Begin Your Independence Day Weekend at the Friday, July 2nd 2010 Dance.

Chili Dogs and Chps, Snacks and Drinks

Our Annual directory will be released soon.  If your contact information has changed since last year, please click here to contact Cathy Peralta as soon as possible.

Mark your calendars for this mid-year meeting and please plan to attend.  Members in good standing will be admitted for free on this night.  There are two issues in on the agenda for member vote.

Proposed amendments to the BLS standing rules:

1.  The Board of Directors may cancel dances when UALR day or evening classes are canceled due to inclement wearther.

2.  The Board of Directors may make arrangements for complimentary dance lessons before each dance to include: Scheduling dance instructors and coordinating with DJs in the event of illness, vacation or other absence.

The central Arkansas dance community turned out on February 6th for a salsa party and fundraiser for Haiti relief at Let’s Dance Studio. The event included free beginner and intermediate lessons and a drawing for dance lessons with local instructors.

Sarah Catherine Phillips, Andy Davis, Louie Bianco and Leah Patterson donated lessons and Leah gave a stellar salsa performance.

Tim Buffenbarger donated the studio space, allowing 100 percent of the proceeds to go to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. The event raised $790 for the fund and salsa dancers fave an additional $170 directly to relief organizations such as the Red cross and habitat for Humanity, bringing the total amoutn raised to $960.

Sarah and Andy would like to say thanks to everyone who participated in this event and made it a huge success!

As you watched the previous seasons of Dancing with the Stars or America’s Ballroom Challenge, have you wondered what it would be like to perform a dance routine in front of an audience? No need to wonder when you can experience the thrills and excitement. Just sign-up for a Member Spotlight and claim your fame on the BLS dance floor. Please contact Steve Chapman at (501) 352-0304 if you are interested in performing for your friends at BLS.

East Coast Swing
Developed in the 1940s, the vivacious East Coast Swing is based upon the Lindy Hop. This rhythmic and adaptable dance can be performed with a partner or individually, socially, competitively, or even choreographed for performances. The East Coast Swing is the perfect beginner’s Swing dance, and will establish the basic swing tempo and movements. It doesn’t require exceptional strength or flexibility like the acrobatic Lindy Hop, and therefore is suited to dancers of all ages and skill levels. This high-spirited dance will have you skipping, rocking, and twisting the night away on the dance floor.

West Coast Swing
This is a sexy and smooth swing style that can be danced to R&B, Blues, top-40 and Contemporary Hip-Hop music sounds, disco and even country music. Like the East Coast Swing, the West Coast Swing developed from the Lindy Hop but is infused with unique California style. Slick, sexy, and smooth, this partner dance will have you twisting away on the dance floor. The fun of West Coast Swing is improvising and freely moving to the flow of the music. Beginners can easily master its basic steps, while advanced dancers will be enthralled with creating clever tricks and new moves.

Jive
This dance is the European version of East Coast swing and Jitterbug. Six and eight count patterns make up this dance, as in East Coast swing but it is quite bouncy with very sharp kicks and flicks. Unlike East Coast swing, Jive is danced to faster tempo swing music and is meant for competitive style dancing.

Balboa
Balboa is a very popular dance style originating out of southern California. This style is danced to a wide variety of music tempos and is danced primarily in a close embrace, and is led with a full body connection. Many Balboa steps can be integrated into your jitterbug and lindy dancing.

Lindy Hop
A social dance of the US, originating in the late 1920s in New York City and at first associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. It is danced to music (principally Swing) in fast duple meter (”8 to the bar”) and is characterized especially by “breakaways” in which partners in a couple separate and improvise steps individually.  It incorporates movements in which partners swing one another around and sometimes takes on an acrobatic character.

Hustle
Hustle is danced to the contemporary, disco and pop dance music of the last 20 years. It is a fast, smooth dance, with the lady spinning frequently, while her partner draws her close and sends her away.

Bolero
Bolero music is slow and romantic, often accompanied by Spanish vocals and soft percussion. Believed to have evolved from Spanish and Afro-Cuban folk dances, Bolero is often referred to as the Cuban Dance of Love. It is a dance that captures sensuality, romance and slow rhythmic movements.

Cha Cha
This Cuban dance is an offshoot of Mambo and was first popularized in the mid-1950’s. Energetic, stylish, and cheeky, the cha-cha is a perfect partner dance for everyone. Dancers of all levels can have a great time learning the basics or mastering the fine points.

Mambo
Based on the intense fusion of Cuban and swing music, Mambo has been an international phenomenon since the 1940’s, but has achieved fame in movies like Mambo Kings and Dirty Dancing. It is a fast pace dance with fast footwork and lots of spins.

Rumba
With its easy pace and fluid, seductive movements, Rumba is an attractive style for dancers of all abilities. The slowest of the competition Latin and American dances, Rumba is distinguished by its romantic feel and continuous flowing movement, exemplified by a sensuous swaying of the hips.

Paso Doble
The Paso Doble is a theatrical Spanish dance that characterizes the man as the matador and the lady as his cape. Based on Flamenco dancing, the character of the dance is arrogant and passionate. Paso Doble is not a social dance but is danced competitively in the International Latin style.

Samba
Samba is a fun and lively dance of Brazilian origin, with its roots deep in Africa. A fun solo or partner dance, Samba is free-flowing, energetic, and upbeat. Samba involves some fast and fancy footwork, and a bouncing action through the bending and straightening of the knees. Samba can be danced competitively, but is also a fun and relatively straightforward style for beginning dancers to pick up.

Salsa
Salsa is one of the world’s most famous dances. A spicy blend of Cuban and African influences, Salsa is a fantastic style for dancers just starting out, and challenging enough to keep even pros coming back for more. Advanced dancers will delight in the flourish and excitement of improvisation, while beginners will be pulling off thrilling spins and dips at the nightclub in no time. Everyone can get wrapped up in the sensation that Salsa moves create on the dance floor/

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD / AMERICAN SMOOTH

Foxtrot
A fun and easy dance to learn, the Foxtrot can be danced to a wide variety of music. Foxtrot can be danced to big band, swing, or 50’s rock and roll. Our popular dance class will have you twirling and turning on the dance floor with grace and ease. The Foxtrot is great for beginners and can be danced on crowded dance floors at parties and weddings. We offer two styles of the Foxtrot: American and International. The International Foxtrot is a subdued, smooth, and flowing motion, while American Smooth Foxtrot is upbeat and energetic.

Quickstep
Upbeat, exuberant, and dynamic, the Quickstep is an excellent style for dancers of intermediate skill level, or for those who have mastered basic slow-tempo dances. The goal of the Quickstep is for dancers to maintain a graceful form with quick and precise movements, while maintaining an effortless and elegant demeanor. First danced to ragtime jazz music, the Quickstep will have you hopping, skipping, and gliding all the way across the dance floor.

Tango
This steamy and sultry dance has been enthralling audiences since its introduction. Tango has two forms: the American Style and the International Style. American style uses larger movements to highlight an exuberant expression of passion, while the International Style is more closely held. You’ll establish confident footwork and a flair for performance.

Argentine Tango
Argentine tango is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which leader and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between. Close embrace is often associated with the more traditional styles, while open embrace leaves room for many embellishments and figures.

Viennese Waltz
Spirited and lively, the Viennese Waltz will have dancers turning and twirling around the dance floor twice as fast as the more subdued standard Waltzes. Intermediate and advanced dancers looking for a challenge will enjoy this aristocratic and athletic dance. Today, the Viennese Waltz is still performed at the world famous annual Viennese Opera Ball, but is known to cause a sensation on dance floors the world over.

Waltz
If you’re going to learn one ballroom dance, this is the one. Waltz is one of the world’s most loved and well-known ballroom dances. With a range of patterns, this dance offers something special for dancers of all ability levels. We offer three forms of the Waltz: International Style, American Style, and Viennese. International Waltz has dancers in a closed embrace following established footwork patterns. American Waltz is more free-flowing, allowing dancers more improvisation and expression. This classic dance can be accompanied by music of various tempos.