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Showing posts from November, 2009
Greetings Dancing Friends, A few weeks ago, the hit dance television show 'Dancing With The Stars' performed a group hustle. They chose to to do it in a retro style from the 70's and portrayed it more like a line dance and some bad spin off from the Saturday Night Fever movie. Many people were upset and asked me to write a letter. I have been reading Ron Bess's newsletter 'DANCETALK' and there were many letters to the editor concerning the disapproval of their interpretation. If you did not see the show and would like to see it, please copy and paste the YOU TUBE link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvIxrtSDco4 I decided to write a letter and asked Ron to post it on last week's newsletter. I asked people to go to my blog and post their comments. It seems that many of the dancers felt the same way but had difficulty posting their comments on my blog. The blog also posts to my Facebook notes and so far 11 people 'liked it' and 22 commented on it

Letter to Dancing With the Stars

To the Producers's of ABC's Dancing with the Stars: I am a host of hustle parties in New York for over the last 8 1/2 years and the event director a national hustle dance event in NYC for the last 5 years called 'THE NEW YORK HUSTLE CONGRESS'. This event involves competition dancing, workshops and performances in hustle and other forms of dancing. There are many other hustle event directors, teachers, competitors, performers and social dancers such as myself throughout the United States (including Puerto Rico) and in Europe. I am writing on our behalf because we are very proud of the dance Hustle and request that you do a better and more realistic interpretation than has been displayed on your show over the last few years. FACT 1: Hustle dancing is one of the few pure authentic American dances, other than swing, Foxtrot and Peabody. It should be danced with the same respect the other dances are given on your show and not be made to look ridiculous FACT 2: Hustle is no
November Newsletter #1 PAST NEWS! I would like to start with a congratulations and thanks to all that helped our team Eisai reach our goal of 40K for this year's Alzheimer's Memory Walk. This is the company Susan Lazar works for and they matched the money raised to make a total of $42,720.00, yah team! Our first Haunted Hustle Halloween party was a fiendishly wicked success. Big thanks to all that attended & made it a fun night! Don't Miss Tomorrow Night, SATURDAY NIGHT, NOV 21 when MILLENNIUM DANCE PARTY is @ CLUB 412 3 Rooms for Dancing, 3 Great DJs DJ NELSON ROMAN in HUSTLE ROOM DJ FRANKLIN AYALA in SALSA ROOM DJ MARK in the BALLROOM Admission $15 includes choice of free class from 8-9pm, Dancing 9-1/2am in the Hustle Room 412 8th Ave between W30/31st, 4th floor *get your tickets to this year's New Year's Eve party from Lori to save $$$ **there is a $100 REWARD to anyone who may have found the lost ring at last Saturday night's party. Contact by emailing

'Growth of Hustle' & Hustle on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Dear Dancing Friends, Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and sugeestions so far. Here is the second take to have your voices heard. I am still learning how to work my blog so your comments can go directly there so here is the second take on some very important topics. I was invited in October by moderator Ron Bess to be on the panel of a forum titled "The Growth of Hustle" at the World Hustle Championships. Many interesting topics were brought up. The main concern was that not enough young people are interested in learning the dance. Many solutions were offered by a nationally diverse panel and attendees of the forum. The first of the reasons offered for this lack of interest was that not enough current music is being played by enough of the DJs at hustle dances and events. The second concern is how the national media on the two most popular dance television shows does not depict hustle dancing in an authentic way but rather in a campy cheesy way with dated costume

Thanks to all who attended this year's Haunted Hustle Party!

Your feedback is great and I am so glad you had a fun night. Next 2 dance parties will is at Club 412 for our 2nd & 3rd Sat dance with 3 rooms for dancing and 3 terrific DJs. Nov 14 & 21st. See you there!