HOLIDAY BALL & DANCE CAMP December 27th - 30th, 2008 - Marriott Hotel - by the San Francisco Airport 2007 Holiday Ball class schedule...
December 27 - Camp
10:30 - 10:45 am	Orientation & Introducing the 2007 Holiday Ball & Dance Camp Staff Members
10:55 - 11:45	Ballroom B - Rumba - foot & leg actions Part I with Melissa Ballroom C - Waltz - how to create swing Part I with Anna
11:50 - 12:40	Ballroom B - Latin - the 3 leads Part I with Nadia Ballroom C - Ballroom - the importance of connections with Victor
1:40 - 2:30	Ballroom B - LUNCH BREAK Ballroom C - Tango - speed changes and how to deal with them with Charlotte
3:30 - 4:20	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha/Rumba - spin, turns & spirals Part I with Nadia Ballroom C - Ballroom - transition from open to close with Stephen
4:25 - 5:15	Ballroom B - Performane Class with Olga Ballroom C - Lecture - Naturopathic Exercise & Movement - with Nelson
8:30	Dance Party! "Break the Ice" & Showcase of our 2007 HB Staff...
12:45 - 1:35	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha - timimg and how to use them with Giacomo Ballroom C - Am. Foxtrot - Pattern Part I with Olga
2:35 - 3:25	Ballroom B - Paso Doble - the cape vs the matator Part I with Giacomo Ballroom C - LUNCH BREAK
5:20 - 6:10	Ballroom C - Introduction to Feldenkreis - with Taba
December 28 - Camp
9:00- 9:50	stretch class with Nelson
10:00 - 10:50	Ballroom B - Samba - samba rolls made easier with Giacomo Ballroom C - Q-Step - let's be light Part I with Stephen
10:55 - 11:45	Ballroom B - Rumba - foot & leg actions Part II with Melissa Ballroom C - Waltz - how to create swing Part II with Anna
11:50 - 12:40	Ballroom B - Latin - the 3 leads Part II with Nadia Ballroom C - Ballroom - floorcraft and why? Part I with Victor
12:45 - 1:35	Ballroom B - LUNCH BREAK Ballroom C - Am. Foxtrot - Pattern Part II with Olga
140- 2:30	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha/Rumba - spins,turns & spirals Part II with Nadia Ballroom C - LUNCH BREAK
2:35 - 3:25	Ballroom B - Paso Doble - the cape vs the matator Part II with Giacomo Ballroom C - Ballroom - balance & counter balance with Charlotte
3:30 - 4:20	Ballroom B - Performance Class with Olga Ballroom C - supervised pratice
8:00 - 9:00	Lecture - Creating a healthy Mind, Body and Spirit - with Nelson
December 29 - Camp
9:00- 9:50	stretch class with Nelson
10:00 - 10:50	Ballroom B - Latin - connections Part I- with Filipe Ballroom C - Q-Step - let's be light Part II with Stephen
10:55 - 11:45	Ballroom B - Jive - beyond the basics with Melissa Ballroom C - Int'l Foxtrot - look like a champ! with Charlotte
11:50 - 12:40	Ballroom B - Bolero - rise/fall made easy Part I with Carolina Ballroom C - Ballroom - floorcraft and why? Part II with Victor
12:45 - 1:35	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha - feet that twist,turn and swivel Part I with Giacomo Ballroom C - LUNCH BREAK
1:40 - 2:30	Ballroom B - LUNCH BREAK Ballroom C - Ballroom - why use CBM & CBMP? with Charlotte
2:35 - 3:25	Ballroom B - Rumba - arms,hands and fingers with Carolina Ballroom C - Am V.Waltz - Pattern Part I with Olga
3:30- 4:20	Ballroom B - Performance Class with Olga Ballroom C - Feldenkreis - with Taba
8:30 - 10:00	TALENT NIGHT - share any hidden talents you may have - please sign up at the Rancho Mirage office...
December 30 - Camp & Comp
9:00 - 9:50	Stretch Class with Nelson
10:00 - 10:50	Ballroom B - Latin - connections Part II with Filipe Ballroom C - Am. V Waltz Pattern Part II with Olga
10:55 - 11:45	Ballroom B - Mambo - fun patterns with Felipe Ballroom C - Tango - leading transitions with Glenn
11:50 - 12:40	Ballroom B - Latin - how to choreograph?with Nadia Ballroom C - Argentine Tango - with Felipe & Carolina
12:45 - 1:35	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha - feet that twist,turns & swivel Part II with Giacomo Ballroom C - Ballroom - all about pivots and turns with Stephen
1:40 - 2:30	Ballroom B - Bolero - rise/fall made easy Part II with Carolina Ballroom C - Int'l Foxtrot - timing and how to use it with Glenn
2:35 - 3:25	Performance Class (if needed!)
6:30	Main Ballroom - Cocktail reception and Dinner followed by the Holiday Ball Dance Competition
December 31 - Camp & NY Eve Gala
10:00- 12:00	Ballroom B - Forum - "what judges look for, how they make their decisions. An evaluation from the HB Competition (L.)
12:00 - 12:50	Ballroom B - Latin - use of bodyweight with Carolina Ballroom C - Ballroom - the ABC of a picture line with Glenn
12:55 - 1:45	Ballroom B - WC-Swing -make it slincky with Felipe Ballroom C - Ballroom - man vs lady with Stephen
8:00	The New Year's Eve Gala reception commences in the Main Ballroom.
2:40 - 2:50	COFFEE BREAK
1:50 - 2:40	Ballroom B - Cha-Cha - syncopated rhythmn & executions with Giacomo Ballroom C - Ballroom - what would you like to know? with Glenn
2:50 - 3:40	Ballroom B - Latin - leg and hip rotations with Carolina Ballroom C - Ballroom - the perfect leader with Stephen
Dance Camp Journal
Read about one camper/helper's experiences at the 2001 Holiday Ball and Dance Camp.
Thursday, December 27, 2001	Workshops attended, 6; Pages of notes taken, 4; Meals consumed, 3 Early morning. Why did I have to wake up so early during the holiday? Oh right, today was the first day of that Dance Camp thing. Well, it all began two weeks ago during my private lesson with Stephan (Stephan as in Stephan and Denise Krauel, owners of the Imperial Dance Studio, and co-organizers of the Dance Camp, in case you don’t already know. Clear enough?). Stephan was giving me a particularly technique-oriented lesson, which I enjoyed a lot. At the end of the lesson, Stephan said, "If you like this kind of stuff, you will get a lot of it at the Dance Camp." And so, there I went. I arrived at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel at 8 am to help Stephan set up. By 9:30 am I was sitting at the registration desk, greeting the first wave of dance campers. Some of these people I knew pretty well, some I only knew by their faces, and some were absolute strangers to me. But they all had one thing in common – they all looked excited and were itching to dance. Hey, was it Richard Porter who just walked by and said hi to me? And that was John and Snieguole Wood with their beautiful little daughter standing at the corner. Look at all these dance celebrities… I finally got to take a closer look at these famous dancers at today’s workshops. I took mainly workshops in Standard, as I have always liked Standard better (to me, Standard dances are the main courses, Latin dances are snacks, and nightclub dances are desserts). It was more than exciting and inspiring to watch excellent Standard dancers like John Wood, Snieguole Wood, Giampiero Giannico, Charlotte Jorgensen and Glenn Weiss dance from such a close distance. Every single step they took seem so natural and effortless, yet you knew that their muscles were working really hard. As Charlotte explained to us later on, nothing in ballroom dancing is natural. Everything is indeed carefully calculated and manipulated. By practicing, our bodies become used to the movements and then our dancing will finally seem natural and graceful. On top of being good dancers, the instructors were also excellent teachers. They articulated very well, and they were attentive to students’ questions. Also, they were extremely friendly and approachable, despite the snobbish nature of the Standard dances (I mean, when else do you get to point your nose so high up in the air?). As Stephan had promised, the classes were mostly technique-oriented. Instead of teaching new figures, which one could easily learn from group classes or the technique book, the workshops served more to help us improve basic techniques like posture, balance, and the correct usage of our muscles. In my opinion, learning good techniques was definitely much more important than being able to do fancy figures. As usual, the classes were filled with students at different levels. Yet the teachers talked in such a way that everybody got something valuable out of the workshop. Also, I had to say that some of our teachers definitely had a great sense of humor. For example, John Wood gave me an imaginary yellow card during a workshop (as in the yellow card that soccer players got when they violated rules in a soccer game. You know, John Wood is from England) and told me that I had to leave the dance floor immediately if he saw me move again after he said "stop." Humph. I was rather tired after a whole day of workshops, but I insisted on going to the "break-the-ice" party at night, and it proved to be totally worth it. The performances by Charlotte Jorgensen and Giampiero Giannico, and John and Snieguole Wood at the staff showcase were absolutely breathtaking. They didn’t wear any fancy make-up or costume, but simply impressed us by the way they floated across the dance floor, so elegantly and so perfectly. There were also a few mixers and some general dancing, which was a great chance for me to meet my fellow dance campers. I was still thinking about all the cool stuff I learned today when I drove home, until I suddenly realized that I was in San Francisco, with an empty gas tank and an over-exhausted body. Hmm… I lived down in the south bay, and now I was up north in the city, so it could only mean that I got onto the highway heading the wrong direction. Arrrgggggghhhhhhhhh!
Friday, December 28, 2001	Workshops attended, 8; Pages of notes taken, 7; Meals consumed, 5 It was another day full of workshops, and gosh did I learn some REALLY interesting things today. Have you ever danced Jive on a chair? This morning, Richard Porter began his lesson by telling everyone to pull a chair onto the dance floor. Just when some people started dancing with the chairs as their partners (I personally don’t recommend doing that from an aesthetic point of view), Richard told us to sit down on the chairs and showed us how to do some flicks and kicks while sitting. This helped us to get used to the "bounce and rebounce" actions of the legs easier as we didn’t have to worry about supporting our own weight. And, let me tell you, this Richard was a heck of a funny guy. Within ten minutes, he successfully made the entire class say "Yes, Richard" in chorus in response to every question that he asked. Yes Richard, you’re da bomb! If jiving on a chair wasn’t interesting enough for you, perhaps you should consider doing a little Paso Doble. Stephan and Denise taught a short Paso Doble routine in a workshop this afternoon. The thing I heard most from people during the class was "This is SO MUCH fun!", seconded by "This is SO COOL!" I’d better remember this routine so that I can show off in front of my friends later on! After all these energy-consuming dance activities of course came the time to eat. Yesterday I made a mistake of bringing only the regular amount of food that I normally consume, without realizing that my body required a lot more energy than usual due to excessive dancing. I was so hungry in the evening that I thought I was going to die. But, A smart person like me wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Today I brought in all the food that I could possibly need. Just as I sat down to enjoy my hot chocolate and chips, Stephan walked by and gave me a disapproving look, much like the way he despised my peanut butter and jelly sandwich earlier this morning (the Europeans are so spoiled by Nutella that they simply can’t understand the concept of peanut butter…) Anne-Lore Zimmerman gave us an interesting lecture on "awareness through movement" at the end of today. The lecture was based on the Feldenkrais Method, which was a systematic approach to neuromuscular relearning. It was an advanced and effective system to enhance your ease of movement, flexibility, posture, and relaxation. This was absolutely the perfect lecture to hear at the end of a tiring day of dance workshops!
Saturday, December 29, 2001	Workshops attended, 7; Pages of notes taken, 4; Meals consumed, 4 After two days of intensive dancing, my legs and feet started getting sore today. But, my sore legs were nothing compared to what Charlotte Jorgensen had to endure. She was sick with a cold, and yet she had to teach between ten to twelve hours a day and practice at night to prepare for the competition on Sunday. Today she gave us a great lecture on the character and musicality in Standard dances. She reminded us that each dance had its own personality, and part of dancing was about expressing the different characteristics of the dance instead of just being technically correct. There was a quote from her lecture that I particularly liked. She said, "My job as a performer is to take the audience onto a journey, and all I have to use is my body. I must use my body to lead them into my world, into how I feel about the music and the dance…" Beautiful, eh? Today I was enlightened by Anne-Lore Zimmerman’s Viennese Waltz workshop. I was never very good at V. Waltz. When I danced it I always ended up overturning or underturning or dancing off my track or bumping into my partner (fortunately no bad injury had happened so far). Thus, I was determined to take Anne-Lore’s workshop. Anne-Lore helped us to understand the concept of V. Waltz by leading us through a series of spine-rotation exercises. By the end of the lesson, I was no longer bumping into my partner. And you know what? Anne-Lore actually looked at me and my partner dance and said "beautiful"! Go me! I also took an American Tango workshop with David Hamilton today. To my surprise, this class was not about basic promenade and corte and ronde and stuff. David actually taught us a routine with all the arms and spins and everything. You know, the REAL THING that you see in competitions all the time. And the best of all was that David had us perform the routine at the Talent Show at night, along with other performances like Romanian folk dance, theatre art argentine tango, guitar-playing and singing. It was yet another fun and memorable day of the Dance Camp.
Sunday, December 30, 2001	Workshops attended, 5; Pages of notes taken, 2; Meals consumed, 5 If top-notch dancers like Glenn Weiss, Giampiero Giannico, John Wood and Snieguole Wood kept telling you the same thing over and over again, what they said must be a universal truth. For the past three days, one of the words that I heard the most often was "compression" – use compression to generate power, use compression to create a beautiful top line, use compression to spring your body forward, and use compression to maintain better balance. After hearing different versions of the explanation from different people, I felt like I had an all-round understanding of the concept. And, better yet, since I heard about it so often, my body started doing it automatically when I danced. But, make sure you don’t tell my mom or my boss that this is THE trick to get me to do things! Now let’s talk about Fleckerls. I had been dying to learn that ever since I first saw it at a competition. It was always a lot of fun to see couples migrate to the center of the ballroom in the middle of a Viennese Waltz and start spinning around like crazy. John Wood taught a "Fleckerls 101" workshop today. However, apparently he didn’t quite understand what "101" meant as he walked in and started talking about how we could IMPROVE our Fleckerls. Luckily, his lovely wife Snieguole pulled him aside and whispered in his ear (in a way that the entire class could hear) that "101" meant that the class was for absolute beginners. By the end of the class, John had everybody spinning around on the dance floor. It was quite a scene! The workshops ended early because today was THE big day – the Holiday Ball Dance Competition! With the help of several volunteers including myself, the classrooms were quickly transformed into a grand ballroom filled with holiday atmosphere. Soon the graceful Standard dancers and sexy Latin dancers were swooshing around the dance floor in their beautiful costumes. Many of the competitors were our fellow dance campers, and they all did pretty well at the comp (it is a fact, I’m NOT trying to advertise for the Dance Camp). In my opinion, the best of tonight’s competition was watching Giampiero and Charlotte compete at the Open Standard Championship level. The way they floated across the dance floor, the way they drew each perfect step… oh I simply couldn’t take my eyes off them! And, of course you wouldn’t really need me to tell you that they won the competition gloriously!
Monday, December 31, 2001	Workshops attended, 5; Pages of notes taken, 3; Meals consumed, 5 I couldn’t believe that today was the last day of the Dance Camp already. Did I really spend the last four days dancing like a maniac? Well, I guess my aching legs and feet were the best evidence for that. The atmosphere today was in general pretty mellow. Most of the teachers just reviewed what we had talked about in previous workshops and let students ask their questions. One exception was Richard Porter. That man was still in high spirits, and he walked us through three different styles of the New Yorker in his Rumba workshop with us singing "Yes Richard" in chorus. I also had a lot of fun in Glenn Weiss’ "picture line" workshop. We worked on figures like the Throw Away, Oversway, Hinge Line, Same Foot Lunge and Contra Check. These were definitely my favorite things to do in Standard, as they accentuated the beauty and the elegance of the dances. Check me out! I was doing this nice Throw Away. Where was the camera guy??? The day went by smoothly, and when the evening came, the real fun began! It was the New Year’s Eve Gala! I really could not think of anything better than spending my NYE dancing. As I walked into the grand ballroom through the arch of balloons (I helped to make that!), I saw all these nicely dressed people dancing on the dance floor already. To be perfectly honest, I had never ever seen so many good dancers together at a social dance setting (again, this is NOT another advertisement for the Dance Camp). Everyone was beautiful and happy, and the atmosphere was joyful and relaxing. For a long time I was just sitting at the candle-lit table, watching people dance, and absorbing the atmosphere around me. The atmosphere turned sizzling hot when Alan Tornsberg and his partner Vibeke Toft brought us their excellent Latin 5-dance showcase. The passion, the latin fire, (and Alan Tornsberg’s muscles)… it was simply a great performance! Five – four – three – two – one … finally it was midnight! Everyone raised their glass of champagne and said Happy New Year! Hmm, let’s see, what would my new year resolution be? Dance more? That sounded good. Anyway. Dancing continued after the champagne toast. By this time people started getting a bit more wild. I had to say it was rather enjoyable to watch professionals doing free-style or street dancing. Ha, was that Stephan dancing Salsa? No kidding.
Conclusion	I had a great time at the Dance Camp. At first I was rather depressed to know that I had to stay here for the holidays because of my work, but the Dance Camp really made up for that. How often do you get to meet so many famous dancers and see them dancing for real right in front of your eyes? I learned so much from them that when I went out social dancing with my friends after the Dance Camp, they actually noticed that I dance differently now. And, last but not least, I got to make friends with people who share my interest. And how do you know when you have become friends with someone? Well, you know it when they stop asking you to dance politely, but simply grab the dance note book right out from your hands and drag you down onto the dance floor! Alright, I have written enough. I will see you all again at next year’s Dance Camp!!!!!
January 1st
Private lessons available
10:00 - 6:00	Private lessons are available - please contact the office at 650.780.9456
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