As the Dancer Turns...
/Tuesday August 19th, 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
NEW STUFF!
Are you ready for our miraculous news? We now officially live in Belmont Heights, a charming area in Long Beach that I have instantly fallen in love with. We have been settling into our fabulous home for the past week (and yes Steve, I held out for so long & finally got my two story, two car garage, three bedroom house with brand new hardwood floors, in a safe, quiet, beautiful area).
Everyday brings surprises as we adventure in the neighborhood. We are so grateful & happy. Phil is nudging me now to divulge the story about how it all happened...
Once upon a time, there was a quite unhappy, Fairy Princess living in Victorville. Her Prince had promised they would move back to civilization soon, so they looked & looked (well, she looked), for their wonderland castle. After making about a thousand phone calls, & getting help from realtors, West Side Rentals, & friends, the Princess was full of despair. They went to see so many places over a long period of time, yet nothing felt right. Even though she did not want to spend another moment in the desert, she waited, trapped in her misery, with not a single Jewish Deli within 45 miles. The Princess gave up at last, & told the Prince to take over. A complete surrender. It was now his job to find their home. And would you believe that it didn't even take him an hour? That's so not fair. The Prince intuitively drove to an area of Long Beach (where he used to live), & checked things out. There were a number of "signs" that something magical was happening, including spiritual vibes from Tibetan Monks, a cat encounter, & divine timing with our new neighbor Don. (Ask us for the long version if you like.) This was by far the best place we had seen, & were both so excited, knowing it really felt right. Phil thinks the moral of the story is to let him make the decisions, & everything works out right. He wants full credit for finding our house. But who was the wise one who knew to keep waiting for something better? The Princess says that the moral is to honor the ripening process. And "beach hair" does look pretty good on a Princess!
So you can all relax because as you can see (& read), we will continue to write our newsletter a few times a month! Many people were worried that it would end, since we no longer would have those crazy, long commutes when we used to write. We are home now, lounging on our new couch, while writing this. Speaking of couches, we have been on a few shopping sprees, as we are re-furnishing the house. I let Phil get his black faux leather couch with recliners, & I got my dining room table chairs with zebra print! See, I do know how to compromise. (Although I just ordered a silverish, sparkly dresser from a kids department to put in our bedroom.)
We have been moved in for about a week, but it will take some time to unpack & get organized. You may notice that we aren't fully oriented yet; our brains may be functioning a little under par. For instance, Saturday night when we went to teach at CCR, I couldn't find my contact lenses (which never happens). I taught for the first time with my glasses on. Phil stopped class to make sure the students had all noticed (many did), & he thought his numerous vision jokes were actually funny. But what was really funny was that earlier at home, getting ready for work that day, he was thinking it was our Monday schedule. And later he told his student that he would see them tomorrow (thinking it was Sunday), but she told him no, that she would see him the day after Sunday. Thank you Diana.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21st: DJ NIGHT AT HACIENDA HOTEL!
We will DJ for the night after our usual classes! Come join the fun.
ONGOING STUFF!
Don't Miss Out!
Make sure you read the "Call You Out" section below every newsletter; you may be in there! Also check below in "Tune-up Your Playlist" for two new songs!
Sunday August 24th: Guest Instructors & Our Hacienda Dance Team Performs at Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association!
We will be teaching Intermediate West Coast Swing at the PBDA at 6:30 pm. No partner needed. Our Hacienda Dance Team will perform after class. There is social dancing after class until around 9 pm. PBDA co-owners are Tami & Erin Stevens. (Location: 73 North Hill Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106)
NEW COUNTRY 2-STEP WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th at The Dance Center in Redlands!
We are teaching from 12 to 2 pm: Review of the basics & then Intermediate Level. No partner needed. This workshop is hosted by the wonderful Barb DeLay!
COST: $30 if pre-registered; $35 at the door. Cost includes Social Dance with DJ Ray Stanton from 2 to 6 pm. Register on-line: www.MagicDanceProductions.com or pay us. Or mail to: Magic Dance Productions, PO Box 112, Highland, CA 92376.
LOCATION: The Dance Center, 1445 Park Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373
LANCASTER DANCE CLASSES CANCELLED WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27th.
1st SATURDAY HACIENDA EVENT OCTOBER 4th, OUR HACIENDA DANCE TEAM PERFORMS!
NEW DVDs!
We have two new DVDs available, Beginner & Intermediate WCS. Great news! You can now purchase them 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 Highlights.
Important Updates
*PUNCH CARDS!
We both have punch cards available for purchase: ten classes for $100 w/ the eleventh class free. (Separate punch cards for Phil & I.) Our punch cards will expire six months from the purchase date. We do take credit cards.
*EXCITING NEWS...
We are adding a new section on our website with special offers! So be sure to visit regularly for deals & discounts. The first offer is on there now!
A Few Shameless Plugs
*UPCOMING DJ NIGHT on THURSDAY AT THE HACIENDA
AUGUST 21st: We will DJ all night (after our usual classes)!
*NEXT 1st SATURDAY WORKSHOP & SWING DANCE EVENT AT THE HACIENDA is on the 2nd Saturday, September 13th, 2014. This is Mindia's Birthday Party!
We are your DJs for the night! (Click on 1st Saturday link above for details.)
*1st TIMERS FREE for my Beginner WCS class on Tuesdays at 7:30pm at the Hacienda Hotel... bring your friends!
*Please check the "Highlights" section below for more info.
Call You Out!
Here is where we get to pick on our readers (instead of each other)!
Phil's turn to speak... "I'm calling out Barry H. from last week. He went to show Mindia something I taught in class, but actually I never taught that move at all. By mistake, he had showed her something he had learned from what she taught in her class!" Of course Barry remembered the more important class with me. He knows who really teaches the hot moves. (Just don't ask me where I learned that move from in the first place.)
Tune-up Your Playlist
We want to share with you our favorite songs of the week!
Mindia's Pick: "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne (WCS)
Phil's Pick: "Put Your Hands" by Trin-i-tee (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 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).
* 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.
* UPCOMING 1st SATURDAY WORKSHOP & SWING DANCE EVENTS at the Hacienda Hotel
SAVE THESE UPCOMING DATES: September 13th (2nd Saturday Mindia's Bday Party), October 4th (Our Hacienda Dance Team Performs), November 1st, & December 6th, 2014! *NOTE* The event is on the 2nd Saturday just for the month of September. We are always your DJs, unless otherwise noted.
* UPCOMING SEPTEMBER 20th: GUEST INSTRUCTORS CHRISTIAN COUNTRY ROUND-UP DANCE: You can usually find us at the Clubhouse in Placentia (formerly the Atomic) on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the CCR Dance. This Dance is open for anybody to come. There is always a theme & treats! (There are also Beginner classes.) Open Dancing is 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. (Location: The Clubhouse 733 Dunn Way, Placentia, CA 92870). Details coming...
* 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 ;-)