Dancing at the Casa Loma

August 19, 2016- It's been 6 months, but we're back for another fun evening of dancing at the Casa Lama Ballroom!

The fun starts with some instruction by our dance instructor.

Tonight we worked on the steps for the Foxtrot.

 - Foxtrot filmed in the 1920s -

Josiah dancing with our instructor 

We primarily danced West Coast Swing during the evening.

Live big band performance by the Ambassadors of Swing 

And that's why I'm nicknamed "Bernardo." 

Making the case for a more Asian (and friendlier?) version at the ballroom.

#fareastmeetswestside 

#nomambo #nojets 🔪 #nomaria

Notice how the ladies are positioned on the man's right side - this allows the man to walk forward (below) in the foxtrot without (with some practice) stepping on the lady's toes! 

 Contra dance position 

We wrapped up the evening by attempting a dance that I'd barely remembered: the Shim-Sham.

We'll need to brush up on this dance since we the "glory days" when we practiced it more ;)
(From last August:)

Dancing at the Casa Loma Ballroom

February 19, 2016 - It's time to step out on to the floating floor of the historic Casa Loma ballroom.  It was originally built in 1927 and since then it has played host to some evenings with musical greats like Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw.

This evening, we danced to the live music provided by the 17-piece Second Generation Swing band.

We're all amateur dancers, but if you weren't totally concerned about appearance, it was fun to practice our dancing with a live band.  They played a variety of music, so by the end of the evening, I'd tried out swing dancing, the polka, waltzing, the foxtrot, the cha cha, and the shim-sham.

Guide to proper dance floor etiquette

Micaiah learning to waltz with the dance instructor, Luzcciana Martinez

Practicing the foxtrot