Current Dance Week
Week of: May 5th, 2008
Listen up, ladies. You know I love and respect each and every one of you. And I’ve listened patiently to your complaints about men and how they never want to do anything but sit at home and watch TV. But the truth is, we men want to dance, gosh darn it! At least real men do! Men want to Hustle. Men want to Rumba. Men want to Nightclub. Men want to Swing. And Linda’s classes are loaded with them.
So no more complaining about how there are never
enough men in the dance classes–I challenge you to come down to our classes
and prove me wrong! It’s raining men…and real men at that! 
Don’t forget: Luis Crespo is coming to the area in TWO WEEKS (or so). Check out the info down in the HAPPENINGS section of the email.
The Schedule
Beginning East Coast Swing makes its return to the line-up THIS WEEK…so all you swingers out there who responded to previous emails with your desires to take this class (and anybody else for that matter): get ready to dance!!
Wednesday
- 5:30 Argentine Tango III with Rich
- 6:30 Argentine Tango I with Rich (week 6 of 6)
- 6:30 Couple’s Social Dance Series (week 6 of 6) w/ Linda
- 7:30 West Coast Swing II w/ Dustin
- 7:30 Beg. Hustle w/ Chris E.
- 8:30 Intermediate Rumba w/ Linda
- 8:30 Intermediate Country Western 2-Step w/ Dustin
Thursday
- 6pm West Coast Swing I 1/2 w/ Linda
- 6pm West Coast Swing I with Laura
- 7pm Beginning East Coast Swing
- 7pm West Coast Swing II w/ Linda
- 8pm Salsa I 1/2 with Javier
- 8pm Intermediate Nightclub 2-step w/ Linda
Class Info
- Directions to Classes
- Class Prices
Drop-in class: $15; 7-class card: $70 ($10 per class); 20-class card: $180 ($9 per class).
Happenings
Featured Dance Videos of the Week
Jordan and Tatiana – Lead Follow WCS on YouTube
A little Country-Western 2-Step cabaret with Ronnie and Brandi – lots of country 2 step with some Balboa and swing mixed in – man, can she spin!
Here’s a West Coast Swing ROUTINE (not lead-and-follow) from Michael and Jen
A little bit of Salsa for you (my shoulder hurts just watching the arm movements)
Sam & Denise Miller Showcase Country Two-Step
Dance Invasion
Stay tuned for info on our next hot spot!
Upcoming WCS and Dance Events
Weekend of May 17, Luis Crespo will conduct a day-long seminar (3 workshops + dance with music by DJ michael) in West Coast Swing at the Dance Pavilion in AG. More details at www.krisoconnor.net
Great American Jack & Jill O’Rama. June 12-15 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. www.centralcoastswingdance.com
Summer Swing Dance Classic & Summer Swing Dance Camp, Palm Springs, July 31st to Aug. 3rd. For more info, visit www.peoplewhodance.net
Places to Dance
Pelican Point on weekend nights; smallish floor that needs a little resurfacing work, but still can be fun–I recommend wearing leather-bottomed shoes rather than suede. Fellow dancer Les Beck and the Night Run Duo will be performing Feb. 1, 8, & 9.
Jazz at the Inn at Morro Bay every Friday night; variety of jazz styles. I recommend that ladies wear flats or wide-heeled shoes (dancing on tiles can get tricky in stilettos). The first Saturday of every month, the jazz is of the Latin variety…lots of Salsa, ChaCha, Rumba, and Cumbia. Come check it out.
For you North County residents, check out Level 4 Speakeasy in Paso Robles…but you gotta know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebodyto find it (actually, it’s not that difficult, but I like to maintain the illusion). Concrete floor with random couches thrown in the mix, but the music is generally good: Blues and Jazz.
Of course, Sunday nights at the Madonna Inn with the lovely Nancy Lara DJ’ing.
Questions? Call Linda at 541-5678.
West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing is a dance that\’s difficult to describe. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this might be a better way to see what the dance looks like.
- View QuickTime WCS Demo (60 seconds, 3 Megs)
- View QuickTime larger WCS Demo (60 seconds, 9 Megs)
(you need to have QuickTime installed to view these videos)
Prices
- Any Single Class - $15
- Students get 50% off any classes and the dance card (only for full-time Students under the age of 25)
Discount Dance Cards
Dance Cards are available. Pay only $70 for a 7 class card or $180 for a 20 class card - usable on any classes that you choose! The 7-class card must be used within three months of the date of purchase.
Paying for a Series
There are various ways to pay for a series class. You can pay for the whole series up front for $70 ($8.75 per class); or you could use your dance card to pay as you go ($10 or $9 per class, depending on your card); or you can simply pay as you go ($15 per class).
(Don’t tell Linda I said this, but I recommend paying for the class up front — there’s something about being an Economics teacher in my spare time that is leading me to think that paying less for something is better than paying more. - Chris)
Directions to Classes
Directions to Oddfellows Hall at 520 Dana Street, San Luis Obispo
Oddfellow’s Hall
520 Dana St.
San Luis Obispo, CA
- From 101 either direction, take Marsh street exit.
- Turn left on Nipomo (Foster\’s Freeze on corner) and cross over Higuera
- Turn left on Dana street (Reis Chapel on corner).
- Go down toward the end of the street, it will be on your right, large parking lot, sign with I.O.O.F. above the hall.
Dance Links
- Dance DK
- California Excitement - Directory and Classifieds
- Salson - local SLO Salsa band
- Jailhouse Rock - Jesse Gearheart\’s SLO Swing site
Contact
Send e-mail to linda@lindadrake.com.
Phone
You can also call with questions about classes, times, and locations: 541-5678.
Classes
Check out our current dance week.
With fewer than 20 people, our group classes are ideal for personal attention and to ask any questions you may have. All beginning classes teach basic social dance skills that are applicable for a variety of dance styles.
Latin Dances
Salsa
For those who want the challenge of a faster Latin dance, this class teaches Salsa with an occasional Cha Cha or Merengue basic. You will also learn how to make the Salsa into a great Nightclub dance that you can do to all kinds of music! This class is good to take in addition to the Dance Dynamics or Ballroom I classes, which concentrate on lead and follow skills.
Cha Cha
The Cha Cha is a Latin dance, second most popular to the Salsa. However, it is a very popular Ballroom dance and a great Nightclub dance. The music is slower than Salsa, but the footwork is more intricate. I’d recommend trying Salsa first. Then, if the music seems too fast, go to Cha Cha.
Ballroom & Social Dances
West Coast Swing
The slower, sophisticated style of West Coast Swing can be danced to all kinds of music from Big Band, Top 40, country Western and Blues. It is an extremely versatile dance but will take time to learn.
We recommend that you take at least 4 of the Level I classes before trying the Level II classes.
| Old School | Play That Funky Music Sex Bomb Shake Your Groove Thing |
|---|---|
| Country Western | Shut Up and Kiss Me Black Velvet Let\’s Talk About Me |
| Pop | Get This Party Started Just Got Paid |
East Coast Swing
This is the most common and easiest of all the Swing dances. Not just danced to Big Band music, this dance can be danced to contemporary, blues and Country music and is still one of the most popular of the Ballroom dances.
Nightclub 2-Step
A smooth flowing slow dance that became a hit in the 70\’s and continues to be extremly popular rhythm to this day. It can be danced to a variety of music, including Top 40 and Country Western music. It’s the most popular dance for those romantic ballads. The only dance for those songs 60-80 beats per minute.
Typical songs: Lady in Red, You Send Me, Fallin\’, Breathe
Tango
There are several different styles of tango: American, International and Argentine. Linda combined her training to give us a class with the style of Argentine along with the more structured American style. If you\’d like to see this great dance in action, rent Tango and the Tango Lesson.
Bolero
A very romantic slow dance. I\’m going to be teaching a grouping that will be appropriate for a small nightclub floor. This is the dance for all the slow songs that Salson plays.
Example song: Maria of My Soul
Others
Descriptions will soon be up for these other dances that we teach.
- Foxtrot
- Waltz
- Hustle
- Dance Dynamics
- West Coast Swing Syncopations
About
Linda brings to you 19 years of professional dance instruction to all levels of dancers - young and old, beginning, intermediate and advanced. She has been teaching in San Luis Obispo since 1993.
She offers group and private lessons in * Salsa * Swing * Country Western * Latin * Ballroom
Contact us for * Private Lessons * Special Occasions * Private Parties * Weddings
National Award Winning Dancer and Instructor, Linda Drake, has been gracing the dance world with her talents for over 18 years.
As a dancer, Linda has been consistently recognized as the top in her field through local and national awards. In 1984, her career began with a bang when she became the National East Coast Swing, Jack & Jill Champion. Throughout the 1990s, she consistently ranked among the top 6 female competitors in West Coast Swing.
As a Dance Instructor, Linda has taught Swing, Ballroom, Country Western and Latin. After successfully managing Arthur Murray Dance Studios for several years, Linda opened her own business, first in Southern California and now on the gorgeous central coast.
!–more–>
Dance Awards & Honors
While at Arthur Murray Dance studios, she was awarded the Top Female Instructor in the Nation. She was also awarded Top Professional Instructor by the World Dance-O-Rama.
Linda also had the honor of choreographing several PBS Dance Specials, including, Dancing Through the Decades.
Along with being top in her field, Linda has the ability to reach her students and bring out their best, through her excellent teaching skills, sense of humor, patience, and true caring for every student. Amongst her greatest joys is watching her students find the joy of dancing.
Photography
Linda is also an accomplished wildlife photographer. Her work is available to be seen and prints may be purchased from her as well.