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The President’s Corner |
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Summertime -- and the living is easy ... ... but only if you're inside where the air conditioning and fans are doing their job! Luckily for us in the Little Rock Bop Club, the Stephens Center has great air conditioning as well as ceiling fans to go along with the best dance floor in the state. Hot music and cool dancing conditions -- can't beat it.
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Want to receive a complete copy of the Little Rock Bop Club newsletter ? Join us! Click for membership information. |
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Volunteering: Try a new recipe |
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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)
Think about the following: (coming from the potential volunteer)
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 on the Lake |
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posted: 06/26/06 |
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By Emily Roberts (ebroberts@comcast.net) Little Rock Bop Club
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 on the Lake 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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Disclaimer:
There are references to other websites or businesses in this page. As a non profit organization, the Little Rock Bop Club is not a sponser of any of these websites or businesses and assumes no responsibility or liability if any viewer choses to browse to these websites or to patronize these businesses.
The ABA has a Hall of Fame which recognizes members of the dance community that are current members of an ABA regular member club with exceptional character and have rendered exceptional, noteworthy service to the preservation and promotion of Swing, Bop, Jitterbug, or Shag dancing. Nominees are submitted by regular member clubs, reviewed and voted upon by the current Hall of Fame members. The final selections are then inducted to the Hall at an ABA convention.
LRBC Hall of Fame members are:
Jim Laux & Lennie Laux
Inducted Sep 1, 2001
Jim joined the Midwest United States Imperial Club in 1990 and served as President for 2 years and Dance Instructor for 4 years. He later joined the Little Rock Bop Club where he has served as President. Jim has chaired the ABA Hall of Fame Committee and the ABA Bylaws Committee. He has been an ABA Director since the ABA's inception. Lennie joined the LRBC in 1993 and has served on the Board for 5 years. Together Jim and Lennie have chaired LRBC' s annual event, Bop on the Lake, have designed the dance instruction program, taught dance lessons weekly, and have also managed to increase membership and attendance at the weekly dances.
Tommy Roberts
& Emily Roberts
Inducted Nov 9, 2002
Dancing since 1950, Tommy has taught dance classes, won dance championships, judged competitions, and held board positions in many dance clubs in the US and overseas including the Little Rock Bop Club, where he has held the positions of VP, Membership Director, Newsletter Editor, and now Webmaster. Introduced to partner dancing in 1991, Emily joined the LRBC in 1992. She co-founded the Ballroom, Latin and Swing Social Dance Assn, promoted all dance events, and built a support system between both dance communities. In addition to serving as the LRBC's Web Goddess, she has also served as their Membership Director. Together, Tommy and Emily are a 2-for-1-powerhouse team dedicated to promote their love of dance.
Jim Stanton & Virginia Stanton
Inducted Nov 13, 2004
Jim and Virginia Stanton joined the Little Rock Bop Club in 1996 and jumped full swing into club activities. They helped organize the first Bop on the Lake and have worked admissions, dance floor, hospitality, decorating, entertainment, and cleanup every year since. They have served as club officers, dance instructors, and goodwill ambassadors for swing dance resulting in dozens of new dancers. Jim and Virginia Stanton's many years of effective hard work, dance talent turned to service of others and willingness to go anywhere and do anything for the dance community made them an exceptional choice for induction into the ABA Hall of Fame.
Current Hall of Fame members, their club and year of induction, are:
Eman & Nitz Alderman, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1999; Butch & Betty Berrey, Jacksonville Beach Bop Association, 1998; Lana Bloom, Music City Bop Club in Nashville TN, 1997; Doug & Sandy Brown, Music City Bop Club in Nashville TN, 1997; Gary & Charlotte Chaney, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1997; Barbara Cooley, Memphis Bop Club, 2007; Steve & Kathy Day, R&B Shag Club of Spartanburg SC,2010; Jane Egan, Memphis Boogie Bunch, 1997; Larry Fournier, Great Lakes Swing Dance Club, 2006; Gabrielle Gang, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2008; Phil Graf, Magic City Bop Club In Birmingham AL, 1997; Tony & Myra Griemel, Jefferson County Swing Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1997; Paul Hennessey, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2000; Chuck & Linda Huebner, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1997; Virginia Jones, Magic City Bop Club In Birmingham AL, 1997; Rich Kopels, Atlanta Swing Dancers Club, 1999; Mike & Debbe Lapina, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2005; Jim & Lennie Laux, Little Rock Bop Club, 2001; Sherry Martin, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 2004; Wayne Maxey, Memphis Bop Club, 2004; Gloria Medel, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2002; Brenda Meredith, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2009; Herky Meredith, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2008; Mike & Kim Nelson, Little Rock Bop Club, 2010; Tom & Edie Polzin, Memphis Bop Club, 2005; Mary Lou Poremba, Chicago Jitterbug Club, 2008; Jo Reynolds, River City Bop Club in Memphis TN, 2009; Tommy & Emily Roberts, Little Rock Bop Club, 2002; Willie & Diane Santacruz, St.Louis Imperial Dance Club, 1999; Cal Shaw, Tampa Bay Beach Boppers, 2001; Jim & Virginia Stanton, Little Rock Bop Club, 2004; Bill & Gingy Wallace, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2007; Ron Wallace, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2001; Susan Ward, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2002; Jim & Georgia Watson, Mid-Ohio Boogie Club, 2007; Larry & Debbie Wheelis, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 2009; Bill White, West County Swing Dance Club in St Louis MO, 2003; George & Millie Wood, Memphis Bop Club, 2006
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Little Rock Bop Club Presidents and the years they served |
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1992 to 2002: LRBC has come a long way, baby 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 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.
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.
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, 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.
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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.|
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