Father's Day is June 18th-Give him the gift of dance!

Do you have a hard time finding the perfect gift for the men in your life? Father's Day is nearly here, and I have a last-minute gift suggestion. A gift certificate from your local ballroom dance studio. Nearly all studios offer them, and if your favorite studio doesn't, then pay for a session of group classes in his name for him to take at his convenience. Or arrange for a couple of private lessons for him. He can schedule them whenever they will best fit into his busy routine. There's no worry about size, color, or if he already has one. It's a perfect choice if your dad is in another city. Contact a studio in his area and have it mailed to him. If you're fortunate enough to live close to your dad, perhaps an offer to attend the classes with him would be the greatest gift of all.

Think there's no way your dad would ever take dance lessons? He might just surprise you, maybe even surprising himself and a few others in the process. Maybe it's something he would never do for himself, on his own, but with a thoughtful gesture from his child, he may be willing to give it a try. If he's married, I can promise you his spouse will be a willing partner and source of encouragement. If he isn't, what a great way for him to meet some lovely women and be able to socialize in a non-threatening environment. Studios always welcome singles, and unattached men are an especially treasured addition to their clientele.

What if your dad is already actively involved in a studio, or is already taking lessons? Doesn't matter. In fact, that may be even better, because you know he will love and use a gift of more lessons. Other suggestions for those of you with 'dancing dads'--consider dance music to practice by, dance videos, a pair of dance shoes, a new shoe bag, or a folding shoe brush (a great site for that is located on the left-hand side of this page).

Whatever you decide, just be sure to show your love and appreciation for your dad on his special day.

Ballroom Dancing-Going Techno?

Recently I ran across this article about a robot you can ballroom dance with, and wanted to share an excerpt. I'm not sure how I feel about it, although at least you wouldn't feel embarassed if you missed a step or two! I'd love to hear your opinions.

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Tuesday, June 7, 2005 Posted: 10:47 AM EDT (1447 GMT)
(CNN) -- Those with two left feet may soon be able to take ballroom dancing lessons from a partner with three wheels. The world's first ballroom-dancing robot is set to take to the floor for its first public performance this week at the World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan.

Developed by scientists at Tokhuro University, the Partner Ballroom Dance Robot (PBDR) is able to predict the steps of a human partner based on body movement and react accordingly on its three wheels.
The 1.65 meter robot has a female face, wears a ballgown and comes in bright pink and pastel blue plastic. A male version is also being developed.

Although it can match the movements of a human partner's upper body, Professor Kazuhiro Kosuge, who led the team behind PBDR, said it could not yet perform dance steps. The machine forms part of the 10-day Prototype Robot Exhibition, starting June 9, which gives robotics companies and academic departments the chance to showcase their visions of a future in which robots are a part of everyday life.

Ballroom Dancing-On the Ocean?

Summer is almost here and many people will begin thinking about where they'll go on vacation. If you love to ballroom dance, how about a cruise designed with you in mind? DancersatSea offers a variety of cruises to several exotic locales. What sets them apart from other cruises is that they offer ballroom dance lessons on board, as well as elegant dances during the voyage.

What if you're traveling with friends, and none of you has a partner? No problem. Also aboard these ocean liners are "hosts" and "hostesses", whose job it is to see to it that everyone has the opportunity to dance. These hosts and hostesses are seasoned dancers and according to the website, there is one host or hostess for every three single travelers.

Now, please understand I'm not being compensated in any way for mentioning this site on my blog. I just happened up on it, found it extremely interesting, and wanted to pass it along to my readers. I can't think of a more memorable way to spend a vacation. What a great honeymoon or anniversary celebration that would make!

If anyone has taken one of these cruises, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Ballroom Dancing Blog-Active Again!

I feel as though I've been gone from here for a month when the reality is it's only been about 10 days. I'll be here in sunny southern California for the next few months and I'll be interested to see if I notice any different attitude or perspective on ballroom dancing. This is a somewhat 'touristy' spot, and I've already identified a number of hotels and nightclubs offering free lessons on various nights, although only one offered swing dancing and most of the rest seemed to focus solely on salsa.

Since salsa is one of the dances I haven't had many lessons in, I'm anxious to learn all I can while I'm here. Plus, the yellow pages revealed about half a dozen studios in and around this area, including an Arthur Murray studio, so hopefully I'll find one I can feel at home in soon.

Now that I've been reconnected to the internet, I'll begin posting again on a more regular basis and I thank you all for your patience. Don't forget to sign up on the left to be notified by email when new posts are made.
Until later, then, don't forget to practice and keep on dancing!

Ballroom Dancing-To Be Continued

A note to my visitors-I will be traveling to a new location over the next 3-4 days. For this reason, (and because I don't use automated devices to add content to my blog) there will be a period of several days without new entries while I'm traveling and getting set up on the other end.

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In the meantime, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo-celebrate and go salsa dancing this weekend!