As the Dancer Turns...

Saturday January 17th, 2015

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

Photo Credit: Doug Silton

NEW STUFF!

Happy New Year & welcome to 2015!!!

We wish you lots of good health, family & friendship time, happiness, & of course an overdose of dancing for the new year. (Maybe I should have listed dancing as first priority haha!)

Just to note, we had a gmail issue recently, & you may have not been able to send us an email. Phil wants you all to know that with his infinite wisdom, he figured out the problem, so it is indeed resolved. Please contact us now, if you were unable to do so a few weeks ago. We love to hear from you!

Phil & I just returned last night from a trip to Florida... we were visiting my Dad & brother in the Boca Raton/Pompano Beach areas! We had lots of family time, eating, dancing, nature adventures, & even a little shopping. We stayed in Deerfield Beach, & found a new spot to hang out. The night we flew in, we checked in to our hotel & took a late night stroll to find some food for our hungry tummies. (I would have written "bellies," but Phil liked "tummies" instead. He got the karma word from me too. Now he is also saying, "Don't put out negative vibes!") There was a musician playing outside of an Italian Restaurant; he had a guitar & sang soulful songs on the sidewalk. At about 11 pm, we sat down to eat, & Johnny the musician said, "Last song." We got up to dance, & afterwards dear Johnny played one more song. Then he again said, "Last song." We danced & ate (not at the same time), & basically he kept playing until midnight. He was so happy that we were dancing! We really got the side walk jumping. Hopefully we didn't get Johnny in trouble for staying overtime. Somebody did buy him some pizza.

And thank you to our sub teachers, Carlus, Josie, Miguel, & Greg, & for all you dancers who came out this last week. Thanks to Robert also for helping with sign-in. Everyone's support while we are away is so important; we appreciate it a lot!

TONIGHT IN PLACENTIA (ORANGE COUNTY), 3rd Saturday Event! Please come join us at the CCR Dance; we are teaching three classes that can all help your West Coast Swing (& other dancing as well)! . FIRST TIMERS FREE!

We are starting early tonight at 6:15pm...
Take a Peek at Your Technique:
6:15 pm Turns & Body Movements (Open to all.)
6:45 pm Beyond the Patterns (with a twist) (Need to know WCS basics.)
7:25 pm Intermediate West Coast Swing (Need to know WCS basics.)
8:00 pm Open Dancing with a mix of Country, Swing, Hustle etc. See below for more info.

Also reminder that our workshop in PASADENA at PBDA is coming soon... SUNDAY, JANUARY 25th! See details below.

SCHEDULE UPDATES

*1st SATURDAY WORKSHOP & SWING DANCE IN FEBRUARY: 2/7/15: We are having our usual 1st Saturday Workshop & Swing Dance Event at the Hacienda. (See link above for details.)

*THURSDAY DJ NIGHTS FEBRUARY: 2/19/15 & 2/26/15: Upcoming DJ nights for us on Thursdays at the Hacienda for the Swing Dance after our usual classes.

*PBDA SUNDAY, JANUARY 25th, 2015: Guest instructors at the Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association in Pasadena (details below) on Sunday, January 25th, 2015.
 
*HACIENDA HOTEL SCOOP: This is the update info from the last Newsletter, with one new note: Please be extra patient & flexible due to hotel construction. There will be temporary changes & rearranges, regarding floor space, etc. We are hopeful that once construction is done, there will be many improvements.

Unfortunately there are some rumors going around about the dancing being discontinued at the Hacienda. The management has not given us any indication thus far that they will be cancelling the dancing. We talk to the food & bar manager on a weekly basis, so here is what we know to be true:

1. The hotel was sold, & new owners took over quite some time ago.
2. The hotel will be remodeled over time; bigger renovations will begin in February. There will be two hotels, a Marriott & a Loft. And the bar, restaurant, & banquet areas will remain the Hacienda Conference Center.
3. The forth dance floor has been removed; it is temporarily being used as an employee cafeteria during reconstruction. We knew that was going to happen, but didn't know the exact time frame as the plans had been changed a number of times.
4. The hotel restaurant will be closed for a period of time while hotel rooms are being remodeled (probably starting in February).
5. This is the most recent update, but we have no guarantees. The best thing we can do is to support the bar/dancing as much as possible so the management stays convinced that they need us! Please make a purchase every time you come to the Hacienda, & encourage everyone to come dancing to keep this amazing & unique venue alive!

CLASSES CANCELLED w/ Phil

High Desert Dance Company in Lancaster: Wednesday, January 28th, 2015.  Jason Disbrow will be teaching Beginner/Intermediate WCS at 6 pm.

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! THERE ARE EIGHT SONG PICKS THIS TIME SINCE IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

ONGOING STUFF!

Dance 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!

Shameless Plugs

* We are available for PRIVATE LESSONS throughout the week; contact us to schedule. You get a $5 discount per DVD when you do a private! I have an opening at 5:30pm on Thursdays; contact me if interested.

*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)!

Since we were away, we have nobody to call out. Wow... twice in a row, you are all off the hook!

Tune-up Your Playlist

We want to share with you our favorite songs of the week!

Mindia's Pick: "XO" by John Mayer (WCS)

Phil's Pick:  "Jealous" by Nick Jonas (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

* 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 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:
(Click link at the top for details.) (Must be at least 21 years old to attend any Hacienda workshops. classes, or dances.) SAVE THESE UPCOMING DATES: FEBRUARY 7th, MARCH 7th, & April 4th, 2015. We are always your DJs, unless otherwise noted.

* UPCOMING SATURDAY, JANUARY 17th: GUEST INSTRUCTORS CHRISTIAN COUNTRY ROUND-UP DANCE: ALL ARE WELCOME! You can usually find us at the Clubhouse in Placentia (formerly the Atomic) on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the CCR Dance. We teach three classes this month, all relatable to West Coast Swing (must know your basics). There is usually 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). More details on our website under Special Events.

* UPCOMING SUNDAY, JANUARY 25TH: GUEST INSTRUCTORS PASADENA BALLROOM DANCE ASSOCIATION! 6:30 pm Intermediate West Coast Swing. Social Dancing 7:30 to 9pm. PBDA co-owners are the lovely Tami & Erin Stevens. Cost: $15 for the lesson & dance; $10 for the dance only. Location: 73 N. Hill Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106.

* 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. 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 ;-)