Samena Newsletter #20
02/18/2011
Dear Friends,
What a great day! We got to see a beautiful full moon and stars last night and sunshine today. Can't get much better than that! Okay, warmer would be nice. ;-)
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Square Crows Student Level Dance last night. All the new January students were very appreciative of everyone's help and encouragement. From my viewpoint, everyone was having a good time with lots of dancing and laughing.
It was a good class Thursday night. There was lots of review on many calls. That is always good. There was one new call taught this week, see below.
The challenge before us now is that there are five more calls to learn next week. As I said a week or so ago, my goal is to have everything taught by next week in order to have a couple of weeks of reteaching and dancing and smoothing off the rough edges. I think we can do it.
Many of you have asked about other Student Level Dances. Here is the list as far as I know right now:
Friday, February 25:
Dudes & Dolls, Cedar Valley Grange, 20526 52nd W, Lynnwood, Squares 8-10:30 p.m. Scott Coon is calling. The theme is Pink Cadillac.
Phils & Phillies, Meridian Grange, 15422 Kent-Kangley Rd, Kent, Squares 8-10:30 p.m. Kevin Thomaier is calling. The advertised level is Calls 1-64. (Note: the call we learned this week is #64.)
Friday, March 4:
Whirlybirds First Friday Fun Fest, The Hayloft, 15320 35th Ave W, Lynnwood, Squares 7:30-10:30 p.m. Dave Harry is calling. These dances will continue on the first Friday of every month until June. That will be the last one until October.
Next week I should know the Student Level Dances scheduled for March. However, after graduation you can attend any Mainstream Dance. The Samena Squares dance on the second and fourth Friday. I would encourage you to put those dates on your calendar now so you can dance with us for the rest of the year. There will be more about future dancing opportunities in the next few weeks.
Have a great weekend! See you all next Thursday ready to learn the last calls on the list.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 20:
64. Spin Chain Thru: A move combining arm turns and cast offs; ends and centers turn 1/2, new centers cast 3/4, centers of new wave trade 1/2, ends and centers cast 3/4. SPIN CHAIN THRU – 16 steps.
Next week: Wrong Way Thar, Tag the Line, Half Tag, Scoot Back, Recycle
What a great day! We got to see a beautiful full moon and stars last night and sunshine today. Can't get much better than that! Okay, warmer would be nice. ;-)
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Square Crows Student Level Dance last night. All the new January students were very appreciative of everyone's help and encouragement. From my viewpoint, everyone was having a good time with lots of dancing and laughing.
It was a good class Thursday night. There was lots of review on many calls. That is always good. There was one new call taught this week, see below.
The challenge before us now is that there are five more calls to learn next week. As I said a week or so ago, my goal is to have everything taught by next week in order to have a couple of weeks of reteaching and dancing and smoothing off the rough edges. I think we can do it.
Many of you have asked about other Student Level Dances. Here is the list as far as I know right now:
Friday, February 25:
Dudes & Dolls, Cedar Valley Grange, 20526 52nd W, Lynnwood, Squares 8-10:30 p.m. Scott Coon is calling. The theme is Pink Cadillac.
Phils & Phillies, Meridian Grange, 15422 Kent-Kangley Rd, Kent, Squares 8-10:30 p.m. Kevin Thomaier is calling. The advertised level is Calls 1-64. (Note: the call we learned this week is #64.)
Friday, March 4:
Whirlybirds First Friday Fun Fest, The Hayloft, 15320 35th Ave W, Lynnwood, Squares 7:30-10:30 p.m. Dave Harry is calling. These dances will continue on the first Friday of every month until June. That will be the last one until October.
Next week I should know the Student Level Dances scheduled for March. However, after graduation you can attend any Mainstream Dance. The Samena Squares dance on the second and fourth Friday. I would encourage you to put those dates on your calendar now so you can dance with us for the rest of the year. There will be more about future dancing opportunities in the next few weeks.
Have a great weekend! See you all next Thursday ready to learn the last calls on the list.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 20:
64. Spin Chain Thru: A move combining arm turns and cast offs; ends and centers turn 1/2, new centers cast 3/4, centers of new wave trade 1/2, ends and centers cast 3/4. SPIN CHAIN THRU – 16 steps.
Next week: Wrong Way Thar, Tag the Line, Half Tag, Scoot Back, Recycle
Samena Newsletter #19
02/11/2011
Dear Friends,
Great class Thursday night! As you see below we actually covered five calls this week. Good for us!
We are going to work very hard to finish learning all the calls in the next two weeks. That will give us two weeks to practice before graduation on March 10.
Mark your calendars now! Square dance workshops will begin Thursday, March 17 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Juanita Community Club. Same time! Same place! We will start by focusing on the calls that we are learning now. The calls we learned the first weeks of class like Right and Left Grand are easy now because we have so many repetitions of doing it. The ones we have learned in the last few weeks like Turn Thru or Cloverleaf only have a few repetitions so don't come quite so automatically. The workshops are for more floor time or practice. They will also give us an opportunity to play with some of the variations that we don't have time for in class but that you might see at a dance sometime. I hope you will all plan on coming. The cost will be $5.00/person/night.
Don't forget that there is a Student Level Dance this Friday at the Square Crows. I will be calling. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange (14654 148th NE, Woodinville). Squares start at 8:00 until 10:30 p.m.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #19:
28 b. Left Square Thru: Same as SQUARE THRU except start with the left hand. Continue turning into your foursome. LEFT SQUARE THRU – 4 dancers full around – 10 steps.
53. Turn Thru: With dancer you are facing, step forward do a right arm turn half, let go and step forward. You end up exactly where you started facing the opposite direction. TURN THRU – 4 steps.
62 a. Fold: Designated dancer steps forward turns to stand in front or behind the nearest dancer; the other dancer stands in place. FOLD – 2 steps.
62 b. Cross Fold: Designated dancers steps forward and crosses the center line to stand in front of or behind the remaining dancer. CROSS FOLD – 4 steps.
63. Dixie Style to Wave: Right hand dancer or leader do a right hand pull by to do a left TOUCH ¼ with the opposite dancer. Ends in a LEFT HAND OCEAN WAVE. DIXIE STYLE TO WAVE – 6 steps.
Next week: Dixie Style to Wave, Spin Chain Thru, Tag the Line-In, Out, Right, Left, Half Tag, Scoot Back, Wrong Way Thar, Recycle
Great class Thursday night! As you see below we actually covered five calls this week. Good for us!
We are going to work very hard to finish learning all the calls in the next two weeks. That will give us two weeks to practice before graduation on March 10.
Mark your calendars now! Square dance workshops will begin Thursday, March 17 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Juanita Community Club. Same time! Same place! We will start by focusing on the calls that we are learning now. The calls we learned the first weeks of class like Right and Left Grand are easy now because we have so many repetitions of doing it. The ones we have learned in the last few weeks like Turn Thru or Cloverleaf only have a few repetitions so don't come quite so automatically. The workshops are for more floor time or practice. They will also give us an opportunity to play with some of the variations that we don't have time for in class but that you might see at a dance sometime. I hope you will all plan on coming. The cost will be $5.00/person/night.
Don't forget that there is a Student Level Dance this Friday at the Square Crows. I will be calling. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange (14654 148th NE, Woodinville). Squares start at 8:00 until 10:30 p.m.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #19:
28 b. Left Square Thru: Same as SQUARE THRU except start with the left hand. Continue turning into your foursome. LEFT SQUARE THRU – 4 dancers full around – 10 steps.
53. Turn Thru: With dancer you are facing, step forward do a right arm turn half, let go and step forward. You end up exactly where you started facing the opposite direction. TURN THRU – 4 steps.
62 a. Fold: Designated dancer steps forward turns to stand in front or behind the nearest dancer; the other dancer stands in place. FOLD – 2 steps.
62 b. Cross Fold: Designated dancers steps forward and crosses the center line to stand in front of or behind the remaining dancer. CROSS FOLD – 4 steps.
63. Dixie Style to Wave: Right hand dancer or leader do a right hand pull by to do a left TOUCH ¼ with the opposite dancer. Ends in a LEFT HAND OCEAN WAVE. DIXIE STYLE TO WAVE – 6 steps.
Next week: Dixie Style to Wave, Spin Chain Thru, Tag the Line-In, Out, Right, Left, Half Tag, Scoot Back, Wrong Way Thar, Recycle
Samena Newsletter #18
02/04/2011
Dear Friends,
I hope your favorite team won the Super Bowl!
Good class Thursday night. We were still missing some of our class members. I hope to see you all back this week.
We are getting down to only a few weeks left of class. Five to be exact. Graduation is scheduled for March 10. My goal is to finish teaching all the calls by the end of this month (2/24). That will give us a couple of weeks to smooth out the rough edges and work on some of the variations you might see at a dance.
Since we don't have 15 more weeks of dancing to practice our newest calls it is important for everyone to be at each class, for the whole night, if at all possible.
The next student level dance in our area is Friday, February 18 at the Square Crows. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange by the Hollywood Schoolhouse across the valley. I hope you can come.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #18:
56 a. Single Hinge: In a mini-wave, step forward turning 1/4. SINGLE HINGE – 2 steps.
56 b. Couples Hinge: As couples in a two-faced line, walk forward until two-faced line has turned 1/4. Centers of the two-faced line hold hands and act as the pivot. COUPLES HINGE – 3 steps.
59. Spin the Top: End and adjacent center dancer turn half; new centers of the wave CAST 3/4 and ends move up 1/4. SPIN THE TOP – 8 steps.
60. Walk & Dodge: In-facing or designated dancers walk straight forward; other dancers slide in to the empty space. WALK & DODGE – 4 steps.
Next week: Left Square Thru, Turn Thru, Fold, Cross Fold, Dixie Style to Wave, Scoot Back
I hope your favorite team won the Super Bowl!
Good class Thursday night. We were still missing some of our class members. I hope to see you all back this week.
We are getting down to only a few weeks left of class. Five to be exact. Graduation is scheduled for March 10. My goal is to finish teaching all the calls by the end of this month (2/24). That will give us a couple of weeks to smooth out the rough edges and work on some of the variations you might see at a dance.
Since we don't have 15 more weeks of dancing to practice our newest calls it is important for everyone to be at each class, for the whole night, if at all possible.
The next student level dance in our area is Friday, February 18 at the Square Crows. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange by the Hollywood Schoolhouse across the valley. I hope you can come.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #18:
56 a. Single Hinge: In a mini-wave, step forward turning 1/4. SINGLE HINGE – 2 steps.
56 b. Couples Hinge: As couples in a two-faced line, walk forward until two-faced line has turned 1/4. Centers of the two-faced line hold hands and act as the pivot. COUPLES HINGE – 3 steps.
59. Spin the Top: End and adjacent center dancer turn half; new centers of the wave CAST 3/4 and ends move up 1/4. SPIN THE TOP – 8 steps.
60. Walk & Dodge: In-facing or designated dancers walk straight forward; other dancers slide in to the empty space. WALK & DODGE – 4 steps.
Next week: Left Square Thru, Turn Thru, Fold, Cross Fold, Dixie Style to Wave, Scoot Back
Samena Newsletter #17
01/28/2011
Dear Friends,
Good dancing Thursday night! It was good to see some of our travelers back. But we were missing some others. Hopefully, one of these weeks we can actually all be together. It is always fun to have a full hall dancing.
Don't forget that this coming Friday is February's Fun Fest at the Hayloft in Lynnwood. The date is February 4. I am also calling a Student Level Dance on Friday, February 18 for the Square Crows. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange (by the Hollywood Schoolhouse) in Woodinville.
Have a great weekend!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 17:
57. Centers In: Couples with backs to center of the set step in between the outside couples. CENTERS IN – 2 steps.
58. Cast off 3/4: In a mini-wave using your joined hands, turn 3/4. In a line the center dancers walk forward using the ends as a pivot 3/4 or 3 walls or 5 steps. CAST OFF 3/4 – 6 steps.
Next week: Turn Thru, Single Hinge, Couples Hinge, Spin the Top, Walk & Dodge, Fold
Good dancing Thursday night! It was good to see some of our travelers back. But we were missing some others. Hopefully, one of these weeks we can actually all be together. It is always fun to have a full hall dancing.
Don't forget that this coming Friday is February's Fun Fest at the Hayloft in Lynnwood. The date is February 4. I am also calling a Student Level Dance on Friday, February 18 for the Square Crows. They dance at the Sammamish Valley Grange (by the Hollywood Schoolhouse) in Woodinville.
Have a great weekend!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 17:
57. Centers In: Couples with backs to center of the set step in between the outside couples. CENTERS IN – 2 steps.
58. Cast off 3/4: In a mini-wave using your joined hands, turn 3/4. In a line the center dancers walk forward using the ends as a pivot 3/4 or 3 walls or 5 steps. CAST OFF 3/4 – 6 steps.
Next week: Turn Thru, Single Hinge, Couples Hinge, Spin the Top, Walk & Dodge, Fold
Samena Newsletter #16
01/21/2011
Dear Friends,
Good class Thursday night! We are progressing nicely.
I know that some of you went to the dance with the Sky Valley Whirlwinds on Friday night. I can't wait to hear all about it!
If you have missed a week or two, try to come early so we can at least walk through the moves we learned while you were away. It will be good to have you back.
Have a great week!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 16:
33 b. Shoot The Star – Full Around: The same as ALLEMANDE LEFT using the existing forearm grip for a full circle, 360 degrees. SHOOT THE STAR – FULL AROUND – 8 steps.
52. Cloverleaf: The directed dancers or the leaders turn away from partner, walk in 270-degree circle to face adjacent wall to where you started. Like a four-leaf clover or a highway cloverleaf. CLOVERLEAF – 6-8 steps from a completed DOUBLE PASS THRU
55. Pass to the Center: PASS THRU, out facing dancers automatically PARTNER TRADE, in facing dancer in center are finished. PASS TO THE CENTER – 2 steps for couples facing, 6 steps for couples facing out.
Next week: Turn Thru, Centers In, Cast off 3/4, Spin the Top
Good class Thursday night! We are progressing nicely.
I know that some of you went to the dance with the Sky Valley Whirlwinds on Friday night. I can't wait to hear all about it!
If you have missed a week or two, try to come early so we can at least walk through the moves we learned while you were away. It will be good to have you back.
Have a great week!
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week 16:
33 b. Shoot The Star – Full Around: The same as ALLEMANDE LEFT using the existing forearm grip for a full circle, 360 degrees. SHOOT THE STAR – FULL AROUND – 8 steps.
52. Cloverleaf: The directed dancers or the leaders turn away from partner, walk in 270-degree circle to face adjacent wall to where you started. Like a four-leaf clover or a highway cloverleaf. CLOVERLEAF – 6-8 steps from a completed DOUBLE PASS THRU
55. Pass to the Center: PASS THRU, out facing dancers automatically PARTNER TRADE, in facing dancer in center are finished. PASS TO THE CENTER – 2 steps for couples facing, 6 steps for couples facing out.
Next week: Turn Thru, Centers In, Cast off 3/4, Spin the Top