Happy birthday wishes to Carl Free, Dara Patrusky, Myriam Cortez, Ricky Quintana, Elsie “Fascination” Rodriquez, Troy Sedgwick, Michael Papas and Joel Weingart.
This weeks marks the one year passing of dance extrordinaire Arte Phillips. His heart was one that cared and shared. He was sent to us to share his talents and he never disappointed. Born in NY, danced on Broadway, he traveled the country but where ever he went, it became his home. His passion and love for dance has inspired us all. Voted by the readers of DanceTalk, “Favorite All Time Dancer”. We miss you.
Our heart felt condolences go out to Giovanni “Kenny” Arditi and his family on the passing of his father Joe Arditi. He was 89 years old. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Miriam Sanchez and her family on the loss of her Mother, Lenonida Sanchez. The wake is Wednesday, Nov. 11th – Jeremiah C. Gaffneys Funeral Home, 92 Wahl Ave.
ServInwood,NY 11096, 718-471-2828, 12-9PM All day viewing. Funeral to follow next day
Available now in book stores, the inside story of Casablanca Records, “And Party Every Night” a 320 page hardcover book from co founder Larry Harris. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3xgVqx5nk&feature=related
Next week, November 17th, Tuesday, it’s Robin Amante & Bobby Morales’s 50th Birthday. It is sure to be a night to remember. Come out to join the celebration. DJ Bobby Morales will be spinning the best of Hustle. The doors open at 7 PM till 12:30 AM. $5 Drink Specials from 7-8PM. Hot complimentary buffet from 7:30-8:30PM. Club Sambuca 272 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
“Halloween Hustle Night” and “DJ Mark’s Surprise Birthday Celebration” Images, courtesy of Fred. Taken at Michael’s Cafe. http://whatsnew.fredf.fotki.com/
Kick off 2010 with an all inclusive dance party at sea. The Hustle & Salsa Cruise sets sail February 27th to March 4th. Its the 11th Annual Tropical Dance Convention on the Navigator Of The Seas, Join Drew, Nino and Caren for this 5-night exotic Caribbean winter getaway. Rates start as low as $590 per person. You’ll travel from Miami to Labadee to Ocho Rios and back to Florida. Fabulous meals, buffets, 15 hours of dance workshops, 10 social dance sessions, pools, spas, Broadway shows, Jack n Jill contests, dance hosts plus more. The first, original hustle dance cruise! For more details call 754 – 246 – 2874, e mail hustlecruise@hotmail.com website www.HustleCruise.com
The Zacharys $10,000 dollar dance contest continues at Sambuca, Post ave. in Westbury, NY, under the new name Long Island $10,000 Competition Dance. Coordinated by Alred Pena and Charlie. The contest resumes this Saturday, November 14th at 9 PM. details contact (516) 983-3913
Dance Pro, Carl Charles has reached out to the youth in Florida which has gained attention.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/sfl-fldance1025neoct25,0,5112127.story
Hats off to Brian Fortuna as he and partner, actress Ali Bastian, received the first perfect score for their Viennese Waltz on “Strictly Come Dancing”…….the UK version of “Dancing With The Stars”.
The show was filmed at Blackpool Tower this past week.
Michael’s cafe will feature Dance Champion Silvana Gallagher as the guest teacher on Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 8:30PM. Don’t miss it. DJ Mark will spin dance music till 12:45AM. In memory of Arte Phillips, we invite everyone to come out and dance to his favorite songs. Where your Arte hat in his memory.
No cover charge, free parking. Street Road, Bensalem Pa. Next week guest teacher Joey C.
The polls are still open, be sure to vote in the 2009 DanceTalk Readers choice awards.
See details and ballot below. Get out the vote.
Sadie Hawkins night at Michael’s Cafe. Ladies, are you tired of sitting on the sidelines, waiting around for a guy to ask you to dance? On Wednesday, November 18, you will have control all evening at Michael’s Cafe where you will not have to wait to be asked for that special dance. In the spirit of Sadie Hawkins, it will be YOU that does the asking.
Make it a great week,
Ron
Behind the Scenes with Dave Paris & Zoe Klein
Zoe and I entered the competition for “America’s Got Talent” without any expectations and the outside hope that we would get an appearance on national tv. We started the auditions in New York City at Jacob Javits Center. There were thousands of people trying out, and most of the people we met were very friendly. We performed our adagio act in front of the producers and they told us they liked our act, but wanted us to perform to a more popular song. And, we had to choreograph it in 3 days. We chose the song “No Air”, not knowing how the audience or judges would receive it. We had never seen this tv show before, so on the day of the show, we were really freaked out when we found out that thunderous buzzers could interrupt our show. I was pretty nervous before getting on the stage, but Zoe was quite calm. I was worried that if we made one mistake, we would be branded for the rest of our performing lives. I thought this was a lot of pressure and my body was shaking most of the time I was backstage. Zoe just did a lot of handstands.
When we walked on stage, the judges asked us a lot of questions that was edited from TV. It was actually relaxing, because the crowd got to know us. About 10 seconds into the routine, Zoe lifted me and the crowd gave us a standing ovation. The energy only got better from there, as the audience cheered each and every lift we did. The tv showed the crowd’s excitement, but it really didn’t capture how special it was. I’ll never forget it. The next step was the elimination show in Vegas. I wasn’t particularly worried because we were on the promo tv commercial for weeks and I thought there was no way they would send us home. When Zoe pointed out that some of the same people on the commercial were being sent home the first day, then I started to freak out. We were called up to a special interview because the judges couldn’t decide about us. We had to plead our case, and prove that we were worthy enough to pass to the next round. The next round was special in many ways. We performed to the song Halo and created a magical set to match the mood of the song. We also pushed ourselves to do the hardest sequence of lifts that we ever performed, highlighted by the move where I lift up Zoe from her ankles. I had been practicing this for 3 years, and just built the strength and learned the technique to make it work. The problem was that I could only do it once a day, and when I tried to do it during dress rehearsal, I was too tired. This led to another very stressful backstage performing experience, as I had no idea what we would be able to do for the show. Fortunately, it worked, and America loved what we did. Zoe and I have different reflections on our third act, “I’m a believer.” We acknowledge that the semi-final round was not the same entertainment value of the previous shows, but we were hoping for a better reaction from the judges and America. This was disappointing because we put a lot of new material in the piece and thought that the lighthearted nature of the performance would show people a different side of ourselves and that people would like that. Some people did not like it (my mother didn’t), some did, some thought it was okay, but not as good as the other two. Well, we were eliminated and we were upset because we had a great finale planned that would have rocked America, and we felt that our act was better than many of the acts being passed. We were supported by many many people in the dance community and that was one of the best parts of the experience. We really appreciated all the e-mail and comments we got from people who have seen us and know us. A very special shout out goes to Barry Durand and Eddie Simon for going above and beyond. After AGT, we are getting offers for work performing at different events, and are often recognized on the street. That is always fun. I am still teaching during the week, but negotiating less time so Zoe and I can perform more. We do recommend any interested acts to audition for the show, but know that it will be extremely stressful, pressurized, and in the end, worth every second.
{ Paradizo Dance }
Dave Paris & Zoe Klein
2009 Readers Choice Awards Ballot
This is your official 2009 ballot. Please vote only one time. You don’t have to select a person or couple for every category. To be included, we must receive your ballot back by November 20th. (copy and paste) Please choose your favorites in the following category’s. Your selections are kept private.
The 2009 winners will be published in early December 2009.
2009 DanceTalk® Readers Choice Awards Ballot
*** Favorite DJ –
*** Favorite Female Dancer –
*** Favorite Male Dancer –
*** Favorite Dance Couple –
*** Favorite Dance Couple (not hustle) –
*** Favorite Female Instructor –
*** Favorite Male Instructor -
*** Most Improved Dancer –
*** Favorite All Time Dancer – Please do not select a previous winner. Arte Phillips (2008) Derrick Allen (2007) Eddie Vega (2006)
*** Person of the Year –
“Growth Of the Hustle” Forum Wrap Up
We had an invigorating discussion on the current state of the hustle at this years ‘World Hustle Dance Championships’. The interaction was great and well received by amateurs, professionals, teachers, DJs etc… that contributed their ideas and suggestions on the future of the hustle. This week, we are posting the Long term suggestions. In business we talk about the five pillars of success. These apply to dance as well. If your a teacher make sure your delivering these five crucial points. a great product, effective customer service, affordable fees, convenience and a wonderful overall experience
We welcome your feedback. Everyone has to help make a difference.
* Teams to demonstrate the hustle (meet up groups) at contemporary clubs, schools,
* Teachers go to smaller markets (emerging markets) to train teachers how to instruct the hustle
* All American Jack & Jill contests to take place in all the major markets with a grand finale
* Professionals come together and brain storm, share ideas, create better communication
* New identity for the hustle, new name, new basic step, differentiate it from the line dance
* More national exposure, utilize new music to capture the youth – young people want their music
Pros pursue national TV, choreograph,
* The DJ’s are the future of this dance,
* Pros teach at Universities, get on the faculty,
* Dance contests for the best social dancers, exhibitions only, more social dancing – grass roots
* create more forums and keep the momentum going
