Volume 6, Issue 3 May - June 2009 Message from the Prez May Birthdays Spring is in the air and here to stay – for awhile anyway. The dances have been great. The Dance Workshop on the April 25th was a great success. Lorraine Bacco, Margaret Beall, Shirley Betters, Diane Cimini, Renae Constabile, Murri Daugherty, Cheryl Ferri, Chuck Frye, Ted Gresh, Richard Johns, Richard Johnson, Lois Matthews, Len Norwichi, John Mincin, Barb Monfre, Claire Munshaw, Frank Nikolich, Tony Porco, Dorothy Quatman, Diane Reimer, Bob Rosenwald, John Snyder, Audrey Terzolino, Dale Thompson, Leonard Varoski, Curt White, Cathy Wyatt Remember - Our BIG event for the year will be the Mountain Bash at Seven Springs. People are still talking about last year. This year Seven Springs is having their wine festival the same weekend, so make arrangements early to assure you of a room. Quote for May "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt Congratulations Congratulations to Phil Yoho and Pat Schweitzer on their engagement. June Birthdays Tom Atkinson, Regis Bacco, Georgette Bemesderfer, Peggy Bilski, Jo Ann Brill, Jim Botti, Pat Butler, Ed Cianci, Cheryl DeRosa, Denise Desiderio, John Dorsey, Mel Dougherty, Judy Elias, Jackie Fuga, June Jones, DJ George Lambl, Gary Lininger, Karen McKeever, Larry Miller, John Minko, Barbara Mussano, Mary Nucci, Jim Ponzo, Lois Reich, David Richards, Eleanor Simoni, Tim Staley, Stephen Steranchak, Bette Tell, Tom Volzer, Diane Weitz, Joanne Welsh, Donna Zouvas HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!! If your name has not been listed, it’s because we don’t have your birth date. Just let us know if you want to be listed for your next birthday. Keep In Your Thoughts Bob DiCicco is recuperating from back surgery Pat Schweitzer has a broken foot. Jo Ann Brill is recuperating from back surgery also. The Pittsburgh Area Jitterbug Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, preservation and education of both “Swing” (aka “Fast”) music and “Swing” (aka “Fast”) dancing to include: East and West Coast Swing or Jitterbug, Bop, Carolina Shag, Rock n’ Roll, Hope, Hustle, Cha Cha, Line and other forms of fast dance, but not prohibiting slower music and dance as time and circumstance permits. May January - June – February 2009 2009 Volume 6, Issue 3 1 Poet’s Corner PAJC 2009 Dance Schedule We oldies recently lost another place to meet, greet, and boogie our feet. The Linden Grove is now a "Disco Place.” Below is a poem that I did back in 04 when the Grove was owned by Leonard & Joan Migale. All dances are held at the SNPJ unless otherwise noted. Dance Lessons are from 8 – 9 PM (unless cancelled) with Dancing to follow. The Linden Grove Add an "o" to Grove and you have groove...that is what the place is all about; you "groove at the Grove!" May 9 May 23 June 6 June 20 July 4 Regular Dance / Birthdays Regular Dance Regular Dance / Birthdays Membership Drive Dance Brentwood Parade There is not much space to rove, but we oldies don't mind - because our dancing friends are easy to find! Admission: Members $5 The owners make you feel at ease - with a restaurant of quality food guaranteed to please! For more detailed information: HOTLINE: 412-366-2183 WEBSITE: www.pittsburghareajitterbugclub.com Non-Members $10 After or during dinner you may want to leave your chair once they "crank up" the oldies music there. A "Sheriff" named Ron* quite often will start the dance and - will see to it that those too rowdy are gone! The music played is recent history - compared to the age of the Grove's decades of mystery. Many dancers on the floor, should you explore would relate their fond memories of the Grove. Wednesday Dance Lessons "We boogied here as teenagers and young adults had fun and often corrected our dancing faults!" Back then, they listened and danced with the "Daddio of the Radio!" ** today enjoy DJ's Radio Rich, Jimmy Haas, and Bugger too! So, listen and enjoy the Doo Wop and if you are so inclined - get out on the floor and show us your :Lindy" or "Linden Hop!" Classes held at the Royal Place from 8-9 PM for $5/week or 6 classes for $25 May 13th – June 24th – Intermediate Cha Cha taught by Lennie Did You Know? Just come to the Grove... and rove, and rove, and rove! After Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana - By Phil Yoho 5-10-04 * Ron Evans Dance ** Porky Chedwick Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance in the same way again!! Bananas contain three natural sugars -- sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained, and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses, and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet. Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance May January - June – February 2009 2009 Volume 6, Issue 3 1 Letter From The Editor I know that our members have a lot of knowledge and plenty to say, so … how about it? Give me an “E” sometime with anything you’d like to see in this newsletter. After all, it is YOUR NEWSLETTER. I’m going to try to keep the headings every month as is, so if you have anything you want to see in print, send it to me: jabrill@hotmail.com If you would like to see something else added, let me know also. I’m open to any and all suggestions; like I said, It’s YOUR NEWSLETTER. Submit your articles / tidbits by the 15th of each month. The Mambo was originally played as any Rumba with a riff ending. It may be described as a riff or a Rumba with a break or emphasis on 2 and 4 in 4/4 time. Native Cubans or musicians without any training would break on any beat. It first appeared in the United States in New York's Park Plaza Ballroom - a favorite hangout of enthusiastic dancers from Harlem. The Mambo gained its excitement in 1947 at the Palladium and other renowned places such as The China Doll, Havana Madrid and Birdland. A modified version of the "Mambo" (the original dance had to be toned down due to the violent acrobatics) was presented to the public at dance studios, resort hotels, and at night-clubs in New York and Miami. Success was on the agenda. Mambo happy dancers soon became known affectionately as "Mambonicks". Jo Jo Jitterbug says Mambo! The Mambo craze did not last long and today the Mambo is much limited to advanced dancers. Teachers agreed that this is one of the most difficult of dances. One of the greatest contributions of the Mambo is that it led to the development of the ChaCha. History of dance – Part 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mambo Can Mambo recapture the glory of its golden days? Can the flashy Cuban dance step find a new following in the 1990's? The Mambo dance originated in Cuba where there were substantial settlements of Haitians. In the back country of Haiti, the "Mambo" is a voodoo priestess, who serves the villagers as counselor, healer, exorcist, soothsayer, spiritual advisor, and organizer of public entertainment. However, there is not a folk dance in Haiti called the "Mambo." The fusion of Swing and Cuban music produced this fascinating rhythm and in turn created a new sensational dance. The Mambo could not have been conceived earlier since up to that time, the Cuban and American Jazz were still not wedded. The "Mambo" dance is attributed to Perez Prado who introduced it at La Tropicana night-club in Havana in 1943. Since then other Latin American band leaders such as Tito Rodriquez, Pupi Campo, Tito Puente, Machito and Xavier Cugat have achieved styles of their own and furthered the Mambo craze. Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance The Mambo is enjoying a renewed popularity due to a number of films featuring the dance as well as a man named Eddie Torres. Eddie is a New York dance pro and Mambo fanatic who has launched a crusade to make sure the dance reigns in the ballroom once again. Torres has become the leading exponent of the style, steadily building a reputation as a dancer, instructor, and choreographer. He has become known as the "Mambo King of Latin Dance". Torres is determined to reintroduce dancers to what he believes is the authentic night-club style of mambo dancing, which in the 1990's is increasingly known as Salsa. "It's a great time for Latin American dances," says Torres. "The Mambo is hot now, like it was in the '50's. It is a dance with many influences -- African, Cuban, Jazz, Hip-Hop, even some ballet. You'll never run out of steps." Popular Mambo songs include "Mambo Italiano", "Papa Loves Mambo", "Mambo #5", "I Saw Mommy Do The Mambo", and "They Were Doin' The Mambo". 'Dance City', the superb CD album featuring Hernandez and the Mambo Kings Orchestra, stands on its own as one of the best recordings of its kind Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance May January - June – February 2009 2009 Volume 6, Issue 3 1 in years, an energetic big band-style session that recalls the glory days of Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez. Quote for June Most people treat Mambo as a very fast dance. In essence, it is a slow and precise dance that doesn't move very much. EXTRA! EXTRA! We need 30 - 40 people for the Brentwood Parade on July 4th. You will have to be there by 8:00 AM and it runs till about 12:00 Noon. The theme this year is again the 50s, so girls ... get out your poodle skirts or pedal pushers and white T-shirts and jeans for the guys. The people that participated last year had a blast! So the first ones to sign up will be able to participate. Names will be taken at the dance on Saturday night or email jabrill@hotmail.com "It's time to start living the life you've imagined" - Henry James Dear Jo Jo Jitterbug Question: Why don’t we schedule our dances opposite of the other clubs? Answer: We get this question every year. We schedule all of our dances in November for the following year. It’s impossible for any club to do this because we all have to schedule according to the establishment’s schedule. If we cancel a dance, it’s because the establishment received a booking that pays them way more than we can. NOTE: If you are not receiving email, please email pajitterbugclub@aol.com or update on the website. We may not have the correct one. Please let everyone know. PLANS ARE UNDER WAY FOR OUR: ROCKIN' IN THE MOUNTAINS EVENT AT SEVEN SPRINGS RESORT AUGUST 14 AND 15, 2009. Judy & Denny Mills are Chairs of Reservations. We are looking for additional volunteers to help make this a class event. Share your talents and interests with your club. * This is also the WINE FESTIVAL Weekend so get your reservations in early. Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance New PAJC Address: PAJC P.O. Box 297 Verona, PA 15147 WEBSITE: www.pittsburghareajitterbugclub.com EMAIL: pajitterbugclub@aol.com HOTLINE: 412-366-2138 Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance