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COPY of the October 28, 2023 email update:
To our email list of supporters:
We're one week out from the first annual Fall Ball. Already, we're looking forward to future events. Please reserve these dates: October 5, 2024 for the Second Annual Fall Ball, and October 18, 2025 for the Third Annual Fall Ball, both to be held in the historic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.
Over 150 of you attended last Saturday evening and feedback from dancers and our supporters has been overwhelmingly positive. If you haven't done so, please visit our Facebook page to see photos and videos from the event. The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/930582511552652
Please add any material you might have to the event album created by volunteer Ann Emerson, who has done a great job coordinating our Facebook presence. We're still looking for a video of Part 4 of the Foxtrot Showcase where Emanuele danced with Ricardo and Francesca with Eleonora. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, but most cameras were off in anticipation of the snowball mixer. If you have this video please forward it to info@ballroomtime.org. If we post your video on Facebook you will receive free admission to one of our Sunday afternoon dances.
Please add any material you might have to the event album created by volunteer Ann Emerson, who has done a great job coordinating our Facebook presence. We're still looking for a video of Part 4 of the Foxtrot Showcase where Emanuele danced with Ricardo and Francesca with Eleonora. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, but most cameras were off in anticipation of the snowball mixer. If you have this video please forward it to info@ballroomtime.org. If we post your video on Facebook you will receive free admission to one of our Sunday afternoon dances.
Live music gala events are costly to produce. If you don't believe that please check out admission prices for some of the other events this season in the DMV region. Ticket prices in the $150-$200+ range are not unusual. While we're pleased with how the first annual Fall Ball turned out, we didn't quite reach break-even on ticket sales. We're a not-for-profit organization, but we're not for losses either. We need your ongoing support to turn Ballroom Time into a self-sustaining program. Please attend our events and encourage your friends to attend. Consider buying a ticket even if you can't/didn't attend an event. Consider purchasing Helmut Licht's poem, Dancing! - Embossed with the Ballroom Time logo and ready for display, it makes the “perfect gift” for the special dancer in your life. Proceeds go to support Ballroom Time and to bring Helmut and his big band to the Spanish Ballroom in 2024. Our mission is to make an economical ballroom dance program available at Glen Echo Park. If you enjoy ballroom dancing there, please support our efforts any way you can.
We also depend on an all-volunteer staff to make the program work. I'm pleased to announce that Amy O, who has nearly 30 years of experience dancing and volunteering in the Park, is now heading up our front-desk team of volunteers. She has prepared a handbook and trains our staff. Thank you, Amy. There's a lot of camaraderie on the team... if you'd like to join the fun, please send an email to info@ballroomtime.org We especially need help towards the end of our events and with clean-up. It's no accident that the humble push broom has become the mascot of our organization!
I'm also pleased to announce that Paul Tannous has joined our All-Volunteer Advisory Committee charged with setting the mission and direction of Ballroom Time. Paul is an experienced dancer, takes private lessons, does showcases, and has been instrumental in getting our Beginner Lesson program underway featuring top guest instructors. A Beginner Lesson is a Park Partnership requirement at the start of each dance event. Paul's picture is now on our website under the Who We Are" tab. Thank you Paul.
Our next Sunday afternoon dance takes place in the Spanish Ballroom on November 12 and features the return of Djangolaya as a Trio ensemble with Jeanine Greene providing vocals: https://ballroomtime.org/November_12.html Belinda Adora from Elegant Dancing will also return as guest instructor teaching cha-cha and samba as only she can do. Belinda will honor us with a showcase later in the afternoon. Be sure to attend.
The dance after that will be on December 10 featuring music by Go Figure! We anticipate having a surprise vocalist that afternoon to lead some holiday season favorites you'll enjoy dancing to. Stay tuned for details.
And for our many Mike Surratt fans (including me!) please don't fear. Mike will be back in the Spanish Ballroom for multiple events in 2024 starting on March 10. Please mark you calendar and visit www.mikesurratt.com
Meanwhile, we encourage everyone to take dance lessons, especially with our pros Emanuele, Francesca, Ricardo, Eleonora and Belinda. Links to them are on our gala page here: https://ballroomtime.org/FirstGala.html If you're new to ballroom dancing, our beginner lesson is a good way to get started and we cover two dances at each event. Eventually, you may want to take more advanced lessons. As we explained at the gala, even top pros take lessons. We are all learning and we can all dance better. There's also information on local venues with instructors on our More Dancing! tab. Sign up today!
And we encourage you to attend Waltz Time dances on alternate Sundays. Ballroom Time and Waltz Time are separate organizations that cooperate on scheduling and sharing of resources and volunteers to bring economical dancing to Glen Echo Park. Waltz Time was instrumental in helping us get dance cards for our gala and in bringing in Ranger Stan to lead our promenade march. Thank you Joan and Tony and team. More information on Waltz Time dances, including the one tomorrow, can be found here: www.waltztimedances.org
I look forward to seeing everyone on the dance floor soon,
Tom Hall for
Ballroom Time
PS: If you haven't gotten your free custom name tag featuring the Ballroom Time logo, please send an email to info@ballroomtime.org Please specify the spelling of your name and whether you'd like your pronouns listed. Samples are pictured on our website. If you already ordered a tag, please look for it at the front desk next time you check in...
COPY of the October 20, 2023 email update:
To our email list of supporters:
There's significant news from Ballroom Time as we prepare for The Fall Ball tomorrow evening.
First, we're delighted to announce that rising professional stars Ricardo and Eleonora, who had a first-place finish at the 2023 Emerald Ball DanceSport Championship in L.A., will be joining Emanuele and Francesca to showcase. Yes, you read that correctly. Emanuele and Francesca will be joined by Ricardo and Eleonora to showcase tomorrow evening at the Fall Ball at about 11 pm. And we've made special tickets available at the door for those who want to see the showcases but need to arrive late. Stay then for the Snowball Mixer and dance to the third set of music. Full details are on our Gala page at https://ballroomtime.org/FirstGala.html
Second, we're honored that Park Ranger Stan, an iconic figure at Spanish Ballroom dance events going back some 45 years, will be directing our promenade march that marks the start of the second set of music. Friends of Ranger Stan will not want to miss this promenade march. If you have never seen a grand march, Ranger Stan shared this video taken in 2011. https://www.facebook.com/605460239/videos/10150234354750240/
A grand march is a time for the audience to see and be seen and to connect with the orchestra. Our Promenade March will feature an optional waterfall mixer at the beginning, allowing you to join with your preferred partner, or.... to let chance/fate choose your partner for you. It should be a lot of fun. Special thanks to our friends at Waltz Time for coordinating with Ranger Stan to make this happen!
So, here's the timeline for the evening.
7:30 pm: Doors open to the public
8:00 pm: Beginner lesson in Foxtrot and Bachata with the Bachata lesson led by Latin dance champion Belinda visiting from Elegant Dancing Ballroom.
9:00 pm: First set of music by the Djangolaya Quartet begins... and the first two songs will be – you guessed it - a Foxtrot followed by a Bachata.
10 pm or a little before: The Fashion Show featuring creations by designer Francesca Lazarri begins
10:15 pm: The Promenade March, which marks the start of the second set of dance music.
11:00 pm: The Professional Showcases, which will be followed by a snowball mixer and dancing until midnight.
It's shaping up to be a most special event. The playlist looks great on the custom dance card you will receive at admission. Or find it on our Gala page linked above. I look forward to seeing everyone in the Spanish Ballroom tomorrow evening.
Happy dancing,
Tom Hall for
Ballroom Time
COPY of the October 13, 2023 email update:
We had good attendance at our October 8 dance featuring The Mike Surratt Duo. Over 130 dancers were there. Photos and videos of the event are available on our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/930582511552652
We now look forward to The First Annual Autumn Ballroom Dance Gala and Fashion Show, which we're referring to as the “Fall Ball”. The event will take place in the historic Spanish Ballroom in just 8 days on Saturday evening, October 21, 2023. Our goal is to provide ballroom dancers an Evening of Excellence in music, dance, and fashion at an economical price. We want to establish precedents that will make this an annual event.
Music will be provided by The Djangolaya Quartet featuring multi-lingual vocals by Jeanine Greene. We've heard Djangolaya perform several times at Glen Echo Park and we love dancing to their music. The Quartet will be playing a selection of beautiful ballroom music representing both syllabus classes of dance - The Standard/Smooth dances: Slow Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Samba and Pasodoble; and the Latin/Rhythm Dances: Mambo, Bachata, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Swing, Hustle and more. Please see photos and the full playlist of songs on our website here: https://ballroomtime.org/FirstGala.html
A large part of the fun is the opportunity to dance to a variety of music. Please see the FAQ section of our website for more information on how ballroom dances are classified.
A beginner lesson in Foxtrot and Bachata starts at 8:00 pm. We're pleased to announce that Latin dance champion Belinda Adora from Elegant Dancing will lead the Bachata lesson.
Live music then plays from 9:00 pm until midnight.
There will be a mini-Fashion Show during the first intermission with modeling of the latest in ballroom attire, including haute couture creations by Francesca Lazzari just featured at the Paris and Dubai fashion weeks. During the second intermission there will be a professional showcase featuring the Standard/Smooth dance taught during the lesson. Former Blackpool champions Emanuele Pappacena and Francesca Lazzari, who performed at our first event on May 28, will make a return appearance in the Ballroom to dance a Foxtrot. Continuing the tradition they started, Emanuele and Francesca will also lead a snowball mixer following their performance.
Carl Pavetto will be the guest Master of Ceremonies. During the evening there will be a line dance and a promenade march led by Paul Tannous. Both Carl and Paul are members of the Ballroom Time All-Volunteer Advisory Committee.
Sound engineering for the event will be provided by Jamie Platt.
LEADERS and FOLLOWERS: A limited number of special gala dances throughout the evening MAY be available on the dance cards of our professionals. If you'd like the honor of sharing one unforgettable Latin/Rhythm dance with Belinda, or one Standard/Smooth dream dance with Emanuele or Francesca, please send an email to info@ballroomtime.org
And if you're wearing a designer label and would like to model in our fashion show, please contact us at the same address. Your first name and the label will be announced from the stage.
Please join us to help establish the Fall Ball as a premier Washington gala event. It's a dressy affair; black tie is optional. The focus is on dance and fashion in the service of dance. So, please look your best, but make sure you're comfortable and able to move well on the dance floor. Admission is $40 at the door (Cash /Check/Zelle/Credit Card). Reduced admission for full-time students/active-duty military is $20. For those who wish to arrive later to see the professional showcases which start at 11:00 pm, special-priced $20 tickets go on sale at 10:45 pm. Bottled water and light desserts will be made available in the lobby during the event. No partner is necessary to attend Ballroom Time events. Many singles come to our dances. All ages and levels of dance are welcome. Children under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult.
Special thanks to Min Zhang for her volunteer work designing our web site at www.ballroomtime.org
Ballroom Time depends on volunteers to keep going. If you'd like to volunteer please send an email to info@ballroomtime.org Especially for the Gala we need extra help setting up at the beginning and tidying up at the end. We need photographers and decorators. Most importantly, we need dancers to attend. Please spread the word to your friends and support ballroom dancing in the Park. This first annual event comes with bragging rights - "I was there!"
It is not to be missed.
See you at the Fall Ball,
Happy dancing,
Tom Hall for Ballroom Time
COPY of the September 30, 2023 email update:
Greetings, please find attached a FLYER for our ABCs of Ballroom Dance Workshop which will take place in the Spanish Ballroom on October 7, one week from today.
The Workshop begins at 2 pm and is designed with beginner ballroom dancers in mind. No partner is necessary, there will be frequent rotation of partners. If you're a more experienced dancer we need your help in the rotation line! The goal is to prepare dancers for our FALL BALL which takes place two weeks later on October 21. The playlist of dances for the Ball is now posted on our website here:
https://ballroomtime.org/FirstGala.html
A big part of the fun in ballroom dancing is the opportunity to practice a number of different dance styles at the same event. Following the 2 hours of Workshop instruction there will be a half hour of supervised practice with our instructors available to help students who might have questions.
AND we're announcing this SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase of a $15 ticket to the October 7 Workshop counts as a pre-paid ticket for our Sunday afternoon ballroom dance on October 8 featuring The Mike Surratt Duo. There will be a beginner lesson in rumba and slow waltz at 2:30 followed by dancing to Mike's music from 3:30 to 6:00. Just send a message to info@ballroomtime.org stating, "I attended the October 7 Workshop" and bring your blue ticket on October 8. That's a full weekend of dancing all for the price of one ticket.
Full details are available at our newly re-designed website www.ballroomtime.org. Note that for a limited time we're continuing to make custom Ballroom Time name tags available free of charge. Just send us an email at info@ballroomtime.org specifying the spelling of your first name. You also have the option to include your pronouns.
We look forward to seeing everyone next weekend and at the Gala on October 21. Please print out the attached flyer for distribution or forward it to your friends.
Ballroom Time depends on volunteers and the support of the DMV ballroom dance community to keep this program going. Please let us know if you'd like to help as a volunteer at one of our events. Another way to help is to purchase the poem Dancing!, the perfect gift for the special dancer in your life. Details are on our site. Proceeds go to support ballroom dancing in the Park and to help bring Helmut Licht's Big Band to the Ballroom in 2024.
See you soon on the dance floor,
Tom Hall for Ballroom Time