Date: May 17th
Time: 8pm to Midnight
Place: Sunnyside Grange, SE 132nd & Sunnyside Rd, Clackamas, Oregon
Donation: $10 per person. All proceeds go to help Tracy.
Bob Smith, Michelle Dumas, and Chris Jones are hosting a fund raiser dance for Tracy Fuller. She underwent an expensive foot surgery this past February. Come out and dance to the best tunes in Portland, have fun with friendly people, and help a fellow dancer get back on the dance floor!
Paradise Ballroom is once again sponsoring an afternoon of free beginning west coast swing workshops, so if you have any friends or family who would like to jump-start their dancing, please spread the word!
Sunday, April 20th
11:30-12 noon: Registration
12 noon - 4 pm: Basics of West Coast Swing rhythm, connection, and fundamental patterns with four of Portland’s top WCS instructors
4:00-4:30 pm: Open Dance Practice
Instructors: Trina Siebert, Jason Isbell, Jenica Krolicki, and Brenda Collins
Paradise Ballroom, 826 SE Belmont, Portland
(541) 760-3931 *** trina.siebert@gmail.com
P.S. More experienced dancers are welcome to accompany their newcomer friends, depending on the lead-follow balance in the class. Please be flexible, and consider learning the opposite role from usual if it will help us to balance the group!
The Portland Swing Dance Club is thrilled to have Kelly Casanova for Spring Swing 2008! Join us April 25-27 for a weekend with Kelly filled with dancing, workshops, and fun!
Jim Minty is the Director of Seattle’s Easter Swing. He is both an instructor and a certified judge. As well as being an instructor he also has been a competitor. Jim will teach you how connect to your partner, the music and the dance floor.
12:00 PM-WORKSHOP #1: W/C SWING: Why he’s not leading and she is not following. Understanding connection, making your own patterns and understanding dance as a feeling not just set of patterns.
1:00PM-WORKSHOP #2: W/C SWING: A continuation of the 1st class taking connection and making your patterns flow.
2:00PM-WORKSHOP #3: N/C 2-STEP: Dimensions of Movement; Making your dance flow on the floor and learning pattern selection and driving.
3:00PM-WORKSHOP #4: N/C 2-STEP: another 32 count sequence to make you understand what N/C-2 is about.
WORKSHOP COST: $13.00 EACH OR 4 FOR $40.00
For more info contact Dave at (503) 598-9612 or e-mail dave at born2danceprod@comcast.net
Then join Jim Saturday night at the 5th Saturday Dance Bash at Oak Grove Community Hall. Jim will be teaching Beyond Beginning N/C-2 Step at 7:30 and then Dave Ott will playing all your favorite dance tunes at 8:30-Midnight. The cost for the dance is $8.00.
Congratulations to everyone who represented Oregon at this year’s Easter Swing. Whether you made won an award or not, thank you for representing on the competition dance floor.
Novice Strictly Swing
1st: Peter Bailey and Quenna Wong
2nd: Kenny Rasmussen and Jaymee Geiman
Intermediate Strictly Swing
1st: Bob Tucker and Jordi Balan
3rd: Craig Boyer and Dori Yates
4th: Matt Nicholls and Zena Knight
9th: Michael Miller and Melissa Hemphill
Advanced Strictly Swing
1st: Jimmy Ho and Georgina Newbold
8th: Kyle Krebs and Natasha Todhunter
Novice Jack & Jill
1st: Andrew Opyrchal and Ashley McAlpine
2nd: Peter Bailey and April Sakaluk
6th: Edwin Pendell and Melissa Hemphill
7th: Hieu Ngo and Kara Pesznecker
8th: Kenny Rasmussen and Beverly Opyrchal
Intermediate Jack & Jill
1st: Bob Tucker and Dana Simonetti
7th: Matt Nicholls and Heather Crowe
8th: James H and Jordi Balan
9th: Craig Boyer and Katy Kaiser
Advanced Jack & Jill
2nd: Kyle Krebs and Lily Harned
7th: Warren Pino and Jennifer Clark
All-Star Jack & Jill
1st: Jimmy Ho and Jill DeMarco
6th: Eric Allen and Jenica Krolicki
Source: www.SwingScores.com
Take workshops from one of the hottest stars in West Coast Swing, Michael Kielbasa. He’ll be in Portland this weekend (March 7-9) for private lessons, workshops, and dancing!
We are sad to cancel Swing Blizzard 2008. Nancy Heaverlo will not be able to come teach and dance in Portland this weekend due to illness. We wish her the best and hope she gets well soon. We apologize for any inconveniences to your weekend plans.
We will still be having our regularly scheduled Fourth Saturday Swing.
Note: Edwin Li is teaching workshops this weekend in Corvallis »
New WCS and Blues Dance on Sundays at Scottish Rite!
A number of PSDC members have expanded their repertoire to include blues dancing, a highly connected, rhythmic dance that is done to music that’s very compatible with west coast swing.
Now you can get both dance fixes in one place, with a WCS DJ and a blues DJ alternating three-song sets all night upstairs at the Scottish Rite Temple (709 SW 15th, Portland).
For January, the WCS/blues dance is 9 pm to midnight, and beginning lessons will be offered starting in February. Admission to the WCS/blues dance upstairs AND the lindy dance downstairs (7 pm lesson, 8-midnight dancing) is only $6 for PSDC or Westside Swing members. See www.westsideswing.com for more info.
Please join me in welcoming the new leadership for 2008!
President: Julie Isaacson
Vice President: Glenna Cooke
Secretary: Robin Wells
Treasurer: Bob Smith
Events Director: Jonathan Bean (Unofficial)
Dance Director: Leah Gross
Memberships Director: Jennifer Beyerl
Promotions Director: Jimmy Ho
Facilities Director: Dori Yates
Newsletter: Kristi Brehm
I hope that you all will support and appreciate them as you have blessed me the last two years!
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!
David Lim
PSDC Webmaster
Join us on December 8th at the Sunnyside Grange for the PSDC Holiday Party! It is the last PSDC dance of 2007 and we’re finishing the year with a bang.
If you are a PSDC 2007 member or sign up for a 2008 membership at the dance, great dancing, rockin’ swing tunes from DJ Chris Jones, delicious hot food, and a romantic night club two step lesson from Trina Siebert is all FREE.
So bring your holiday cheer to the Sunnyside Grange on December 8th. The party begins at 7:30pm with the lesson and we’re all swingin’ until midnight!
Jennilyn and I had our first child Tuesday, October 2nd and we named her Kadence because of its meaning: “One who has rhythm.” We’re hoping she’ll be a dancer, just like her mama and papa. While we’re at it, we hope she will be a musician, soccer player, video gamer, photographer, surfer, and all else that makes someone well-rounded in life. It is mind blowing to imagine all of life that awaits her—and for us as parents too!
I wanted to thank those who have served with me this year. I hope you all can join me in appreciating the board members’ effort, time, and contribution to the swing club. Please take an opportunity to thank them for all that they did. They all deserve our gratitude for helping us keep our club going.
Bob Smith served as my (and the club’s) vice-president these last two years and I’ve been thankful for his knowledge, counsel, and encouragement. He double-duties as one of the club’s resident DJs and we’ve been blessed by his awesome sound system at our dances.
Monica Gration served as the club’s secretary, keeping records of each monthly meeting throughout the year. I’m glad she is organized as we sometimes get off-topic at meetings but she manages to keep the meeting minutes clear and concise. She helped Susan in aggregating the data from the membership survey this year. She is also part of the nominations committee who are tasked with recruiting next year’s board members and organizing the annual elections.
Glenna Cooke has served as treasurer these past two years. She also served as the BridgeTown event director, so if you enjoyed BridgeTown, she’s the lady to thank and praise. She works around the year to make the event weekend a success.
Leah Gross served as the dances director, who was exceptional in managing the dances, scheduling instructors, organizing refreshments, and more. One of my biggest praises for her is how well she thought ahead for others. When she was sick and couldn’t fulfill her duties, she made calls around to organize volunteers to help out the person who had to quickly fill-in for her.
Jason Isbell organized workshops and our local competitions as events director. He also helped out as the beginner instructor for our dances. Jason has many connections with various dance circles in Portland, including serving in the Lindy community, that has been a great resource.
Susan Eliot prepared monthly dance flyers and e-mail announcements as promotions director to keep everyone in the loop as to where to dance west coast swing in Portland. She also headed up the membership survey which provided valuable insight as to how the board could improve and serve the club better. Along with Monica, she served as part of the nominations committee.
Stan Cunningham was the facilities director, who worked with Ted Macy to ensure that we had a venue to dance at, that it was properly set up and cleaned up, and also scheduled DJs. Along with the dance director, the facilities director is responsible for each dance and often comes early and stays late. I’m also thankful that Stan was always out dancing and smiling between tasks..
Jolene Knight created our bi-monthly club publication as our newsletter editor. She also helped organized the annual club scrapbooking party and the scrapbook was almost complete in a few short hours!
Jennifer Beyerl served as the membership director, maintaining the members’ records. She also served as BridgeTown’s volunteer coordinator, scheduling and organizing people for various tasks. My thanks goes out to her for all the volunteering she does for the club. During workshop weekends, she was always there for support and helped out wherever she could.
I also wanted to thank my wife Jennilyn. Though she was unable to serve with me this year, she was a constant encourager, listening ear, and my newsletter article editor. Her prayers and presence in my life gave me strength and courage to be the best president I could be.
Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to thank all of you. As a dance community, we all fulfill different roles that make it all happen. Some of us are teachers. Some are social dancers. Some are hosts. Some are organizers. Some are leaders. We need them all. We need each other.
For the next year, if you find an opportunity to help, I hope you take it and bless someone that way. It could be as simple as asking a beginner to dance, help bring food for refreshments, welcoming people at the desk, helping clean up at the end of a fun night, etc. That one time you helped might seem small and insignificant to you, but it does wonders for those who have dedicated a year’s worth of time and energy in service.
To the world
you may be one person,
But to one person,
you may be the world.~ Unknown
An evening of entertainment, fun and friends to benefit the NTAF Northwest Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Fund in honor of Lavaun.
To read about Lavaun or donate online: http://tinyurl.com/2fq5yw
About Lavaun Heaster
Lavaun Heaster lives in Portland, Oregon. She has lived with Type I diabetes since the age of 9 and has faced the challenge of managing her health responsibly for many years now. In spite of the fact that diabetes claimed much of her eyesight 15 years ago, she has led a very active life.
Social dancing and cooking for others are her great passions. Until recently, she worked as a full-time social services professional, helping to improve health outcomes for diverse communities and individuals. Having found ways to stay positive while living with a chronic condition for so long made it easy for Lavaun to relate to peoples needs. For many years she has served her community as a volunteer serving worthy causes and those in need.
Now Lavaun herself is need (of financial assistance) as she faces the prospect of dialysis and a kidney/pancreas transplant. Currently Lavaun is paying for her medical care through the Kaiser Permanente system. Her transplant will be performed at Oregon Health & Science University. She is raising money to pay for uninsured medical expenses associated with her kidney/pancreas transplant.
Interested in learning west coast swing or want to get some friends into dance? We’ve got a great introductory weekend to get anyone into west coast swing!
On October 12th and 13th, we’re hosting newcomer workshops to provide a great start for new dancers. The weekend price is $60 with pre-registration or $70 at the door, which includes at 2008 PSDC membership!
I’ve been wanting to add a forum to the club web site for a while. After some designing and testing, we have a simple forum to help swing dancers communicate through the PSDC web site! It’s a bit empty right now, but I hope that people will find it useful.
Feedback and suggestions are welcome! Check out the new forums »
Ready for the big swing party in Portland? We’ve got updates to the BridgeTown page! Check out what’s in store for BridgeTown this year.
You will the free Adobe Reader to open the files, which you can download from the Adobe web site.
A three-day, celebration-event, including live music, dance performances, lessons, workshops, competitions, and social dancing in the beautiful city of Portland, OR!
West Coast Swing includes a Friday and Saturday DJ’d Dance, WCS Jack & Jill competition, and WCS Workshops by Trina Siebert, Jenica Krolicki, Ian Kirkconnell, Jimmy Ho, Jason Isbell and Glenna Cooke. West Coast Swing at ODF is sponsored by the Portland Swing Dance Club.
Oregon Dance Fair
September 28-30, 2007
Portland, OR
OPEN TO PUBLIC - Beginner, Intermediate, & Advanced welcome!
www.oregondancefair.com
We started offering a beginning basics lesson before every dance last year and they’ve been immensely helpful in taking care of the needs of newcomers and experienced dancers. We have been thankful to have volunteers like Jason Isbell and Jimmy Ho help teach on a regular basis.
If you are interested in inspiring and instructing new people on what west coast swing is like, we have openings to serve as a basics instructor. It is a volunteer position and we ask that you go through some training with one of our regular instructors.
Please contact our dances director, Leah Gross, if you wish to volunteer to be a basics lesson instructor.
Due to the overwhelming success of the free west coast swing workshops at Paradise Ballroom last month, which were attended by about 60 students, we’re offering an afternoon of free beginning nightclub two-step and hustle workshops on Saturday, August 18th.
Experienced dancers are welcome to drop in and participate in the classes to facilitate the learning process, especially if you’re accompanying a beginner friend or family member. No partner is necessary.
Thanks to Hugo Chang at Paradise for offering this wonderful opportunity, and we hope
to see you there!
FREE Nightclub Two-Step and Hustle Workshops
Paradise Ballroom, 826 SE Belmont Ave, Portland, OR
Saturday, August 18th, 2007
1:00 - 2:00 pm Beginning Nightclub with Jimmy Ho
2:10 - 3:10 pm More Beginning Nightclub with Chris Jones
3:20 - 4:30 pm Beginning Hustle with Trina Siebert and Jason Isbell
4:40 - 5:40 pm More Beginning Hustle with Trina Siebert and Jason Isbell
5:40 - 6:00 pm Open Dance Practice
For more information, please contact Trina at (541) 760-3931 or trina.siebert@gmail.com.
Two years have gone by so quickly! I can still remember being nervous running a board meeting for the first time and getting advice on speaking slowly into a microphone during a dance.
I had never taken on a club leadership role before. It took time and energy to volunteer for the Portland Swing Dance Club but what I will remember when I step down as president after this year is all the new friends I’ve made with fellow board members, club members, and people in our dance community.
I would like to encourage anyone in the club to volunteer for the board of directors next year. Join a great group of people who not only love to dance, but are dedicated in making sure everyone have a chance to dance.
There have been great dances in Portland that have come and gone. It’s my hope that we will have a Portland Swing Dance Club for a long time to come! Jennilyn and I would love to have our kids learn the dance that we fell in love to.
I’m currently looking for a nominations committee chairperson. This person is responsible for finding people to fulfill the positions of the board next year, organize and facilitate the voting process. The nominations chairperson cannot run for the board. If you are interested, please contact me ASAP. Update 8/8/2007: Jonathan Bean has volunteered to be nominations chairperson. Thanks Jonathan!
Lastly, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their support the last two years. People have given me kind compliments, which I can only say reflect the efforts of everyone on the board and everyone on the dance floor.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments.
God Bless,
David Lim
PSDC President
FREE Newcomer West Coast Swing Workshops on Sunday, July 22nd
Classes: Noon to 4 pm; Open Dance Practice: 4:00 to 4:30 pm
Location: Paradise Ballroom. 826 Se Belmont St. Portland, OR 97214.
Phone: (503) 231-8308.
This is a great chance to introduce your friends and family to west coast swing! Chris Jones, Trina Siebert, Jimmy Ho, and Jason Isbell will teach WCS fundamentals from noon until 4 pm, and an open dance practice will follow until 4:30 pm. Intermediate dancers are welcome to accompany their beginner friends for the workshops, but we do ask that those who are not trained dance teachers refrain from instructing their partners during the lessons.
Trina Siebert
[Excerpt from PSDC Yahoo Group]
In spite of hot weather, we had 70 people come out the Sunnyside Grange and 16 people competed in our open Jack & Jill competition.
Many thanks to our competitors for putting themselves out on the floor, our DJ for the music, and judges for judging. And, of course, thanks to the board of directors who helped coordinate and facilitate the event.
Without further delay, here were the winners!
Open J&J (From left to right)
Congratulations again and we’re planning one more Jack & Jill this year before BridgeTown Swing!
Jenni and I signed up at the Tualatin Recreation Center for a full-year access to their swim center this past March. As her pregnancy continues, water-walking has become our regular exercise. We are currently taking a pregnancy class, learning about the Bradley Method, where the husband has the role of a coach during labor. One of the best encouragements for Jenni to do her exercises is for me to do them with her. So I join her for her water-walking excursions.
There have been a few visits where I tried to learn how to swim from Jenni. She had been a lifeguard and swim instructor before her illness. Though I have not progressed very far, trying to learn how to swim has been very beneficial to me. Most times, I feel like a lead brick that sinks. I kick my legs and I go one meter—backwards. Simply put, I feel like a klutz. And my fat doesn’t float.
From trying to learn how to swim, I’ve thought about what it was like to learn how to dance. Every time Jennilyn described how my legs should do a ripple starting at my hip, I remembered the time I was determined to learn how to do body ripples for west coast swing. As she described how to have my legs and arms work together, I felt the awkwardness that came with coordinating two actions with two body parts at same time.
Learning how to swim also reminded me how difficult it is to learn west coast swing. We have to learn the rhythm, figure out where our “center” is, and not worry about where our feet needs to go. I did not truly enjoy west coast swing until I felt comfortable with the basics.
I am very fortunate that there is a swing club in Portland to help me grow. One of the great things about our swing club is variety. For competitive routine dancers, they are normally get better by practicing with a dedicated partner. For me as a social dancer, competitive and non-competitive, I learned more by dancing with varying skill levels, not just those better than me.
I remember a time when I would make it a goal to dance with more advanced follows. Being shy and overthinking every opportunity, I would wait patiently until the follow was free and a good song came up. I would often have a mediocre dance. It was rarely the fault of my follow. As I tried with different advanced follows, the dances were sometimes fun and great, but what usually happened was the follow did a lot of syncopations on her own or musicality in her own body. I wanted the dance with an advanced follow to make me be advanced as well. Sometimes I would mistakenly put the responsibility of my fun at the other end of the connection.
For a time, when I went to dance conventions, I would get in line to dance with the professionals. I would dance late in the early hours so that I could get the opportunity to dance with the likes of Tatiana Mollmann or Mary Ann Nuñez. In hindsight, I was too fixated on thinking that dancing with someone better makes for a better dance. I can definitely learn from dancing with them, but I’ve learned a lot more at conventions where I had more opportunities for social dancing with people from all around. I become a better social dancer by dancing with a larger variety of partners rather than dancing with just the people I admired as advanced dancers.
I’m sure it’s different for follows, as dancing with advanced leads allows them to experience new patterns and learn new adaptations. But ask an advanced follow what type of leader they prefer, and I’m certain that most would prefer a leader who took care of them than a leader who tried all their craziest moves. For me, it isn’t about dancing with the best dancer on the floor; it is helping my partner to be their best on the dance floor.
Hey West Coast Swing,
If you’re interested in crossing over this weekend, we are hosting a FREE swing dance for the grand opening of the new Ambassador Ballroom in Tigard! It is an amazing, multi-complex, state-of-the-art ballroom that you have just got to see for yourself!
Saturday, July 7th
7:30 PM - Lesson
8:30 PM - Dance until Midnight!
FREE!
Ambassador Ballroom
8900 SW Commercial St
Tigard, OR 97223
Get directions »
Larry Peacock
www.westsideswing.com
Here is a summary of the PSDC member survey earlier this year written by our Promotions Director, Susan Eliot. Thanks to everyone who participated in the member survey. We value your input. Thank you Susan Eliot and Monica Gration for organizing and conducting the survey.
Of the 170 current members (as of April 2007), 79 (46%) completed the survey; 33 men, 43 women. 90% are social dancers, and 55% attend dances often.
Most members who responded to the survey think our club dances have a friendly atmosphere, good music, and quality dancers. They also feel well informed about club activities and say PSDC dances are priced right.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement. In the most frequently cited remark on the survey, respondents told us they would like to see more of the advanced dancers and instructors dancing with novice and intermediate level dancers. A typical comment offered was one like this: “Can you get good dancers to mingle with the new ones? We can learn a lot from them, but they’re intimidating.”
At the same time, several members told us they want to improve their dancing with more intermediate level instruction. They want pre-dance lessons consistently provided by highly qualified dance teachers. One member suggested we, “go over the list of instructors used by the club, and re-evaluate whether these folks are keeping their west coast swing up to date by attending conventions and continuing their own training under high level pros.”
Although the music at club dances received high marks, a number of members want more variety. Acknowledging that “this IS a swing club,” someone said, “it would be great to occasionally hear some alternate dance music: Cha Cha, Waltz, East Coast.” Another person requested more Bluesy music; still another recommended “throwing in a few more Night Club Two-Steps.”
Last but not least, members prefer Norse Hall over Sunnyside 2 to 1. Sunnyside is too far out for some people. Others described it as having little or no atmosphere.
On June 9th, the PSDC Board met to review the survey results and propose a plan of action for addressing the memberships’ most pressing concerns. Look for short progress reports in upcoming issues of the newsletter as the Board tackles each of these matters.
Susan Eliot
Director of Promotions
Portland Swing Dance Club
Don’t miss this exciting weekend of workshops, social dancing, and competitions dedicated to Lindy Hop, Blues, and West Coast Swing! It is a WSDC member event for those interested in competing in west coast swing Jack & Jill competitions.
Come dance, rain or shine, from June 1st through 3rd at the Chelsea Ballroom, 1510 SE 9th, Portland, Oregon.
Visit the web site for details: http://www.comerainorcomeshinepdx.com
For those who have not heard through the grapevine yet, my wife and I are expecting our first child in September. We are very excited and appreciate everyone’s support and wishes. As Jennilyn and I prepare to be parents, we have talked about how our parents have raised us. We’re both very thankful for our parents in how they support and love us.
I discovered a new appreciation for my mom during the summer before I started college. While I was working as an assistant manager to a used-appliance store, I recognized how much my mom cared for me when she would visit me for lunch and bring me some food for the day. I usually packed a lunch, but she would bring something much more appetizing. I was also lonely at the store since I would get an average of five people walking through the store each day. My mom would bring my grandma and keep me company for my lunch hour.
If I looked back throughout my childhood, most of my mom’s free time was consumed by helping others. Whether it was making treats for them, doing yardwork, grocery shopping, moving—my mom always lended a helping hand. She set a great example, but also recruited me to help as I got older. At first, I often did not respond enthusiastically when I was asked to help someone I didn’t know, but in obedience, I learned to help others without asking for anything in return. The compassion she had to help others has helped me appreciate club members who volunteer for dance admissions or bringing snacks to the dances. Their tasks appear to be little things, but those volunteers make a world of difference in making our dances more hospitable and friendly.
I was enrolled in a geometry class in middle school and I was learning how to solve proofs. I would not have done as well as I did if my dad hadn’t checked over my homework every night after he got off work at two in the morning. I would leave my homework on our dinner table and in the morning, I would have notes about on my errors. My dad’s help not only helped me excel in math but I came to enjoy working out mathematical proofs. I’m thankful for my dad’s contribution to my problem-solving skills.
While I was courting Jennilyn, she was very ill and could not drive herself places. We would go out for a date on Wednesdays and the weekends. Jennilyn’s mom drove her to weekly doctor appointments throughout our courtship. When Jenni was feeling well enough, her mom drove her the forty-five minute commute to my apartment during the day so I could hang out with her before driving her home for the evening. She is a super-mom.
On one particular Wednesday evening, Jenni and I had planned to go out for dinner. Unfortunately, she was not well enough to travel, so we canceled our plans to go out and just hung out at her house in Battle Ground. When I arrived at her parents’ house, their dining room was nicely arranged with a table for two, candles, tablecloths, cloth napkins, and a centerpiece. Jennilyn’s mom and dad gave us a special date night in their home while the rest of Jennilyn’s family ate in the basement on fold-out card tables.
I have no idea what it is going to be like raising a child of my own. Perhaps years down the road I’ll hear from my children of the mistakes I’ve made, mischief they got away with, video games they loved, and hopefully life lessons learned from dance. Most of all, I hope they will always know how much their mom and dad loved them.
Have a Happy Mother’s and Father’s Day!
The weekend of May 12th and 13th, we have invited Ian Kirkconnell and Trina Siebert to teach workshops, private lessons, and join us at our second Saturdaydance! They are both talented in ballroom, latin, and swing and bring their diverse background into west coast swing.
Come and enjoy their fun and charismatic personality along with all the Portland dance friends!
Dear PSDC Members,
If you attended last Saturday’s PSDC dance at Norse Hall you received a membership survey in the envelope with your 2007 membership card. If not, you should have received the survey by mail.
The PSDC Board appreciates your membership and would like to provide events and activities that best serve you. Please take a moment to complete the survey and return it in the envelope provided.
If you did not receive an envelope you can
Your input is valued and very important to shaping future club activities and practices.
Happy dancing,
Susan Eliot
Director of Promotions
Portland Swing Dance Club
Thank you all who came out for our Mixed-Level Jack & Jill contest! We had eighteen couples total come out and gave us a great show.
Here are the winners!
Mixed Level J&J (Novice Leads) (From left to right)
Mixed Level J&J (Novice Follows) (From left to right)
Congratulations again and we hope to see you at Easter Swing 2007! See more pictures from the dance!
We invite you to join in on our mixed-level Jack & Jill competition at our Fourth Saturday dance! It will be a great competition to watch and better yet, participate in.
One of the most exciting competitive aspects of west coast swing is a Jack & Jill competition. Leads and follows are randomly (by a draw of a card or roll of a dice) paired together and must demonstrate their best timing, technique, and teamwork against other couples. The competition emphasizes social dance skills of the partnership as they dance to several random songs.
So what’s a mixed-level Jack & Jill? Dancing can be a personal hobby or passion. It can be very intimidating to dance in front of people. We want to encourage new competitors to try competing in a Jack & Jill by providing them experienced competitors as partners. Newcomers will get a random partner who has competition experience and will show them how much fun Jack & Jills can be.
Interested? Come to our March 24th dance and sign up before 9:30 p.m.! Dance with someone new and possibly win a prize doing something you love—dancing!