DanceTalk - The Archives
December - 2004
Thank for
Visiting the Archieves of Ron's Dance Talk
Ron Bess & daughter
picture courtesy of Eric Novoa
LINKS of INTEREST - for HUSTLE
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DanceTalk * 12-21-04
Merry Christmas, have a safe and loving holiday.
Happy Birthday wishes to Ron Troy, Donnie Shields, Keith Harrison and Joan Dudley.
Unfortunately, Bert Reid, passed away last week. As a member of the harmonious group, The Crown Heights Affair, Bert was a loving, caring man that had a gift, from above, that he shared with us all. He also produced, arranged and mixed music for other great artists. His classics like 'Dreamin' A Dream' will live on forever.
We send out condolences to the members of CHA and his family.
You can now join the IHDA and register on line at www.i-h-d-a.com
Philadelphia's own, national recording artists, The O'Jays, have been given the nod as one of the next groups to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. They will be honored on March 14, 2005. They looked great this past week as they performed on the finale of the hit television show, The Apprentice.
If you missed last weeks article 'How the Hustle Saved Me', Visit http://www.discostepbystep.com/hustle_saved_me.htm
You've heard them ...have asked about them.... and now, they are available,
Dance Classics, the best in classic disco dance music. For information and a listing of the tracks write to DANCE CLASSIC SHOWCASE, P.O. BOX 5163, BERGENFIELD, NJ 07621
Condolences to Gary & Patti Hufham, on the loss of their mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with them doing this difficult time.
This week marked the fourth round of the Zachary's $10,000 dance contest.
This weeks first place winners were Mark James & Karen Lupo. Second place was Alex & JoJo Jack. Third place went to Eric and Nana. Due to the holidays, the contest takes a hiatus and will resume after New years every Saturday night.
Dancers needed for Atlantic City at the Mixx Night Club located in the Borgata Casino. Competitive, professional pay. Auditions will be held at the end of January.
For an appointment, call (609) 272-1088.
Coming soon to DanceTalk®, a look back at one of the creme de la creme dance contests, The Playboy International.
This edition of DanceTalk® is sponsored by the Country Dance World Championships, taking place in Nashville, Tennessee Jan 11 - 16, 2005 http://ucwdcworlds.com
Make it a great week,
Ron
DISCO: SPINNING THE STORY
"Disco: Spinning The Story" takes a comprehensive look at the evolution of the cultural phenomenon showcasing new interviews with funk pioneer George Clinton, members of Chic, Village People, The Trammps, producer/songwriter Giorgio Moroder, hip-hop icon Kurtis Blow, remix legend Tom Moulton, "Disco Step-by-Step" producer Marty Angelo and even Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.
There are also explosive performances by some of disco's finest including Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band, Bee Gees, Patti Labelle and Barry White.
An in-depth examination of the culture surrounding the scene, important clubs, the fashions and the music which inspired and fostered the disco sound are featured. So what are you waiting for, put on your boogie shoes and get out on the dance floor!
http://www.discostepbystep.com/disco_documentary.htm
Jenny's Top Ten
She was voted by hundreds of our readers as their favorite DJ. Jenny Costa, can be heard on hott radio station WKTU, 103.5 FM, New York. She is the DJ's DJ, mixing the best of classic dance with the newest fresh beats. Thursday evenings, check her out at Mirage Night club in Westbury Long Island from 8PM until 4AM... and on Friday's at Mirage from 4 to 9PM. Get into the holiday spirit and hear her live at Mirage.
Here are Jenny's top 10 picks for the Holidays,
1. ALL THIS TIME - SYLVER
2. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL - DAVID MORALEZ
3. HOW DID YOU KNOW - KIM SOZZI
4. CAUGHT UP - USHER
5. LOSE MY BREATH - DESTINY'S CHILD
6. TEMPTED TO TOUCH - RUPEE
7. IF I CLOSE MY EYES - REINA
8. CAN'T GO ON - ALLIE
9. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - WYNONNA
10. 1,2, STEP - CIARA
The Holiday Spectacular - Wrap Up
Wow, what a night. Thank you to all those that joined us for our 12th annual Holiday party at the Stardust ballroom. It truly was a wonderful evening. This years event drew one of the largest attendance we've ever had. Dancers took over the 5,000 Sq. ft floor. We had folks from Philly - Pa, NY, NJ, VA, MD, FL, CA, DE and Chicago - IL. In addition to many out of towners, we had many professionals in the house including:
Rob Finocchio, Mary Ann & Luis Rosa, Joe Kerner, Andre' Pheleps, Jose Gonzales, Debbie Tuttle, George Dudley, Bobby O, Dara Patrusky, Alex Abramson, Bill Poulter, Donna Boyle, Susan Marolda, Judy Van Dyke, Brian Gallagher, DJ Kenny Arditi, Caralina Almont.... The God Father of Disco, Vince Montana Jr, and his family joined us for a fun evening of music and dancing.
Congratulations to the crowned dance champions that will proudly represent the Philadelphia Region at the semi-finals in Miami.
The first place winners of the Amateur Van McCoy Contest were:
Angela McCabe and Wingo Hom
2nd Place Jeff & Jenn Gessner
3rd Place (tie) Joey Commentucci & Ettie Kurtz and Scott Michielli & Elizabeth Craner.
Our First Place winners in the Professional division were Joe Kerner and Caralina Almont.
Thank you to all those that came out and made this such an enjoyable evening.
You truly made the difference.
DanceTalk * 12-14-04
Happy Birthday wishes to Jeff Snow.
We would like to send our heart felt condolences to the Gessner Family on the loss of Jeff's mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Bert Reid, of the Crown Heights Affair, will need your prayers as he recovers from a serious illness. Lets not forget stroke victim Dick Clark. Get well soon.
Its finally here, this coming Saturday, December 18th is the 12th Annual Holiday Spectacular, featuring the Van McCoy Regional Dance Contest.
Don't miss the party they will be talking about for weeks to come. BYOB, check out this 5000 sq. foot floating dance floor. Its awesome. see all the details below.
Mark your calendars for April 1-3, 2005 at Kutshers Country Club, Monticello, NY
for the next dance weekend. Rates from $240 pp/do include 2 nights accommodation, 7 meals, 2 cocktail parties, over 60 dance workshops, amateur contests, 2 top Latin bands, 1 Big Band, an Argentine Tango trio and 4DJ's
750+ dancers expected. call (800) 537-2797 www.stardustdance.com
It keeps coming, the Zachary's Dance contest. The third round winners were Jose & Lynn. 2nd place went to Eric and Nana, 3rd place was Jeffrey and Maria and 4th place was Bill & Fran. Don't miss your chance to win some loot at the weekly Saturday night contest in New York.
I hope you enjoy our feature Time Capsule on how the Hustle inspired many dancers.
As teenagers and young adults we are all faced with choices. Peer pressure, life styles and the environment we live in shapes our future. Many of the dancers from the 70's and 80's had to over come challenges. Many made it and some failed. Here is a look at some winners. It puts into perspective how the hustle moved so many young folks in a positive direction.
This weeks issue of DanceTalk is sponsored by the dancing caterers & Florists,
WWW.Flowers-Florist.Com WWW.AxelrodFlowers.Com (215) 843-3904 or toll free (800) 468-3530.
Make it a great week, we hope to see you at the Holiday Spectacular.
Ron
Time Capsule
'How The Hustle Saved Me'
Here is an inside look on how the "hustle dance" impacted the lives of some great individuals. Clearly, the dance enriched their lives growing up. Here are some inspiring memories. Special thanks to Chris Bates, Hector Berrios, Danny Llaurado (RIP), Donna DeSimone, Steven Mitchell, Luis Rivera, Franc.Reyes and Derrick Allen.
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Dancers like Hector Berrios and Franc "Perico" Reyes grew up in the tuff streets of the Bronx. Their lives have had many parallels. While many dancers spent time competing in contests and hanging in the clubs...they were making money on a consistent basis. They were performing the hustle and getting paid to perform in shows. Hector's schedule included appearances in the Catskills and clubs in NYC. The opportunities grew as the troop (Dance Dimensions) began performing on the nationally televised 'Don Kirshner's Rock Concert' show. Touring Europe going to Morocco, Africa....all at the tender age of 15. Hector's skills were best put to use when he joined forces with Billy Fajardo. "Billy used his martial arts back ground to instill discipline in his dance troop which kept them together as a family. Billy helped change my life." Dancers like Perico and Hector could've been on the streets, in the Bronx with the drug dealers, pimps, and thief's ..........but they made the right choices that changed their futures. Today, members of that dance group have gone on to successful careers in different endeavors. Hector is the pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones, an affiliate of the NY Mets. Franc is producing and directing motion pictures in Hollywood. Not bad for some kids from the South Bronx.
In the mid 70's, South Philadelphia was the home of the Italian stallions, street gangs and second generation wise guys. Steven Mitchell, aka Gypsy Stevie, grew up in this environment. At the early age of 12, he was a war lord in a tuff street gang. When he turned 13 he was captivated by the disco music and started dancing at school dances. As a young teenager he was getting into the adult night clubs. "By going to the clubs and staying out of the streets, the dancing helped keep me alive. While I was dancing in the clubs all the street crime was happening." It wasn't the booze that attracted them to the clubs but the music and the dance. By the age of 16 he was competing in dance contests so he walked away from this dangerous street life. He found a new passion...the hustle. By 20 years of age, the dancing started to slow down (the mid 80's) and he started to go back to the street life and got caught up in trouble. Thankfully, when I got back into dancing a few years later, he got away from the street action and has improved his life.
My experience started in 1976 when all you needed to get into a club was a non photo ID, I was 16 years old but looked 22. Today, Donna DeSimone acknowledges how the club scene opened a whole new world for her. "The music, atmosphere, guys and oh yes the dancing, I was hooked." She did her homework, watched and studied some of the great dance pros of the day. She attended socials at Dance Charisma, NY Hustle, Star Studios......"I had amazing role models to watch." In 1983 she hooked up with New York Express and found a whole new world of Ballroom dancing. Donna went on to win the 1986 USBC Amateur Rhythm Championship. Her early hustle roots took her on to developing a solid reputation as a choreographer creating ballroom shows for Carnegie Hall and Hershey Park. The Hustle was a stepping stone for other things. "I have had the time of my life and made some amazing and talented friends, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything , dancing became my life force and you can't put a price on that."
It was about twenty-five years ago when he was a junior in high school, "I was just a jock, you know, just a jeans and tee shirt kind of guy" reflects Chris Bates. Well, I start dating around that time and going out was not the same, you see the drinking age at that time was twenty-one and I was just seventeen years young! " Chris knew just about every scam for an underage guy to get into the dance clubs. "My first club was Squires in Fairhills and that's where I first saw the hustle dance. I would watch the Italians dance with such grace and how all the ladies would love to come up to them and ask them to dance over and over again... that's when I knew that I had to learn that dance." But back in the day, not everyone would show people of color "the brothers" the dance. It was hard for me back then wanting to know but no one would take the time out to show me. But he was determine to learn. Another popular club was the Dance Machine, located in Bound Brook, that's where he met two great dancers, Dave & Cindy. This accommodating couple took the time to show him the basic steps and hustle turns. "I would go home and practice every night with two ropes attached to a door knob as the lady. It stared to work for me, I was learning and it felt good. This new found love had a great impact on him. He started to dress differently in school and was more respectful to people... not just caring about himself. "My whole out look on life changed for me with this dance. I made a promise to myself, that if I ever got really good at this dance, "hustle," that I would not do to others what was done to me, that I would take the time and show who ever wanted to lean the hustle because we all have a place in this dance World! I'm a much nicer person and I owe this all first to my mother for putting up with me going out dancing on school nights and covering for me when the football coach was out looking for their starter the night before a game. The Hustle for allowing me to meet so many people and for bringing a little happiest in their life and to make them smile and laugh!
Hey, I can't say that I came from poverty, but I came from a very humble middle class family in Jamaica, Queens, who could not afford to send me to College, recalls Derrick Allen. "That is why the Hustle had such an impact on my life." It was the Hustle that afforded him the opportunity to get an education... "that allowed me to be the "white collar guy" I am today." I'm not proud of the fact that I had my fair share of troubles and brushes with the law before I started dancing. But I do know, that dancing helped make the steps on my path a whole lot easier and rewarding.
Sometimes its hard for people who were not involved in the scene some 25 years ago to truly understand and appreciate how big the hustle was. For Derrick it helped support him and further his college education. "During my brief years in the dance scene my winnings and involvement in the hustle allowed me to comfortably complete my college education without working full time jobs and killing myself like so many of my classmates. I'm not sure if I would have been able to complete my education at SJU if not for dancing."
Many male dancers got into dancing to meet ladies. The ladies were captivated by the music, the joy of dancing and to be lead by that special guy. But for others, it took them off the streets and gave them a productive outlet for anger, keeping them away from mischievous things, gang fights, etc. Unfortunately for some, after the dancing was over, they returned to the dark side and ended up at the bottom of the barrel and in some extreme cases.... behind bars. Dancing was a way for many dancers to express their machismo. Fortunately, many of these dancers used these skills to catapult themselves to a higher echelon in life.
Letters To The Editor
Dear Ron:
I want to extend to you and all of your readers of DanceTalk my sincerest thank you for the honor of being voted "favorite DJ" for the third straight year. I am happy to be sharing this year's title with one of my favorite DJ's and people in the whole world, Jenny Costa. It probably means more to me this year as I've played less this year than I have in the past and it's nice to know that out of sight does not mean out of mind. I look forward to jammin' for all of you this Saturday at the Xmas gala and in 2005 at I.H.S.C., Disco America, Lincoln center and St. Maarten and other local gatherings. I also want to extend my congratulations to all the well deserving winners in their categories. Jami and I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Holiday season. Again, thanks to all for appreciating what I love to share.
DJ Bobby Morales
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THE DON'T STOP THE MUSIC, CHARITY, FOR THE INTERFAITH NUTRITION NETWORK-THE HOMELESS AND THE SOUP KITCHENS WAS A BIG SUCCESS. SPECIAL THANK YOU TO KEITH HARRISON, DJ JOHNNY V, GINA GIORDANO, JOJO , JOANNE JACK and HOSTS-NORMA RIVERA VARRICHIO AND MC CHARLIE PACE, MADELINE OSSIAS, THE HARRISON FAMILY-THE RHYTHM FORCE CONTINGENT-JULIAN-VIDEOGRAPHER LEDON-JR AND JUDY VAN DYKE- CABLEVISIONS JOANNE BROWN PRODUCER-WALTER FROM THE NATIONAL POLISH CLUB --TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DONATED THEIR SERVICES AND TIME-. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT PERFORMED YOU WERE GREAT!!
WE HAD A LOT OF FUN- WE ATE DRANK DANCED RAISED A COUPLE OF GRAND AND ENJOYED DJ JOHNNY V MUSIC.
-TO KEITH WE FIGHT LIKE TWO CAVEMEN -TWO ANIMALS BUT WORK LIKE DOGS AND IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE DOING THIS FUNCTION WITH YOU,
BOBBY O
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