Little Rock Bop Club

The President’s Corner

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"Happy New Year"

    Here we are, looking forward to another great new year at the LRBC. This time of year generally brings reflection on the prior year, and the question of, "what does the new year hold in store for me?" Let's take a look at both of these things for the LRBC.
    Looking back on 2011, there were a number of highs and lows for us. As of this writing, 11 days before the New Year, it appears we will end the year in the black on our budget, without the help of Bop on the Lake. We maintained our attendance and membership for most of the year. We've enjoyed some brand new Board members, and celebrated some great parties. Our first year of trying out 3 months of west coast lessons was a success while keeping a good variety in the rest of the schedule. The club voted on our new party name, "Bop in the Rock." We experienced some lows, however, as some members passed away, and went on to their reward. Bop on the Lake was cancelled for the first time; however, we put that behind us and are moving forward, which leads me to this year.
    2012 holds a bright outlook for our club, as we look to the 20 year anniversary of the club. A lot of ideas are being planned leading up to the big party in either July or August. We will be looking for people to participate in a number of fun games, skits, and dance showcases. This is a great time to get involved and plan some things with your friends. This also will mark the first year of Bop in the Rock in the RiverMarket district. This was the original name of our party back in the early-mid 90's before the party moved to Hot Springs. We are planning for huge success and a great turnout.
    Bop in the Rock tickets will be on sale in January, with some new things available to you. We are offering reserved round tables of 10, so register early to get your favorite spot. We are also offering PayPal as an option to pay for your tickets, whether by credit card or check, or you can still mail it in as usual or register with Dana Julian on any Wednesday night.
    Along with a Jack and Jill contest, some new faces will strut their stuff in the DJ and instructor areas, and Gary Jobst will be teaching a workshop as well. Did anyone say free pours? Yes!! There will be a hospitality room open on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:45-6:45 for those who wish to enjoy some free pours, soda, or bottled water before heading into the ballroom. There's more, so get your tickets early and be a part of a great party.
    In closing, remember that our club is not a building, but a collection of great individuals whose primary reason for coming is to dance, and mingle with friends. There are things we can do this year to elevate our club - dance with others around the entire room; men get more active in asking women to dance; bring someone new; talk our club up, not down; take some new lessons; support the parties and get involved, to name just a few. Remember-- bring the party every Wednesday night, don't wait on someone else!

    Stay warm!

Arthur Hughes, 2010/2011 President

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Volunteering: Try a new recipe
	Volunteering: the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain. 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 on the Lake

Volunteering: Try a new recipe

Volunteering: the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain.
  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 on the Lake

What Kind Of Shoes Should I Wear For Dancing?

posted: 06/26/06

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.

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.

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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

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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.

Mike Nelson & Kim Nelson
Inducted Jul 3, 2010

Kim and Mike have been making exceptional contributions to dance clubs, dancers, and to the swing dance community since they met on the dance floor in 1999. They were even married on the dance floor just before a LRBC dance in 2003. The couple has served on the board of directors and planning committees and cam be counted on to be the first to pitch in when it is time to create choreography for skits. LRBC is their beloved home base, but they have served the wider community with generosity as well. Their teaching has introduced hundreds of people in Arkansas to swing dance, bringing many of them to LRBC. With their exhibitions ranging from the sublimely smooth to sublimely silly, the Nelsons have been popular performers for ABA club conventions across the country. At home or away, you can often find them in a corner with new dancers who ask for help with basics or experienced dancers who are trying to pick up a new move.

Current Hall of Fame members, their club and year of induction, are: 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; Jane Egan, Memphis Boogie Bunch, 1997; Phil Graf, Magic City Bop Club In Birmingham AL, 1997; Chuck & Linda Huebner, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1997; Virginia Jones, Magic City Bop Club In Birmingham AL, 1997; Butch & Betty Berrey, Jacksonville Beach Bop Association, 1998; Eman & Nitz Alderman, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 1999; Rich Kopels, Atlanta Swing Dancers Club, 1999; Willie & Diane Santacruz, St.Louis Imperial Dance Club, 1999; Paul Hennessey, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2000; Jim & Lennie Laux, Little Rock Bop Club, 2001; Cal Shaw, Tampa Bay Beach Boppers, 2001; Ron Wallace, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2001; Gloria Medel, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2002; Tommy & Emily Roberts, Little Rock Bop Club, 2002; Susan Ward, Cincinnati Bop Club, 2002; Tony & Myra Griemel, Jefferson County Swing Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 2003; Bill White, West County Swing Dance Club in St Louis MO, 2003; Sherry Martin, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 2004; Wayne Maxey, Memphis Bop Club, 2004; Jim & Virginia Stanton, Little Rock Bop Club, 2004; Mike & Debbe Lapina, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2005; Tom & Edie Polzin, Memphis Bop Club, 2005; Larry Fournier, Great Lakes Swing Dance Club, 2006; George & Millie Wood, Memphis Bop Club, 2006 Barbara Cooley, Memphis Bop Club, 2007; Bill & Gingy Wallace, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2007; Jim & Georgia Watson, Mid-Ohio Boogie Club, 2007; Gabrielle Gang, Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club, 2008; Herky Meredith, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2008; Mary Lou Poremba, Chicago Jitterbug Club, 2008; Brenda Meredith, Derby City Bop Association in Louisville KY, 2009; Jo Reynolds, River City Bop Club in Memphis TN, 2009; Larry & Debbie Wheelis, South Side Imperial Dance Club in St.Louis MO, 2009; Steve & Kathy Day, R&B Shag Club of Spartanburg SC,2010; Mike & Kim Nelson, Little Rock Bop Club, 2010; Lou & Kap Chermak, Ohio's North Coast Jitterbug Connection, 2011

The History of the Little Rock Bop Club Logo

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Little Rock Bop Club Presidents and the years they served
	Jim Miller 1992-1993 Dooley Fowler 1993-1994 Clara Hoyt 1994-1996 Don Downs 1996-1999	Jim Laux 1999-2001 Tommy Tucker 2001-2002 Glenda Harrison 2002-2006 Arthur Hughes 2006-2008	Myra Wilson 2008-2009 Barbara Penney 2009-2010 Arthur Hughes 2010-

Hover mouse on an underlined name, Click to send an eMail.

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
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.

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	First Members (Present at organizing meeting)
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	Ronnie Higdon Bev Wujek (now Alberson) Jim Alberson Gordon & Rose Ann Burrington Janet Coburn (now Fowler) Lea Ashcraft (now Crisco)