CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

As a little girl growing up in a family of four sisters and one brother, mom and dad always made Christmas special for us. Of course we all believed in Santa Claus and when we stopped believing, we never let on to mom and dad, I guess we wanted to keep Christmas special for them also.

I remember the dozens and dozens of cookies our mother made, chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and best of all sugar cookies cut out in various shapes topped with homemade butter cream icing in different colors. I remember dad going into the kitchen opening a tin and mom saying "Herb, get out of those cookies." Every afternoon during the holidays between 2:00 and 3:00, we would have a "tea party" consisting of cookies and eggnog. As a matter of fact, as adults we kept the tradition of the "tea party."

I remember waking up very early Christmas morning to find a nylon stocking tied to the bedpost filled with apples, oranges, nuts, and Christmas candy. We would rush downstairs with big smiles on our faces to see what Santa Claus brought us, we were never disappointed.

As adults, and some of us living in different states, going home for Christmas was a lot of fun. With our parents older, it was our turn to make Christmas special for them. I remember mom and dad telling my daughter and me that we made Christmas for them, because without fail, we went every year and stayed until New Year's. Little did they know they were still making Christmas special for us.

Our family enjoyed playing games at Christmas. Dad's favorite was Monopoly, and mom's was Scrabble. The all time favorite family game was Bingo. All during the year each of us would collect inexpensive gag gifts to wrap for the big game. The winner of each game would choose a gift from the laundry basket. In a paperbag, we had pieces of paper with instructions such as: take a gift from the person on your right, give a gift to the person on your left, etc., that we passed around, and each person had a chance to get a gift if you were lucky, or give up a gift. The hours of fun and laughter we had together playing Bingo will never be forgotten.

Unfortunately this is our second Christmas without dad, and our first Christmas without mom. Even though they are no longer with us, they left each of us with special Christmas memories of our time together. Now it is our turn to take the reins and continue to make Christmas memories together. Merry Christmas Mom and Dad.

BALLROOM DANCING

Ballroom dance refers collectively to a set of partner dances, which originated in Germany and are now enjoyed both socially and competitively around the globe. Its performance and entertainment aspects are also widely enjoyed on stage, in film, and on television. In times past, ballroom dancing was “social dancing” for the privileged, leaving “folk dancing” for the lower classes. Many “ballroom” dances were really elevated folk dances. In spite of its historical image as a pastime for the privileged; formal competitions, sometimes referred to as DanceSport, often allow participation by less advanced dancers at various proficiency levels. Ballroom dance competitions take place worldwide at different levels. Ballroom dancing isn’t mainly enjoyed by only adults but it is taught to youngsters at an early age of 10-11 in the 5th grade in some US states. Not only are they taught, but they participate in city wide competitions. They are taught dances randomized from tango, rumba, swing (jitterbug), foxtrot and the merengue as a celebration to their senior year in elementary school. This competition is called “colors of the rainbow.”

In competition ballroom dancers are judged by diverse criteria such as connection, frame, posture, speed, timing, proper body alignment, proper usage of weight, ankles, feet, and grooming.

DANCES

In one common usage “ballroom dance” refers to the ten dances of International Standard and International Latin, though the term is also often used interchangeably with the five International Standard dances . In the United States, the American Style (American Smooth and American Rhythm) also exists.

International Style
International Standard
Slow Waltz - Tango - Viennese Waltz - Slow Foxtrot - Quickstep
International Latin
Cha Cha - Samba - Rumba - Paso Doble - Jive
American Style
American Smooth
Waltz - Tango - Foxtrot - Viennese Waltz
American Rhythm
Cha Cha - Rumba - East Coast Swing - Bolero - Mambo
Historical/Vintage Dance
Waltz - Polka - Schottische - Tango - One-Step - Foxtrot

The dances I enjoy seeing performed the most are the Samba, Paso Doble, and the Viennese Waltz.

Samba: The Samba is an all-out party dance with origins from Brazil’s Rio Carnival. It is made up of many different South American dances incorporated into one. It is very rhythmical with lots of hip action. Walking Samba steps and side steps are the basic components of this dance. The major characteristic of the Samba is the vertical bounce action. Steps are taken using the ball of the foot. The accomplished dancer is made to look effortless and carefree with knee action, body sway and “pendulum motion.” My favorite part of the Samba is the Samba roll - a rolling movement from the waist up. The upper body circles as you create a six-step turning group. The Samba has a distinctive climax, it ends with throwing of heads back and arms splayed out to the side.

Paso Doble: The Paso Doble on the competition floor should create a Spanish Bull Fighting atmosphere. The Paso Doble is the dance of the Man, which allows him to fill the “Space” with strong three-dimensional shapes and movements danced with “Pride and Dignity.” The woman’s role varies depending on the interpretation of the dance. The woman can take the role of the matador’s cape, the bull or even the matador at different times within the dance. Characteristics of the Paso Doble are the “Marching” flavor given to the steps and the cape movements creating the required tension between both dancers. It is one of the only dances that is danced only in the ballroom world. It is one of the most dramatic of the dances.

Viennese Waltz: The Waltz developed in Central Europe from the Austrian dance known as the Landler. The fast whirling of partners held as if in an embrace shocked polite society. The music of Johann Strauss and the famous ballrooms of Vienna popularized the faster version known as the Viennese Waltz. Distinctive moves: sweeping turns that gracefully move around the floor characterize this dance. The Viennese Waltz is know for its rotational movement, which is simple and elegant. There should be no foot rise on the inner turns; rotating and swinging spatial movements.