There's a New Dance Group in Town...

Well, not quite yet. We - Jason, Jennifer and I - are working on it though!

Introducing, The Tummas Dance Group:
http://thetummasdancegroup.blogspot.com/

The name is derived from one of our favorite dances, Softly Good Tummas. I've actually played with idea of starting a dance group for a while, but the problem of where to meet has been the biggest issue. I have one building in mind that I'm hoping will work out, but I won't know for certain until next month. I'm praying that we'll find the best option. Right now we are looking at weekly Friday dances, 7-9pm. For updates, keep an eye on the blog or join our Facebook group (link address is on the blog). If you have a building to suggest or would love to come but those times won't work for you, let me know!

My dream is that this will become a family-oriented group where we can dance and fellowship together. I am excited about this new opportunity and am looking forward to watching this materialize!

With Thanksgiving,
Jessica

"If You're Not Dancing, You're Wasting Your Feet"

If you know me, you know how much I enjoy dancing. Not just any dance, but particularly English Country Dance. I've been a member of a local dance group for about three years now. Through ECD, I've met several amazing people, including a certain dear Texas family. :-) What I've recently been introduced to is Contra Dancing. I had heard of it before, but never really knew what exactly it was. Since contra was going to be part of an ECD weekend, the dancing members of my family visited a local contra group to get a "head start". As it usually goes with dance, we were hooked. :-) This particular group has a wonderful wood floor, live music, great callers and good dancers.

Contra dance is a bit difficult to describe. It has been described as "making your own amusement park ride", "how many spins can you incorporate" and "how dizzy can you get". Unlike ECD, there is a lot of room for variation and improvisation. Extra spins and stomps can be incorporated at will. It's definitely an excellent source of exercise. ;-) The first time I did contra, it just about doesn't make sense. Once you've done it a few times and have learned the basic moves, it is a lot of fun adding the "decorations". After a couple of months, I have finally gotten the hang of it and am able to dance as a guy. The man's part is almost more fun than the lady's!

So now you've read more about contra dance than you probably wanted to know. ;-) But, if it's enough to convince you to try it, my mission is accomplished. If you're already hooked, I'm looking forward to reading your gushing comment about how much fun contra dancing is. :-)
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Monday Nights in Charlotte

For those who don't know, there is a great contra dancing group up in Charlotte that meets every Monday night. Check out the website here. For those who don't know what contra dancing is...well, it isn't exactly the easiest thing to explain. Some say it's like an amusement park ride that you make for yourself. Others would say it's seeing how many different ways and times you can spin. It has some English Country dance elements in it - like heys, rights and lefts, and courtesy turns - but it is a bit more rambunctious. I say you just need to come join us and find out for yourself!