aifd.cc or AIFD Newsletter October 6, 2012 This week at dancing Programming: Come enjoy a fun evening of dancing programmed by Bill Ogilvie. Among other things, we'll repeat several of the dances played by the live music groups during last week's open house. Teaching: Don your dirndls, slip on those lederhosen, and get ready for Oktoberfest! Join us this week as Michel Breger reviews two German dances - the German mixer "Das Fenster" and the clapping dance "D'Hammerschmiedsgeselln" (three points for being able to pronounce this). Frau Kathleen McDonagh will be on hand for walk-throughs starting promptly at 7:30. Prost! 7:30-10:45 pm, $5 at the door 17 years or older (free if 16 or under) Hancock Rec Center (HRC) Thanks!!! to everyone who made last week's open house a huge success!!! Not receiving this newsletter directly from AIFD? Let us add you to the distribution. Be the Tipping Point Wait on the floor for a new dance to start. Read more on how to "Be the Tipping Point" "I can't dance" During and after last week's open house I was approached by a few people who said they wish they could have as much fun as the folks who were dancing, but that they "can't dance". So I figured this would be a good week to give some basic dance tips: If you can walk, you can dance. Trust me. Like most people, from an early age I could walk, skip, and hop without giving it a second thought. But then came my first introduction to dancing when someone told me to "walk", "skip", and "hop". I completely stumbled. I was hunched over, embarrassed, felt awkward, and appeared very uncoordinated. It was one thing to do these moves naturally. It was something else for a different part of my brain to tell my body to move. However, with a little concentration and practice I was able to train my brain and body to work together. You can too. Trust your feet. After several months of dancing I learned that my feet worked much better when I wasn't watching them. And, as an added benefit, when I wasn't watching them, it was much easier to stand up straight. Stand up straight. Butt in, shoulders back, eyes front. You don't need to be like this all the time, but dancing is much easier when this is your default posture. Small steps. Learn to take small steps. Often people who are new to dancing will take large, lunging, and even unnatural steps. They then spend a lot of time unlearning this habit. Comfortable shoes. Wear comfortable, soft soled shoes that can slide easy on the dance floor. I prefer worn down sneakers. If you feel so inclined, check out a dance shop for a nice pair of dance shoes. Flip flops and sandals are a no-no if you want to learn how to dance.... Find more tips at AIFD's "I can't dance" page. - Billy O. Other dance links See our complete list Pictures from AIFD's 50th Anniversary Celebration Texas International Folk Dancers Village International Dancing1st & 3rd Friday, HRC Austin Scandinavian Dancing Each Wed and 2nd Fri, HRC 5th Friday Multicultural Dance Csardas Hungarian Dancers Contradance and English Country Dancing (TAADA) Austin Friends of Traditional Music This week's "other dance" feature: TIFD Thanksgiving Dance Camp Texas camp is a great way to spend your Thanksgiving weekend. The food is terrific, dancing fun, and facilities very comfortable. This year Yulian Yordanov will be teaching dances from Bulgaria. Registration applications must be postmarked by October 31st, so don't dilly dally if you are considering attending. For more information, see TIFD's camp registration page. If you play folk dance music and are not on our list of Musicians/Musical groups, please send your information to newsletter_editor@aifd.cc Best of luck to the folk dancers performing at the Oktoberfest. Under the guidance of Michel Breger, several folk dancers will be performing at the German Texas Heritage Oktoberfest this coming Saturday, October 6th, at the German Free School, 507 E 10th St in Austin. The festival is from 11 to 7, and the dancers go on around 2pm. See their their website for ticket and other information. After the festivies, come enjoy a fun evening of folk dancing with AIFD. Other upcoming events ... November 3rd: Kabile .. November 22-25: Texas Thanksgiving Camp .. For complete details check out AIFD's event page Link of the week: Groovie Movie - my most favorite Jitterbug instruction video. If you would like to be removed from our newsletter distribution, please notify us at newsletter_editor@aifd.cc