tropicalsunset Posted November 10, 2007 #1351 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Our studio was pretty quiet this week... they sent some folks out to Ohio.. We had the big ballroom almost to ourselves... so we started on Tango...which we have avoided... cuz when are we going to dance that....?? Dave decided that HE really likes the Tango...!! :rolleyes: :D Smooth: I hope you are planning a couple days precruise in Barcelona... just to help get over the jet lag.. take something to help you sleep just in case.. A friend of mine wants us to do a transat next fall on Holland America... 24 days.... great itinerary!! and I would love to go back to Europe... but I'd really like to do a cheap Carib this year and start planning a SAmerica trip!! ..... Ah... decisions.... decisions.... lots of dance parties coming up... we had a sign up party last night for the Christmas dance... my favorite band was playing..we invited my son and his GF and then met friends there...so now we have a full table.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothdancer Posted November 11, 2007 #1352 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I am not at the planning stage yet, but yes it is our plan for a couple of days pre cruise... I have never been... Yea, there are so many people going to Ohio. This is really a pro/am comp so we dont go. We are done competing for the year, with our next comp not being until March... Love the break! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted November 11, 2007 #1353 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Janet: Samantha Brown was in VAlencia, Spain this morning in her Passport to Europe series... she may have info you can use on her website.. I would love to go to that area!!!! I hope you get to do some Flemenco!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCurry Posted November 13, 2007 #1354 Share Posted November 13, 2007 am so glad you came back to post about your cruise. It sounds like you had a great time. We have a 7 day med cruise booked for August 2008. I am not thinking about it much as it is so far away but when the time comes I will have to pick your brain for suggestions!! This is an RCCL that is round trip from Barcalona, and a stop a day. I look at like more of a floating hotel then a cruise. Our cruise/dance friends are beginning to talk Europe as well, something as you describe Smooth would be great. A crossing on a Queen is also on my list but that will have to wait as my wife has a problem being gone that long. Tough choices Tropical, so many cruises so little time. I have not caught Dancing with the Stars a real lot this season but yea our race driver is still there!! Yep, Ole Helio is hanging in there, actually he's the best of the male dancers, he nailed a Quick Step and Paso last night. His Samba was also well done, but as a Brazilian, there was no surprise there. Cameron has done a good job, but he is just too big and tall to get it together quickly. I think probably Marie goes tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copi2boys Posted November 18, 2007 #1355 Share Posted November 18, 2007 we just signed up for dance lessons in preparation for our trip!! I told DH I didn't want to just hang on each other to dance. We just observed the first night for a little bit before actually signing up. The instructor was teaching the waltz, ... can't wait to try it. Wed night classes and unfortunately canceled this week being it was the night before Thanksgiving so we will be raring to go the following week!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummsie Posted November 18, 2007 #1356 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hi copi2boys - welcome to our friendly group. You won't be sorry you have signed up for some lessons pre cruise.:D Our last competition on Saturday before the Australians in 3 weeks - we got a first place in the level 4 ballroom and a 3rd in the level 4 New Vogue so we were stoked :D Son and partner got 4 2nds and daughter and sil got a 3rd and at 4th so we all did well :D Mummsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCurry Posted November 20, 2007 #1357 Share Posted November 20, 2007 we just signed up for dance lessons in preparation for our trip!! I told DH I didn't want to just hang on each other to dance. We just observed the first night for a little bit before actually signing up. The instructor was teaching the waltz, ... can't wait to try it. Wed night classes and unfortunately canceled this week being it was the night before Thanksgiving so we will be raring to go the following week!! Learning before you get on the ship is certainly the right thing to do and really enhances your cruise experience. They usually have lessons on the ship but they are very basic and unless you already dance, they aren't much help. We are social dancers in the Houston/Galveston Area, and we really enjoy cruise dancing. When is your Cruise, ship, destination? Congrats Mummsie; you and that family of Semi-pros just keep getting better. Here's wishing you luck in the Australians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted November 21, 2007 #1358 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Happy Thanksgiving to all!! We will head up to Maine... no dancing for us this weekend but lots of parties after this... couldn't believe the results show last night... or maybe i should expect that... PR RULES!! Copi2.. Welcome to our group.... we did the cruising thing first and then got into dancing..more ways to meet folks too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copi2boys Posted November 26, 2007 #1359 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Now that I figured out how to do the cruise countdown you can see... We are going on the Mariner of the Seas for a Christmas cruise with extended family!! ahhh, a month from today we should be sitting under a palm tree on Coco Cay... Tropicalsunset - where in Maine did you go? We have a summer cottage on Peaks Island, a 20 minute ferry ride from Portland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted November 27, 2007 #1360 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Copi: We go to Portland... MY FIL lives in North Portland just off the turnpike... my DH cousin lives in Augusta and that is where we had Thanksgiving dinner... it was nice up there last week!! I sure hope you like LOBSTER>.. its the best up there!! we would love to do a family cruise for the holiday sometime...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan500 Posted December 8, 2007 #1361 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Instructional DVD's are available at any Borders bookstore; that's where I picked one up. I love to dance, just can't convince DH... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothdancer Posted December 18, 2007 #1362 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Last X-Mas we sailed on the Golden Princess over the Holidays. Our boys could not travel home for X-Mas, so we thought what the heck. It was so great, probably one of my more favorite cruises. You should have a great time. It has been a while since we sailed on RCCL but I do remember that at the Captains party they have the ships band playing ballroom music and it is so much fun.... Your dance lessons should come in handy. Careful, it is habit forming. We began dance lessons some 14 years ago in preparation for our first cruise, became hooked and never stopped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCurry Posted December 19, 2007 #1363 Share Posted December 19, 2007 It has been a while since we sailed on RCCL but I do remember that at the Captains party they have the ships band playing ballroom music and it is so much fun.... Your dance lessons should come in handy. Careful, it is habit forming. We began dance lessons some 14 years ago in preparation for our first cruise, became hooked and never stopped! That was one of the few things I liked about NCL, there were a lot of dance opportunities, the Captains party was one of them. We've been hooked going on 8 years now, cruising and dancing just seem to go together. Howz you doing Smooth, feeling better? Happy Holidays to you!! I thought about you when they pulled that girl with the burst appendix off the Princess ship by helicopter and operated on her on the Ronald Reagan (aircraft carrier) down near Mexico the other day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maler Posted December 20, 2007 #1364 Share Posted December 20, 2007 My wife and I have been hired to teach ballroom dance for some upcoming cruises. We are also expected to dance at all of the parties which we always do anyway. My wife has been giving dance lessons for years and now we get to combine 2 of our favorite things. We will be doing 2 cruises per year and have a choice of lines and cruises. It is becoming very popular for cruise lines to do this. The company we are working through were very excited to have us join them. We get the cruise for free but we do have to get ourselves to the port and cover tips and extra expenses. There are some restrictions but nothing that we can't handle. If you love to dance, check out the dailies, you might find us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothdancer Posted December 20, 2007 #1365 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Well now Maler, that was a very exciting post! Last summer we were on the QM2 where there was a pro couple giving the group lessons and did a small performance in the Queens Room. I did not however see them at any of the nightly dance parties. Have you been contracted for priviate dance cruise groups or will your lessons be for all passangers? I hope it is the later because up to now it seems that it is the dance company that gives the lessons. Having been a competetive dancer for many years, and have had the opportunity to watch tons of group lessons I am convinced there is an art to this.... Being a great dancer does not necessarly make you a great teacher, and so I am thrilled to read you post, that is if I read it right. How many times have I read the questions on these boards if dance lessons are available. There is such a desire for this, and horray that it is acknowledged. You just must tell us more! And then of course how would we know it is you in the daily program without telling who you are! Gene, The recovery is going ever so slow. Now of course you know how terribly inpatient and demanding I can be and I am so fustrated by these tiny steps of progress, yet today I am feeling pretty good and hopeful. I no longer require any pain medication to get by. As my sister say..."now Janet one cannot expect ones entire stomach to be opened up, operated on and just pop back to good health in a week! " Still, this week I began to think about dance again, (not for myself, just dance talk in general) and up to now I had not the slighest desire to even think about it, so all is starting to look up I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maler Posted December 21, 2007 #1366 Share Posted December 21, 2007 The lessons will be available for all passengers. They will be beginning lessons for obvious reasons and are scheduled to last one hour. We were told that the lesson will be in the dailies so everyone will know about them in advance. There should be 4 classes that week. You are correct that TEACHING is much different than dancing. Each step must be broken down and explained as well as demonstrated so the class can follow along. We were not asked to do any performance but were told that we needed to attend all evening dances and be prepared to dance right away to encourage others to dance. Our next dancing cruise is on the NCL Spirit in July of 2008 for a week in the Caribbean leaving out of NY. If you're there, we'll see you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Rita Posted December 21, 2007 #1367 Share Posted December 21, 2007 To all the dancers: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!:) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted December 21, 2007 #1368 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Maler: .. do they have a list of available cruises for dance instructors... sometimes it seems that these lessons are not offered or that some lines use the dancers on ships... Smooth: so sorry to hear of your emergency at sea... HOW SCARY WAS THAT??!!!:eek: :eek: glad you are home and doing better. I hope your recovery is swift and soon you are back on the dance floor!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummsie Posted January 20, 2008 #1369 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Wow - where has everybody gone? I have been away 2 weeks and not one message in all that time.!!! :confused: We are just back from the Sun Princess - dancing was very disapointing in this ship. I guess it didn't help that we were on second sitting for dinner - hated it - never again. That have taken anytime dining off this ship now its sailing under P&O which is a real shame. Then the only place they had dancing was the Wheelhouse Bar which was also the only place on board that smoking was allowed inside so we were lucky to get 10 minutes of dancing in before we choked the death. I did put in a complaint that they should provide another venue and they said they would try but it didn't happen. Other than that we had a great time - it didn't make us have a bad time or anything but we would have had a better time if we could have worked off dinner. I have never put on so much weight in such a short time. I really blame the late dinner. We were ravenous by then so usually demolished all the bread on the table before they even came out with the menus. :p Mummsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted January 21, 2008 #1370 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Mummsie: we always get late seating as our friends like that seating. we do usually stay up pretty late and make the rounds to various venues.. was that the only venue that offered dancing?? we can usually do some latin or disco somewhere on the ship not just the venue for "ballroom" style dancing. We usually sail Celebrity but are interested in other lines also.. We are off on Century for a Back to BAck on Feb 9th.. this is just to get out of the cold so we are looking forward to some dancing on this sailing.. We went to a local " singles dance" with friends just for the opportunity to dance.... it was well attended... lots of dancing... several ballroom dancers in attendance.... -- I was happy that I had my "dedicated dance partner"!! :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummsie Posted January 22, 2008 #1371 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hi Tropical, glad to see somebody is still around. It was the only venue with any sort of dancing except for the disco which basically shut at 11.30 because there weren't enough people in there it make it worthwhile. My son went a few times but gave up because there was usually only one or 2 people in there. It wasn't a real party ship - we had over 380 kids on board so mainly families going to bed early. I put on over 3 kilos on this trip and I blame the late dinner. Since we have come home on Saturday, I have lost about 800 grams so happy about that but in future if we can't get early or anytime we probably won't book. Just don't enjoy eating that late. It stuffs my whole system up. Looks like we might be doing a 4 nighter out of Singapore in June. Gary is just doing all the sums now. - mummsie :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalsunset Posted February 3, 2008 #1372 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Mummsie: my friend just left today for a B2b2b on Mercury of the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia... I will enjoy her pictures when she gets back... she is an avid photographer.. The NCL sailing our studio had booked for mid Feb ended up getting canceled... they needed to get 30 cabins booked between the two studios... they didn't get that... so I am glad we booked with our cruise friends... our sailings have been on Happy hour specials.. so I'm thinking the sailings are not booking and we will have the dance floor to ourselves!! :D Enjoying the Ohio Star Ball that is airing for the next 4 weeks on PBS stations on Weds night... We will never get to that level of dancing... but am sure amazed and awestruck by those of you who do!! What a commitment that takes..!! Smooth: are you around.... How are you doing... are you about ready to slip on the dancing shoes yet??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummsie Posted February 3, 2008 #1373 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi Tropical. I hope they get good weather - we are in the middle of cyclone season at the moment. Fiji is getting hit as I am writing. Tropical, could you please please record the Ohio Star Ball for me - I can send you something in return :D - Mummsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoothdancer Posted February 4, 2008 #1374 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I know, this thread has losts it steam... Yes, I am back to dancing for about two weeks now. Prior to that, maybe a month, I was at the gym everyday building back up my core and stamnia and we were able to slide back into our routine without much of an issue. We are getting ready for a national amatuar competition in Baltimore in April, and I am happy I have my life back! At this point I might even be in better shape then when we left. I attribute mu quick recovery to all this dancing! We do have a few full backbends in our American Smooth waltz and tango and I think these may have to come out for this comp, but that is fine with me...LOL Geez Mummsie I am so sorry to hear you did not have much dancing after we had so much dancing on our Hawaii cruise. As a matter of fact they did a ballroom dance contest similar to the Princess Idol, just on a lower scale. When we cruise any type of contest with judging is not on my radar but it was fun to watch. Unfortunatley for me I dont think I will ever cruise Princess again. You know the ship designs and decor are so similar and I think just seeing the decor will bring back too many bad memories... On the plus side here in the US there are so many lines we can pick from, not an issue. Our next scheduled cruise is to the med on RCCL next summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swwake Posted February 4, 2008 #1375 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi Y'all. I still watch this board. But our dancing has taken a somewhat different turn. You may remember me from last April/May-ish. I was getting ready for our June '07 cruise and we had started taking salsa and EC Swing/Jitterbug lessons at our local studio. The studio does offer many varieties of smooth and latin, but we haven't had time to get into those yet. We are still taking Salsa and are Level 2/3. We have temporarily suspended our EC/Jitterbug efforts and are now Level 2/3 West Coast Swing. We're having lots of fun with it, and our 15-year-old daughter is also involved. DH and I will be performing in our first showcase this June. It's not a comp, just a showcase. We are going to try to attend a comp as spectators in March, just to see how it all works. DD will also perform in the showcase. They are currently looking for a partner for her, and maybe two other teen couples to do a little routine at the showcase. If they can't find the teens, my DH will do a showcase with her. Anyway, I do have fun reading your thread and all of your ballroom adventures. Maybe one day we will have more time to devote to dance and will be able to expand our dance horizons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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