making it the most diverse dance form in the world.

Source: http://www.lynneschapiro.com/homepage.htm

Note:  Cha Cha Conchita was listed as a Top10 dance in the month of May’09 in Lynne’s site! :-D


Youtube videos not available in your domain/country? June 10, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General.
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It’s so frustrating that some videos which I wanted to watch again (watched it before some time back) became unavailable in my so called domain/country! When I asked some of my local friends, they said they faced the same problem too but my overseas friends are able to watch those videos! These are not only overseas videos but some local posted videos as well. How very queer!?

Then it dawned on me, that I have received some emails back then from youtube notifying me that some of my posted videos will not be watchable from certain countries. But when I clicked on them, I was able to watch these videos, so I had turned a deaf ear to the notification. Now I know, somewhere, some people are not able to watch or even search for these videos although they are still VERY MUCH available online.

One of my videos which has this notification

One of my videos which has this notification

I really wanted to watch those videos again and found a way to do it, phew, finally!

  1. You have to get the URL link of this video first. A good source of where to find the video is from Yipee. Click on the video icon to launch the video.
  2. Click on the “triangle” button on the right bottom corner of the video. The URL will be displayed.

    Click on the "triangle" and copy the URL

    Click on the "triangle" and copy the URL

  3. Copy the URL.  (Right click and select Copy)
  4. Go to http://ldv.fliggo.com. It’s a video blog site that contains ONLY line dance videos. If you haven’t sign up, do so as it’s absolutely free.
  5. Then click on the “Upload” tab and select “Import from other Sites”.

    Click on the "Upload" tab and select "Import from another site"

    Click on the "Upload" tab and select "Import from another site"

  6. Paste the URL you copied earlier (right click the field and select Paste) into the “Enter YouTube URL” field and click “Preview Import”.

    Paste the video URL and click "Preview Import"

    Paste the video URL and click "Preview Import"

  7. Then click on “Begin Import”. That’s it, wait for a few minute for LDV to do the import and you can watch your videos again!

Have fun!!

Quantity vs Quality May 25, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General.
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Are you line dancing “quantitatively” or “qualitatively”? hehe…

A “quantitative” line dancer would learn every/almost every new/popular dance published on the usual sites. The key word is “quantity“, so, “the more, the better“. When a “quantitative” dancer goes for parties, he/she would highlight the dancelist and count the total number of dances he/she knows and can dance to. To keep up, they have to learn more than 2-3 dances per week, sometimes even more… especially when parties are just around the corner. A “quantitative” dancer simply wants to add more dances to her collection and have lots of fun and be on the dance floor as much as possible. More often, when a dancer prioritized “quantity”, the “quality” is compromised due to time constraints.

On the other hand, a “qualitative” dancer won’t bother much (but to a certain extend) about the new dances released in the usual sites. The few good dances that he/she chose are executed with proper techniques and stylings. He/she would be dancing into the music and a pure joy to be watched, every movement is suited to the particular beats of the music (musicality). Many of these dancers wants to upgrade themselves by taking part in dance competitions and examinations. A lot of time is spent on practise to improve their steps, execution techniques and styling. Keywords are “Quality” and “How can I execute this step better and nicer?” And who said “qualitative” dancers can’t have fun? Dancing itself is fun, ain’t it?

And there are those who are somewhere in between these 2 ends of the spectrum. They try to learn as many GOOD dances as possible and execute the moves stylishly and properly. Keywords are, “Who said I can’t have both? I just need to spend more time dancing!

So which dancer category do u fall into? Quantitative, Qualitative or Somewhere in between? Here’s a scale of 5 for you to choose from. Hopefully this can help dancers know their dancing styles better :-)

Birthday Samba in Tropicana City May 25, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General, Video.
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Here’s a recording of Birthday Samba being taught in a class in Tropicana City, SS2. The dance was taught by Mr Tan HK. I understand that beginner classes are being held at Level 2 of Tropicana City, from 8-9 pm every Saturday, hosted by Jolene.

Line Dance Etiquette May 4, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General, Tips & Techniques.
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A compilation of Line Dance Etiquette collated from different internet sources:

Line dancing involves lots of people. Dancers, from the ripest beginners to the seasoned advanced, stand in lines together, performing steps at the same time. To avoid possible mishaps that often occur when large groups of people squeeze together and move their bodies, a few rules must be followed by all. The following etiquette tips should keep the dance floor running smoothly.

  • Dance empty-handed:
    Never carry anything onto the dance floor. Drinks, food, chewing gum and cigarettes should never enter the lines. Not only is it unpleasant, it is also quite dangerous. If a drink or food is spilled in the middle of a dance, someone is bound to slip and fall down. Furthermore, hardwood dance floors should always be treated with care to avoid warping or staining. Leave your snacks on the table.
  • Go the right way:
    It always helps to know which direction you’re going! Line dancing is usually done in the middle of the dance floor in an imaginary rectangular space. All dancers move around the dance floor in a counter-clockwise direction, known commonly as the “line of dance.” Sometimes couples will choose to dance around the outside lane…don’t stand in their way, as they always have the right of way.
  • Be courteous:
    Always be polite to other dancers on the floor. If the dance floor is crowded, take smaller steps to avoid colliding with other dancers. If a collision should occur, be courteous and apologize, no matter who was at fault. Also, keep conversations to a minimum. Other dancers are trying to concentrate and listen to the music. It’s quite annoying to hear people talking during a dance. Save the chit-chat for the table.
  • Relax and enjoy yourself:
    Line dancing is meant to be fun…don’t be intimidated if you are a beginner. Remember that everyone started at the beginning. Practice is key. Look around the dance floor and you will probably see people stumbling, tripping and stepping on toes…but they’re probably laughing about it!

Source: http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/qt/Line_Etiquette.htm


A LIST OF USEFUL DANCEFLOOR TIPS

  • Never come onto the dance floor carrying drinks, glasses, or cans
  • Never stay on the floor to talk – if the music has started, go off the dance floor to chat
  • When dancing near beginners – be mindful and courteous and don’t show off!
  • Don’t start a different dance, unless there is plenty of room and you sense it is acceptable
  • Remember the floor is for everyone. Try to leave the outside lane clear for couple dancers
  • Those dancing around the outside lane have the right of way. Don’t block their progress
  • If the floor is crowded, take small steps, enjoy the company, but watch for collisions
  • If you should bump into someone, it is customary to apologise whether it is your fault or not
  • If possible start another line rather than join one which will block the outside lanes
  • Don’t be tempted to stop dancing to teach, especially if there is no room.
  • Never walk though a line of dancers to cross the floor – always walk round the floor or wait
  • Remember everyone was once a beginner; if you can already dance do try to be helpful to newcomers
  • When starting off the dance, go to the front so that others can fall in behind you
  • And finally, keep your head up, keep smiling and enjoy yourselves :-)

Source: http://www.silver-star-ldc.com/LINE-DANCE-ETIQUETTE

New Trend? Dancing at Train Stations April 22, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General, Video.
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Think there’s a new trend dancing at train stations. 

Early this year, there was this T-Mobile advert of so many ppl dancing at Liverpool station. Later on, we see the famous Jai Ho film casts dancing in VT station in Mumbai during the end credits of the Oscar winning movie. And the latest one I watched was shot in Antwerp Station in Belgium. How cute and refreshing for the mundane train riders who walk in and out of the station daily. Do check them out. Am dreaming if we can do this at KL Sentral one morning or evening? :-D

Cha Cha Conchita @ Dazzling Latino April 22, 2009

Posted by Jennifer in General, Video.
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I was leading this dance holding my video camera as I didn’t managed to get anyone to video it! After the restart, I jumped out of the line and fumbled with my camera and took a short ending clip of Cha Cha Conchita. So glad that Cha Cha Conchita has been very well received with many parties lining this dance up in their playlist. Check out the filled dance floor! :-D

Birthday Samba April 13, 2009

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Mr Daniel Leong, a very good dance friend of mine, recently celebrated his 60th birthday, and had a birthday party, with good food and what else… line dancing!

2-3 weeks before his birthday party, I took the initiative to choreograph a birthday dance for him. I had wanted to choreograph to another piece of Happy Birthday song (a fast waltz) but was thinking if it’ll be too boring. And while chatting with another LD enthusiast from Toronto, Carmen Mah told me of another upbeat Happy Birthday song sung by DJ Bobo. I took a listen and liked it very much… ooh, I love sambas!

It was meant to be a surprise for Mr Daniel Leong, telling him that my group would be putting up a performance during his  birthday party. In actual fact, I had secretly sent out the dance script and demo video (done with Rosalind Yeo) to the list of his invites (just about 15 emails – extracted from his email) and told them the surprise plot. Also told them to pass the dance to whoever they knew was coming as I had no idea who are the 150 pax he would be inviting!

The dance was purposedly made simple cos I thought, who would be dancing to  birthday songs on non-birthday days! And who would take the trouble to remember a dance u dance to only once in a while (during birthdays)? And what about the people who didn’t know of the dance earlier but want to dance it during a birthday party? So it must be easy and easily picked up off the dancefloor. So, the result was a high beginner samba line dance, with ‘a-counts’ instead of the usual ‘&-counts’ due to the samba beats. (The ‘a- count’ is the count slightly slower than usual ‘&-count’)

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried if no one would pick up the surprise dance for Mr Leong. I kept reminding my usual friends dancing with other groups about the dance and if they had practised it. They assured me they had and that no one had breathed a whisper about it to Mr Leong. And to reach it out to Mr Leong’s own students, I had asked another friend who had their contacts to inform them. Turned out, they knew about it already and had already secretly practising it! So, safe to say, there will be people dancing the Birthday Samba for Mr Leong :-)

Mr Leong who was trying to arrange his programs of the party kept asking me via emails what my dance performance is titled, and when we want to perform it? I just replied to give us a slot before he cuts his birthday cake but refused to divulge the dance title haha!

On the day of the party, just before he cuts the birthday cake, it was announced that there will be a surprise birthday dance for Mr Leong and everyone just got down to the dance floor! I was pleasantly surprised that the secret dance did managed to reach everyone, or almost everyone! A lady came to me and said, she heard abt the dance but couldn’t find the sheet from my blog/yipee! Oh well, I can’t release it, can I? Or it won’t be a surprise no more! Indeed, when asked abt it later on, Mr Leong said he had no idea at all abt the birthday dance and was really surprised. :-D

Ah, so here goes, the script for the dance and the demo video. Hope this dance will be danced to during birthday parties! Or else, do substitute with any another suitable samba music. ;-) Enjoy!

bday-samba