As the Dancer Turns...
/Thursday May 22nd, 2014
Hello to our Dance Family!
Welcome to Phil Adams & Mindia Robin's Newsletter: "As the Dancer Turns..."
Time to take another spin with this uplifting issue.
Soap Opera Snippets
A Day in the Life of...
Photo Credit: Doug Silton
Great news! You can now purchase our new Beginner & Intermediate West Coast Swing DVDs with a credit card, in person or through our web store! You can come to the Hacienda Hotel tonight to get them! More info about payment & options under New Highlights.
Hacienda tonight... to dance & play.
We are celebrating Sheila's Birthday!
Our Bar Waitress who serves laughs & drinks,
Always with time for jokes & a few winks!
At the end of class, appetizers for free,
Cake later, so come join us & see!
We are then leaving tomorrow (on Friday) for the FREZNO DANCE CLASSIC EVENT over Memorial Day Weekend! We are very excited for this fun event. Let's celebrate with Steve Zener, the fabulous Event Director, because this will be the Thirtieth Anniversary. This year's theme is Back to 'Z' Future. Here is our schedule:
Friday 5 pm: We both teach WCS "Now & Then & Back Again"
Saturday 11 am: We both teach WCS "McFly on By & Swing Your Thing!"
Saturday 5:30 pm: Our Hacienda Dance Team performs two routines!
Sunday 1 pm: I teach Beginner WCS (while Phil is Judging).
Please come support us!
In addition to the usual competitions & social dancing, this unique event also has ice cream socials, pizza parties, a Gong Show, a Karaoke Party, entertaining skits, & surprising costumes (wondering what Steve will be this time)! See website for more info: www.FreznoDance.com.
We want to take a moment & acknowledge a great loss in our Dance Family; Lionel Walpin passed away recently. He will be missed; he brought a sense of fun to classes with his story-telling.
So in Lionel's honor, we will tell a funny story. Phil has had a brown, leather travel bag for many lifetimes. It looked quite ancient. I had been threatening to throw it away for several years. I had to put my foot down after the last time we stayed at the Hacienda. Phil had the bag (or remains of) in the DJ booth, & had the nerve to ask me to bring it up to our room. It was a Special Event night, so I was extra dolled up. Using plastic gloves (even if I had them), would definitely not have matched my stylish outfit. At first I said, "Absolutely not!" But the thought of having it there in the DJ booth with us all night was too distressing. I strategized a way to bring it upstairs without anybody seeing me. I sneaked out the back door behind the 3rd dance floor & dashed upstairs. Needless to say, I made him throw out the bag & promised that I'd buy him a new one. We went to the Shopping Mall, looked in every store, & all he could find that he liked was a pricey travel bag at the "Coach" Store. He was really trying to get even. I would have bought it for him, but it was too preppy looking; it wouldn't go with my style either. He settled for a really nice bag from Wilson's House of Suede. He should feel lucky; he also got a new pair of expensive dress shoes because I threw out the old pair... they looked like they could have been a set with the old brown travel bag!
Important Updates
*We are taking the day off on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th! So no private lessons or Dance Team practice.
*We have decided to end the Intermediate/Advanced West Coast Swing class on Mondays at 7 pm. We will have our Dance Team practice from 7 to 9 pm instead, so that we have an extra hour to polish & perfect their routines. Come join us on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays for WCS classes (at the Hacienda by LAX, Memories in Whittier, & High Desert Dance Company in Lancaster). Click on links above for more info.
*The Hacienda Hotel got a new parking company for their lot. The fees have changed; just wanted to let you know that you now get one & a half hours of free parking with purchase/validation at the bar.
*FYI: Make sure to read the "Call You Out" section below, every Newsletter. You might be in there...
A Few Shameless Plugs
*UPCOMING DJ NIGHTS on THURSDAYS AT THE HACIENDA! Mark your calendars for May 29th, June 19th, & June 26th! We will DJ all night (after our usual classes).
*1st TIMERS FREE for my Beginner WCS class on Tuesdays at 7:30pm at the Hacienda Hotel... bring your friends!
*Next 1st Saturday Workshop & Swing Dance Event is June 7th w/ DJ Jumpin' Jack Smith. Click on the link at the top for more info.
*Please check out the "New Highlights" section below for more updates.
Call You Out!
Here is where we get to pick on our readers (instead of each other)!
We are calling out Angie (from Rosamond) on Dance Team. You have been corrupting innocent Vic & getting him in trouble! Shame on you. Remember, "Stay on task!" like Lieutenant Trevdog used to tell you! Or was it Lieutenant Fungster? Probably both haha!
Tune-up Your Playlist
We want to share with you our favorite songs of the week!
Mindia's Pick: "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith (WCS)
Phil's Pick: "Bring It On" by Mani (WCS)
Please let us know if you have songs to add, or other ideas for our Newsletter Re-birthing. And thank you Shavonne, for suggesting to add song choices.
Takin' Care of Business
New Highlights
*NEW DANCE DVD'S!
Payment & Options:
DVDs are $35 each. Bring your cash or checkbooks to upcoming classes, dances & events; if you buy DVDs in person with cash or check, we will treat for the tax! Credit card payments are now available in person, or through our web store. (In person there is a $30 minimum charge.) You can also order your DVDs through our website, & click the "pick up at class" shipping option (to avoid shipping charges).
*By the way, we had an issue with our website link in the Newsletter. It's fixed now (thanks David), so you can go directly to our website from the link. Also we have a new mailing address on our Contact page. (Please disregard the old POBox from past Newsletters.) You can make checks out to me... or Phil!
Ongoing Highlights
*Please add our new joint business e-mail to your contact/address book, to avoid Spam difficulties: info@PhilAndMindiaDance.com Please use this contact for any future communications.
*Our next 1st SATURDAY WORKSHOP & SWING DANCE EVENT at the Hacienda Hotel is June 7th, 2014! (Click link at the top for details.) (Must be at least 21 years old to attend any Hacienda workshops. classes, or dances.) Open Dancing w/ DJ Jumpin' Jack Smith! SAVE THESE UPCOMING DATES for the next few 1st Saturday Events: July 5th (Phil's Bday Party), August 2nd, & September 13th (Mindia's Bday Party), 2014! *NOTE* The event is on the 2nd Saturday just for the month of September.
*We will teach at the Christian Country Round-up Dance the 3rd Saturday of next month, June 21st, at the Clubhouse in Placentia (formerly the Atomic). This Dance is open for anybody to come. We will teach two Intermediate classes: 6:45 pm & 7:25 pm (details coming). (There are also Beginner classes.) Open Dancing is around 8:05 pm (a mix of music). FIRST TIMERS FREE (except on a few special occasions). We are both available for private lessons there, but with limited space & time slots. Please schedule in advance.
*All of our classes are drop-in (some do run in a series). No partner needed for any of our classes. No prior dance experience needed for Beginner classes. Two left feet are welcomed; we will introduce you to your right foot! (Phil wanted credit for that last comment.)
*Come out for classes & dancing on THURSDAYS at the HACIENDA! (For details click link at the top: Weekly Classes Hacienda.) I teach a FREE Beginner 1 West Coast Swing (Intro) class at 6:30 pm every Thursday.
*Once you have moved up from our Beginner level classes to Intermediate and then later Advanced, you are welcome to continue taking our Beginner classes for FREE! We want to encourage you to continue working on your basics; that is most important to develop a strong foundation. The best dancers usually are the ones who have worked on their basics for years. When you keep taking Beginner classes, you are also helping the new students to progress faster, since they get to rotate & dance with more experienced dancers.
*HACIENDA HOTEL SUPPORT NEEDED: As you may have heard, new owners have taken over the hotel. It is crucial that we show them that the dancing brings in significant revenue. We need to do all that we can to keep this amazing venue for dancing alive! Please support the bar w/ a minimum purchase. If you order food from Sheila or the bartenders, the bill will go towards the bar tab for the night, which is helpful. Ordering food from the restaurant does not count towards the evening's bar tab. There are now four dance floors, so spread the word & bring your friends. PARKING: There is a Hacienda parking lot across the street (entrance on Mariposa St.). One and a half hours free with validation at the bar (just buy a drink or food).
We hope that you have enjoyed this episode of "As the Dancer Turns..." I know that we have! Stay tuned for more entertaining issues.
Please explore our website for more info. We are also available for private dance lessons. Send us Facebook friend requests if you want to be informed/updated by our Newsfeed and Wall Posts. Pease forward this to friends to spread the word!
Hope to see you dancing soon,
Mindia... & Phil ;-)