Summer Garden at Our Dance Studio

This is the second summer since Louis and Tracy Soma bought the Anderson Center building in Grand Ledge to house Our Dance Studio. They poured so much work into renovating the interior to transform a building that housed an archery business into a dance studio, that I wanted to do something to decorate the exterior. They had cut down all the ugly, ratty, bushes that had not been cared for in years, but nothing was there to replace them. To me, the exterior looked bare without plants.

With their permission, I began transplanting perennials from my garden, which Gage faithfully watered. Last summer was a good start, but this summer, the perennials are starting to come into their own. To the purple coneflower and black eyed susans I had planted in the spring of 2008, I added daffodils, peonies, and Japanese anemone in the fall. This spring I added Russian sage, lavendar, thyme, and Stella D'Oro daylilies. Finally, I put in some annuals--nasturtiums and marigolds. It has really looked beautiful this summer, and I have enjoyed it so much. This fall I plan to add shasta daisies and more daffodils.

Here are some pictures.

Enjoy what is left of summer!

Betty

Virginia State Was Great

We had a wonderful time dancing at the Virginia State Dancesport Competition in Reston in July. This was Art's first competition since his back surgery, and he did really well. Betty and Louis did well, too, and everyone had a great time.

In the pro competition it was really fun to see Mazan Hamza with a new partner, Lisa Vogel. Both of them were in the Ohio Star Ball finals in the American smooth last November, but with different partners. Together they make a really powerful pairing, and they took first. I think the other top couples will have to watch out--these two look really great together!

Now we are home enjoying our garden. I'll try to remember to post some pictures of my late summer garden.

Happy dancing!

Betty

Art Is Back to Dancing!

I am hapy to report that Art is back to dancing less than 2 months after major back surgery. He started back to dance lessons about 2 weeks ago and has already worked up to 2 hours. He danced 2 hours of tango today without a break, then was a bit tired. After a 10 minute break, he danced Viennese Waltz for another 30 minutes. Awesome!

Betty

Successful Back Surgery

I am happy to report that Art's back surgery on March 24 was successful. He came home on Friday and is walking and climbing stairs. Although he is in low gear, and sleeping a lot, he is not in pain. So we'll be off the dance floor for awhile. We will be sorry to miss the Amateur Nationals next weekend in Baltimore, but hope to dance the following year.

Meanwhile, I plan to continue my pro-am dancing with Louis.

Betty

My March Garden

Here are some photos of the flowers coming up in my March garden.
Enjoy!
Betty

Dance Notes Gives Us a Rave Review!

Imagine our delight to receive the January/February issue of Dance Notes and find that it contains a rave review of Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies. OK, the reviewers, a competitive amateur dance couple, didn't like the title or the cover--but they loved what was inside. A few excerpts:

"It's so good that the competitive dancers in us want to keep the things we've learned a secret, but the book lover parts want to pass on a good find!"

"Not only are the answers in there, but they're easy to find because the book is well thought-out and nicely organized. Plus, each chapter's material is summarized at chapter's end. With the short chapters, the moments of thunderous self-enlightenment, and the lack of psycho-babble, you'll actually enjoy reading this book."

"With gentle humor, conversational ease, and some dead-on quotes, Betty and Art guide readers from the Bronze level of dance relationship skills (Respect, Responsibility, and Responsiveness) through the Gold level and beyond."

"Beginners will feel mentored. Long-time dancers will relate to their own struggles, and then feel validated to recognize how common their emotional issues are."

Thanks Paul and Mary Jo! (No, we really didn't pay them to write such a great review, but we surely appreciate it!)

Betty and Art

More Positive Feedback on Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies

We were gratified to get an email recently from a dancer who bought Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies at Maryland Dancesport. She wrote:

Both my husband and I read your book, Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies, and loved it! We both could relate to the experiences you shared, and found value in the summaries provided on how to address various challenges of partnering. What I liked most was the emphasis on enjoying the journey and letting go of perfectionism!

Thank you! We are delighted that you found it useful.

Betty and Art

Home at Last

We are home at last, tired but happy. Had a great visit with family in the east after the Bethesda comp.

Great story from a friend we saw at Maryland Dancesport who bought Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies at the Ohio Star Ball but hadn't read it yet. In the meantime, she lent it to her mother. After her mother read it, she returned it with the comment, "It's about relationships!"

Our friend commented, "My mother doesn't do relationships..." I guess she was disappointed...but that's where the challenge of partnered dancing lies.

Happy dancing,
Betty and Art

Had a Great Time at Maryland Dancesport

We had a wonderful time at the Maryland Dancesport Competition hosted in Bethesda by Glenis Dee Creger this past weekend. Thanks to Glenis' reputation as a top judge and coach, there was lots of good dancing--Pro-Am, Pro-Pro, and Amateur-- as well as a wonderful show choreographed by Wendy Johnson at the end of the Pro competition Saturday night.

A highlight for us was that Victor Fung and Anna Mikhed were entered in the International Standard competition. Although there was a very good field of dancers, Victor and Anna are so outstanding that when they are on the floor it is very hard to watch anyone else. They are so beautiful and powerful! Talk about dancing in harmony--wow!

We had brought copies of Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies to sell at the comp and John Depalma was kind enough to announce it from the podium. Thanks, John.

Betty and Art

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day is a special anniversary for us. Art had his quadruple coronary bypass surgery 4 years ago today. We are so grateful his coronary blockages were discovered without his having a heart attack. It was all due to ballroom dancing.

You can read about how the quickstep saved Art's life in Chapter 14 of Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies.

It is sunny here today. In Michigan we expect 6 more weeks of winter on Feb 2 regarless of sun or clounds...

Have a happy day.

Betty

Great Coaching

Our heads are spinning and our bodies are in better alignment, thanks to 2 weekends in a row of great coaching. On January 18 Rosendo Fumero was in, and this past weekend we had Glenis Dee. What a treat for us!

Ballroom dance is one of the few sports where ordinary people like us can receive coaching from the top coaches in the business--champions and judges. We feel so fortunate to be able to dance with and learn from such fine people.

Thank you, Rosendo and Glenis.

Betty and Art

This Book Is Not for Sissies!

We were delighted to find a positive review of Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies on amazon.com. Here it is:

From Gail in Huntington, WVA
Sparked deep level discussion with my husband about how learning to dance is like being married. Brought up lots of issues that we know lurk under the surface, but rarely talk about. Well written book. Ballroom is challenging when you learn it with a partner who is not a professional dancer. We are putting the author's suggestions into practice and expect to have good results!

Thanks, Gail!

Betty and Art
dancinginharmony.com

3 Rs of Relationship Fitness Help Couple Wallpaper Bathroom

Here's some great feedback we had from a reader:

This couple has been married for over 40 years. The closest they ever came to divorce was when they did a wallpapering project years ago. Recently, a bathroom in their home needed to be wallpapered, so they were feeling apprehensive about approaching this task together. But they had been reading Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies , so they decided to apply the 3 Rs of Relationship Fitness to their wallpapering project.

They agreed to embark upon their wallpapering with a sense of Respect for themselves and each other, to take Responsibility for their part of the project and only their part, and to be Responsive to each other throughout. Not only did they not fight, they had a wonderful time doing their project!

Betty and Art

Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies Available at Schuler Books

What a snowy January day it is. Truly a winter wonderland out there today, with birds and squirrels at the feeders. The cardinals look especially beautiful against the snow.

We are happy to announce that Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies is now being carried by Schuler Books in the Meridian Mall in Okemos. (http://www.schulerbooks.com)

Schuler is a locally-owned bookstore with a great selection. We are delighted to have them offering our book.

Of course, you can still get it on amazon.com, too.

Happy dancing,
Betty and Art

Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies Featured in Dance Notes!

Christine Zona was kind enough to interview us at the Ohio Star Ball about Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies. The article, entitled: Art and Betty Seagull...How to Sustain A Dance Partenership, is published in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Dance Notes (www.dancenotes.com).

Check it out!

Thanks, Christine.

Betty and Art

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009 to all our dancing friends.

We wish you health, peace, prosperity and harmonious dancing in 2009.

Betty and Art