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DanceTalk 5-21-2002
Happy birthday to Mark James and Cathy Rankel.
This Tuesday, May 21st, the Long Island gang will help Mark celebrate
at Club IBBG, come on out and join the party.
Congratulations to Nelson "Paradise" Roman. The grand Prize winner at the battle of the DJs hosted by Nino and George.
Welcome home Denise Sanchez, hope you enjoy your trip to the Fiji Islands.
"Polly Esther's"' (That 70's Club) and "The Culture Club" (That 80's Club) have a chain of night clubs thru out the USA. Here is some exciting news for those dancers interested in auditioning for their National Television commercials (to air promoting their major National Dance Competition) this September 2002, "You Should Be Dancing." See details listed below and stay tuned for additional info.
Make it a great Memorial Day Weekend.
Ron
"Dance Fever" Part 2 (A look back at the nationally syndicated TV show)
Discotheques were popping up all over. Radio stations adopted the new
dance music formats, nightclubs switched from bands to live DJs and enlarged
their dance floors adorned with mirror balls.
Television had "American Bandstand," "Soul Train," "Don Kirshners's
Rock Concert," "Disco 77." (Soul Alive, Disco Step by Step and The Soap
Factory were regional shows.)
The time was right for a national TV show exposing the new dance phenomenon.
Merv Griffin was quick to capitalize on this opportunity. Utilizing the
concept from his "Thank God It's Friday" premiere show, he would have couples
from all over the country compete weekly on the show.
The production company would travel (initially) to major markets auditioning
couples to appear on the show. With a limited budget, during the first
season, only one couple was selected per city.
In New York, the auditions were held at Regine's Night club. Among
a group of NY's best, Tony & Susan Marolda emerged victorious. They
were the first couple selected to represent the big apple. The show premiered
January 12, 1979. The Dance Fever theme song was created by the group (long
since forgotten) "Triple S Connection."
Susan's red sequin body suit lit up the screen when performing her
memorable one leg cork screw. As one of the first couples to make the broadcast,
Tony & Susan were featured on Dance Fever's weekly introduction.
In Phila, The Library Night Club held their competition. NY native
Ritchie and Stephanie were chosen. They selected the popular "Heaven Knows"
by Donna Summer to catch the judges attention.
Since the show quickly caught on and the ratings stroke gold, the "Dance
Fever" budget grew. For the second season, they would select couples from
additional markets, including abroad. When visiting NY, they would pick
multiple couples from Manhattan and Albany (upstate) NY.
Ricky Quintana and Lee Rafrano dazzled views with their effortless
adagio and Lee's (literally) "nude" costume. Their death sweeps and snake
maneuvers blew the audience away.
Juan and Donna, from DC, performed a wonderfully choreographed routine
to the dance remake of "Light my fire." The TV disc jockey, Freeman King,
would introduce the songs prior to the performance. Juan & Donna's
high energy routine was jazzy & very exciting.
The shows popularity continued to grow. But to avoid stagnation and
grow market share, the producers encouraged other styles of dance. The
show had to expand to avoid type casting. The typical disco routine was
becoming a no no.
New York's Ray Bogart & Mary Fontaine incorporated jazz with leaps
into their Star Wars hustle routine. Wilson Barrera and Margaret Burns,
from Florida, did an interpretive theatrical rumba to "historia de un amor."
Margaret's costume created quite a stir. (There was not much of it.) But
the producers finally gave in and allowed her to wear it. Raye Avery and
first partner Kim Negron, won the citywide contest and went on to represent
Houston on TV. Raye admits, he wasn't prepared for the quality of competition
that he would meet head on in LA.
Lisa Rivera from NY and Steven Mitchell from Phila. drove to DC for
their audition.
This became a common practice. If you missed the opportunity to audition
in your home town or were not selected, many teams ventured out to other
cities to earn the shot for the all expense paid trip to Los Angeles and
a chance to shine on TV.
Dallas rocked with Randy Atlas and partner Wanda Kelly. They selected
a jitterbug swing to "Jailhouse Rock" and performed in authentic prison
style outfits. The routine received high grades and they were rewarded
with wins up to the finals.
On the show, after all four couples performed, the celebrity judges
would read aloud the score they cast for each couple. Barry Durand, and
his ex, from DC, performed a swing dance routine. It appeared they would
be a shoe in until guest judge, Peter Noone (from the 60's rock group "Herman's
Hermits") states (in his British accent) "Well, I don't really know anything
about dancin but they jumped around nicely, I give them an 83"? What seemed
apparent did not materialize. Hey, this is show biz folks.
David Padilla from NY and Donna Boyle from Pa, joined forces and qualified
in two different states to be on TV. Ultimately they would represent Phila.
and make it to the semi finals.
Billy Assmus and Annabelle, from NY, performed a theatrical hustle
to "Pick me up I'll dance." In a signature move, he dramatically grabbed
her in a strangle hold and pulled her across the dance floor. The drama
earned them passage to the semi finals. (To Be
continued)
Stay tuned for "Dance Fever Part 3" - A look at those couples that
progressed to the finals. Denni Terrio leaves and Adrian Zmed enters.
* Feel free to submit your personal experience on "Dance Fever"
to (Rowenlb22@aol.com), we would love to include you.
DanceTalk 5-14-2002
The Eastern's, in DC, were a great success this past weekend. Here are
some of the winners.
Classic Amateur - Rob Finocchio & Tiffany Brown
Advanced Hustle - Wingo Hom & Susan Fritz
Pro am advanced (male) - Wingo Hom with Silvana Gallagher
Pro am advanced (female) - Susan Fritz with Steve Neeren
Congratulations to Marc Fisher on the release of his new CD. It is a
balanced approach to Hustle. Some remakes, "Melodies," and The Latin All-stars
"Cuba" ( to name a few) but there are new hot Latin style songs too. Check
out "Close To Perfection." It is the original with just a tweak to the
intro. to keep it moving forward. The hottest tune is "Music Is Life."
Any recipient of "DanceTalk" may order the CD directly from Marc at
a reduce cost of only $13.00 (no shipping charge in US) call (954) 978-6769
or on line at beachbag@ peoplepc.com.
DanceTalk is now available on Marty Angelo's web site http://www.discostepbystep.com/dancetalk.htm
Set your VCR, Friday night, "Thank God, It's Friday" a simple movie,
lots of laughs with a great soundtrack, 8:00PM on AMC. Donna Summer takes
center stage.
Make it a great week.
Ron
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