June 2014 Page 1 of 9

President’s Message Mike Cowlishaw

It’s election time! Every

six months we elect about

half the board of directors.

The offices up for election

at this time are Vice Presi-

dent, Secretary, Treasurer,

and Dance Class Chair.

Please attend the next meet-

ing and vote. We always

need people to fill a position

of responsibility. Remem-

ber the position requires a commitment to the club,

including attending the business and board meet-

ings as well the duties specific to the office. Please

remember this commitment when you volunteer

and vote for the candidates. Each candidate should

be willing to accept a positive role as a representa-

tive for the club to the San Diego dance communi-

ty.

As usual, we have another great dance party on

the way! Thanks to Judy and Vern for hosting the

June Dance! Many thanks to Peter and Alberta for

doing such a great job on the May Party!

It’s time to get your reservations made for the

National Smooth Dancer Convention (Labor Day

weekend). Remember it’s in Palm Springs this

year, hosted by the Palomar chapter. Watch your

email in the next few days for links to the event

and hotel information. You can also start by going

to the Palomar Chapter website..

I’ve been fortunate to compete a little lately,

dancing Pro-Am with Selena Morano-Johnson.

We did pretty well at the Emerald Ball recently.

I’ll get a report with pictures together about this in

the near future. If you want to watch fantastic

dancing, the San Diego DanceSport event will be at

the Manchester Hyatt near Seaport Village June

13th to 15th.

Thanks to all who take a turn (or more) to help

out. We never have too many helpers!

Dance tip: In a group class, focus on picking

up something new even if you think you have

the step wired. Is your technique truly perfect?

Is your rise/fall/lilt/drive/timing really perfect?

Are your partnering skills perfect? Never stop

trying to improve…….

Wishing you happy feet and a happy heart!

MC

The San Diego Chapter of National Smooth DancersThe San Diego Chapter of National Smooth DancersThe San Diego Chapter of National Smooth Dancers

SMOOTH TALKSMOOTH TALK San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.

“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”

June 2014, Vol. 14 No. 11

Nominations for Office

The following positions will be voted upon at the June General Membership Meeting, with the indicated indi-

viduals running for each office (we have three contested offices this times):

Vice President: Betty Halvin * Ann Meador Dance Class Chair: Chuck DiSessa * Jack Staudte

Secretary: Denise White * Alberta Valentini Treasurer: Kay Ryan

Please attend the meeting so that you can help the Chapter determine which of these excellent candidates will

be serving us in these roles for the coming year.

June 2014 Page 2 of 9

Queen’s Message

Lou Reyes

As I hurried down to Golden Gate Coronation’s

last April 12, 2014, I could not help but feel over-

whelmed by the way the Crowne Plaza’s ballroom

had been transformed with Russian flair. The place

had life-size cardboard Russian dolls, a hint of the

famous matryoshka dolls. The tables had long-

stemmed blue bell flowers, calla lily, chrysanthe-

mum and spider mums with a butterfly on one of the

flowers blossoming from clear see-thru vases. To

top it all off, two magnificent Faberge blue eggs,

each with a unique design, were placed between the

flower vases. These decorative eggs evoked the

style of the Romanov masterpieces; each egg rested

elegantly on a clear tall glass stand. Truly eggs-

quisite!

The gracious Queen Svetlana showered the state

and chapter queens with lovely blue royal purses as

their holding pieces. As the queens marched down

the center aisle to the music of Peter Tchaikovsky,

these exquisite purses gave them elegance and an air

of royalty. Queen Svetlana, with her adorable smile,

was escorted by her handsome husband Vladislav

and they danced to the music by the Russian com-

poser Eugene Doga from the movie "My Sweet &

Tender Beast." Their son Boris was the scepter

bearer and Lauren, Boris’ fiancée, was the crown

bearer. Everyone applauded. It was beautifully

choreographed and splendidly executed. All the past

chapter queens danced to the Waltz of Schubert. The

professional performance by Olga and Dima Suka-

chov was executed with passion and elegance. All

participants of the coronation exited to music by

Ivan Glinka.

The following day we attended the buffet brunch

on the 7th floor of the hotel. Two gentlemen in their

tuxedos greeted us courteously and escorted us to

our assigned tables. There was a wide array of fruit

selections, with delectable pastries, coffees, teas, or-

ange juices, etc. Everyone feasted at this sumptuous

brunch; each of the queens was requested to give

honor to the reigning Queen Svetlana.

Thereafter, opening of Queen’s gifts ensued. It

did not come as a surprise to all in attendance to see

all the generous gifts showered upon Queen Svet-

lana, for she is a truly a charming queen. It has be-

come a tradition of mine to collect or buy something

during each of the coronation events. For Queen

Svetlana’s coronation I purchased a set of the beauti-

ful Faberge eggs. An interesting but distressing inci-

dent occurred at the security booth at San Francisco

International Airport: I was detained after passing

through the metal detector. I saw the TSA officer

pull out the Faberge egg from my hand-carry. She

probably thought it was an eggs-plosive. LOL.

Don’t Forget about Champion on Friday Nights

Although Champion Ballroom recently changed its format for Friday nights, please remember that there is

still always a party there at the end of each week. Most Fridays, Ashley Chu hosts the evening with her usual

fine variety of quiches, pastries, cakes, cookies, or whatever else she decides to delight us with at the time.

Jack Martin provides the music, and he has been refining his selection of dance music to match the tastes of

the dancers who show up each Friday for the fun. His music is very easy to dance to.

The music and dancing begin at 7:30 in the evening on Fridays, so you get to enjoy an extra half hour of

dancing now. Be sure to get a parking pass from Champion so that you can park in the parking lot on the

south side for just $2 per event. (There is no expiration date on these passes, so once you pick one up you can

just leave it in your car for future use.) Of course, there is still parking underneath if you get there early.

The third Friday of each month now features an evening of Argentine Tango, with music and a lesson pro-

vided by Carlos Barrionuevo and Mayte Valdes. Details for Champion’s Friday night events can be found on

their website calendar, at http://www.championballroom.com/#./schedule.

June 2014 Page 3 of 9

SUNDAY NIGHT DANCE CLASS

Chuck DiSessa

Dance classes with Carrie Kloss continue into

the month of June with the International Foxtrot at

5:00 p.m. and the East Coast Swing at 6:00 p.m.

There’s no “June gloom” around here. Enthusi-

asm runs high, and everybody applies themselves to

learning the choreography and improving on their

technique.

Guest instructor Olga Ginsberg, in the second

week of classes, did well as she broke down both the

men’s and ladies’ parts while demonstrating the spe-

cific techniques and body movements necessary to

execute the patterns well. Her appearance was ar-

ranged by Carrie and very well received by both

classes. She would be welcome again anytime the

need arises.

The Foxtrot class is well attended, as interest in

the more demanding technique of the International

Style of ballroom dancing appears to run “high’ in

our dance community. This makes sense, as the

techniques learned in the International style can easi-

ly transfer to American ballroom style, with the net

effect of improving both your posture and your exe-

cution of the choreography.

The East Coast swing at 6:00 p.m. brings inter-

esting challenges to the class. Carrie is introducing

patterns from the latest revised syllabus and the class

members are experiencing some new moves that are

very attractive as well.

In case you missed it, Ines Plikshe arranged a

group order for tickets to this year’s version of the

San Diego Follies. Not everyone may be available

to attend the June 21st matinee performance at 1:30

p.m.; in that case, please feel free to call the CCT

box office at 619-588-0206 and make your own ar-

rangements with them. This year’s production is a

spectacular, musical-variety show celebrating the

Golden Years of Hollywood with your favorite stars,

fabulous dance numbers, and unforgettable music.

According to Al Folkman, you only need to attend

once, and you’ll always want to come back, again

and again.

Looking ahead, we have an exciting summer

planned for our dance classes. Irina Chalkevich will

grace our premises with outstanding choreography

for our July-August classes. She will be teaching the

American Waltz at 5:00 p.m. and the International

Samba at 6:00 p.m. If you saw her and John Selby

on TV when they danced in the finals at the Ohio

Star Ball, you witnessed some American Ballroom

routines that were absolutely stunning. Who knows

what she has planned for us this year? (And wait

until you see her Samba!!)

So please, circle your calendars for Sunday, July

1st, and plan to arrive early as a large class is ex-

pected.

Finally, elections take place in June for some of

our officers. Elections have consequences. Please

show up and vote at the June business meeting as

your vote influences the direction our club will take

as a dance class next year.

In closing, thank you all for being such a vital

and integral part of the San Diego Smooth Dancer’s

family. Your attendance and active participation in

our club help us to maintain our success as a dance

organization.

See you in class!!

All the best,

Chuck DiSessa, Dance Class Chair

San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.

June General Meeting

The next General Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday June 14th at 2:30 p.m.

at Al Folkman’s home, located at 4107 Arden Way, San Diego 92107. Be sure to bring a dish for the potluck afterwards!

June 2014 Page 4 of 9

Social Chair’s Message Amante Reyes

I have now come to the conclusion that no mat-

ter what happens to the regular worker bees

(volunteers) the event will go on, for there are oth-

ers who will step forward to get the show on the

road. Some might get sick; some might have

changed their mind;

some might have a

previous commit-

ment; some might

have forgotten the

date; but, there will

always be others

who will be there to

help.

I extend my heartfelt “Thank you so much!” first

and foremost to the hosts of the evening – Alberta

and Peter Valintini. Then to the following:

Kay Ryan, Patricia DiSessa and Ann Meador

for arriving early to ensure the venue would be

properly set up.

Bill, Mel, Lou, Russell, Ashley and Wendy for

helping set up for the evening.

Larry, a huge help prior to, during and after set-

ting out the refreshments.

Judy and Vern, Jeannie, Jackie Yu, Glenn, Bet-

ty, Bill and Maria for staying to the end to

clean up.

The Paso Doble performers – Al and Ines, Mel

and Ann V, Doug and Jennie, Dave and Denise

for an outstanding team performance, with Al

leading with his flaming cape work.

Al for a smooth and well organized playlist. He

confided to me later that he programmed all the

songs from beginning to end almost completely

removing human attendance and control.

Alberta and Peter purchased, delivered and set

up delicious refreshments – frozen lemonade,

sliced ham, turkey, watermelon, oranges, grapes,

strawberries, crackers, tortilla chips, salsa, dinner

rolls and tray of vegetables. She and Lou baked

fresh pastries (chocolate chips cookies and minia-

ture cupcakes respectively).

Some comments and recommendations coming

directly from our host Alberta:

Most of the refreshments were eaten.

Serve less tortilla chips and salsa. Only one

bag of chips was consumed. One bottle of salsa

and a bag of chips were left for next month.

One-half box of crackers was not used; it will

be served next month.

Cake was not served this month. Last social we

had one cake and some pieces were not eaten.

Almost all the freshly baked pastries were eat-

en.

Very little coffee was drunk. Maybe because it

was a hot night. Suggest using instant coffee

during hot months, the same type that is used

for Sunday classes.

Club should purchase storage baggies to pack-

age remainder of refreshments.

Increasing Larry’s compensation for additional

duties such as bringing all items up from stor-

age and returning them to the storeroom after

the social.

This report is mostly based on Alberta’s report.

For anyone who would like to get a copy of her

report please see or e-mail me or Alberta herself.

Amante Reyes,

Social Chair

June 2014 Page 5 of 9

On the Floor—His View

Mark Chapman

“Will the competitors please take their positions on

the floor for the Foxtrot.”

Got to get us to a good position in that corner

before the music starts. The Tango went well just

now. Glad we don’t have a set piece of choreogra-

phy for it—makes it easier to hit the sharp ticks in

the music. Had a little trouble with the Waltz to start

the comp—lost the beat that entire first short side. l

know most of the waltzes they use for these comps

but I didn’t know the one they played for us this

time—where did they find that one? Well, let’s see

if our Foxtrot choreography fits the song they’ve

picked for us next.

Facing Diagonal Center now, ready to go. Wow,

we really do have this corner all to ourselves. Three

other couples (will we ever have a full field for 4-

Star again?)—two in the opposite corner from us, the

other couple starting their routine on the short side at

the end of the floor ahead of us. Well, they’re wel-

come to that spot, if that’s where they want to start a

Foxtrot. Quiet now as we get ready. All of us stand-

ing here nervously after so much preparation, hun-

dreds of hours, so we can share this moment on the

floor. Standing out here where everyone can see

every step—and every mistake—we make.

“Competitors ready? Judges ready?”

Got to remember to smile. She’s already smiling

wonderfully. Always does, especially once the mu-

sic begins and we’re out there. That’s what the audi-

ence loves to see: performance look. Calm proud

smile, no matter how nervous she is. I sure am. My

head’s already not up enough—look high now, find

the far edge of the ceiling to focus on. Glad I caught

that before the music began. How was my head for

the Tango, I wonder? I always look down at some

point. Hope it was up enough most of the time.

“Please start the music for the Foxtrot!”

They’re playing Just the Way You Look Tonight.

Love that one. They played it several times this

morning during the practice session. Might have

guessed they’d play it tonight. Nice and slow, but

some good, flowing sections. Just right for our

Standard—a bit slow for an American style.

Left arm goes up to call her to me. She looks so

elegant and confident gliding in to take my hand.

Ah, she’s placing her hand perfectly, right at the be-

ginning of the measure. Step to the left as she

matches me with the music. Five, six, seven—slow,

head up a little bit more, transfer weight back to the

right—and out on eight. Good—right with the mu-

sic. Her head’s balancing me perfectly. She’s step-

ping back as I move—okay, I have all the room we

need for a good start.

Keep the first two beats clean on the Feather

Step. Make that first step long, real slow across both

beats, elegant as possible. Then two quick steps

reaching out and stretched far. Now straight into our

Triple Fall-away. Don’t know if we should keep this

at the beginning of our routine. Fine steps of course,

maybe a bit too ambitious for us yet. Can make a

great first impression on the judges, but if we don’t

get it just right—first thing they see, only thing they

remember. Don’t look at us again. Am I getting the

sway just the way I should? We hit the music okay

this time. People clapping. Well, fine so far.

Good.

She feels perfect in my arm as we hit the first

corner. Nicely balanced together. I don’t feel ele-

gant like this in the Waltz or Tango. Each dance has

its flavor. Foxtrot best for me, I think. Fred and

Ginger. Any of Sinatra’s stuff. Big bands generally.

I love this. She’s smiling now, moving with me way

back in my arm where she’s safe. We’re safe. Three

hundred people watching us, but we’re safe in the

middle of all this, flowing together.

Into the second long side. Everybody’s clapping,

not for us this time: haven’t done anything on this

side yet. Besides, the applause is coming from the

other corner. That’s fine. Everybody gets their shot.

We’ll have another say before this is done. Wish I

could see what the other couples are doing on the

floor: only see them when they come within about

three feet of us. Rest of the floor is out of our sight,

out of my world right now.

Coming out of the Tumble, slow it for the picture

line. Push her out for a nice Throwaway. She al-

ways wants me to give her a bit more time so she can

stretch her lines out fully. Still, the music—the

beat—isn’t going to wait long for us. Take care of

the beat, but take care of her first. Ah, the music’s

(Continued on page 6)

June 2014 Page 6 of 9

Mark C. Chapman, editor (619) 213-9119

Smooth Talk is a members’ service and

resource: all NSD members are encouraged

to submit ballroom-related items for inclu-

sion in the newsletter. Any articles not credited are by

the editor.

Please send proposed articles, photos, and sugges-

tions for newsletter changes to:

mcchapman88@gmail.com.

June Birthdays

Muriel Campbell 6/9

Nancy Schwartz 6/15

Ann Vutisaksatit 6/25

Cheryl-Anne Phillips 6/28

Raquel Wilson 6/30

Photo Credits

“Thank you” to those who contributed photos for this month’s newsletter:

“JV” Judy & Vern Miranda

slowing nicely for us: she can stretch out as far as

she wants while I hold us here for an extra measure.

Looks so beautiful with her head far back and away.

Her red gown with her silver necklace; my charcoal

grey tux with those tails flying back and out when

we turn.

While we’re posed here, everyone at this table is

watching us. Mostly watching her—good. I’ll take

a moment, catch—I don’t know—maybe catch

Wendy’s eye there, since she’s looking right here.

Always want to catch the eye of a couple of people

during a routine. Lets them know we’re in control

on the floor, we’re still calm enough in the middle of

everything to take a moment and look them straight

in the eye with a smile. Keeps me tied in with the

audience, too. Keeps me smiling.

Oops, stop smiling, pay attention: she was able

to stretch out for a full two measures there on that

picture line. Looking at me happily now as she

swivels back into a Same-Foot Lunge—good thing.

Time to go now, flow out with the music along this

short side. Uh-oh, I know the music, know it’s go-

ing to swell right here. Our routine is too quiet here,

won’t match the way the music is going. Can’t just

dance through this like we don’t hear it building.

She feels me slowing us down a tad. Knows I’m

going to throw in something different: we’ve been

doing this together long enough she knows I’m go-

ing to change up our steps a bit to match the music.

This has to be big, let’s make it a Double

Reverse. . .“There is nothing for me but to love

you”—love that part—but we’ll have to do another

Double Reverse to keep with the phrase all the way

through. . .okay, slow it down now, remember the

music goes soft here right away, finish with a slow

Contra-Check, get our balance perfect for this final

phrasing. . .“just the way you look tonight.” Oh that

was just right, and she stretched way back for a good

line. Got to time this well now flowing back out of

the check. They’re fading the music; just finish

things up with a simple Change of Direction—

nothing fancy, we made our point with the crescen-

do. She’s stretching out from me as she feels the

music fade, our motion slowing to nothing. Perfect-

ly still as the music dies out.

Finished.

“Will the competitors please take your positions on

the floor for your final dance, the Quickstep.”

I’m about done. Don’t think I breathed during

that final side. Earlier she said she wants us to make

the initial run in our Quickstep in front of the judg-

es—I’ll line up our Diagonal Wall here and we’ll

stretch it out right in front of them. She’ll like that.

Wonder if I can breathe enough to move? Which

Quickstep music is this going to be? Don’t even re-

member the music we just danced the Foxtrot to.

Usually don’t—the notes, the words, the music:

there for a couple of minutes, filling our heads and

our bodies, then gone. Maybe I’ll remember what

the music was later on after the comp is over. Hope

so—feels like it was a good one to dance to.

“Competitors, ready? Judges ready? May we

please have the music for the Quickstep!”

(Continued from page 5)

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