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Angie’s April 2009 Tidbits
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“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, It’s about dancing in the rain.”
Or Dancing at the River if you do it QCDQ style!!
Welcome to another edition of Angie’s tidbits, where you will find lots of little bits of information to inform, enlighten and entertain you! This month in QCDQ has been the month of beginnings- for New QCDQ instructors, New QCDQ venues and New QCDQ classes! Hopefully, you’ve been able to keep track of it all, and hopefully you’ve joined in on the fun! And as always, QCDQ has more exciting stuff planned for you in May and I’m going to tell you all about it… But first let me just say...
Life is not always easy. We all go through rough patches, whether personally, professionally, emotionally and/or financially. But, if you ask me what makes it all better -even if just for a moment-, I’m going to tell you straight up. Dancing! Even in the midst of misfortune, just dancing for a little bit can give you that boost that you need to keep on going. That’s why I love the quote on this month’s tidbits (thanks to Dave for sharing it with me). There’s no doubt about it, dancing just feels good. It is a chance for you to forget all of your troubles and just enjoy the moment. So, next time you are considering skipping class because you’ve had a bad day or you’re having a bad week, month or year, think twice. Dancing could be just the remedy for making it through your struggle sanely. And by the way, if you have never actually literally danced in the rain, it is something I highly recommend (as long as it’s not lightening)!
April Tidbits Highlights
Fitness for Everyone. By now, you’ve probably heard mention of QCDQ’s program called Fitness for Everyone. Queen City Dancing Queen believes that in an ideal world everyone would be able to reap the physical and mental benefits of fitness through dancing, so when we say “Fitness for Everyone” we mean it. Unfortunately, our current economic situation is not ideal and many people who are searching for ways to make ends meet end up cutting back or giving up entirely on their exercise. Others who maybe would like to get into shape find the cost of a fitness program to be a barrier to even start. This is not what QCDQ wants. We want everyone who wants to take our classes to be able to do so. In that spirit, QCDQ offers a variety solutions so that people can come to class even if they can’t afford it. If you or someone you know is going through a rough patch financially that has already or might be considering cutting back or giving up their QCDQ classes, don’t be shy...let us help. We want you in class! It is in stressful times like this that you need MORE (not less) stress-relievin’, endorphin releasin’, feel good booty shakin’! Contact me by email, and let’s see what we can do to help you. Monetary gifts, unused/unfinished class cards and free passes are being accepted in class if you would like to donate to the Fitness for Everyone Program. Return to top.
DanceOut! at the River Recap. DanceOut! At the River was our first official Fitness for Everyone event and it was INCREDIBLE. The event, which took place on April 17th from 7:30-10:00 at Whisky River in the EpiCentre, was free, but we accepted donations and sold raffle tickets to support Fitness for Everyone. In total, we raised more than $500, all of which will go to help fellow dancers in need of some QCDQ jamming action who have some sort of financial constraints. So thank you to everyone who donated and a huge THANK YOU to our participants who donated the prizes for the raffle– Margee Halsch, Diana Stewart, Becky Garcia and Crystal Dove. Aside from those good news, I’d just like to say the QCDQ jammers seriously brought the house down. We had everyone dancing….from the hot ladies to the unsuspecting, random dudes at the bar! Speaking of HOTness, it was so fun to see all of you dressed to the nines! We all had a blast and it wouldn’t have been the same without all of you being there. Thank you for coming out and YES, we will be doing it again!!! In the meantime, check out the pics on our Facebook group page. Return to top.
Raffle Prizes and Winners. Huge thank yous to the participants who donated the prizes for the Fitness for Eveyrone raffle that was held at DanceOut at the River and thank you to everyone who bought tickets. Here is the list of prizes and winners: · “Floral Dance” a beautiful 18x24” gallery wrapped acrylic painting painted by our very talented Margee Halsch. This is a picture of it. To see more of her beautiful art, go to: margeehalsch.com. The lucky winner of this gorgeous painting was Shelly Rice. · Sterling Silver with Swarovski Crystal Necklace made by our very talented Diana Stewart. To see more of her beautiful handmade jewelry, go do: dcelestine.com. The lucky winner of this divine piece of art was Luis Acosta, who promptly gave it to his lovely wife Gina Acosta. · Handmade Bracelet, Necklace and Earring Sets made by our very talented Becky Garcia Sanchez. To see more of her beautiful handmade crafts, check her out in class (she’s usually in the front row with the bandana on). The lucky winner of these two sets were Katherine Rivera Walker and Alice Pride. · Belly Dance Coin Hip Scarves donated by Cyrstal Dove. The lucky winners of these jingly accessories were: Arleen Segovia, Jennifer Noto, Sue Plonk, Lori Davis and Stacy Currie
Unlimited Class Cards NOW on sale. By popular request, we have added a 1 month Unlimited Class Card option for those who are true QCDQ junkies! The initial cost of the card is $48 and includes one month of unlimited QCDQ classes at any location with any instructor. Your monthly period will begin on the first day that you use the card and expire 1 month from that day. That way you can buy your class card at any time in the month, and the best part is that there are no contracts or up-front deposits. Plus, you will be rewarded for coming to class frequently during your month of Unlimited classes. With 10 punches on your card, you will get $4 off your next card purchase, and if you are a participating Jam Crew member, you’ll get double that- $8 off! There are a couple of differences from the regular class cards– 1) Unlimited Class Card can NOT be shared and 2) These cards expire 1 month from the start date of your card– No exceptions please. The 1 month Unlimited Class card is an excellent option for you if you are attending class two to three times per week. Buy your 1 month Unlimited Card online today! Return to top.
May Happenings. As usual there’s a lot going on in QCDQ, so here is a rundown for you and here is a calendar to help you keep track of it all. Visit our weekly schedule to see a list of all the weekly classes.
· May 3rd Sunday Make UP Zumba at KOPA. Because we will not be able to have class at our usual time on Saturday, May 2 (due to Kelly O’Shea’s picture day), we have scheduled a makeup Zumba class from 3:00-4:00 pm with Demetria at Kelly O’Sheas. Hope to see you there and sorry about the Saturday cancellation. · May 5th Cinco De Mayo Zumba Party at Myers Park Presbyterian Church from 6:00-7:30 pm! Gatoritas, Door Prizes and 90 minutes of Hot Sweaty FUN!!! Come jam with Sara and the rest of the QCDQ crew for a fabulous Cinco de Mayo celebration! · May 7th FREE Zumba Demo Class with Demetria. The folks at Demetria’s church, Greater Galilee Baptist Church, are interested in starting a Zumba class in their fellowship hall, but they want to see what it’s all about first. So we’re going to show them what Zumba is all about… QCDQ style. Join us for a FREE demo class on May 7 from 6:00-7:00 pm at the church. The address is 500 W. Park Ave and it is in the Wilmore Neighborhood of Charlotte (near the Panthers stadium). Pending church interest, we hopefully will get the class going on a weekly basis. Come out to support Demetria and help show everyone at her church how awesome Zumba with QCDQ is! · May 7th Gaston College Health Fair Demo. Queen City Dancing Queen was invited to do a demo at Gaston College's Annual Health Fair on Thursday, May 7 at 11:15 am. We will do a 10 minute demo of a variety of our songs from our classes and we will ROCK it out for sure. We will do the same lineup of songs that we did for the Spring Fling Demo; if you haven’t seen this video yet, check it out! I realize that this is in the middle of the day in the work week, and so many of you won’t be able to come... So if you are available, I would so appreciate it if you could attend! You can wear a QCDQ shirt or just come in your street clothes if you’ll be cutting it close for time! Meet in the breezeway at 11:00 am. Let me know if you have any questions and/or if you are planning on attending. If you are on Facebook, you can also check out the event page on FACEBOOK. · May 29th Gonna Make You Sweat Party at Tom Sykes Rec Ctr. Come to class dressed in your most audacious old school workout gear– Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons Style!! There will be prizes awarded for the best costume, so drag out the old clothes or hit the thrift shops!!! This is the regular 5:45 pm DanceOut! Class, and yes, you can still come even if you don’t dress up! But we really want you to dress up!
QCDQ Song Bingo. It’s GAME time again!! And games mean prizes!!! During the month of May, QCDQ will be playing SONG BINGO!! The QCDQ Song Bingo board has 25 spots on it. Each spot has a song. Whenever you do that song in class from May 1 to May 30, you can mark that spot. Each BINGO (5 down, across or diagonal) that you complete will get you one entry into the drawing for FREE CLASSES. Here’s the catch, each instructor is assigned to certain songs on the board, but you don’t know which ones, and only that instructor can do those songs. NO requests for the songs on the board can be taken during the month. Anyone who wants to participate in Song Bingo, should print off the BINGO Board and start marking off songs by writing the date and instructor initials in the box for that song. Whenever an instructor does one of her songs, she will announce the name of it and tell you to look for it on the Song Bingo Board. All winning cards must be turned in by May 30th to be entered in the drawing for Prizes! Prizes: 1. For every BINGO on a card (5 across, down or diagonal), you’ll receive an entry in a drawing for a 5 class card. 3 winners will be selected from this drawing. 2. If you complete the entire card, you will also be also entered in a separate additional drawing for a 1 month unlimited card!
2009 Physical Activity Challenge-Gaston on the MOVE. The annual challenge has begun and they are looking for more participants. This is a free community event for teams and individuals. The challenge is to be physically active for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The physical activity includes any type of physical activity... dancing, walking, running, skating, swimming, gardening, house cleaning, playing sports, etc. The challenge runs from April 19 to May 30, with the final celebration on May 30 at Martha Rivers Park in Gastonia. Even though it has already begun, it is not to late to sign up. The teams with the highest averages of physical activity will be featured in the Gaston County Fitness & Nutrition Council's website, but more than anything I just wanted to offer this out to all of you as a way to challenge yourself to increase your physical activity whether it be by coming to class more or by doing other active things. If you are interested in participating, please follow these instructions: 1) Send me an email. 2) Print, fill out and turn in the waiver. 3) Print off the Physical Activity log and begin tracking your physical activity! You do not have to be a resident of Gaston County to participate. Return to top.
QCDQ Instructor Pictures. You might have some new really cute pictures of the QCDQ instructor team on the website or on Facebook. These pictures were taken by Amy Free, who is an extremely talented photographer. Her work is spontaneous, fun and carefree. She captures the moments of life as real as they are in such amazingly breathtaking pictures. You can see more of her beautiful work at amyfree.com
Photo contest. Thank you to everyone who has taken pictures of QCDQ in action. Please make sure you post the pictures to the Facebook page or send them to me by April 30 to be considered for the prizes. We’ve already got a ton a great pics. Go to our Facebook group to check them out! Winners will be notified by email. Return to top.
Other Tidbits. · Oddly enough these two links came through my inbox in the same month as our DanceOut at the River. Check these out and you will see what it was like to see perfectly unsuspecting random people to jump up and start jamming with us, just like we did at Whisky River. 1. This first one was filmed at the Liverpool Street Subway Station in London Jan 15, 2009. Only the dancers knew what was happening; the general public didn't have a clue what was about to unfold. Click here to see the actual show, click here to see how they did it. 2. The second was done in Belgium and was a similar type thing, but done to the Sound of Music! Click here to view. · Funny video. This is what Queen City Dancing Queen people (admittedly Sara and myself) do on a treadmill. Click here. · Shoes for Sale. Sarah Wilde is selling a brand new pair of Bloch dance sneakers for $40. She ordered online and they were the wrong size. They are size 9, but would fit someone who wears a size 7.5 or 8 in a street shoe. Please email her at sarahmwc@hotmail.com if you are interested. · Let’s keep our beloved Sue Plonk (the hot red head that can be found dancing anywhere anytime but mainly in the Gtown classes) in our thoughts and send lots of love her way. We will miss her in class and hope to have her back soon! · QCDQ supports “Shop for a Cure”. This is a benefit to fight breast cancer that Diana Stewart, our lovely and talented jewelry maker, is participating in and promoting. It will take place this Saturday, May 2nd from 10-2 at the Promenade on Providence. Let's show our support for her craft and also support research to find the cure for breast cancer. For more information, please check out their web site: http://www.pinkattheplaza.com · So You Think You Can Dance is going to start a new season with a 2 hour premiere on May 21. This show comes on Fox and if you haven’t ever seen it, you just HAVE to. If you’re in class, tape it! We’ve gotten so many good music and choreography ideas from this show!
Well that is all I have to say for now my beloveds! I hope to see you in class very very soon!
As usual, keep on dancing whether it be in the sunshine or the rain or the river!
Hugs to all, Ang
Angie Acosta
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