Chapelwood
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Monday Night
Chapelwood Dance Program with Rick Archer

(map to find our room at Chapelwood)

 

(map to find Chapelwood location)

 

(history of Chapelwood dance class)

 

INTERMEDIATE WEST COAST SWING FOR JUNE (ADVANCED IN JULY, SUPER-ADV IN AUGUST)
 

Rick Archer’s Note:

On Monday, June 5, we will start the second month of West Coast Swing.  Class will run from 7 pm till 8:45 with a 12 minute break in between.  The cost will be $30 a person for the 4-week course.  Dates will be June 5, 12, 19, 26 The next level will resume Monday, July 10. 

Please note our class has been moved to Fellowship Hall for the summer.  That is because our group has out-grown the friendly confines of Room YB100 (see map of Chapelwood's layout below)

One more thing.  If you would like to join the June Intermediate class in progress, please be aware you will need to know the fundamentals of West Coast Swing dancing in advance.  Considering the June class is Intermediate level, there is no way we can help someone who is a total beginner catch up.  That said, I hold a tutorial class every Monday from 6-7 pm.  If you come, either I or one of my assistants can work with you and show you what we covered in May.   

If you have any questions. Please email Harriet Daniel,  hhdan5@hotmail.com or Rick Archer, rick@ssqq.com  

If you do not know where Chapelwood is or how to find our class, click here:  Chapelwood Methodist Church Dance Class

 

AT A GLANCE:

JUNE DATES:  4 Mondays (June 5, 12, 19, 26)

TIME: 7:00-8:45 pm (plus special free catch-up class 6-7 pm).   12 minute Break in the middle.

LOCATION:  Chapelwood Methodist Church is located in the Memorial area at 11140 Green Bay, 77024.

Classes in June will be held in Fellowship Hall located in the central part of the church.

PRICE: $30 per person is a monthly charge which includes all 4 Monday classes (cash or check, please).

REGISTRATION: Plenty of room, just show up and sign up at the door.

PARTNERS: Partners are welcome, but not necessary.  We switch partners frequently to allow the staff to check on leads and following principles.  We ask politely that everyone respect our policy.

STAFF: Instruction provided by Rick Archer with much-appreciated help from assistants Harriet, Rey, Tim, Jan, Larry and Phyllis.

QUESTIONS:  Rick Archer, rick@ssqq.com or Harriet Daniel, hhdan5@hotmail.com

 
Rick Archer's Note about Chapelwood:  I have been teaching dance classes on Monday evenings at Chapelwood since October 2010.  Chapelwood is a lovely church with a beautiful room for us to hold our classes.  I am grateful to Chapelwood for allowing me to conduct classes here.  Over time we have developed community of dance friends and have room for more.  It is the perfect place to share friendship and enjoy learning to dance together.


MAP TO CHAPELWOOD: Click Here

MAP TO FIND DANCE ROOM 100:  Click Here

Rick's Note about Chapelwood:  I have been teaching dance classes on Monday evenings at Chapelwood since October 2010.  Chapelwood is a lovely church with a beautiful room for us to hold our classes.  I am grateful to Chapelwood for allowing me to conduct classes here.  Over time we have developed community of dance friends and have room for more.  It is the perfect place to share friendship and enjoy learning to dance together. 
..........

For questions, please email Rick Archer, rick@ssqq.com

To participate, simply come by Chapelwood on the night of the class and start. 

Partners are not necessary.  We ask that all students be willing to switch.  Wear a mask if you wish, but masks are not required.

For more background on Rick's class, click here or scroll down past the two maps. 
 

 


PRICE: $30 per person for a month of lessons  (cash or check, please)
To Register, just show up and sign up at the door.  Partners are not necessary. 

Instruction provided by Rick Archer with help from assistants
Harriet, Rey, Tim, Jan, Larry and Phyllis. 
 

Classes are held in Chapelwood's YB 100-101... great wooden floor, complete privacy  (see map below).

Chapelwood is located in the Memorial area at 11140 Green Bay, 77024.   (Please see street map below.)

Rick's Note about Chapelwood:  I have been teaching dance classes on Monday evenings at Chapelwood Methodist Church since October 2010.  Chapelwood is a lovely church with a beautiful room for us to hold our classes. I am grateful to Chapelwood for allowing me to conduct classes here 

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location

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Dance the Night Away with Rick Archer's Social Dance Lessons at Chapelwood

A variety of Country Western/Ballroom Lessons taught by Rick Archer, former owner of SSQQ Dance Studio
 

At a Glance:
7:00-8:30 p.m. on Monday nights
Room YB 100-101 at Chapelwood 
Cost:  $30 per person per month  

Under the gracious sponsorship of Chapelwood Methodist Church, Rick Archer has been teaching here since 2010.  Over the years, our class has taught people how to partner dance in social situations such as weddings, rodeo events, visits to nightclubs and dancing on cruise trips.  During the instruction, we emphasize enjoying friendship in a relaxed, laughter-filled atmosphere.  

Starting at 7:00 p.m. every Monday, the class is taught by Rick Archer, former owner of Houston's SSQQ Dance Studio.  In its day, SSQQ was the largest independent dance studio in Houston as well as the United States.  In its heyday each week 1,400 students walked through its doors in search of dance training, exercise, fun and friendship. 

Following his retirement from full-time teaching in 2010, Rick brought a similar magic to Chapelwood.  Thanks to the assistance of Harriet Daniel and a team of experienced assistants, this ongoing class covers a wide range of different dances.  With the featured dance changing from month to month, the class covers Western, Ballroom, Swing and Latin dance patterns.  Past topics include Two Step, Polka, Western Swing, East Coast Swing/Jitterbug, West Coast Swing, Night Club Two Step, Western Waltz, Ballroom Waltz, Rumba, Foxtrot, Cha-Cha, and Salsa.  If a particular dance is popular with the current group, typically an Intermediate level is added in the following month.  Rather than dictate what's next, Rick prefers to let his students tell him what they want him to cover from month to month.  While on the surface the class is about learning the art of partner dancing, the class is secretly more about Community.  It does not matter whether someone is single or married.  Come one, come all. 

This ongoing class consists of veteran dancers and newcomers.  There are students in this class who have been taking non-stop for many years due to the camaraderie and mutual love of dance.  To accommodate the newcomers, we offer Beginning-level classes four to six times a year, then advance the class over the next few months.  We encourage our students to rotate partners.  This allows the Volunteer Staff to offer suggestions along the way.  In addition, changing partners gives the students a chance to get to know each other and make friends.  

Rick's class runs till 8:30, sometimes later, with a break in between.  The age range starts with college students and extends to Seniors.  As long as a person wishes to learn, age does not matter.  Class size varies from month to month, but over the years it has stayed within the 20-40 range.  In this time, the boy-girl ratio has remained remarkably close.  Thanks to our volunteer staff to even things up, it is rare for someone to stand out for more than one rotation. 

The dance class typically meets in Room YB 100-101.  However, Chapelwood is a busy church, so periodically the class may meet in another room on a temporary basis.  If there is a last-minute change, Rick and Harriet will use email to offer updates.  We also use email to inform past and present students of our upcoming classes.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Rick Archer, rick@ssqq.com or Harriet, hhdan5@hotmail.com

 

 


Rick Archer's Note:  The section below is where I put old material that I intend to re-use at a later date.  You are welcome to read it if you wish.

 

What is "Sweethearts of the Rodeo"?

This is a course in Country-Western dancing.  It is not a Beginner course nor is an Advanced course.  I suppose that leaves Intermediate, but a Beginner can take it.  More about that later.

I last offered this class three years ago.  Since I know the people who take my classes pretty well, I predict no one remembers anything.  My students cannot even remember their name which is why we wear name tags.  For that matter, we encourage married couples to add a last name.  That way we can match people with spouses at the end of the night.  As for boyfriends and girls, hmm, not quite as easy.  Wear matching socks.  However I digress.  You want to know what this course covers.

 

 

In Western dancing, there are three looks: Closed Position in each other's arms, Open Position for Western Swing, and Sweetheart position for those who are romantically inclined.  In Sweetheart position, partners start side by side, lady on the right.  The lady is the Sweetheart, the man is the one lucky to be dancing with her.  Please reflect your pleasure at being next to one another by smiling.  The Sweetheart position in Western dancing is very popular because the girls face forward and rarely find themselves dancing backwards.  It is a nice feature not to be forced to dance backwards all the time. 

The Sweetheart position includes all sorts of fancy turns and clever moves such as Crossovers, Harriet the Lariat, and the infamous Wild West Shuffle.  The hit of the class will be a popular combination known as 'Book of Love' which combines three positions known as Sweetheart, Cuddles, and Skaters.  For those serious about romance (watches one Hallmark Rom-Com per month), we have an incredible ending to the Book of Love known as the Scintillating Slither.  Women have been known to faint. 

 

 

Anyone with a smattering knowledge of Twostep and some Polka will do just fine in this class.  That said, I have heard there are a few people from California who have not yet learned how to dance Texas-style.  When in Rome, dance as the Texans do, the sooner the better.  For these people (and other states are welcome as well), we will have an emergency beginner Twostep class from 6-7 pm.  There will be no charge, just show up.  If you survive the emergency tutorial, you will have learned enough stay for the main event, Sweethearts of the Rodeo. 

 

 

The April Jitterbug class will be more difficult than the March Swing class.  That is because I will be teaching the more difficult version of Swing known as “Jitterbug”.

Jitterbug uses more complicated footwork: “1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5-6 (back step)” as opposed to Swing: “Slow Slow Quick Quick”.  Although both systems use 6 beats, Jitterbug is used to Slower tempo music while Swing is used to faster tempo music.  It is important for a Swing dancer to know both systems. 

“Happy Just to Dance with you”, Beatles, 135 beats per minute.  This is a Jitterbug.

“Take it Easy”, Eagles, 138 beats per minute.  This is a Jitterbug.

“Jailhouse Rock”, Elvis, 168 beats per minute.  This is a Swing.

“Rock Around the Clock”, Bill Haley, 180 beats per minute.  This is a Swing.

In general, the faster the music, you prefer to use Swing with fewer steps.  The slower the music, Jitterbug uses the extra steps to travel more, thereby speeding things up.  The same thing holds true for other types of music.

Western Dancing:  Twostep handles one speed, Polka handles the other.

Salsa Dancing:  Salsa handles one speed, Merengue handles the other.

East Coast Swing Dancing: Swing handles one speed, Jitterbug handles the other.

Another purpose of the April East Coast Swing “Jitterbug” class is to prepare for our May West Coast Swing class.  As it turns out, Jitterbug and West Coast Swing use the same 6-beat timing and the same 8 steps: “1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5-6”

East Coast Swing:  Triple Step, Triple Step, Back-step.  (six beats, 8 steps)

West Coast Swing: walk-walk, Triple Step, Triple Step.  (six beats, 8 steps)

I happen to like West Coast Swing a lot.  But I will be the first to say it is a tricky dance to learn.  In my opinion, West Coast Swing is not worth learning unless the footwork is precise.  So one feature of the April Jitterbug class will be to help people become more comfortable using 8 steps to 6 beats of music. 

For further information, you are invited to read Rick Archer’s History of Swing, https://www.ssqq.com/stories/swnghist.htm

In addition, there is a third form of Swing dancing.  Some call it ‘Street Swing’, some call it ‘High School Swing’ or ‘Teenager Swing’ and some call it ‘Aggie Jitterbug’.  For the time being, let’s call it ‘High School Swing’.  What exactly is it? 

High School Swing is Swing dancing without any attention to footwork or the speed of the music.  As long as a boy can lead, he can use any footwork he wishes and move at whatever speed he wishes.  Obviously this simpler form of Swing Dancing is popular because it is easier to learn than the more disciplined East Coast Swing.  So why bother learning East Coast Swing?

High School Swing is pretty brutal on the girls.  It is a rough dance that involves a lot of being pulled and pushed around.  It also ignores the music which is a nuisance as well.   Getting thrown around might be okay in high school and college, but as the young lady ages, she typically prefers to be treated more gently. 

 

 

 
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