Rachel Koenig
Written by Rick Archer
February 2008
Rachel Koenig was a very popular SSQQ
Western instructor who taught here at the studio for ten
years (1998-2008).
Known to us as Rachel Seff till her marriage to Dave Koenig
in 2004, Rachel was always quite a character.
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Rachel has been such a big part of
this studio in so many ways that I hardly know where to
begin.
Personally, I think the easiest way to begin
get a handle on this talented, vivacious lady is to revisit the SSQQ
Newsletter stories.
RACHEL THE YENTA
The very first story about Rachel
comes from the
August 1999 issue.
SSQQ Staffer Rachel Seff was happy to
report to the Grapevine that her friends David Meinert
and Eileen McPherson are engaged to be married. The date
is set for February 19. (Click here for their picture).
Apparently that sneaky SSQQ Cupid gets some of the
credit, but I might an even sneakier real-life person
named Rachel deserves even more credit!
Dave is a long-time friend of Rachel's. According to
Rachel, Dave saw Eileen for the first time at an SSQQ
Whip practice night at the studio. He watched Eileen
dance for a long time, but Rachel said he didn't the
nerve to speak to her then.
The following Tuesday, Dave and Rachel were sitting
together at Longhorn when Dave pointed out Eileen. Dave
proceeded to add that he thought Eileen was cute.
Rachel rolled her eyes in dismay at his shyness and
decided to swing into action.
In a scene that sounds shoplifted from a Hugh Grant
movie, good friend Rachel proceeded to literally "push"
Dave into Eileen at the at the Longhorn to force him to
speak to her! Rachel then cleverly disappeared to
the dance floor and watched from afar.
Rachel's sneaky trick worked! After half an hour
of apologizing for knocking her down, Dave eventually
got up the nerve to ask Eileen out. They have been
dating ever since.
In addition to Whip classes, the couple have also taken
some Wednesday Ghost-town classes as well as Aggie
Jitterbug. That makes sense; Dave is a flag-waving A&M
graduate. Best wishes to both !
Rachel has always prided herself on
her matchmaking ability. Considering this dance studio
prides itself on connecting people, Rachel was definitely in
the right place to utilize her yenta skills.
So exactly what is a Yenta? This
word has several meanings, some good, some bad.
The dark meaning of the word is a
meddlesome, gossipy woman, someone who is an ever-present
nuisance.
The positive meaning of Yenta is Matchmaker.
Just as you can have a bad witch
and a good witch, in this case Rachel is definitely the Matchmaker.
In the classic movie Fiddler on the Roof,
Yenta was the woman who got all the couples together.
A good yenta provides you knowledge and wisdom about
everything who does whatever is necessary
to assure eligible and marriageable singles
make each other's acquaintance.
That seems to capture the essence of one of Rachel's
favorite roles here at the studio over her many years here.
THE GOSSIP
On the other hand, Rachel occasionally
evoked some of the other meanings of her nickname, but never
in a hurtful way. In November 1999, Rachel shared a very
interesting story. I have always loved this tale.
JD
Horne is a student of mine from law school. This
incident took place when JD and several of his friends
were out in Austin recently. JD relates the story in his
own words below....
The Absolutely True, and Funniest Damn "J.D. Horne
Pick-Up" story of all time!
I was at Lucky Lounge (a 4th Street bar where exotic
dancers and/or similarly beautiful and shallow women go
to meet men) and had been working on this girl for over
an hour. She was absolutely the bomb--way out of my
league. I actually only approached her on a dare,
because these guys were talking to these other guys that
we were with about how "fearless" (read: stupid?) I was
when it came to girls and that I would go up and talk to
anyone, making me the perfect "point man."
Well, anyway the conversation deteriorated into these
guys picking the hottest girl in the bar and "daring" me
to go talk to her. My manhood challenged, I sauntered
over, fully expecting her to laugh out loud at my feeble
approach and only hoping that she would not humiliate me
publicly. To my surprise and wonder, she was warm to my
approach and turned out to be genuinely nice and
intelligent, in addition to being unGodly hot.
Like I said earlier, I talked to her for at least an
hour, with these guys!!! standing over in the corner
eating their hearts out in amazement the whole time. So
anyway, it becomes time for her to leave with her
friends, so she gives me her card and asks me for my
card which I promptly provided and I went ahead and
asked her out on the spot for dinner the next week. She
said yes & then I leaned in for a little swapping of
spit--nothing short of ELECTRIC!
I turned and strolled over triumphantly to my minions,
shit-eating grin on my face, while they were literally
doing the Sammy Sosa-esque "We're not worthy"
up-and-down flailing of the arms. Sounds like a great
story, right?? WRONG!
We're standing there in a semi-circle a few minutes
later and I see her from across the bar stomping, and I
mean literally STOMPING, over to the spot where I was
standing with her "posse" of girls. Before I could even
say a word, she blurts out (and I think I'm quoting):
"Look here, asshole, the date's OFF and you can stick
this up your ass!" With that, she threw my card at me
and stormed out of the building. To say the least, I was
absolutely flabbergasted. What, pray tell, would cause
such a visceral and spontaneous tongue-lashing?? I
followed her out of the bar, running behind her like an
idiot, asking her "what happened? what did I do? etc.
etc."
She absolutely would not even speak to me. Her and her
friends jumped in a cab, and I never saw her again. I
walked back to the bar in absolute bewilderment,
wondering what the hell had happened. Alas, to my
ultimate shame, I soon found the answer...
When I walked inside the bar, the six GROWN men that I
was with that night were literally sprawled out on the
concrete floor of the bar in absolute hysterics. They
had even recruited curious total strangers who were
similarly laughing at me. Upon seeing me, they broke
into spontaneous applause, the likes of which is usually
reserved for rock stars and/or athletes. The reason for
the laughter, the applause?? On the back of my
card that I had given to this vision of beauty was the
following notation, written down the previous week from
another night on the town:
Amy 476-3323
"BIG TITS"
Just call me "King of Smooth"....
THE ACHIEVER
In December 1999, Rachel emailed me to
talk about an Award she won. Rachel was very modest,
but I was curious, so I visited a Texas A&M web site to
learn more. This is the story:
SSQQ Staffer
Rachel Seff, Matchmaker Extraordinaire, Toga Party
Reveler, and frequent Grapevine contributor, won a
community service award at Texas A&M recently. I stole
this writeup from a TAMU web site:
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1999 Harris Award Winner : Rachel Seff '92
Rachel Seff '92 received her BA in Religion and
Political Science from George Washington University
in
1991. A native of Westchester County, New York,
Rachel relocated to Texas to attend Texas A&M in
pursuit of her Masters Degree. She received her
Masters in Education Administration with an emphasis
in higher education from Texas A&M in 1992. She is
pursuing her Doctor of Education degree from the
University of Houston and is scheduled to graduate
in May, 2000.
She is the former Coordinator of Career Services for
the University of Houston Law Center and now serves
as the Director of the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Career
Services Center at the University of Houston College
of Business Administration.
Rachel has been involved in numerous volunteer
activities with the Houston A&M Club. She has
volunteered with Habitat for Humanity (1997, 1999),
International Festival (1997, 1998, 1999), Bevo Burn
(1998, 1999), the Houston Food Bank (1997, 1998).
Rachel has also served on the following committees:
Coach's Night (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999), Muster
(1997, 1998, 1999), Evening with the President
(1998), and Casino Night (1997). In her part time,
Rachel is a country-western dance instructor at
SSQQ.
THE INFAMOUS SHAGGIE
JITTERBUG SNAFU
There have been a number of crazy incidents
over the years here at SSQQ, but no incident has ever been more
bizarre than the notorious
Shaggie Jitterbug
Argument I had with Texas A&M back in 2000.
To
make a long story short, there exists a dance in Texas known as the
Aggie Jitterbug. I am not supposed to use the
word "Aggie", but I think enough time has passed that no one cares
any more. I imagine the watch dogs have moved on.
The Aggie Jitterbug is a partner dance that most closely resembles
swing dancing. However there is no particular footwork nor
does the dance even remotely have any discernable rhythm to it.
No matter what the speed of the music is, people dance it at
whatever speed they are comfortable with.
No footwork and no rhythm... no wonder Aggie Jitterbug
is so popular!
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Back in the Disco Era of the late
seventies, I learned a Disco Dance we called the New
Yorker. When I met my first wife Pat, a
Texas A&M graduate, back in 1984, I danced the New
Yorker with her one night. Pat exclaimed that
I was dancing the Aggie Jitterbug, a dance she
learned up at A&M. Oh Really? This was the
first time I had ever heard this, but I took her word for
it. Later on, I speculated the dance I learned in the
Disco Era probably was the Aggie Jitterbug. I suspect
back in early 1978 someone had adapted this simple dance to
Disco music and it caught on as a useful partner dance here
in Houston area.
Aggie Jitterbug is very similar to high school swing
dancing. This dance relies heavily on arm tension to
stop momentum. Nor are fancy leads particularly
necessary either. This is very appealing to dancers
who have no rhythm and no desire to learn footwork.
The downside is this dance is very rough on women because
they are always getting their arms jerked. This is why
the Aggie Jitterbug dance more or less disappears after high
school and college... as girls grow into women, the
willingness to get thrown around diminishes rapidly with
age. Plus the older you get, you don't heal as fast
from a night of dancing with a rough man.
So you can imagine why the Aggie Jitterbug
has had little appeal here at SSQQ over the years.
Since our men use dance as a way to meet women and please
women, why would they want to learn a dance that adult women
hate?
With this thought in mind, there has never been any demand
here at the studio for a four-week Aggie Jitterbug
course. The only real use for the dance comes from
high school kids who want to learn something simple for prom
dancing.
So once or twice a year, I offer the
Aggie Jitterbug as a one night Crash Course. I
did this for twenty two years without giving it a second
thought. Then in February 2000, an aggie graduate
named Stephen Huzar lost his temper at me and sent me a
nasty email. Huzar was angry because I was depriving
Aggie students of valuable scholarship money! In his
words, I was guilty of a blatant
act of greed.
As Huzar wrote at the time, "It
is rather
disgusting that you would contribute to end the noble act of
raising scholarships for worthy students."
I cannot begin to tell you how
flabbergasted I was by this bitter, angry email. As I
read further, I discovered Huzar wanted to offer
Aggie Jitterbug lessons through Leisure Learning
magazine. They pointedly told him that SSQQ was
already teaching Aggie Jitterbug and that
they didn't need two teachers.
Huzar had a fit! I was taking money out of A&M's
pocket! Countless thousands of A&M graduates were
filling SSQQ corporate coffers with A&M lucre, money that
should be going to an A&M certified Aggie Jitterbug
like Huzar instead! This was a blatant act of
greed!
The problem is, Huzar didn't have a
clue what he was talking about. Puzzled, I reviewed
the schedule. I found that the last time I had taught
Aggie Jitterbug had been in a crash course seven
months ago in July 1999. That course had been attended
by 10 students. I charged ten bucks.
$10 x 10 students = $100.
Huzar was accusing me of greed and
exploiting his beloved University over a hundred bucks.
If Huzar had approached me with a little respect, I would
have donated the money on the spot. $100 was not worth
getting this upset about. Or so I thought.
This was not worth fighting over. After all, I meant
no harm in the first place. I actually felt hurt.
After all, I liked A&M! A few years back an amazing
A&M vet had cured my dog of cancer using an advanced
treatment. In addition, I had been married to a woman
who was an A&M graduate. Furthermore I had an A&M
graduate working for me who could attest I had never said a
derogatory thing in my life about A&M.
In fact, now that I knew what Huzar was upset about, I
thought this would be the perfect opportunity to mend some
fences and make some friends in the process. This is
where Rachel Seff came in. With her Masters Degree in
Education Administration from Texas A&M, I thought Rachel
would be the perfect intermediary in this dispute. I
approached Rachel about helping me teach a special
Aggie Jitterbug class. We would advertise it
as a benefit and donate all proceeds to an A&M scholarship
fund.
As I expected she would, Rachel readily agreed to help.
On March 25th, 2000, Rachel and I taught Aggie
Jitterbug to 40 students, a very impressive total.
Paying $10 each, I kicked in the original $100 from the July
1999 class to make it an even $500. I then mailed the
check to Texas A&M University.
I had obviously seen this was the perfect opportunity to
practice my Biblical pearls of wisdom. You know, turn
the other cheek and that sort of stuff. A soft answer
turneth away wrath.
The problem was, this Christian stuff didn't work with these
guys. They really did enjoy being bullies. Huzar
refused to call off the dogs. Not only did he refuse
to attend the Benefit, he definitely thought it was worth
continuing to stay upset about.
Huzar managed to get a man named Tobin Boenig over at the
TAMU Collegiate Licensing Office
upset as well. Boenig wrote a very nasty letter
of his own, chewing me out for creating headaches. It
was his job to conduct the
difficult and
arduous task of monitoring illegal use of A&M trademarks.
Then Boenig got a lawyer involved, Mark H. Zietlowm, to
write another threatening letter. Zietlow had this
choice statement for me, "your
use of “Aggie” is a direct infringement on the rights of
Licensing Resource Group. We consider your infringement to
be a serious intrusion on the rights of our client."
Frankly, thanks to these threatening letters, I had
become downright angry. I had actually gone out
of my way to placate Huzar by conducting a special Aggie
Jitterbug class and donate ALL PROFITS to Texas A&M
University. These threatening letters were coming to
me AFTER THE BENEFIT!
I didn't see what the point was to fight these people.
I had little doubt they would spend lots of taxpayer's money
to squash little me. It certainly wasn't worth the
gamble to fight back so I agreed to stop using the word
"Aggie"
in any further writings.
Calling it the "Forbidden Word", I deliberately avoided
using it again for quite a few years. I also gave
"Aggie Jitterbug" a new name. Calling it "Shaggie
Jitterbug", I figured this would get the watch dogs
off my back. What on earth was the point of inviting a
law suit over something this silly?
In the past year or so, I have begun to use the phrase
"Aggie Jitterbug" again. It is of course the
commonly-accepted name for this local dance. Why
should I not be allowed to call it by its name when everyone
else does? However, if the Trademark Guard Dogs decide
to raise further objections, I suppose I will have to back
down again. Have you ever heard of anything sillier
than this?
Read the whole story if you wish. I guarantee you will
smile. At a certain level, it is a very funny story.
The
Complete Sordid Shaggie Jitterbug Saga
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THE DARYL ARMSTRONG
EXPERIENCE
Back in the days when Rachel first started at
the studio, she ran with a wild crowd led by rumored lunatic asylum
escapee Daryl Armstrong. I forget who started the rumor, but I
remember believing it. ;-)
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Unfortunately these crazy days in the mid to
late Nineties occurred before the dawn of the SSQQ Newsletter in
1999. This story stayed hidden for some time. It was not
until March 2006 that I finally got around to writing about this Era
in my story known as the
Matchmaker,
easily the best story I have ever written about SSQQ.
It probably comes as no surprise that Rachel was a card-carrying
member of this band of lunatics. I guarantee she caused quite
a bit of trouble herself, but was clever enough to fly under the
radar when it came to pictures and stories. In the picture on
the right, Rachel enjoys a Margarita evening with Daryl and Joanne
Armstrong as well as Rachel's friend Gillian Tilbury.
I specifically wrote about Rachel and Daryl in a chapter titled
Comeback Kids.
No story about Rachel is complete without a visit back to the crazy
days of the Daryl Armstrong Experience.
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MORE MATCHMAKING
Rachel had two more mentions in the Newsletter in the year
2000.
In August 2000, Rachel raced for Team
SSQQ in our annual Balloon Race (don't ask or I will a long
story). Since it was her birthday when she ran, this
means Rachel is probably a Virgo on cusp. She said at
the time this birthday was a significant one, so I imagine
she turned 30. Rachel added that she was very nervous
racing as "an older woman". Such courage.
Here is an article from the September
2000 Newsletter
Rachel Seff Marries off Two
SSQQ Couples!!
Last year Match Maker extraordinaire Rachel Seff
announced to me that four of her friends were engaged to
be married. Then Rachel, better known in SSQQ Circles as
"Yenta", added she had "helped" spark these SSQQ
romances (see the 1999 Grapevine for the stories if you
are curious.)
With all the weddings in August, I noticed I hadn't
gotten any feedback from Rachel about her friends Karen
Murray and Dave Bowman and David Meinert and Eileen
MacPherson. So I emailed Rachel to make a gentle
inquiry. This is what Rachel sent me:
"Yes, Rick. Karen and Dave were married a few
weeks ago. Dave and Eileen were married in February."
Wow!! I am very happy for both couples. I only wish
Rachel could have included a couple more details. I
guess all the excitement is in the engagement process. I
would now like to take a moment to congratulate Rachel
on several things:
Rachel's new job in the Admissions Office at the Rice
Business School.
Rachel's strong running for Team SSQQ in the recent
Beach Ball Balloon Race.
Tying SSQQ's Susie Merrill as SSQQ's top Matchmaker
(Susie claims to have assisted the romances of Janet
Wukman and Ray Meyers plus Tony Catalano and Karen Day)
Tying SSQQ's Dennis Taupo as the studio's worst Wedding
Announcement writer. If Rachel wants to stay in the
MatchMaking business, she needs to learn to publicize
her accomplishments better.
LIP SYNC SHOW
One SSQQ tradition I miss terribly is the Lip
Sync Show.
Sort of like Fractured Fairy Tales, we pretend to be famous singers.
We get up there in front of a very supportive audience and sing
memorable songs, usually with some unusual (and very sick) twists
along the way.
Since Rachel is something of a natural ham, it was no surprise that
she signed up for not one, but two skits. Normally I had to
beg people to perform, but not Rachel. She was gung-ho from
the start.
In the picture on the right, that is Wil Colbourn,
Rachel, Jill Banta, Paul Foltyn appearing in a Beach Boys
Skit
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November
2000
Tales of
the SSQQ Lip Sync Show!!
This year's Lip Sync Show on Saturday,
November 18th, was clearly our most successful revue to
date. I am well aware this event was a lot of work, but
the concentrated efforts of the SSQQ Staff and Friends
produced a fun, highly entertaining show. The list of
people to credit is a long one, but here goes:
Special Thanks go out to:
Susie Merrill. She worked hard to organize her dance
team to rehearse "Big Spender" and the notorious "Skit".
Then she turned around and Emcee-ed the event very well.
Ben Liles, who passed the torch to a new generation of
talented Village People by training them in the act he
had helped develop.
Anita Williams, who allowed herself to be persuaded to
do "Last Kiss" again despite severe time constraints.
She also was a smash hit in "Strangers in the Night"
plus appearing in two other skits as well.
Rachel Seff, who put her creative talent to good
use and helped create two new very well received skits:
Little Red Riding Hood and Copa Cabana.
Ann Bush, who was in every skit… or practically every
skit. Her leadership rescued the Supremes, a skit that I
thought went very well plus volunteered for the new
Do-Re-Mi skit (which with a little practice could
probably go in many perverted directions!!), plus helped
with the Beach Boys and Big Spender.
Brain White, who single-handedly saved the Beach Boys
skit from oblivion, plus was terrific in the Village
People act.
Joanne Spuck, who as Connie Francis was absolutely
perfect in "Where the Boys Are".
Wil Coulbourn, who organized an entertaining Rolling
Stones skit…and to Carol and David Armand for
participating.
MG Anseman, who is considering a new career in show biz
after his success as Little Red Riding Hood, a handsome
man in "Where the Boys Are", and the Biker in Village
People.
Marla Jennings for lending her experience to the
Supremes.
Tracy King and Jeff Perry, for helping complete the
Supremes act.
To all the Heartbeat dancers for two great acts,
including "Big Spender" and this year's smash hit, "The
Skit".
To Jorge Rodriguez and Brian Spivey for the Village
People (as well as Robert Goins, MG Anseman, and Brian
White).
To Jack Benard for Where the Boys Are.
To the Heartbeat, including Ann, Brian, Candi Angulo,
and Mo Hendrix,
And to all the "Civilians" who also contributed greatly:
Gloria Sanchez, Randy Goshorn, Robert Goins, Joe Lachner,
John, Tracy, and Rick from the Rolling Stones, Steve
Bahnsen in Where the Boys Are, and especially to Mike
Waltz for being man enough to be Tiny Tim!!
Great Show!!
We
got many thank you notes. Here is my favorite from
Margaux Mann, the crazy Balloon Racer
whose name irritates my computer's "spell check"
function no end.
Hi Rick, Just called up the December schedule
to see what's on. My figuring is that if Carl isn't
going to play volleyball on Tuesday nights then we
can finally learn Latin dances. Does that make
sense? (I haven't spoken to Carl about this yet.)
Also, I love the '4 deliberate mistakes' page. Wish
me luck.
AND, I
never got to thank you for a fun lip sync night.
Carl
really didn't want to go so he took me to a movie
instead. On the way home, when I still whined about
not going (about 10:45), he pulled into the SSQQ
parking lot at the last minute. Well, you sure got
him hooked. He loved it and was even critiquing as
to how he could do some of the songs better. Uh-oh.
He might be signing up for next year. (Not me,
though. I embarrass myself enough on balloon night
-- or should I say YOU embarrass me . . .) My
favorites of the night: your rendition of that
horrible song (where the girl dies), Little Red
Riding Hood, Joann's song, and the YMCA. There may
have been others, but I forget. Thanks,
Margaux
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SMART GIRL
February
2001
Rachel
Seff gets Published!
Rachel Seff, known to insiders as "The Seff Group" for
her multiple personalities, gave me a complimentary copy
of her brand-new book last Fall. I was of course
immediately jealous because I would like to write a book
too. However writing a book is the easy part; getting it
published is even more amazing. Well, Rachel has
accomplished both! Here is an email she sent to me last
week.
Hi Rick, guess what! The book I
co-authored, "60 Minutes to Success: The Ultimate
Guide to Power Lunching" is actually selling quite
well.
So much so that I have been asked to participate in
a few business etiquette/career consulting programs
around the Houston area.
All book signings are free and open to the public.
Each will consist of a 20 minute program on business
etiquette followed by book signings by yours truly.
(That means they want you to buy the book, too. It
retails for an easy $9.95).
Saturday, March 10, 2001. 2:00 pm - The West Alabama
Bookstop located at 2922 S. Shepherd
Saturday, April 28, 2001 - 2:00 pm - The Barnes &
Noble Superstore located at Highway 6.
Hope you can make it! - Rachel
Actually my
daughter Sam and I visit the Book Stop store on West
Alabama and Shepherd all the time. I think I might just
drop in and harass Rachel to help deal with my
bitterness at all her success. ;-)
It doesn't help that Rachel tries to soothe my feelings
by promising to tell of her days as a starving dance
instructor whenever she is on "Rosie" or "Oprah" or
"Debra"...
March 2001
Good News - Rachel gets her
Ed.D!!
Rachel Seff, aka the Seff Group for her multiple
personalities, informs us via email:
I am
proud to announce that I successfully defended my
dissertation this afternoon, March 21.
My degree is a doctorate in educational leadership,
with a focus in research and quantitative statistics
within higher education from the University of
Houston.
Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday,
May 12, 2001, at 9:00 am for all who are interested.
Details to follow.
(Editor's Note: Rachel requests that we change her
nickname from the "Seff Group" to "Dr. Rachel" after
her idol, Dr. Ruth, the noted sex consultant. All
teasing aside, Rachel is to be commended for her
wonderful accomplishment. She is a very talented
lady indeed!)
February 2002
THE
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF DANCE ETIQUETTE
Written and contributed by SSQQ Instructor Rachel
Seff
1. Slither
only people you know.
2. Thou shall not slither with a sweaty neck.
3. Thou shall not slither a women if she has already
declined a previous follow-through.
4. Do not criticize or correct your partner's moves.
5. If you can't say something nice, don't say
anything at all.
6. Leave the teaching to the instructors.
7. Let the man lead. 'Follow' may be an 'F' word,
but it isn't a bad word.
8. It is ok to say 'no thank you' to a dance
invitation, but it means you must sit out for that
entire song.
9. Use deodorant.
10. Altoids should be your best friend.
(Editor's Note:
Rachel is a published author and has a
Ed.D from A&M. In
addition as you can see from her writing she lives life
on the sassy side. I really admire her 10 Commandments!)
February 2002
RACHEL SEFF'S
NIGHTMARE TRAVEL STORY OF THE MONTH
In last month's Newsletter, I mentioned there are horror
stories everywhere regarding air travel
thanks to 9/11. In
fairness to the industry, I went skiing over Christmas
and experienced nothing to complain about. I did however
receive an interesting reply to my Newsletter article
from Ms. Dance Etiquette herself. Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:49 PM
Rick - Loved the newsletter, as usual. Thought I'd
share my own nightmare travel story with you.
I was flying back to Houston last month after a
4-day recruiting trip in Indiana. Knowing all of the
new hassles with security, I got to the airport
quite early. I passed the time by walking through
all of the airport shops.
One shop right by the entrance to the gates was Bath
and Body Works. I love all of the yummy hand-lotion
products, and so I put on a bunch of lotion. And I
mean a bunch of lotion - hands, arms, elbow, face,
etc. I then proceeded to walk through security. I go
through the medal detector.
BEEP! My high heels set off the alarm. Shoes come
off. Try again. BEEP.
So the Security guy walks in and runs a magic
detector wand around my body (most men should be so
lucky). It appears a wire in an undergarment is
setting things off. Security guy acknowledges this
quite loudly and lets me through.
Whew, I thought. Thank goodness that's over. Nope,
not yet. BEEP! Now my BAG goes off. (I only travel
with carry-ons). Three green-beret army guys walk
over to me and ask me to step aside. Apparently, my
bag has tested positive for hazardous materials. Now
the entire mass of people at the security gate is
staring at me with eyes of suspicion. And I'm
completely mortified. Hazardous materials?!? What
did it test for? The army guy checks the scanner.
T-N-T.
T-N-T?!? So they start opening my bags, which after
a 4-day trip is full of dirty clothes and not packed
very neatly. They go through each item and hold it
up as if on display. Had I known I would be doing
this, believe me, I would have packed much sexier
items. Then they ask me all these questions. Who are
you? Where do you work? Who do you know? Etc. All
very non-eventful answers. Finally, one of them asks
me about perfumes and lotions.
Yes, I'm wearing perfume that I put on in the
morning, and yes, I have on lots of lotion because I
just lathered up with all of the Bath and Body Works
stuff.
Ahhhh, they say. Did you know that the most women's
hand crème contain glycerin? And
what is the main ingredient in T-N-T?!?
TriNiTro glycerine.
(Editor's Note:
When Rachel told me the story in person, she was
smiling. Apparently the Green Berets were actually
pretty decent with her considering the seriousness of
the situation. Good for them! My
guess is Rachel is too cute and too unthreatening to fit
the typical terrorist profile.)
 |
BELLY DANCE, SHAGGIE
JITTERBUG, DIRTY DANCING
Rachel was
best-known for teaching Western dancing. In
addition her Dirty Dancing crash courses were very
popular. But Rachel is also well-known for
being the only SSQQ instructor to ever teach Belly
Dancing.
December 2002
Rachel Seff, also known as the Midnight Zephyr, will
teach a lady's only BELLY DANCE Crash Course on
November 9. This ancient dance discipline needs
little description, but we might add it improves
your hip motion in Whip.
|
Hmm! Interest in this class has been phenomenal so
far. Our ladies
are excited for the right reasons and our guys are
excited for the wrong reasons. Sorry, guys,
beat it. Ladies only.
January 2003
Last but certainly not least is our first-ever
four-week BELLY DANCE class taught by the Midnight
Zephyr, Rachel Seff. Taught on Friday evenings in
January from 6-7 pm, Rachel has only promised to
teach ONE MONTH and then take it from there. If you
ladies want it, here it is. A one-time shot.
Interest in this class has been phenomenal.
|
RACHEL GETS
ENGAGED AND MARRIED
Pictured on the right is Dave Koenig and his future
wife Rachel.
June 2003
SSQQ
SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE - RACHEL SEFF AND DAVE KOENIG
GET ENGAGED!
This time I don't have to say a thing. Not when
Rachel Seff is involved.
Here is what RACHEL had to say:
|
 |
"Good news, Rick!
After a whirlwind four and one-half month romance, I
have accepted a marriage proposal from Mr. Dave Koenig.
Dave and I met through a mutual friend from work, Susan.
I had encouraged Susan to join an on-line dating
service. She went to dinner with Dave. A few days after
the date, I called Susan to see how it went. She said it
was ok, but didn't feel there was a 'spark' between her
and Dave. She did, however, mention that she thought he
and I might be a match and that I might really like him.
"He's from Boston, he likes to dance and he has a boat,"
Susan remarked to me. (Those that know me know I am also
from Boston, love to dance, and love the water and the
outdoors).
"Hmmm." She definitely peaked my interest.
So I sent Dave an email. "My friend Susan thinks we
might make a good match. Check out my profile and let me
know if you're interested."
Dave replied a few moments later, "Sounds great. How
about Saturday night?"
Rachel: "I am teaching a belly dance class at my dance
studio, so I can't make it. You can check out the
website at www.ssqq.com"
Dave quickly replied to me " See you there…" Of which I
did not know, since I had already turned off my
computer.
On Saturday, November 9, 2002, I taught my belly dancing
class, and then stayed at the studio for the swing dance
party. As I started to head home at 10:30 pm, another
instructor, Jill Banta, asked me, "Have you met Dave?"
"What are you talking about?" I replied.
Jill: There's a guy here named Dave that asked me who
you were and I pointed you out to him."
Rachel: "Which guy?"
"Him," Jill said as she motioned toward handsome man in
a white button-down shirt and red suspenders on a chair
in the corner.
"That guy has been watching me all night!" I proclaimed.
So I proceeded to flirt about and walk back in forth in
front of Dave a few times. No response. Finally, I waved
at him and motioned I was leaving.
Dave stopped me as I was walking out of the studio.
"Hey!" he said. "When were you going to say hello?"
"When were you going to stop stalking me?" I replied
with a flirt.
We sat on the sofas and talked for 30 minutes or so. It
was a really good first conversation. Covered all of the
basics….where are you from….what do you do…etc.
And the romance began! First date to dinner at Argentine
Grill. He drove me home and immediately asked me out
again. Second date to dinner and theatre downtown…and
the moment he picked me up I knew this was one special
guy. He was dressed in a handsome sport jacket, big
smile, and a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses.
"This is it!" I told my girlfriends JoAnne and Lisa as I
gushed about him after our second date. Both cautioned
me that I have kissed a lot of "frogs" in my day and not
to get my hopes up that he was my prince.
Turns out, Dave also told his friend Jerry after our
second date that he was pretty sure I was "the one."
Jerry said no way and told him. So Dave bet him $100 and
now he has to pay up!
We took a trip this past weekend to Boston for one of
Dave's friends' weddings. It was also an opportunity for
him to meet my grandmother and me to meet his Mom. (He
had already met my parents two times before, and I had
met his father and step-mom, as well).
We met Grammy for breakfast on Friday morning, March 28,
2003, and had a nice 2-hour visit. Then we drove
directly to Dave's mom's house in Framingham and took
her to lunch at her favorite restaurant, Legal Seafood.
After lunch, the three of us went on a walk in Callahan
State Park. It was quite breezy and cold, but a
beautiful, clear day. As we headed back to the car, Dave
starts asking rhetorical questions about ceremonies and
marriages.
"I wonder what you need to get married?" he asked his
Mom and me.
She and I look at each other quite puzzled, wondering
what he is talking about.
"I guess all you need is a guy and a ring and someone to
ask," he said, answering his own question.
At which point, he took a ring box out of his jacket
pocket, dropped to one knee and proposed. Right there in
the middle of the park, in front of his Mom, because he
knew it would make her really happy that he finally met
the girl of his dreams.
I screamed and accepted, and then promptly cried all
afternoon.
"I know this is kind of hokey…but will you ask my
parents?" I asked after I regained my composure.
"Don't worry, I already did," Dave replied. (He has
called them the day before.)
The ring is beautiful and the man is the guy of my
dreams. Dave is the most sincere, patient and kind man I
have ever know. We talk and laugh and sing to each other
in the car, and have a great time dancing and sailing.
He's quite chivalrous and romantic, and very good at
picking out jewelry! He's also career driven and very
successful.
When my Dad met Dave, he commented. "This is not only a
really good guy, but he's a really good guy for you."
Thanks for sharing in our lives….I'll keep you posted as
to possible wedding dates.
Rachel"
(Editor's Note:
Rachel is a supremely talented woman. I think she is a
special lady and I am very happy for her. I know she has
been hoping for this to happen for a long time, but you know
what its like to be 'choosy'. I am glad she found the man
she has been waiting for!!)
|
January
2004
SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE 28 – RACHEL
SEFF AND DAVE KOENIG GET MARRIED!
I have known Rachel Seff for many many years. Rachel
joined the SSQQ Staff in 1998. Her warmth,
intelligence, and charisma made her one of the most
popular instructors we have ever had. Whatever it
was that the studio needed, Rachel was always game.
If someone needed a sub, Rachel was incredibly
giving with her time. If I needed a new crash course
taught, Rachel was always game. Rachel loves to
perform. Rachel taught belly dancing, she was the
lead actress in one Lip Sync skit after another, she
organized Christmas Carol singing at her house, and
she became notorious for her unusually popular Dirty
Dance class.
I might add I never had the nerve to ask questions
“why” her DD class was so popular. I just smiled and
said “thank you”.
You might not know this, but Rachel was particularly
good at matchmaking. Particularly in our romance
record-setting year of 2000 where we had 30
different documented couples who met at the studio
who either got engaged or married, Rachel claimed
responsibility for pairing about half of these
couples together personally.
All year long Rachel and I had a good-natured
competition about which of the two of us deserved
more credit for assisting the various relationships
along.
Naturally Rachel claimed she won.
|
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During this same time, I came to
realize that Rachel was disappointed that she hadn’t found
the right guy for herself. As she watched her friends get
married, she wondered why with all her wit, beauty,
education, business success, and sex appeal she couldn’t
find a man to settle down with. Mind you, that was three
years ago.
To say that Rachel was picky when it came to men was an
understatement. She went about her affairs of the heart very
methodically. She was determined not to make a mistake. And
when she got depressed about waiting, she would confide her
disappointments to me.
This said, when Rachel met Dave Koenig, I saw an immediate
difference. She liked him a lot right from the start. So
ladies, take some advice from Matchmaker Rachel - Do not
compromise. Wait for the right guy. He will appear if you
are patient enough.
Here are some thoughts Rachel shared with me about her
courtship and her wedding:
“Ahhh…you want the
scoop, eh?
I kissed a lot of frogs before finding my prince
charming. I was in multiple different dating services,
went to lots and lots of singles events, and literally
forced myself to go to activities where I knew eligible
men would be present.
In the end, I met my Prince Charming (Dave) through a
colleague from work who was also a member of the dating
service. Susan had gone on a date with Dave. A few days
later, I asked her how it went. She didn’t think he was
a match for her, but she thought I might really like
him. "Think about it, Rachel. He's from Boston, he likes
to dance and he has a boat!!" (Those that know me know I
am also from Boston, I love to dance, and love the water
and the outdoors).
"Hmmm." I was a bit skeptical at first, but I trusted
Susan. Thank goodness because she turned out to be
right!
Once Susan peaked my interest, I decided to send Dave an
email: “My friend Susan thinks we might make a good
match. Let me know if you’re interested.” He wrote back
immediately and we had a nice ‘Email’ conversation.
I told him a little about the dance studio. I casually
mentioned I would be teaching a Belly Dance class, but
Dave didn’t seem to pick up on the hint.
So on Saturday, November 9, 2002 (almost a year to the
day of my marriage!!), I taught my belly dancing class.
Then I stayed at the studio for the SSQQ Swing dance
party. As I started to head home at 10:30 pm, another
instructor, Jill Banta, asked me, "Have you met Dave?"
"What are you talking about?" I replied.
Jill said, “There's a guy here named Dave that asked me
who you were and I pointed you out to him."
I responded, "Which guy?"
"Him," Jill said as she motioned toward handsome man in
a white button-down shirt and red suspenders on a chair
in the corner.
"That guy has been watching me all night!" I proclaimed.
So I proceeded to flirt about and walk back in forth in
front of Dave a few times. No response. Finally, I waved
at him and motioned I was leaving.
Dave stopped me as I was walking out of the studio.
"Hey!" he said. "When were you going to say hello?"
"When were you going to stop stalking me?" I replied
with a flirt.
We sat on the sofas and talked for 30 minutes or so. It
was a really good first conversation. Covered all of the
basics….where are you from….what do you do…etc.
And the romance began! First date to dinner at Argentine
Grill. He drove me home and immediately asked me out
again. Second date to dinner and theatre downtown…and
the moment he picked me up I knew this was one special
guy. He was dressed in a handsome sport jacket, big
smile, and a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses.
"This is it!" I told my girlfriends JoAnne Armstrong
(Daryl’s wife) and Lisa Cloud as I gushed about him
after our second date. Both cautioned me that I have met
a lot of frogs in my day and not to get my hopes up that
he was my prince.
And although we didn’t tell each other out loud, we both
knew on the second date that this relationship felt very
different than all the others. (But I think it was the
belly dancing that really hooked him!)
Turns out, Dave also told his friend Jerry after our
second date that he was pretty sure I was "the one."
Jerry said no way and told him. So Dave bet him $100 and
now he has to pay up!
Dave and I were married on November 8, 2003, exactly one
year from when we met. We had a destination weekend
wedding in Newport, RI, for close family and friends.
My advice? Don’t give up! The only way you can meet
someone is if your force yourself to get out and
participate in activities where you will meet new
people.
And oh yeah, take my belly dance crash course in
January. It will drive your potential mate crazy with
enthusiasm!
Rachel Koenig”
(Editor’s Note: I found it
interesting that Rachel, always the Matchmaker, actually met
Dave through her friend Susan doing some matchmaking of her
own. As they say, What Goes Around Comes Around. My guess is
Rachel had some serious good karma to cash in on!
One of the ways the ssqq magic works is that many students
invite their friends to come to the studio with them. The
more targets for those floating pheromones to attack and
attract, the more likely the chemistry will react. Or put
more succinctly, the more the merrier.)
EMPLOYEE OF THE
MONTH
February
2005
SSQQ EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
- RACHEL KOENIG
This award goes to an SSQQ Staff member who does
something beyond the call of duty. In any given month,
there are always at least 100 quiet acts of simple
kindness performed by someone who works at SSQQ for
which the person gets no credit, but our organization
benefits from the gratitude. The problem for me is that
these many moments usually occur way under my radar. So
if you have an instructor to nominate, please let me
know and why!!
On the other hand, sometimes the move is dramatic enough
to catch my eye so I can say something about it.
I nicknamed Rachel Zeph-Keonig "The Zephyr" a couple
years ago when she offered to teach a Belly Dance Crash
Course. Rachel got a kick out of the nickname because it
rhymed with her last name of "Seff". Rachel got married
last November, but decided to keep the nickname anyway.
Rachel Zeph made some serious waves here at SSQQ with
her Belly Dancing in January. She offered a Saturday
Belly Dance class in January that was attended by over
50 women!!
Now you know why Rachel is our "Employee of the Month" -
she really made a lot of people happy (and me too!)
The energy her class created was incredible. The ladies
absolutely loved it! The men were pretty interested
themselves - the women constantly had to kick out
various male intruders who just had to poke their noses
in to see what was going on!
Rachel is successful at this class because she is sexy,
she is funny, she has the right curves for the part, and
she keeps the ladies laughing!
Unfortunately Rachel is also a happily married lady. Why
"Unfortunately"? Rachel cherishes every delicious free
moment with her husband Dave. As a result she strongly
resists any extra demands on her free time. She did the
Saturday January class in response to all the requests
from SSQQ ladies for her help, but clearly stated it
would be ONE MONTH ONLY.
That was before the class drew 50 women. Guess what? Now
they want more. How did you guess?
Rachel suggested we move the class to Sundays at 7 pm.
She said she give up teaching her beloved Sunday Night
Western class for a couple months and experiment with
holding the class on Sundays.
Starting on Sunday, January 30, we will see if her
ladies are receptive to the new time spot. We will keep
you posted!
 |
RACHEL BECOMES A MOM
RACHEL AND DAVE KOENIG ANNOUNCE THE
BIRTH OF THEIR FIRST CHILD ZACH KOENIG!
Rachel Koenig has been a beloved SSQQ instructor for many
years. Last year Rachel met her match and married David Koenig. It
didn't take long for another announcement - Rachel was soon "with
child" as they say.
Undeterred, Rachel managed to teach Belly Dancing and Twostep
right up to the very last possible moment. It was only a couple
months ago that Rachel decided to begin a leave of absence.
"Dave and Rachel Koenig are proud to
announce the birth of their son, Zachary Benjamin Koenig,
in
September 2005.
Although 3 1/2 weeks early, Zachary weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz, and
was 19 inches long at birth. Mom, Dad and Baby are now home from the
hospital and are doing fine.
Thanks to everyone for your calls, visits and well wishes.
Regards, Rachel & Dave"
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RACHEL BUYS A COMPUTER
October 2006
GARY RICHARDSON SELLS ANOTHER COMPUTER!
As you will read in future Newsletters, Gary Richardson
was the co-MVP of our recent Rhapsody Reloaded Cruise
Trip. Not only did he make a lot of people happy by
conducting late-night dancing aboard the Rhapsody
attended by as many as 70 people at 1 am in the morning,
he took a phenomenal number of pictures that will soon
be published on the SSQQ web site. His contributions
went way past anything we had the right to expect of
him. He did it for one reason - Gary loves to make
people happy.
Gary and I have had a special friendship for years. He
has been a huge part of the studio's success in so many
ways, but most of all he has been my computer guru for
the past eight years.
Back in August, Gary emailed me to say he had sold
another SSQQ computer to our Wonderful Western dance
instructor Rachel Koenig. Gary likes to keep track of
who he sells his computers to, especially if they are
from SSQQ. Rachel's computer was the 110th computer he
has sold to someone from SSQQ. This remarkable total
means that over the years he has averaged selling over
one a month to someone from SSQQ!
I emailed Rachel the following letter:
"Rachel, I own 20
TFW computers. Btw you and me, I could save a couple
dollars buying one over the counter somehow.
That said, I would have no way of knowing the
quality of my computer because I am sure the
transaction would be made with some anonymous person
who will be gone in two months.
Even more important, what I could never buy in a
million years would be the kindness and unfailing
help he and his staff have given me over the past
eight years. If you ever run into a computer problem
- he will have your back.
That is why I keep going back to him.
Gary is my friend and I thank you for trusting him."
Rachel emailed back:
-----Original Message-----
From: Rachel Seff Koenig, Ed.D.
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 12:21 PM
To: Rick Archer
Subject: Re: your new Gary computer
"Yep - I agree that Gary is great.
We lost power at our house with a bad storm a couple
of weeks ago and ever since then, our 5-year old
Gateway computer has been on the fritz.
Dave brought it in to Gary over the weekend and it
turns out the motherboard was fried... Dave said
Gary was really, really helpful.
But more importantly, Gary is going to be able to
save all of our data and files, including all of the
pics of baby Zach! Thanks! Rachel"
RACHEL DECIDES TO
RETIRE
January 2008
On a Wednesday evening in early January, Rachel spotted
me at the studio and made eye contact. Rachel is
irresistible, so I walked over to see what was up.
Rachel smiled and said she was pregnant again.
I nodded. "Does that mean it's time?"
Rachel nodded. "Yes, Rick. I think it's
time. Between marriage, career, and motherhood, I
am having a hard time squeezing in dance teaching.
I will miss teaching, but something has to give."
I smiled back. "I completely understand. I
have been expecting this moment for some time now.
I am very happy for you."
AN INTERVIEW WITH
THE YENTA
A few days later, I asked Rachel to
share some thoughts about her many years here at SSQQ.
1. When did you first come to SSQQ? What got you
over here?
I started taking classes in 1996,
shortly after my divorce, as a way to meet people. I lived
in an apartment right behind Home Depot on the West Loop (2
minutes from the studio) and took
a series of jitterbug swing classes, then moved into
western.
SSQQ became my social life and exercise fitness center!
I would also hit the
Longhorn every Tuesday night for the free buffet and
dancing.
One night I remember watching
Sorrell Warren dance whip and noticed
how sexy he and his partners looked. "I want to do
that!" I proclaimed. I started taking whip shortly
thereafter. I'm now proud to say I can make Sorrell blush
when I whip with him!
2. What are your memories of
the Daryl Armstrong Experience?
Seems like that was the group
where you spent most of your time
in your early days at the studio.
It was during the western and whip classes
in the 1997 time frame (I think) that I met Daryl and
Joanne, as well as Ruth Ann (Manison)
Prince, Gillian Tilbury, Lisa Cloud, Yim Szeto, Chris
O'Rourke, Verladyne Arbaugh, Rocky and Laura, Randy Goshorn.
Ruth Ann was the social ring leader. She had an email list
that told about all the social
activities so the whole group could be involved.
She was the first person I knew who
grasped the value of this new development known as email.
Her email list got things rocking!
I participated in quite a few trips to Galveston and
Surfside Beach House party weekends, as well as the
millennium celebration at the Surfside house, across from
the "Loveshack."
We also had Daryl's infamous
margarita bus tours. Rick, you are
sworn to secrecy, by the way. ;-)
The people in this group remain my closest friends today.
Newly single and seeking friends, it was a tremendous
way to meet people, not to mention to a great way to learn
how to dance!
3. Who do you remember from your early days at the
studio?
I started teaching during the same time
frame as Tracy Perry and Jill Banta.
Western was HUGE, and so was
jitterbug/swing thanks to the 1998
Gap commercials.
4. What was the studio like in those days?
Jill and
Mo ran a "shoe store" at what was now the registration
table. I own 8 pairs of
dance shoes that I bought from them. Actually
I don't think the studio is
too different today than was
back when I started.
5. When did you get interested in western dancing?
I was forced into it when the group of friends I was taking
swing with decided to take Western. That group included Sam
Mele, Ray and Karen, and Big Kevin.
6. How did you come to be an instructor?
What did you teach?
I started as an unpaid assistant
to Chris O'Rourke on Fridays, Ben
Liles on Wednesdays, and Marla Jennings on Sundays. (Yes, I
really had no other social life).
Then sometime in 1998, I think you put me onto paid staff
and I became Marla Jenning's
official assistant on Friday nights. Marla
and I had a blast together.
She called me her official comic relief.
I got my own class towards
the end of 1998 teaching Western on Sunday nights.
Wil Colbourn was my early
'unofficial' assistant for a couple of months, and then came
MG! Some of your best instructors
were people I trained!
I've always been an
official "western" instructor. I taught Western on Sunday
evenings from 1998 - 2005. Then I
went on a 6 month maternity leave. When
I came back, I moved to over to teaching
western on Wednesdays. I
spent the past three years on Wednesday.
Over the years, I've also taught Aggie/Shaggie
Jitterbug, Dirty Dancing, and Bally Dancing. Wil Coulbourn
and I handled the Shaggie Jitterbug and Dirty Dancing. To
this day, he is the only partner I will let throw me in the
air for acrobatic moves.
7. Haven't we argued over the
years as to which of us has done
more matchmaking?
Don't we often claim the
same couples?
Yes, we have argued ever since I met you.
And I win. I always win. Just admit it Rick. I am
much more of a yenta then you will ever be!
Who is right, you or me? I am (of course)!
I can count 14 couples since 1998 that have met in my
classes and ultimately married! In
fact, it's a fact I always rattle off to my new students
when I start a session. No wonder
they stick with my class!
8. How has the studio changed over the years?
What
changes were for the good
and what changes were for the bad?
Do you really want me to answer
this publicly?!?
In the early years, we used to have to stay after practice
to help 'clean-up' the area. This included collecting all of
the unused drinks, pouring the contents into a big bucket,
and then pouring the big bucket of coke, beer and who knows
what else into the toilet. It was disgusting. I once had
someone dare me to drink what was in the bucket. I did not
drink it. I don't miss cleaning up
after Practice Nights at all.
Another change is the parking problems. Parking
on Sundays was never a problem at the studio.
9. What are some of memories about teaching?
Anything you would do
differently if you had to do it all over again?
To this day, I confess that I use
the syllabus that I learned from as a student in 1998 to
teach my western classes. And not to throw them under the
bus (sorry guys) but I'm pretty sure that Daryl and MG do
the same thing.
I have never quite learned advanced 2.
Plus I completely fake through most ghost town
classes and wind up teaching my own thing because I have no
idea what the syllabus actually says or means.
Linda Cook is the only instructor I know that can decipher
your wording accurately enough to put it into a pattern.
Thank god for some of the male students at the studio who
have taken multiple classes of ghost towns because they
basically show me what to do.
But, to my credit, I don't think the students have minded a
bit. They know I don't ever take myself too seriously, and
I'm certainly not afraid to make a fool of myself in class.
Oh yes, the slight sexual innuendos help, too.
Whatever I lack in technical expertise, I always manage to
keep their attention...
10. What do you think
you will miss about the studio now
that you have moved to the next
era of your life?
With husband, a 2 ½ year old, new
baby on the way, and new job, I just needed to let something
go. While I've enjoyed every moment of the studio, it's
definitely time for me to pass on the torch to a new
generation of dance teachers.
11. How did you meet your husband
Dave?
Through a mutual friend. She went out with
him and didn't like him, but she thought we would hit it off.
She was right.
We corresponded via email a couple of times, and then he
asked me out for a Saturday night in November 2002.
Turns out, I was teaching a belly dance crash course that night! I
told him I couldn't make the date because of the class. Well guess
what? He showed up at the studio for practice night! He watched me
dance all night long (yes, it probably did have something to do with
the belly dance outfit I was wearing) and then we sat on the couches
in the tv room and talked until closing. Love at first sight.
12. Tell me how your
son Zach is doing.
Two and a half and all boy. Walking,
talking, running, dancing, he likes to climb to the highest point of
furniture in the house and then make a flying leap onto the floor. A
fantastic little boy!
I would like to add it has been my
pleasure and privilege to be a part of
SSQQ. My years here are featured
prominently as the last item on my resume, and is ultimately the
question I get asked about the most during job interviews.
I've had a great 10 years, and look forward to my continued
friendships with the staff and students.
All the best, Rachel
|
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PARTING THOUGHTS FROM RICK
ARCHER
In 2007, SSQQ passed the 30 year mark. I
can look back and see a long list of people who have contributed to
make this wonderful dance studio what it is today.
It is true that I am the thread that ties all these years and all
these people together. While I am proud to accept some credit
for the studio's success, this story about Rachel helps explain what
this studio has accomplished goes far beyond my own contributions.
A lot of people have given their time, heart, and energy to help
make this place special.
Rachel is easily one of the most talented instructors to ever teach
at SSQQ. Funny, sexy, outgoing, warm, willing to help,
well-spoken, charming, entertaining... the list of positive
adjectives can go on and on. Although I will miss Rachel very
much, I am not sad. In fact, I am happy for her as she moves
on to the next stage of her life.
The dominant emotion that I feel is "Gratitude". I am grateful
for all of Rachel's many wonderful contributions. I am
grateful to Rachel and to many others like her who have made a lot
of people very happy over these years.
It is people like Rachel who have made this dance studio a legend in
its own time. Others will take Rachel's place, but I
will not forget her. Rachel is one of a kind, trust me on that
one.
RJA, February 2008
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