January-March 2011

Club Membership from Janice Flowers

The PBDC tries to make it as

easy as possible to experience ball-

room dance in the Pee Dee. The

PBDC is the only ballroom dance

club within 60 miles. Pass the word

and let‘s boost attendance this sea-

son.

Please promptly renew your

membership when due. Our club de-

pends on your dues to help pay for

the hall, DJ and special treats

throughout the season.

If you have not renewed your

membership, we urge you to fill-out

and send the form above with your

check to the address shown.

Volunteers Needed

Don‘t forget the success of the

PBDC depends on your participation

in club activities. Our future is de-

pendent on your energy, creativity,

personal interactions and experi-

ence. Please step forward and

help in the following area:

Decorations

Newsletter stories

Publicity opportunities

Door prizes

Editor’s Note Your comments, suggestions and

articles of interest are welcome and

encouraged. Write to PBDC, 410

Eastburn Ct., Darlington, SC 29532,

Tel. 667-9322 or email us at

d_eevans@yahoo.com. Please be

sure to check out our website:

www.Palmettodanceclub.org. The

Palmetto Ballroom Dance Club

Newsletter is published four times a

year. It is encouraged that ALL club

members participate in contributing

to this publication at least once dur-

ing each year. Next publication date

is July 4, 2011. Your information

must be received by June 15th, 2011.

Editorial Staff:

David Evans

Kim Szogi

Bill Bramlett

Palmetto Ballroom Dance Club

Membership Application

Name(s):

Address:

Phone/Home: Work:

E-mail:

Annual membership dues are $20/per person.

Mail to: Palmetto Dance Club, 410 Eastburn Ct., Darlington, SC 29532

Dance Schedule

2011

Dances are the second Friday of each

month.

March 11, 2011

April 8, 2011

May 13, 2011

Summer Dances

Admission - Free for members

June 10, 2011- Casual Dress

July 8 2011 - Casual Dress

August 12, 2011 - Casual Dress

New Season Starts

September 9, 2011

October 14, 2011

November 11, 2011

December 2, 2011

Dance Lesson from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.

Open Dancing from 8:30 til 10:45 pm.

Admission - $5 for members of the

PBDC & $10 for non-members.

Dance Location: The Palmetto Ball-

room Dance Club meets the second Fri-

day of each month at The Leatherman

Center, Freedom Blvd., Florence, SC.

Newsletter and Web site

Things to Do

See page 6 for upcoming dances in Columbia and

Sumter.

Palmetto Ball Dance Club 6

So You Think

You Can Dance? A Cinderella story about dancing your fears

away.

Nancy Perry Graham, Editor, AARP The

Magazine — Art Streiber

Have you ever imagined yourself on

Dancing with the Stars? I have! (It's a

top TV show with our readers.) So when

I got the chance to learn a dance from

Corky Ballas, the charming champion

who was Florence

Henderson's partner

this season, I

(nervously) said YES!

Here was the hitch: I

had just three hours to

learn and rehearse the

dance, and then just 20

minutes to perform the

whole thing with

Corky on video for all

the online world to see.

That didn't leave much time for screw-

ing up or falling down (though I did

both). Despite the stress, it was a magi-

cal experience, from picking the music

— I unwittingly chose a "jive" song, the

hardest type to dance to — to buying a

ballroom dress. Who knew you could

get a sexy black number for $37? I met

Corky at a DWTS rehearsal hall in LA

on a Saturday night, and in just two

hours he choreographed and showed me

the steps to our dance.

Video: Go to: http://www.aarp.org/

entertainment/movies-tv/info-10-

2010/dancing-with-star-corky-

ballas.html

He was a patient and funny teacher, de-

spite having spent the previous six hours

practicing with Florence. My main flaw

as a partner, he joked, was my tendency

to "strangle" him "to death." To prepare

for the next morning, he told me to

watch a video we'd shot as we practiced.

I danced around my hotel room until 1

a.m., my eyes glued to that video. I was

feeling pretty confident by Sunday

morning — until I swapped my sneakers

for 3-inch heels. Then

the pressure of having

to perform the whole

dance in just two takes

made me panic. The

clock was ticking;

Corky had to get back

to Florence. Showtime,

cameras rolling! I'm

dancing, I'm rushing,

I'm losing count, I'm tripping, I'm...on

the floor. Humiliation! Okay, I got that

over with. Take two: Corky looks me in

the eye, takes my hand, and with a

bounce we're off, kicking, twirling,

dancing, dipping. I did it! The video

crew applauds. Corky hugs me. I feel

elated. I've just done something I was

afraid to do. Thank you, Corky, for my

Cinderella moment.

Inside This Issue

So You Think You Can Dance? Pg 1

From the President Pg 2

Photos Pg 3 & 4

Media Library 5

Decorating 6

Membership Pg 6

Upcoming Dances Pg 6

Editors Notes Pg 6

Officers 2010 - 2011

President: Bill Bramlett

Vice-President: Vanessa Huggins

Treasurer: Janice Flowers

Secretary: Kim Szogi

April Wolfe

David Evans

Jane Snipes

Standing Committees

Dance Instructors:

Vence & Pauline Jelovchan

Dance Theme and Decorations:

Jane Snipes

Parliamentarian: Pauline Jelovchan

Membership: Janice Flowers

Music and Band:

Vence & Pauline Jelovchan & DJ

Eddie Collins

Web Master: David Evans

Door Prizes: April Wolfe

Newsletter: David Evans

Video Librarian: Janice Flowers

Vol. 12 Number 1 January– March 2011 Florence, SC

Fellow dancers/

friends...have you ever

thought of yourselves as an

"ambassador" of sorts for

our Dance club? Wherever

we go with our social lives,

others will be watching us. I know

on several occasions, I've had per-

sons come up to me to comment on

the dance routine and I see that as a

golden opportunity to tell them about

the fun & enjoyment that comes

from learning the ballroom

dances. As typical, they will men-

tion that they'd thought about ball-

room in the past, but never pursued

it. Well, at that time I jump into the

conversation, and find myself shar-

ing about the "positive" things which

ballroom has brought to my

life. And hopefully, when they see

that grin come on my face...it just

may make them re-

consider what to do about

ballroom dancing in their

own lives! I know we

come from different ca-

reer backgrounds; how-

ever, the love of ballroom dancing

permeates all that, doesn't it.

Well, as I write this my car is

literally covered in pollen to

where it is no longer dark green,

but a bright yellow! Hey, let's

hear it for some rain.

Lastly, don't ever be hesitant

to speak up for your love of ball-

room dancing...as it's a whole-

some way to use our leisure time,

isn't it.

Bill Bramlett

Dance to Keep

Your Mind Sharp Did you know stepping onto the

dance floor is a great mental workout,

too?

When she was just 13 or 14 years

old philanthropist Hillie Mahoney

learned the waltz from her father. She's

been ballroom dancing socially ever

since, but Mahoney says she's still learn-

ing the nuances—posture, for instance—

especially since she recently began danc-

ing competitively. ―I thought I knew

how to dance until I took classes,‖ she

says. ―It's more than dragging the feet

around. There's a coordination between

the brain and the feet.‖

Ballroom dancing attracts a wide

variety of participants, although, like

Mahoney, 73, the majority is older than

the tattoo-and-nose-ring set. It's easy to

figure out why dancing makes great ex-

ercise—just go dancing. For hard scien-

tific proof, in a study presented at last

November's annual meeting of the

American Heart Association, a group of

110 individuals who had suffered

chronic heart failure were randomly as-

signed traditional aerobic exercise (such

as cycling or walking on a treadmill),

waltzing, or no exercise. After perform-

ing their assigned tasks 3 times a week

for 8 weeks, the exercise group showed

an oxygen consumption increase of 16

percent versus 18 percent for the

waltzers, and an 18 percent in-

crease in cardiovascular fitness,

compared to 19 percent among the

dancers. While the percentages

between the groups are close, the

dancers also reported an improve-

ment in their emotions, compared

with no improvement for the non-

exercisers. And they were more likely to

stick with dancing after the test. Really,

how much fun is riding a stationary

bike?

What Scientists Have Learned

As for a mental workout, a study

published in 2003 in The New England

Journal of Medicine analyzed 469 people

at least 75 years old who answered a

questionnaire about physical and mental

activities, ranging from crossword puz-

zles to dancing. Within a median time-

frame of 5 years, 124 had developed de-

mentia, though the frequent dancers

showed a reduced incidence. According

to the study's lead, Joe Verghese, MD,

assistant neurology professor at Albert

Einstein College of Medicine in New

York, dancing was the only physi-

cal activity tied to a lower risk of

dementia.

The physical exercise increases

blood flow to the brain, but danc-

ing has a social aspect, too: Fewer

dancers felt depressed and lonely.

In addition, dancers must memorize in-

tricate steps and movements, master tim-

ing, and coordinate movements with a

partner—the type of mental acrobatics

that hold off memory loss and dementia.

According to William Greenough, pro-

fessor of psychology, cell and develop-

(Continued on page 5)

Palmetto Ball Dance Club News 2

January-March 2011

mental biology at the University of Illi-

nois, ―Learning intricate physical skills

improves subsequent learning of other

skills.‖ Greenough adds that his signifi-

cant other, Nancy Blake, is an accom-

plished tango dancer, and he's been try-

ing to follow in her footsteps (or rather

lead her) the last four or five years.

―Very definitely the package as a whole

enhances my motor skills and mental

skills as well,‖ he says. But still, he says,

Blake dances much better.

Doing the Tango, Looking

Gorgeous

In another study, presented at the

2005 meeting of the Society for Neuro-

science by Patricia McKinley of Mont-

real's McGill University, 30 people be-

tween ages 62 and 90 were chosen. Half

were assigned to tango classes, while the

other half walked twice a week for two

hours. After 10 weeks both groups

scored better on cognitive tests, yet only

the tango dancers did better on a multi-

tasking test. They also displayed im-

provement in balance and coordination.

Larissa Velez, who, since 1999, has

been teaching ballroom dancing to a

range of ages, says she notices a boost in

her students' energy levels. ―I see folks

walk in with a slow gait,‖ she says. ―But

when swing music comes on, they dance

a fast swing. It's almost like their mem-

ory gets into that rhythm.‖ Also, she

says, ballroom dancing gives people an

opportunity to feel sexy-especially the

Latin dances. Greenough agrees: ―There

is a real grace to tango—it just looks

gorgeous.‖ The McKinley study backs

up Greenough and Velez. According to

McKinley, when dance classes began the

students showed up in sweats and jeans,

but by the third or fourth class they were

wearing makeup and jewelry.

For Hillie Mahoney, dance classes

have turned out to have benefits beyond

exercise and memory improvement. Af-

ter leaving the studio one night she ran

into friends. ―They said to me, ‗Where

have you been? You look wonderful,‘‖

she recalls. ―Then I realized it was be-

cause of the waltzing.‖

Area Dances

Big Band Dance At the Columbia Senior

Center, Columbia, SC featuring the

Capital City Band

On Tuesday, May 17

From 7:00 to 10:00 pm

Semi-formal dress

$15 per person

$20 after May 10

And on Friday, June 1

The Dick Goodwin Band

From 7:30 to 11:00 pm

Semi-formal dress

$15 per person

$20 after May 25

MOODLIGHT & ROSES Sumter Ballroom Dance Club's 10th

Anniversary Celebration!

Saturday, May 21st 7pm-11pm

Nettles Building Lobby (University

Drive off Miller Road) on USC-

Sumter campus.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres, spotlight

dances, Jack & Jill Dance (waltz),

door prizes & awards.

Dress: Hollywood Glitz or semi-

formal.

Cost: $10.00/person...$5.00/student.

Reserved tables of 6 for $50.00.

No alcoholic beverages allowed.

Contact: Kay Roberson (803) 438-

9356 or Bruce Blumberg (803) 968-

4760 or: bruceb@uscsumter.edu

(Continued from page 2)

Media Library

by Vence and Pauline

For some time now,

we have been working on upgrading

the instructional videos in our ball-

room dance library. So far we have

completed DVD‘s in: Waltz, Cha

Cha, Tango, Rumba, Foxtrot and

East Coast Swing. Coming soon

will be the Bolero. These DVD‘s

are available for loan to members of

the PBDC. If interested, please see

Janice Flowers who is responsible

for maintaining the library. We ask

that DVD‘s only be signed out for

one month at a time to allow other

members access. Thank You! To all of you who contributed door

prizes in the first quarter.

January-March 2011

Dance Shoe Info For those of you interested in purchas-

ing dance shoes, the following vendors

& web sites may be of interest:

Dance, Etc. - Florence - Ph: 665-9300

The Shoe Center: N. Myrtle Beach,

710 Hwy 17 S, Suite I, N. MB. Ph:

843 272-6515.

They have shag shoes and ballroom

shoes. You can order online.

Judy’s House of Oldies, 300 Main St.,

N. Myrtle Beach. Ph: 843 249-8649

Judyshouseofoldies.com

Online: If you Google ballroom dance

shoes, lots of sites will show up. Sug-

gested sites are:

Carmens Dance Shoes

dance4less.com

We personally have been to Shoe

Center and Judy‘s. We have also

bought from Carmen‘s online

(California). She will have specials

each month, offering 20 or 30% off.

Please note that some dance shoe

companies list sizes in European sizes,

not the standard American. This is not

a problem, as standard comparison

charts are usually listed. Please make

sure you clarify this when ordering.

Palmetto Ball Dance Club 5

Palmetto Ball Dance Club 4

January-March 2011

Palmetto Ball Dance Club News 3

January-March 2011