Judee Curtis
We definitely will miss our dancers who were here for just a few months; however, the number of year-round residents has increased. That’s exciting. We dance through June, restarting in September.
If new to Line Dancing, you may register now for the Ultra Basic Class restarting in September at SunBird in the ballroom on Mondays at 11:30 a.m. for $2. Call 480-802-0201 after 10:00 a.m., adding your name to the list of those who have already registered. You must be registered by the end of August and definitely BEFORE the first class which is Monday, September 3 – yes, Labor Day. Registrations will be taken only a few weeks into September. After that, the next starting time is January 7, 2019.
As I’ve told the dancers, you are never too old to learn. I’ve learned something about “Elvira,” which is a “Classic,” a/k/a very old, so please call me “Classic” and not the obvious. “Elvira,” the first dance I learned back in 1994, is 16 counts = Vine right, touch. Vine left, touch. Back 3, touch. Forward rock, recover, 1/4 left, touch. Dance starts with the right foot. Each sequence is four counts. The touches are left, right, left, right. You are welcome!
Out of curiosity, I looked up “Elvira.” What a surprise! There were four dances called “Elvira” and 15 dances done to the song “Elvira” but had different names. The “Freeze,” by Ric Silver, is the closest to the one I was taught, I’ve taught and is danced at local area dances. Instead of “touches,” they were “hitches or hops.” Therefore, I decided I was taught the “Arizona” or “SunBird” or “Sun Lakes” version, as the one with the directions above is not on the list, plus I still don’t know who choreographed it. Maybe my teacher in 1994 didn’t like the “hitches or hops” and substituted them with “touches,” making it a “body-friendly” dance.
There are “millions” of line dances. You could take 10 teachers, and there could be 10 different dances taught. When I choose a dance, the dancers have a choice of whether to “keep it” or “toss it.” I’m very lucky, because they usually like my choices. They really like the music I choose if the original song has issues. Escape with us from this “Crazy World.” God Bless Line Dancing.