Here's my news ....

Hello hatlady pleased to hear that you are taking ballroom dancing lessons and hope it wont be too long before you are up to embarking on the latin.

Chris82, Thank you. My teachers want me doing more Latin....so I can go for exams. I had an informal assessment the other day with a second teacher. Both of them want me doing more and were starting to give me more technical criticism. The second teacher took me for a whirl and threw in some much more advanced step that I'd never done.....I just followed.

My news to report my eldest son & fiancee asked to move in with us whilst they search for jobs! & could they
move in a weeks time! & help move them out of rented house!!
It will be a strange time it has been 5 years since moved out! Uni then phd

Frantically washed bed linen & trying to order a chest of drawers!!! hoping Oxford job says yes to him & give
him confidence back!! 7 graduate postions said no one after other so hoping soon get a yes for
all his hard work. My future daughter in law just started p/t business up as qualified
accupunctuist & chinese medicene degree in!

It will be lovely but hard for them as a couple with us & younger brother!!!
Anyone had this experience? Any tips for me!!!

Sax

No experience, no real wisdom to offer, but lots of empathy and virtual support. I suspect that humour should feature and lots of warm silences. Warm, in a encouraging sense and silences because that is a good way to avoid foot in mouth disease. Good luck!

Shhhhh, ballet pumps at the ready for purposes of smacking down.......passed my first dancing exam today. When I started, because I've been ill, I just did waltz, foxtrot and rumba. (not really attracted to the wild Latin He is. And we obey him.) Then they wanted me to do the first level exam.....and I needed 3 more dances. Cramming, learnt: tango, Argentine tango and Paso Doble very quickly. The ones I crammed were definitely weaker, but I made points on style and following. It was a very solid pass. Phew!

hatlady28 wrote:Shhhhh, ballet pumps at the ready for purposes of smacking down.......passed my first dancing exam today. When I started, because I've been ill, I just did waltz, foxtrot and rumba. (not really attracted to the wild Latin He is. And we obey him.) Then they wanted me to do the first level exam.....and I needed 3 more dances. Cramming, learnt: tango, Argentine tango and Paso Doble very quickly. The ones I crammed were definitely weaker, but I made points on style and following. It was a very solid pass. Phew!

Congratulations Hatlady- what an achievement, you should be very proud of yourself!

Thank you very much allsewnonbyhand. Encouragement gratefully received.

Congrats from me too, Hatlady. That's no mean feat...oh dear sorry about that..but you know what I mean.

Thank you Lucielle. It is lovely to have an appreciative group with whom to share the news.

Fantastic news! Well done I am sure a lot of hard work went into it.Now keep dancing!!

Sax

Not really hard work.......great fun instead. Am definitely going to keep up! Thanks sax.

All hail to Hatlady, who's fancy footwork now matches her stylish headwear. Well done to you.

B4P, I'm blushing terribly......this is the very first level the 'baby' exam......I am still very much a beginner. Thank you for all your support.

Hatlady, there's no escaping the fact that we now look forward to your comments on the dancing with as much authority as you bring to the frocks! No pressure...

Allsewn, Did I not saw that you all must keep a ballet slipper to hand for when I get too big for my dancing shoes? In any case, I will be very quiet about all the Latin He is. And we obey him. because I don't know them at all (except what I've done in group lessons).

Just a ballet slippet!!! Drat!!

Congratulations Hatlady, the first of many exam passes I'm sure. It's great to discover new talents, sounds like you're having a ball - have you got a favourite dance-type yet? Which do you find is most easy/difficult?

allsewnonbyhand wrote:Hatlady, there's no escaping the fact that we now look forward to your comments on the dancing with as much authority as you bring to the frocks!

I'll second that. Made me wonder, do you wear different costumes for each dance-type?

I am a ballroom girl. Give me waltzes and foxtrots. I have really just started Argentine Tango and Paso Doble, but I think I will like them both. As yet my dancing outfits are very simple. Found a long heavy jersey Donna Karen black skirt with an irregular hem and a wrap around slit. Too long to wear straight I wear it with blue braces to just under the bust line. Perfect for Tangos straight and Argentine. (£8 in a charity shop) This week found a lighter weight black jersey dress with a circular accordion skirt to mid calf. It is cut slightly short waisted and has 3/4 sleeves and two teardrop cutouts on the upper chest. Jasper Conran for Debenhams £17. in another charity shop. This one is perfect for waltz and foxtrot. Both move really well. The only pity is that they are black, but I think I can trim the dress a bit and 'lift' it. My shoes are silver with a modest heel.

hatlady28 wrote:I am a ballroom girl. Give me waltzes and foxtrots. I have really just started Argentine Tango and Paso Doble, but I think I will like them both.

Sounds very energetic to me. I loved ballroom dancing, especially in the arms of an experienced male.... but it's so long since I did any ballroom dancing I'm not sure I could complete one circuit of the dance floor now.

hatlady28 wrote:Found a long heavy jersey Donna Karen black skirt with an irregular hem and a wrap around slit. Too long to wear straight I wear it with blue braces to just under the bust line. Perfect for Tangos straight and Argentine. (£8 in a charity shop) This week found a lighter weight black jersey dress with a circular accordion skirt to mid calf. It is cut slightly short waisted and has 3/4 sleeves and two teardrop cutouts on the upper chest. Jasper Conran for Debenhams £17. in another charity shop.

I've got plenty of charity shops to look round but I've never seen anything of this quality. Not that I often go to charity shops. Must change this habit. Oh dear, here I go again...

hatlady28 wrote:This one is perfect for waltz and foxtrot. Both move really well. The only pity is that they are black, but I think I can trim the dress a bit and 'lift' it.

With your eye for what is fashionable and presentable, I'm sure you'll be able to do that with perfect results.

hatlady28 wrote:My shoes are silver with a modest heel.

It all sounds very appealing. I bet you look stunning floating gracefully around the dance floor.

Woah - I hadn't realised I'd been away so long! Three new arrivals - congratulations to The Nannas; one broken heart - now mended, I hope; much wedding planning; and Hatlady cutting the rug. Exciting stuff, and I'm hoping to see Hatlady's best efforts on YouTube soon please, so we can all give her marks out of 10.

Welcome back Kate! Hope you are dusting down your calculator to hit us with some amazing stats! If you are also into words as n..umbers, pop over to ouor book club thread-we're always after new recruits, we haven't been away at all!!

........my dance studio does parties where they encourage you to do "a turn"......I did my first this evening.....two dances: Foxtrot followed by a Paso Doble. The Foxtrot was 'cold'(I just followed) and the Paso, a mirror dance with my female teacher. The storyline was that the male teacher normally is my female teacher's partner, so the paso was intended as a bit of a cat fight. I got a bit over ambitious and made paso jackets for my teacher and me, gold for her and silver for me. I think it went okay. Everyone is so generous and kind that it is hard to tell.

hatlady28 wrote: I think it went okay. Everyone is so generous and kind that it is hard to tell.

I suspect that people's generosity and kindness is an appreciation of a very good job Hatlady. Take a bow!

Thank you Allsewn.

Well done Hatlady

Sax