Little Rock ROCKED the house placing top 5 in EVERY major event category.  Below is a list of the top placements.

Congratulations Little Rock Dancers!!!!

Strictly Swing Divisions

Newcomer

1st Place – Dana Patterson-Sims

Novice

3rd Place – Tim Acosta

Pro-Am Strictly Swing

Novice

• 1st Place – Jordan Sims
• 2nd Place – Tim Acosta W/ Stevie Bakely
• 3rd Place – Derick Rabon  W/Stevie Blakely
• 5th Place – Stefano Santamaria W/ Crystal Auclair

Male /Male

• 1st Place – Stefano Santamaria W/ Matt Auclair
• 2nd Place – Tim Acosta W/Barry Jones

Female /Female

• 1st Place – Jordan Sims W/ stevie Blakely
• 6th Place – Candace Rabon W/ stevie Blakely

Intermediate

3rd Place – David Carter

__________________________________

Jack and Jill

NewComer

• 1st Place – Gina Elliot
• 3rd place – Dana Patterson-Sims

Novice

• 4th Place – Tim Acosta
• 6th Place – Derrick Rabon
• 7th Place – Jordan Sims

Top Dancer Award

2nd Place – Tim Acosta

3rd Place – Jordan Sims

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You don’t miss this opportunity.

Who is Reisa?? Reisa Alexander is a professional dance instructor who has coached many competitive couples in west coast swing, ballroom, hustle, and country western dancing. She has competed with pro/am students at ballroom and country western events. In country, her male students have won world championship titles in all four categories of classic pro/am: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Pro/Pro. In west coast swing, Reisa previously won the professional showcase swing and cabaret divisions at Swing Fling Washington, DC. With her former partner, Cody Melin, Reisa won over forty country western competitions, including the World UCWDC Division I Showcase Championship, an amazing total of twenty-five Division I Showcase Grand Championships, and fourteen Master’s Championships, including a World Two Step Master’s Championship.

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Western Theme

We will have a western theme, so come in your boots and get ready to enjoy some down-home chili! Bop members and guests will vote on their favorite chili. Categories will be Traditional (beef) and Alternative (not beef).

Prizes

There will be prizes for the winners, and those not entering a chili are asked to bring sides, depending on their last name.

How can I help??

A-M should bring desserts, N may bring aNything, and O-Z should bring fixins, such as shredded cheese, crackers, chips or cornbread.

 Sign up early!!!

We will have a sign-up list posted at bop prior to the event for those interested in entering the cook-off, or look for a sign-up on the webpage coming soon!

There will be no lesson that night.

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

Milestone Event Center

Main Street & Curtis Sykes Drive      (formerly 15th Street)

North Little Rock, AR  72114

Doors Open:           10:30 AM

Taping Begins:       11:00 AM

Taping Ends:           3:00 PM

Many thanks to all of you for your patience, and for the excitement that you generate for the show.  During the past few months, a lot of interest has developed for the “Good Ole Daze”;  and each time the show airs, we get more and more requests from people from all over Arkansas wanting to come and take part in the taping.  In addition to ALL OF YOU, we anticipate at least 10 couples from the Heber Springs “Little Boppers” Dance Club to attend, as well as dancers from as far as Mount Ida,  Russellville and Mount Vernon, AR.

We ask that you please RSVP No later than Tuesday, January 15th, so that  we’ll have a good idea of the number of dancers that will be attending.

Please call Gary Weir at 501-838-6020 or simply respond to this email to confirm your attendance. (Please provide names)

We look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing you on Saturday, January 19th.

Sincerely,

Gary Weir & Linda Gillam

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Arthur Hughes

 As in the kickoff to the Olympic Games, this writing will serve as the kickoff to the party season for the LRBC. We’ve been through a hot, dry, summer and temps are beginning to cool off, but things are heating up at the LRBC with the excitement of football, Halloween, Christmas, and wait—-Bop in the Rock– right around the corner.

Before beginning, a huge thank you to all who attended, supported, and worked on the 20th Anniversary Party. We had a great turnout of 169 folks who enjoyed a great evening of dance, history, pictures, videos, and friends they haven’t seen in awhile. A special thanks to Gina and the planning committee who made it all come together.

Let’s catch up a bit on the new venue and events for Bop in the Rock. It will be held in the downtown River Market District, at the DoubleTree Hotel. There are plenty of things to do while you’re not dancing: President Clinton Library, USS Razorback Submarine, Big Dam Bridge several miles away, the River Trail right off the DoubleTree, and the River Market District itself. The Trolleys will be running, but on a specific schedule only. We are only 4 blocks from breakfast and lunch, with plenty of other places to eat. There will be a Jack n’ Jill contest, a pool party Friday and Saturday, with the Jack n’ Jill “Let the games begin!” finals outdoors at the pool party. A Friday afternoon game will be played, worth $100 to the winning team. An “after hours” party, on the dance floor, will be going on from midnight till about 3AM. Let’s keep going. . .

Add to that free pours Friday and Saturday nights before the party; other “special” hospitalities from LRBC members; round tables for 10 are available for reservation; PayPal is available for registration: 3—1 night free room giveaways, along with all the traditional, great things we have done in the past. Phenomenal workshops are planned by 4 top instructors, (private lessons are available as well), and 5 great DJ’s will be spinning tunes all weekend, keeping the dance floor full and feet happy.

The Doubletree Ballroom is a beautiful room, and will be decorated and set up in stunning fashion. Ticket prices go up to $75 and the Doubletree room block expires September 6th, so hurry before the increase. We hope to see you there! Visit www.bopintherock.com for more information including the registration form. More parties are coming as well, with the always popular Halloween and Christmas events rounding out the year. Hope to see you at all upcoming events. See ya’ on the dance floor!

Arthur Hughes, President, LRBC

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The more things change, the more stays the same! Old Little Rock Bop Club newsletters tell of the urge to dance. For more history, see the print edition of the LRBC May-June 2002 newsletter.

Excerpts from Bop in the Rock Number 1, August 1992

When this newsletter was mailed to prospective members, the Little Rock Bop Club did not yet exist. Founding president Jim Miller explained the organizers’ efforts and intentions to start a club — and nicely summed up our earliest history.

We like to Bop! For several weeks, we have been collecting names, addresses and phone numbers from bop-starved people interested in forming a bop dance club in Little Rock. I’m sure you thought this whole idea was just a clever scheme to get girls’ phone numbers. Well, it works! We’ve got girls and guys interested (about 50/50). Now counting 200 of us and still growing … the Little Rock Bop Club is a fact. The organizers and founders hereby issue the first newsletter. We hope it will give you a good idea of what the bop club is all about.

Old photo of Jim Miller from 1992 newsletter

My name is Jim Miller. I moved here a year ago from Dallas, Texas, where there are a bunch of social dance clubs dedicated to all types of dance. Arriving in Little Rock, I started asking about dance clubs in the area. People would answer, “Well, there’s BJ’s and Bobbisox,” thinking I was looking for a nightclub. BJ’s has an associated dance club called the “Honky Tonkers” and they are very active in country & western dance.

As far as the bop, swing, push or jitterbug dancers, there is no organized social club in Little Rock.

Someone mentioned that on the second Sunday of every month there was this thing called the “Pig & Whistle” at Dad’s Place in North Little Rock. It seemed appropriate that the name had a Pig in it, seeing as how this is Hog country. But what about the Whistle? Well, it was at my first Pig & Whistle that I saw all these crazy boppers. It was unbelievable! Dad’s Place had always seemed a little dead to me … but all of a sudden, in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, during football and deer season, this place was bopping! The joint was jumping! Unfortunately, the party only lasted from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., then it was over for the month.

Earliest LRBC logo in use November 1992

Several people at Pig & Whistle told me that there had been an attempt to start a bop club in Little Rock, but for some reason it never happened. That’s when we started collecting each other’s names and addresses. We were interested people, wanting to form a dance club. We grabbed napkins, business cards, anything. Phone calls flew and the interest was unbelievable.

Membership dues will be $12 for six months or $24 annually, and renew each Sept. 1 and March 1. Because this is a startup club we need a lot of full-year members on this first membership drive, to help capitalize the club and pay for startup costs such as purchasing records, printing newsletters, etc.

Membership entitles you to a $2 entrance fee for club parties instead of $4 for non-members, discount dance lessons, and a newsletter which will give you a schedule of events.

Our dance parties will be held on the fourth Saturday each month. This adds up to a party every other week, with Pig & Whistle on the second Sunday and Little Rock Bop Club on the fourth Saturday. Also, we’ll have a “dance night out” each week at various other clubs.

Get involved with the club, participate, and if you have an interest in helping get organized, or if you have suggestions, please contact one of the officers listed elsewhere in your newsletter or call me.

Forever Bopping,

Jim Miller

First Monthly Board Meeting will be Monday, August 10, at Freida’s apartment. At this meeting the original officers will meet and form the structure of the club.

Little Rock Bop Club: August 1992 Executive Committee

•  Jim Miller, President
• Dooley Fowler, Vice-President
• Sue Clay (now Hicks), Secretary
• Susie Derden (now Spann), Treasurer
• Freida Daily (now White), Parliamentarian (Ethics)
• Virgil Foster, Sgt. at Arms
• Kay Baldus, Activities & Entertainment
• SaraJane Pierce, Membership
• Mark Penny, Activities

First Members: (Present at organizing meeting)

• Ronnie Higdon
• Bev Wujek (now Alberson)
• Jim Alberson
• Gordon & Rose Ann Burrington
• Janet Coburn (now Fowler)
• Lea Ashcraft (now Crisco)

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With that, I’d like to introduce David Carter, our new Webmaster and creator of our new site. He has done a great job with the new site, so take a few minutes to look around and familiarize yourself with the different tabs. We hope you enjoy the new look and continue to visit us often. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment area at the bottom right of the site if you wish.

Thank you,

Arthur Hughes,
President, LRBC

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We’re all familiar with the word, and at some point in our lives have volunteered to do something, somewhere, for an individual or organization. If done per the definition, a lot of self satisfaction and feeling of good will comes to the volunteer & recipient, and it can motivate others to do the same. Before proceeding, let it be noted that volunteering is not mandatory in our club, nor is someone looked down upon for not volunteering. We come to dance and have a good time. However, it does take work and volunteers to make the club successful. So, the old recipe tastes like this: (from the potential volunteer)

• “Call me if you need me.”
• “Let me know if you need anything.”
• “I’m available to do something if you ever run short of help.”

These are all good, but don’t have much impact. These requests are very good for newer people, but for those of us who have been around awhile, it’s time for a new recipe- a different way of thinking about helping our club.

Think about the following: (coming from the potential volunteer)

• “The Halloween party is coming up. Put my name down to help tear down afterwards.”
• “I love the Christmas dance and want to be a part. Put my name down on the list to set up Saturday at 10AM.”
• “I see we do split the pot every 1st Wednesday. Definitely put me and my friend down to work it every other month starting next month.”
• “BOTL was fun and I’m definitely helping on shirt sales next year. By the way, I’m going to get some of my friends to help me and then we’re going to help recruit others. We met some new people and want to meet more.”

This is just a “sampling” of the new recipe. Upfront; Bold; Determined; Exact; Definitive and YES!, Attitude. So, the next time the thought of helping out somewhere in the club crosses your mind, throw the old recipe away and enjoy the new and improved one. You’ll find yourself wanting to help more and enjoying the work in the process. How does it taste?

By Arthur Hughes, Chairman, Bop in the Rock

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Almost any shoe that fits well with a smooth-but-not-slippery sole will work for dancing, especially while you’re learning. You can dance in flexible street shoes, or you can go to a dance supply store (check the Yellow Pages and call around to find one convenient for you) and get jazz shoes with a suede sole (completely flat) or character shoes with a smooth leather sole (women can get a bit of heel). Bowling shoes are another option, if you get the kind that have suede heels as well as suede soles — on both shoes.

You want a snug fit but not so tight they pinch anywhere. Don’t dance in shoes that don’t fit, or shoes with soles that grip the floor — you’ll hurt yourself.

What about high heels for women? If you’re accustomed to high heels for everyday wear, and like them, by all means try dancing in them. You may want a slightly lower heel; if you’re used to walking around in shoes with a 2.5-inch heel, try a 2-inch heel for dancing. Street shoes often have weak heels, though, which are likely to twist or bend when you step with your weight on the heel. That can be dangerous.

Shoes made specifically for ballroom and swing dancing are the best: suede soles, flexible in the forefoot, steel shank arch and a strong heel that won’t twist. They’re expensive, though ($100-150 and up), so you wouldn’t want to buy your first pair without help getting the right fit. Ideally, that means buying from a vendor who specializes in ballroom dance shoes. Dance conventions often have booths for shoe vendors. There will be a dance shoe vendor at Bop In The Rock in September.

Once you know your size and know how the shoes should feel, you can safely mail-order shoes made by the same manufacturer and have a pretty good chance of getting shoes that fit on the first try.

Folks have had some success having suede soles added to street shoes that fit well, including athletic shoes. A shoe repair shop can do it for about $25-$35. Make sure you ask for “chrome-tanned” suede. You can also buy the suede from a leather shop or shoe repair shop, cut two pieces for each shoe to fit the front of the sole and heel separately, and glue it on yourself using Shoe Goo.

On the Internet, see the “Cheap Dance Shoe FAQ”  (http://www.ballroomdances.org/cheap.shtml) for more information.

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