Stacy Rose, Dance Instructor
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Something new

2/21/2016

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Other than playing the flute in a pit orchestra, I've never been involved in a local community theater production. Imagine my surprise last summer when Becky Bell-Greenstreet, Artistic Director for the Logos Players, invited me to choreograph her spring 2016 production of Fiddler on the Roof. I love that show! The music is fabulous - the dancing is exciting!  

I agreed that if the actors need to learn a traditional Israeli folk dance, I could surely help with that! Want the actors to learn Zemer Atik? I'm on it. But beyond that... I didn't feel qualified for the job. Looking back now, I don't remember exactly what Becky said to convince me that I could take on the challenge of being the choreographer for her show. Rehearsals started in December; opening night is in five short days.  
When The Logos Players rented the rights to this musical production, it came with a choreographic manual. The 200+ page manual a blow-by-blow description of the original Jerome Robbins choreography. The requirement when renting the rights to perform the show is that THIS is the choreography that will be used in the production. For me, that was good news (I didn't have to create any original choreography) and bad news (who in our little, rural shtetle on the south coast of Oregon can do this level of dancing?).
    
In addition to the manual, I turned to YouTube to see examples of other productions. I found a delightful video of the musical number "Tradition" and excitedly showed it to the director. Becky, in her typically generous and kind way, pointed out to me that I was looking at a video of the Broadway show featuring Topol. She reminded me that while the dancers/actors/singers in the video rehearse every day, our cast has other full time jobs. She advised me to simplify.

​"Simplify" became my mantra as I did this work. My first job was to find bottle dancers... people who would be able, willing, available to work on the challenge of dancing with a bottle perched on their heads. Hats off to Jeff, Kay, Pam and Anna! They have worked hard! Sure, bottles have fallen. Hopefully none will during the performances.  ​    
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There are 30 people in the cast. The large all-cast numbers are exciting. It has been a challenge to teach dancing to this group of folks. I have come to admire and appreciate them over and over. They look adorable in their costumes, and I can't wait to see them perform! 

And as for me, I must be doing an okay job - one of the cast members approached me to choreograph a spring 2017 production of HMS Pinafore. Simply... simplify...  
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The cross over is evolving...

8/4/2015

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"Line up for a contra dance"... "Repair your square"... I had an opportunity to say these things when calling a contra dance for square dancers last month, and when calling a square dance for contra dancers this month.
Last month at a regularly scheduled dance of the local modern Western square dance club Saints-N-Aints (of which I am a member in good standing), I called the contra dance "Al's Safeway Produce" written by Robert Cromartie. Pictures above, I had six willing couples who braved a new experience. They did a great job, and they were good sports! I wanted their first exposure to contra dancing to be fun. For the full experience, I invited local band Cultural Ecology to play for this dance.     
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Imagine a band schlepping their instruments, setting up, tuning up and playing O-N-E dance! I appreciated their enthusiasm for sharing live music with the square dancers, who only infrequently dance to live music.   
Interestingly, during the walk through, the top eight dancers turned themselves into a square formation after the first two calls. What?! No squares in this dance! I was fascinated to watch that transformation. 
It was challenging for them to grok the contra formation, and the progression of couple #1 dancing with the next neighbors down the hall and couple #2 dancing with new neighbors up the hall. But I saw many smiles, and full effort!  

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This month at Contra on the Coast (a weekend contra dance event), I called the traditional southern square "Take a Little Peek". Because traditional square dances have few moves, the contra dancers caught on very easily. They had a good time, and I was encouraged enough to consider calling another square! 
One similarity I noticed is that at each of these two dances, there were one or two people "on strike" who wouldn't even give it a try. Earlier in the day at one of these events, I had a woman annoyingly ask me why do squares and contras have to be together? She announced they are two very different things, and she had no intention of doing the other. Okay, but it seems like everyone else had a lot of fun.  
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Pass the Dramamine, please!

8/3/2015

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Those square dancers really know how to get noticed! The organizers do a super great job of having dancers participate in lots of outreach activities. Earlier in the summer, we danced at the Clamboree. Most recently, the group danced at the Coos County Fair. And what's the July Jubilee without a parade - complete with square dancers on a float! Good thing that Bob, one of the dancers, is a log truck driver and knows how to keep the jostling to a minimum. Still, we were dancing on a moving vehicle! By the end of the route, I was a bit nauseated; and although dancing on a float was a blast, I was glad the ride was over.  
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The world debut of the Whirling Shillelaghs! 

5/6/2015

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The Whirling Shillelaghs, accompanied by Sharon Rogers, performed the following dances at the South Coast Celtic Fest 2015:
An Dro Retourne - Brittany 
Waves of Tory - Ireland
Clawdd Offa - Wales
Dashing White Sergeant - Scotland
Everyone did a fabulous job. I couldn't have been more proud. 
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Shimmy Mob

4/20/2015

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As a dance instructor, I often ask people to try something outside of their comfort zone. My turn. 
On May 9, an international dance event will take place. People from around the world will raise the awareness of belly dancing while raising money for domestic violence programs. The local team leader approached me and asked me to participate in Shimmy Mob. I said yes. 
Our local belly dance group is comprised of women of various ages and levels of experience. Some I recognized from over 30 years ago from their performances at Knight of Cups, a beloved restaurant and cultural hub from years ago. 
Fortunately, to be in Shimmy Mob, you don't need any experience, just a willingness to learn a dance routine. I have that! Recently, I was invited to join the group for a dance demonstration at an assisted living community. Joann, the Shimmy Mob team leader, took good care of me, outfitting me in the costume pictured. (Coolest part of the costume are the shiny, teal-colored harem pants under the skirt!)
The women in this dance troupe were spectacular! I was especially touched by a dance performed by a mother/daughter combo. Both were so poised and graceful. What a wonderful hobby to share!
We did our Shimmy Mob dance, and now I'm excited about being part of the big event on May 9. We'll be at Mingus Park at 10:00 AM. I'll be doing something way outside my comfort zone.   

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Shimmy Mob!

4/5/2015

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Last week, bellydance teacher Joanna Marie was a guest teacher in my class. She is the local coordinator for Shimmy Mob. To be held on May 9, World Bellydance Day, Shimmy Mob is an international event to raise money and awareness about domestic violence, as well as elevate the status of bellydance.

Joanna Marie did a marvelous job of teaching us the choreography for the bellydance flash mob chorus. There's a LOT to it! Two other dancers in class are among the 13 local dancers registered to participate in the May 9 event. Our event will be part of a women's health and wellness annual event at Mingus Park. Our tentative time to perform is 10:00 AM. 

Rocky so aptly suggested, when we perform at this event we'll be The Whirling Shimmylelaghs. 
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Dare to be square

9/28/2014

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I've often bemoaned, "why won't the local square dancers come to our contra dance??" Contra is SO much more fun than square dancing with that hokey music and those ridiculous costumes. At contra dance, we've got awesome live music! Anyone can walk in off the street and be contra dancing in minutes - you don't need to commit to 12 weeks of lessons! 
To be honest, I don't know that I've ever personally invited a local square dancer to my beloved contra dance. Yet.  

Instead of whining and wondering why there isn't more cross-population between the local contra dancers and square dancers, I decided to do something radical. I decided to "be the change" that I wanted to see happen. I went to my first square dance lesson today. 

They let new people come during the first three weeks of the series. But today was week four, and past the time for new people to join. I was told that I might not be able to start so late, but they'd let me try today - the caller kept a close watch on me to see if I could keep up. There are a lot of calls similar to contra dancing, and I had done some squares in the context of a night of contra dancing. I must have "passed the audition" because they said I could continue with the lessons.

The hardest move for me was the "star through" - the lady (woman/follow/girl) gives her left hand to the gent (man/lead/boy), who takes it in his right hand and they basically trade places, then stand side by side. I instinctively wanted to offer my right hand. 

The music was indeed ridiculous - "without love, where would we be now... sides promenade...". The people were very nice. The floor isn't wood, and I am concerned about that. However, unlike folk dancing, there's no stomping, so it may not be an issue. The calling was great. It was spot on. Sherm did a really good job with the teaching, too. I think I can learn a few things from him. I loved that after dancing each square, those 8 people did a group hug and together said, "Thank you!" At the end of the evening, all the dancers and the caller made a large circle and gave thanks. That was sweet. 

It's a new day dawning. Operation cross-over has begun.          
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Feet

7/26/2014

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It is impressive that a small little blister on the smallest of all toes can carry such influence with the rest of the entire body.
Whatever conditioning I'd thought I'd been doing in preparation for Stockton was not enough. At the closing banquet tonight, I sat beside Amy who shared that she, too, had skipped some classes and didn't even go to the "Once Over Lightly" class after dinner. It's HARD to keep up with the schedule! 
My roommate Valerie is a remarkable woman. She gets up in time for breakfast and attends the first class every day. She takes every class, every workshop, attends the Once Over Lightly after dinner, goes to the after party, and gets back to our room between 1:00 and 2:30 am every day. Until I talked with Amy tonight, I assumed everyone was like Valerie. If someone wants to maximize their time at camp, they can learn from Valerie! 
Tomorrow, I'll head home. A nine hour drive north. In the car for nine hours. No dancing. And no feeling badly about skipping a class. Or two. My feet will be so happy tomorrow. 
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Celebrity sighting at Stockton!

7/24/2014

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Since starting to teach folk dance five years ago, I've used Dick Oakes' website www.phantomranch.net SO MUCH! There is an incredible abundance of information about there. Imagine my surprise at camp when I came face-to-face with a lovely man wearing a name tag that read 'Dick Oakes'. I asked him, "Are you THE Dick Oakes??" We chatted about dancing, being at camp for the first time (he is a first-time camper at Stockton this year, too!), and commiserated about our sore feet.
One of the best parts of my week was attending the camper-led workshop "Dances For All Ages" that Dick taught on Tuesday.

Dick is a fabulous teacher - so knowledgeable about the material, smooth in his delivery of the instruction, affable in every way. Experiencing his workshop was witnessing masterful teaching, and a highlight of my week.
At the end of the workshop, Dick set out a box of things he'd collected over the years and invited us to take one. Pictured above is a painted wooden doll from Yugoslavia. The picture below is me in the presence of greatness -- with Dick Oakes.       

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The whirlwind that is Stockton

7/21/2014

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The end of the first day at Stockton Folk Dance Camp. Repeated advice that has been given to me as a first-time camper is: PACE yourself. 
Today I attended a Salsa Rueda class -- just tons of fun. Way to kick off the whole thing by learning a new style of dance complete with a whole new language. Totally fun. Cesar Garfiaz is the instructor.  Then I went to Roberto Bagnoli's international folk dance class. We learned Sej Bob (not to be confused with Sej Sej Bob, which is a totally different dance), and Te Joci Cu Focul. Fabulous dance! Loved it! Literal translation: to play with fire. This dance is totally on fire. 
I skipped the third class in the spirit of pacing. I attended two sing-alongs: Erik Hoffman's standard folk song repertoire sing-along (We Shall Overcome Some-daaaaaaay) and Rumen Shopov's Balkan singing workshop. Fun! 
In the afternoon, I chose Ercument Kilic's Turkish dance class - new favorite dance Hey Gidi Hey.Then I attended Erik Hoffman's contra dance workshop. He plays fiddle for the workshop while calling. Erik was the first caller for the Coos Bay contra dance series. Between him and Dick Oakes, I've had some celebratory sightings. I had a great chat with some students from BYU about how to get young folks interested in dancing. I had an interesting chat with Jitka Bonusova, a dance teacher from the Czech Republic - she teaches couple dances, but her dance partner sprained his ankle 6 days ago, so she is here alone. She calls contra dances in the Czech Republic - she said they are very popular... most calls are in English (balance and swing; do-si-do; long lines forward and back; right and left through), but other calls are in Czech (circles and stars), 
I danced much of the evening program, but didn't stay for the after party. I hope 30,000 steps is pacing myself appropriately.      

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