May 2013 Page 1 of 8

President’s Message

Mike Cowlishaw

Another good month, another great party.

Thanks to Polly and everyone else that made the

evening such a success!

Ines is our hostess for the May dance,. Please

help her if you can.. The theme is Mardi Gras!!

Al was kind enough to host the April business

meeting. The turnout was great. We had several

reports on the various meetings in Bakersfield. We

will have a club sponsored bus for the convention.

If you are planning to ride the bus, you need to

make reservations ASAP.

We have a nominating committee in action. We

still need a few positions filled - like the social co-

ordinator!

The next business meeting will be at my new

shop location. I’m moving my business from near

downtown San Diego to El Cajon. I hope you can

make it! We will need a few people to bring chairs.

The move is a major effort, so I hope you will un-

derstand if I keep this month’s message short and

hopefully sweet.

Dance tip: Appreciate that we can dance!

Some people never realize the joy of dancing.

Savor each dance!

I wish you happy hearts and happy feet!

Mike

San Diego N.S.D.San Diego N.S.D.San Diego N.S.D.

SMOOTH TALKSMOOTH TALK San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.

“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”“Bringing Ballroom to our Community”

May 2013, Vol. 13 No. 10

I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice.

Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing

or to learn to live by practicing living....

In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts,

physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement,

a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit.

Martha Graham, c.1953

May 2013 Page 2 of 8

Queen’s Message

Kao

My year has sure

started out at full speed!

Although I knew that the

Bakersfield Boards

would come right after

my coronation, I had for-

gotten how quickly the

other coronations would

follow thereafter. Gold-

en Gate’s coronation is

now already a fond memory as we begin looking for-

ward to a visit to Visalia next month.

I was so pleased when I saw the great turnout by

our San Diego members at Bakersfield. We filled up

a couple of tables and were able to provide full vocal

support to our own San Diego competitors, as well

as to everyone else out on the floor with numbers on

their backs. Sue Kimbrell had a lovely coronation,

and we really enjoyed the waltz she performed with

husband Phil. At one point in the choreography they

performed a very impressive lift, the one where the

lady places her hands on her partner’s hips while he

interlaces his fingers behind her back and begins

spinning with her; as they twirled rapidly together,

Sue’s feet rose off the ground for a beautiful lift.

Very elegantly done, Sue and Phil!

The hotel for the Boards was comfortable, the

walk to the ballroom for each event was short, and

the food for the formal dinner was excellent. We

really appreciated having dinner early on Friday and

being able to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast on Satur-

day morning. It was great to see plenty of support

from all the chapters to meet the attendance goals.

Mark has decided that this year we’re going to

turn these coronations into vacations, so he has come

up with some side destinations for us. When I told

him I had never been to Solvang, he decided we

would spend a couple of hours in this charming Dan-

ish town on the way to Bakersfield. (If you’ve never

had aebleskivers, you need to try a couple in Sol-

vang, before wandering through the many shops.)

The Golden Gate trip allowed for even grander

sightseeing. First, we arranged to spend the night in

Bakersfield on the way up so that we could hang out

with Bakersfield chapter friends Helen and Peter

Wong and son Chris. Helen and Peter own a really

fine Chinese buffet restaurant, the China Palace,

where they invited us for dinner. Believe me, as one

who loves Chinese buffets, this buffet is top-of-the-

line! We were very impressed that their son Chris,

who’s just getting started on an accounting career,

hung out with us all evening—both at dinner and

then afterwards at Helen and Peter’s home. How

many young people nowadays would spend time

with his parents’ dancing friends rather than head

back to his own place in Irvine as early as possible?

After a delightful evening with Helen and her

family, and a restful night at the Doubletree, Mark

and I got on the road to Foster City, arriving there

late Friday afternoon. We wanted to see San Fran-

cisco, so after checking into the coronation hotel we

drove the forty or so miles up north to the City.

I was certain Mark had no idea how to find his

way around San Francisco, but he assured me that it

was almost impossible to get lost in the City: so long

as we “drove north and didn’t cross any bridges,” he

“knew” we would end up at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Eventually he did actually get us there, and we had

some really good fish and chips for dinner. Mark

then found a throwaway tourist map on the sidewalk,

which allowed us to find our way to Coit Tower,

then to steep, crooked Lombard Street, and finally to

China Town, where we parked again and wandered

around the streets. What a wonderful evening!

Mark seemed a bit frazzled trying to find his way to

the 101 to head back; I promised him I wouldn’t in-

clude any pictures of him from this part of the trip.

Saturday afternoon we were enjoying the inti-

mate, relaxed Hospitality that we remembered from

three years ago, with friends from all chapters roam-

ing continuously from one small group to the next.

Later that evening we enjoyed the beautiful corona-

tion, filled with music and dancing. The theme for

Queen Shulamit Rabinovich’s evening was “When

you wish upon a Star,” and it seemed that at least

some of her dreams did come true, as she was at-

tended by husband Boris, their lovely daughter Liya

and smartly dressed grandson Xander.

Shulamit and Boris performed a beautiful waltz,

which they both seemed to enjoy as much as their (Continued on page 3)

May 2013 Page 3 of 8

SUNDAY NIGHT DANCE CLASS

Chuck DiSessa

What a wonder-

ful time it has been

in dance class this

month. Irina

Chalkevitch, work-

ing with Shawna

Timms, another pro-

fessional instructor,

provided some great

choreography and

excellent technique

in both the American Waltz at 5:00pm and the Cha-

Cha taught at 6:00pm. On average, there were twice

as many members than guests attending our classes.

Irina spent some time with the ladies working on

the individual hand styling and head movements for

the waltz. The choreography is pretty and flows well

around the line of dance.

The dance class videos are a tremendous asset to

class members. Once you attend class, leave your e-

mail and you’ll receive a video of the class choreog-

raphy during the week. Ann V. was very helpful in

this regard, preparing the videos for all of us to see

on YouTube.

The Cha-Cha choreography was very entertain-

ing. Irina mentioned that it would be good for all of

us to develop a repertoire of 10 to 12 patterns for

each dance. That way, by the time you dance them

twice at the socials, the music would be finished, and

the variety would have made it a lot of fun.

That’s exactly what Irina has done for us in our

dance classes. In fact, she strongly encouraged all of

us to practice the 10 to 12 patterns in the class chore-

ography and use it at the socials. Every move is

something she personally enjoys doing while danc-

ing, and each pattern is a lot more interesting than

the basics.

I like the way the triple Cha-Cha going back and

forth included spiral turns, and the syncopations in

the New Yorker were an interesting and enjoyable

challenge as well.

We have the month of September open, and if

there is enough interest I could schedule Irina again

for another session that month. Talk to me and let

me know how you feel about this.

Coming up in the May and June classes, Carrie

Kloss will be teaching the International Waltz at

5:00 p.m., followed by the American Tango at 6:00

(Continued on page 4)

audience did. Rounding out the evening’s entertain-

ment, Nadia and Igor Tilinin performed a romantic

rumba in Shulamit’s honor, and the late evening

eventually finished up as a very satisfying success

for Golden Gate.

We rounded out our vacation on Sunday morn-

ing by heading up to Berkeley for a visit with

Mark’s daughter Jessica. Although we initially

crossed the south end of the Bay via the toll-free

eastbound Highway 92 bridge, on the way up Mark

somehow got us on the toll-required westbound Bay

Bridge back into San Francisco. (He told the toll

attendant we really shouldn’t have to pay the toll,

since we didn’t want to go that direction in the first

place and we were actually trying to get to Berkeley.

Anyway, five dollars later. . .) After a pleasant

bay-side brunch with Jessica and her boyfriend, I

told Mark that if he wanted to get home by Sunday

night he’d better let me drive: the Queen knows best

how to return timely to her realm! Mark, being a

wise consort, acquiesced, and I got us home at a de-

cent hour.

We’re looking forward to Visalia next month.

Mark claims that it’s virtually impossible to get lost

in Sequoia National Park: just one big circular road,

so he says. With any luck, you’ll hear about our

adventures around Visalia in next month’s newslet-

ter. . .

(Continued from page 2)

Queen Kao and two Queen Barbaras join their fans

for a violet “Queens’ Circle.” Photo by BK

May 2013 Page 4 of 8

A Spring Fling for the Season

Judy Miranda

Kudos to Polly and her committee for

an extremely successful dance party! We

had a good turnout from our members and

from the dance community at large. Jacky

Yu was the DJ and did a fine job as usual.

Entertainment was provided by Morgan

Johnson (Caron’s granddaughter) and

Laird Moone: they are students of Olga

Ginsberg, and the two dances they per-

formed—samba and jive—were spectacu-

lar. It’s always fun watching Morgan and

Laird, as they develop into excellent Latin

dancers. They have grown so much in the

past two years and they are really making a name for themselves in the competitive dance world. Rounding

out the evening’s entertainment, Susan St. Martin and Ernie Rodriguez performed an exciting Argentine

Tango routine choreographed by Michael Kiehm. All photos on this page by JM

p.m. As you may know by now, Carrie is very orga-

nized and always well prepared and has been very

focused on helping all of us to elevate our standard

of dance. So, plan to be there for a great learning

experience.

Also, please arrive early as a large class is ex-

pected. In addition—FYI—the air conditioning sys-

tem is working just fine at the studio, so we should

all be very comfortable even if the weather gets hot!

In other member news, Chuck and Cathy were

accepted to dance in the Senior Follies this July.

This year’s production is entitled “Broadway Babes”

and contains about 3 dozen tunes taken from Broad-

way musicals (see: www.cytsandiego.org for more

details). Al Folkman finds this show so entertaining

that he says that he never wants to miss another pro-

duction of it. Tickets may be purchased from the

CCT box office at 619-588-0206. Several members

have already purchased tickets for the 1:30 p.m.

show on Saturday, July 20th. (Buy early and get the

best seats).

We are having a very good year in our dance

classes. Everyone has been so committed that the

classes usually have a good balance of men and

women, and are well attended. Thank you all once

again for your faithful support.

Sincerely yours for better dancing,

Chuck DiSessa, Dance Class Manager

San Diego Smooth Dancers, Inc.

(Continued from page 3)

May 2013 Page 5 of 8

Queen of Screams meets the

Prince of Wales

Polly McDonald

Our own Mary Murphy, owner of Champion

Ballroom, and a Permanent Judge on "So You Think

You Can Dance"—where she was given the title of

"Queen of Scream"—flew to London in February for

three days to meet Prince Charles, the Prince of

Wales, at Buckingham Palace at a “Thank-you” din-

ner given in honor of those who support one of his

charities.

The invitation for the event read:

“The Prince's foundation for Children and the

Arts present a Gala Performance at Buckingham

Palace on Tuesday Feb 5, 2013, in the presence of

his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”

The Prince wrote in the program:

"I have always felt that the Arts should be part of

everyone 's life and that the rich heritage of our liter-

ature, music, theater, and visual art needs to be avail-

able and accessible to every child in our nation. It's

about returning a bit of magic into our children's

lives."

Mary said she was proud to be able to give Nigel

Lythgoe an invite to this grand affair, after all he's

done for her; although Nigel is from London he had

never met Prince Charles.

There were 180 people at the dinner, but not eve-

ryone was fortunate enough to shake hands with and

get a picture beside the Prince of Wales. (Royal eti-

quette prohibits people from shaking hands with the

Prince unless he initiates the gesture.) Just a select

few individuals were lucky enough to be chosen. Of

course Mary's table, which was set for ten, was no-

ticed by the Prince: who wouldn't notice Mary?

You can see Mary in the picture at the of the

next column with her two business partners from the

Hollywood Dancesport Championships—Jonathan

Roberts and Michael Chapman—along with Nigel

Lythgoe and Sheila Davis.

Mary said it was an honor to meet and shake

hands with Prince Charles—the experience of a life-

time!—saying it was "surreal." She never dreamed

as a young girl from Ohio that all these wonderful

things might one day happen to her. Mary said she

was so nervous that she did the fastest curtsey in the

history of ballroom curtseys!

I asked Mary a "Red Carpet" question: "What

were you wearing?" She said she bought her dress,

which was designed by "Mandalay," at Neiman

Marcus in San Diego. She thought everyone at the

event would probably be wearing black, so she de-

cided to brighten things up with this shimmering

gown. Doesn't she look exquisite?

A memorable moment occurred when Mary was

introduced to Prince Charles: he announced to her

that he has “always wanted to learn the Tango."

I think the Prince was flirting with Mary. What do

you think?

Look for Mary as she begins her 10th Season

with "So You Think You Can Dance" on May 14th at 8 p.m. on Fox.

After an interview with Mary Murphy conducted

by Polly McDonald and Mark Chapman.

Ed. Note: “For more than 35 years The Prince of Wales has

been a leader in identifying charitable need and setting up and

driving forward charities to meet it. From the early days of The

Prince’s Trust in the mid-1970s his charitable interests have

grown to the point where his charities represent, as a group, the

largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the UK. The chari-

ties are active in a broad range of areas, including the Built

Environment, Responsible Business and Enterprise, and Young

people and Education.” (http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-

prince-of-wales/the-princes-charities)

Mary Murphy with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for a

gala charity evening. Photo by MM

May 2013 Page 6 of 8

Mark C. Chapman, publisher (619) 213-9119

Smooth Talk is a members’ service and re-

source: all NSD members are encouraged to

submit ballroom-related items for inclusion in

the newsletter. Please send proposed articles, photos, and

suggestions for newsletter changes to:

mcchapman88@yahoo.com.

Monthly Deadlines: Submissions—15th Distribution—22nd

May Birthdays

Fox, Ricci 5/8

Hunt, Mark 5/17

Ross, Nancy 5/25

Kloss, Carrie 5/26

Mom 5/26

Ghianni, Terry 5/29

Madrid, Rose 5/31

Photo Credits Key

A big “Thank you” to those who contributed photos

for this month’s newsletter:

“BK” Been Kao

“JM” Judy Miranda

“MM” Mary Murphy

Thanks for the Help!

Polly McDonald

I want to thank all the people by

name who helped me make the

"April Fling" a success.

First, Nancy Ross and Anthony

Montalto for greeting the dancers

and collecting their money. Nancy

also ordered the two cakes from

Costco and picked them up—everyone knows that is

a real pain in the neck!)

Then the volunteers who brought food: Anita

Tey, Kao and Mark Chapman, Ashlee Chu, Lou and

Amante Reyes. Thanks also to those who came in

early with me to help set up the tables with the table

cloths and centerpieces. I want to mention new

member Mel Mesa: although it turned out that he

arrived a bit too late to help us set things up, he did

make the effort to come in early to give us a hand.

Come back again next month at about 6:00 p.m.,

Mel—I know the next social team will be grateful!

I really appreciated Al Folkman and Mark

Chapman, who set up the tables that evening. Then

thanks to all the folks who stayed and helped take

the tables and chairs down and put them away at the

end of the evening. Jackie Yu, thanks for the great-

est music—”Job well done!” A thank you also to

Chuck for volunteering to buy the gifts for the per-

formers.

A special “Thank-you” to Kay Ryan, Patricia

DiSessa, and Ann Meador, for having the supplies

(tablecloths, centerpieces, utensils and candy) ready

to go in a container in the storage room, ahead of

time. What a help that was!!! I wondered, when

writing this, how many people know what these la-

dies do by way of preparation to make things easier

for the Social Chair each month. Wow!! Thanks

ladies!!

I didn't think ahead of time that I would actually

enjoy the evening because of the stress I expected it

to involve, but as it turns out I had the "Best Time."

Maybe I will do this again sometime, maybe

even sooner than I would have thought!

Next Meeting: The next General Membership Meeting will be held on May 11th at 2:30 p.m.

at Mike Cowlishaw’s new shop, located at 380 Vernon Way, suites C&D, El Cajon, 92020.

Be sure to bring along a dish for the potluck afterwards!

May 2013 Page 7 of 8