REGULAR FEATURES

SPECIAL FEATURES

WHAT'S NEW

RETURN TO HEADLINES

WHAT'S NEW AT SSQQ THIS MONTH

Second things second. Marla and I are getting married on Sunday, September 26th. Wish us luck!

Third things third. Daryl and Joanne Armstrong present their amazing Tattoo, Leather and Lace Dance Party on Saturday, September 25th. It is my understanding that this party is at least 7 years old. Up till now, the party has always been in Rocky Kneten's hidden photography lab in the middle of nowhere, but in 2003 the party moved over to SSQQ.

Daryl and Joanne intend to bring their special brand of debauchery straight to our door!! The music will include Whip, Western, and Swing.

Daryl is very insistent that everyone complies with the dress code for the party: This includes TWO VISIBLE TATTOOS, LEATHER, AND AS MUCH SKIN AS POSSIBLE. To show how open-minded he is, Daryl said he would slide on the Lace if it was obvious someone was making a good-hearted effort to dress indecently. However if you think Daryl is kidding about the Tattoos though, he is not. I know from personal experience you either have the Tattoos or don't come to the party. Daryl promises to stick you with a tattoo himself if you are too lazy to take care of the problem yourself.

A rule is a rule. Remember there is a 'Two' in Tattoo. That means Two Tat-twos or Sing the Blues!! (Please Note that no one has to wear a Tattoo to attend the Crash Courses. The Tattoo Rule is Party-Only.)

Well, what else can possibly be interesting after those three announcements??

SO WHAT HAPPENED AT THE SSQQ EXTRAVAGANZA ON AUGUST 28th??
Wouldn't you like to know? Pictures and story can found in this Newsletter further below.

THE SSQQ HALLOWEEN PARTY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Saturday, October 30, starting at 9 pm - 1 am. Cover Charge $14

"SHALL WE DANCE" MOVIE REVIEW - Written by Judy Archer

This Ballroom Dance movie is a remake of an early 90s Japanese film of the same name. Here is a brief plot synopsis:

An overworked Chicago accountant (Richard Gere), tired of the boring routine that his life has become, sees a beautiful dance teacher (Jennifer Lopez) through a window and decides to start taking lessons from her in order to get to know her better, and as the joy of dancing enters his life, he discovers that it might just be the secret to saving his troubled marriage. As the accountant's skill as a dancer improves, he eventually signs up for the Chicago Crystal Ball Dance Competition. And how will he do?

(You can read a more extensive review further below)

BELLAIRE SALUTES THE SUCCESSFUL OLYMPICS MEN'S GYMNASTICS COACH KEVIN MAZEIKA!!

Rick Archer's Note: Kevin Mazeika is my hometown hero. After an abysmal showing at the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. gymnastics committee turned to Kevin as a new leader in 2001. The results were immediate - the United States brought home two consecutive silver medals in the World Championships of 2001 and 2003 followed by a near-miss of the Gold Medal in the team competition at the recent Athens Games.

I grew up with Kevin through the Friends Meeting (Quakers) here in Houston. Since he is 11 years younger than I, we never had much in common. Instead I was much closer to Kevin's older sister Peggy as we shared many a Sunday activity together. These days Peggy helps Kevin run the Houston Gymnastics Academy, which is located just down the street from SSQQ near the corner of Gulfton and South Rice.

Read the complete story behind Kevin Mazeika's triumphant role in returning the United States to gymnastic glory on the ssqq website! (see below)


THE SORDID SHAGGIE JITTERBUG SAGA REVISITED

From: Rana B
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 9:09 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: adventures [Fobidden Word] , shAggie, Jitterbug, Bah Humbug... I need to learn the Charleston!!

Mr. Archer:

Today's Internet search consisted of finding fact and fiction relating to the 1920s. I was honestly searching for ideas to incorporate into the 20s Christmas party I am organizing for my company. I thought it would be a fantastic idea to learn and then teach the Charleston to my coworkers and bosses as part of the evening's fun....

As Internet searches often do, my search went terribly random and I found myself at your site. Two hours later, I have read the entire Shaggie Saga and wish I had the power of pen and prose that you possess.

How's this for irony? In one week, I will land in Aggieland - College Station to be exact. After reading the saga, I now have two missions for my otherwise unremarkable trip to visit my granny.

1) To wear my University of California at Davis Aggies sweater as much as possible
2) To meet my new hero (that would be you) and let him teach me as much Charleston as I can learn in one sitting.

How far is Houston from College Station and might I schedule a lesson on September 15 or 16?

Thank you kindly,

Rana B
Sacramento, CA

Rick Archer's Note: It has now been over four years since the Adventure of the Shaggie Jitterbug. The whole story was so absurd it probably belonged in Ripley's Believe it Or Not. Even today it seems too stupid to be true, but then that's what it seemed like four years ago as well. In a nutshell, Texas A&M threatened to file a trademark infringement lawsuit against SSQQ for teaching an obscure little swing dance that is popular in only place in the whole world. Can you guess the name of the dance and the place where it is popular??

This is a true story. It is also a pretty funny story. You will enjoy a good laugh. If you are curious to know more about this ridiculous adventure, please visit:
http://ssqq.com/information/advent43.htm

COMPLAINT OF THE MONTH: RICK ARCHER GETS DISRESPECTED BY HIS ART COMPANY

Okay, okay, I admit this particular story is no tear-jerker nor is it amusing. It is a story about a company that sells the artwork that appears on the SSQQ website. It is also a story about a thick-headed policy that may someday backfire against the company. And it is a story about the first "Bill Collector" in the history of SSQQ. Read all about it in this Newsletter (see below)

GLORIA SANCHEZ IS THE SSQQ INSTRUCTOR OF THE MONTH

Find out why! (see below)

WE HAD TWELVE WINNERS IN THE SEPTEMBER SSQQ LOGIC PUZZLE CONTEST
(see below)

AND WHAT ABOUT THE OCTOBER SSQQ LOGIC PUZZLE??

(see below)

SSQQ SLOW DANCE AND ROMANCE!!
We had one couple get married and one couple get engaged. Who are they?
(see below)

VENUS AND MARS - About something special for women that comes at the touch of a button!!
(see below)

AND SIX NEW SPECIAL FEATURES THIS MONTH!!

STORY IN THE NEWS: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
STORY IN THE NEWS: KIN OF DWI VICTIM AWARDED $24.7 MILLION
STORY IN THE NEWS: KEN HOFFMAN ASKS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE A DIRECT BUS FROM THE AIRPORT?
STORY IN THE NEWS: BOYS AND THEIR TOYS (A MUST-READ LAUGH-FILLED STORY!! - BETT SUNDERMEYER
STORY IN THE NEWS: ARABS LAMENT TIES TO TERRORISM
STORY IN THE NEWS: SSQQ INSTRUCTOR MONA NASHED VISITS THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL HOTEL!!
(see below)

Plus Clean jokes and Blue jokes galore, the joke picture of the month, pun of the month, vocabulary word of the month and plenty more!!

 

STORY ONE

RETURN TO HEADLINES

THE SSQQ HALLOWEEN PARTY

Saturday, October 30, starting at 9 pm - 1 am.  Cover Charge $14
We have an awesome 7-foot Frankenstein waiting for you in the Haunted House. We haven't fed him since last year. He has been instructed to eat the first guest attempting to enter not wearing a costume.

Last year the Mummy joined the other creatures in the Haunted House. He was a little shy last year, but this year he is looking for someone to hug in the dark. It might be you!!
http://www.ssqq.com/ssqq/party20.htm

Obviously we will have quite a bit to say about this party in next month's Newsletter, but for now why not review some of the pictures from last year's 2003 party:

http://ssqq.com/information/hallo200300.htm

THE SSQQ HALLOWEEN MONSTER TRIVIA CONTEST - USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HORROR MOVIES TO WIN A FREE PRACTICE NIGHT TO THE INFAMOUS SSQQ HALLOWEEN PARTY!

Many of you wasted your youth watching too much TV and too many movies. Now as an aging adult, you may regret terribly all those hours down the drain where you could have been writing a famous novel or studying more to get the grades that would put you into the graduate school of your dreams.

Now - finally after all these years - comes an opportunity to have something, anything to show for your terribly misguided and misspent youth. You can take the SSQQ Halloween Monster Trivia Contest. Try to identify 40 pictures from the famous and not so famous horror movies of the past 70 years. For every Frankenstein and Dracula, there will be a few pictures so completely obscure that only people who have a history of watching useless, long-forgotten movies have any chance of winning! In other words, Slackers have the best chance! You could be the one!

http://ssqq.com/archive/halloweenmonsters00.htm

Have fun!!

(PS- Previous Participants Prohibited From Winning. And if you have played before, SSQQ Scout's Honor Not to Help Anyone! Let's have a level playing field. This is a Very Important Major Contest after all!!)  Only a real Monster would ever Cheat at something like this!

RETURN TO HEADLINES

THE SSQQ EXTRAVAGANZA!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Goins, Robert
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 7:03 AM
To: 'dance@ssqq.com'
Subject: Thanks for the Triple Two Class

Rick,

Thanks for putting the Beginning Triple Two Class on the schedule in November. I hope this SERIES of classes will turn out like Sharon Crawford's Waltz Classes, my question is what can I do to help promote this class, I definitely plan on telling everyone I know about the class but was wondering if we could start promoting it during the break? This will be a fun class and Scott is a great teacher, Thanks again.  Robert Goins

Charlene's Beginning West Coast Swing had 15 people while Judy's Beginning Swing and Linda's Western Swing Review class each totaled about 10.

The second session from 11:30 am to 1 pm saw Bryan again lead the list with 35 people for his "Advanced WCS Patterns". Scott Ladell again took second with 20 people in his Latin Hustle class. Rounding out the list was Rick with 12 in my Easy Polka Patterns class while Patty and Judy each had 8 people in their Swing workshops.  

The third session ran from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. Lise Gagnon expressed great delight in knocking Bryan into second place with her "Ladies' Hip Body Motion" workshop. Her class was conducted behind closed doors with no men in attendance. I heard there were 30 women there, but I will never know as my entrance into the inner sanctum was blocked at the door. "No peeking" was the word as I was sent packing. After watching how well Lise moves when she dances the Whip, I can understand why the ladies packed the room looking for some hints.

Bryan didn't do too bad himself. He had 25 men learning WCS footwork and styling. His class and Lise's class merged towards the end so both sexes could practice their new moves on each other. This is a time when a camera would have really come in handy.

Linda Cook's "Synchronized Polka" class was also a big hit with 25 people in attendance. This is always a very popular class.  Gloria Sanchez' Balboa class did well with 15 students.  Anita taught her "Slow Burn" Hip Hop class to 10 students while my exciting Western Waltz class brought up the rear with 4 loyal students.  Normally we would have canceled a class with this few students, but I liked the 4 I had, so I swallowed my wounded pride and taught the class as if there were 50 people screaming and chanting for me.

The evening session was very well attended. Bryan regained his supremacy with a tie for first place. He had 30 people take his Dips/Lunges/Stunts WCS class. However Maureen Brunetti packed them in as well with 30 students of her own in "Swing Charleston", a much-loved Crash Course.  Linda Cook came in third with 20 people in Beginning Twostep, Scott Ladell had 15 in his Ghost Town class, and Ben had 10 in his goofy Western Swing Role Reversal class. I have to say, watching a woman lead a man in Western Swing is a sight to behold.  The men complain that the women can't lead, the women complain that the men can't turn worth a damn. The complaining and whining is almost deafening, but everyone seems to laugh and have a great time in the process!!

A little after 9 pm the Beach Ball Dance Party started.  Charlie Cotrone and his Hit 'n Run Band started off the evening with "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. I love this song!  Marla and I were the first people on the floor. We were quickly joined by many other couples.  Next came "Neon Moon" by Brooks and Dunn.  The band played one famous hit after another.  One of their strengths was 60s and 70s Motown Music. "Soul Man", "Mustang Sally", "Honky Tonk", "Midnight Hour", "Old Time Rock and Roll", and "Knock on Wood" were some of the Whip songs we danced to.  The Band was also very good at Santana music. We heard "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Come Va", and "Smooth" as the evening progressed.  Anyone who knew how to Cha Cha had a big smile indeed throughout the evening dancing to these hits!  Interestingly, each song was also easy to dance Whip/West Coast Swing to as well.

I am a big Van Morrison fan.  I was thrilled to dance to tunes like "Moondance", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Domino", and "Wild Night". Oh, I was having too good a time!  Every song the Band played was easy to dance to because they were careful to play the songs at the original speed the songs were recorded at.  One dancer after another commented to me on how perfect the speed of the music was. This was not an accident - Charlie Cotrone asked his wife Lisa to have me write down the speed range for each song before the party started.  They went to A LOT OF TROUBLE to get the speed right on the dot and they were successful beyond my imagination. I was very proud of them!

The Swing people were astonished at the number of songs they were able to dance to. Hit 'n Run play some great Swing music of all types. In addition to the Van Morrison music, we heard "Jump Jive and Wail", "House of Blue Lights",  and "The House is Rocking" plus great 50s hits like "Johnny B Goode", "Tequila", "Whole Lotta Shaking", "Jailhouse Rock", and "Hound Dog".  The Swing people are used to getting the short end of the stick at parties like this, but not tonight. The Swing Kids danced their backsides off.

The Western people were probably the only ones who were a little disappointed.  Hit 'n Run played lots of Western music such as "Better Man", "Fool Hearted Memory", "Friends in Low Places", "Neon Moon", "Amarillo by Morning", "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" and "Fast as You", but I think they were hoping for a higher percentage of Western music. We played lots of Twosteps during the Band Break and that seemed to help cheer them up.

In addition to the band, we were in for a lot of excitement during Intermission. We had not one, not two, but THREE performances to enjoy!   Cheryl Denise, our scintillating Samba dancer from San Francisco, offered to perform the Samba at Break to help promote interest in her class. I had no idea what to expect, but it sounded like fun to me. I was just as thunderstruck as everyone else to see her appear out of nowhere in a Vegas-style outfit moving her gorgeous body in ways that can only be described as "arousing", especially if you are a guy. I'm a guy and that's how I would describe it...

How could the evening be complete if there weren't at least a little criticism? 

"If I were to email a complaint of the month could/would you guarantee it remain anonymous?

Saturday was tremendous fun to have live music for a change. I am guessing the question you are hearing is "Did Rick know in advance what the Samba lady would be doing & wearing?"  At least that's the question I heard from several people."

Well, to be honest, I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I had seen a picture of the lovely Cheryl in her Samba costume and was actually hoping she would wear the same outfit.  I guess I am used to seeing dancers similar to Cheryl perform at night on our Rhapsody cruises and didn't even give it a second thought. And you know what, I thoroughly enjoyed Cheryl's marvelous dancing at our party. She was magnificent!! 

After Cheryl, Bryan Spivey and Lisa Palmer performed a West Coast Swing routine for us. They too were magnificent!  I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful Lisa is to begin and to see her dance so gracefully was a wonderful treat. Bryan is usually something of an attention-magnet himself, but he toned down his own style to allow Lisa to shine. And Shine She Did!!  Judging by all the smiles and applause, I was not alone in my appreciation.

At 8:30 pm, Bryan had just finished teaching his Fourth Workshop of the day. He was drained and ready to drop. He just wanted to find the nearest bed and collapse. Or the nearest hamburger stand and refuel... whichever came first.  The poor guy was running on empty. He looked at me and said, "Rick, would you mind terribly if I begged off on that performance tonight?"

I knew exactly how tired Bryan had to be. One side of me had total sympathy for his exhaustion. No one but me even knew he had planned to perform. And I also knew the party would be a big success whether he performed or not.  But the other side of me knew that most of our students have never seen Bryan and Lisa perform and that they would be amazed at how talented the two of them are. This was Bryan and Lisa's chance to shine in the spotlight.  So I suggested to Bryan that he go have a bite to eat and relax a while. I told him he could make a lot of people happy by dancing that night, but if the energy failed to return, I wouldn't be in the slightest upset with him. But if some of the spark came back after food and some rest then I would be proud of him if he hung in there.

Bryan and Lisa put on a great performance. I have recently made a tape of it and will play it at the studio if you remind me.  Then you can see for yourself just how good they are!

After Bryan and Lisa left the floor, Anita Williams and Scott Ladell took center stage.  Anita is a seasoned performer who lives for the spotlight. Scott is Anita's equal in talent, but has nowhere near as much experience in performing as she. So naturally he was a bit nervous as they took the floor. Scott needn't have worried at all - both of them were excellent as they danced a flashy Western Swing routine.  Scott and Anita are the pair who have begun a Western Competition Dance Program here at the studio. You can read more about them by Clicking Here).

Thank you, Cheryl.
Thank you, Bryan and Lisa.
Thank you, Scott and Anita.

The five of you made a lot of people very happy and excited with your dance performances. It was easily the finest group of performances in the history of my studio. You are all exceptional performers!

There were actually even more performers that night.  George Grega is a friend of mine who happens to have an unusual profession. He owns a company that puts on parties and events. For example, when Clay Walker performed at the Aquarium Club as part of Baseball's All-Star weekend here in Houston last July, George Grega supplied the lights, the sound equipment, the stage, and more. His GJG Events Services company had a lot to do with the success of our Beach Ball Party as well. Not only did he supply our terrific stage, but he provided the music equipment and a great light show as well. But George didn't stop there. He decided to invite some of his friends along.  For starters, our bandleader Charlie Cotrone has been George's friend for many years. It was through George that I met Charlie in the first place. George has been a fixture in the performing world for some time in sort of "background capacity". George has worked in the theater for years. In fact, this is how he started his business by providing the lights and sound to organizations like "Theater Under the Stars". Along the way he has met many talented actors, singers, and dancers, a veritable Houston Who's Who of performers. So he decided to invite several of his favorite singers to accompany Charlie and his band.  First John Mendoza sang "Friends in Low Places".  Then the beautiful and statuesque Kirsten Chambers sang "All of Me".  Unfortunately the mike wasn't working properly so we could fully appreciate her contribution.  Then late in the evening a young high school student named Whitney Conkling sang "Walking After Midnight". My ears perked up immediately!!  Wow!!  This girl can sing!  She has a growl that you cannot teach. Her voice and passion reminded me of someone like Tina Turner. I think she would be a great singer for a Blues band or a Western band. This kid has a future. I asked George if she had an agent. George just smiled. Apparently I wasn't the first person to comment she has that kind of talent. Wow!!  By the way, I have Whitney singing on tape. If you remind me, I will be happy to play her performance at the studio.

And why didn't I take more pictures?  Well, something strange happened.  I danced the first couple songs of the night with Marla. I had originally heard Hit 'n Run play at the wedding of George Grega's daughter Tanya back in January. At the time I had been impressed with how much I liked their music and how much fun they were to dance to.  Marla had missed the wedding due to business, but now she was smiling and saying the same thing, "Hey, this band is fun!"   So I danced a couple more songs.  The next you knew, the floor was packed.  Everyone else was saying the same thing - these guys are great to dance to!!

One great dance song after another followed.  I could not sit down!  It was the most fun I had had dancing in years!  Then it dawned on me why I liked the music so much.  I had picked it all myself!!

Charlie's lovely wife Lisa had called me in the middle of the week to ask my help in building a play list.  As we talked on the phone, she named song after song that the Band could play and I would give an enthusiastic response every time I heard a song I liked.  So it turned out the playlist consisted completely of songs I liked!!   I guess it was no coincidence after all that each song played that night got my ringing approval.  Well, hey, I paid for the Band so shouldn't I get to pick the music?  And wasn't it nice of everyone to keep me company at my own personal party?  So I guess I have to admit I was a little selfish that night - I decided to enjoy my own party. 

And you know what?  I think practically everyone in the house had almost as much fun as I did.  The party was a major success.

 -----Original Message-----
From: 
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 3:53 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: EXTRAVAGANZA Great Workshops

Rick,

I think Saturday was a huge success. The Triple Two-Step workshop was my favorite and I hope it's offered more often - maybe even as a regular class. Scott did a great job and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for all your hard work!!

Debra


-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 10:47 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: extravaganza Absolutely Awesome Party Saturday Night

Rick, considering I've been coming to the Studio for almost 6 years, and have attended many events, I have to tell you Saturday's Extravaganza was the best! Every class I took was fun and the instructors were fabulous (Bryan, Scott and Lise). And the party and the added entertainment were the most fun I've had in a long, long time. My legs still ache from all the dancing.

Thank you (and your ever-awesome staff) for all the hard work. It was an event to be remembered in the history books!!!!!!!

Sandy

STORY FOUR

RETURN TO HEADLINES

STORY FIVE

RETURN TO HEADLINES