Top Ten Car Tunes for Social Dancing

Posted on May 28, 2015 by WildBill

Some of the best songs written about cars are among the best ones for dancing, too. Wilddancer often gets asked by dancers (who’ve had some lessons, so they know the difference between an east coast and a west coast swing, for example) to recommend songs for bands or DJs to play for dancing. Here is our personal list, which fortunately includes seven different dance steps:
1. Cuda Janet (Plymouth Barracuda) by Wild Bill Coggshall (2014) – West Coast Swing
2. Pink Cadillac (Cadillac) by Bruce Springsteen (1984) – Hustle
3. Little GTO (Pontiac GTO) by Ronny and the Daytonas (1964) – East Coast Swing
4. One Piece at a Time (Cadillac) by Johnny Cash (1976) – Country 2-Step
5. Hot Rod Lincoln (Lincoln) by Commander Cody et al (1972) – 10-Step (this is a kind of polka that’s simple but fast; you can see it on YouTube
6. Mustang Sally (Ford Mustang) by Wilson Pickett (1966) – West Coast Swing
7. Little Deuce Coupe (1932 Ford) by Beach Boys (1963) – East Coast Swing
8. Little Red Corvette (Chevrolet Corvette) by Prince (1983) – Cha Cha
9. Jaguar and Thunderbird (Jaguar & Ford Thunderbird) by Chuck Berry – Country 2-Step
10. In My Merry Oldsmobile (Oldsmobile) by Bing Crosby – Viennese Waltz

Mountain Winery Names Featured Beverage Wilddancer

Posted on April 24, 2014 by WildBill

From the Saratoga, CA-based Mountain Winery you can see the whole South Bay. We couldn’t resist attending their April 18 Country Roadhouse event, because it featured a proven country-western band called WANTED) But when marketing director Katelyn Studebaker found out what Wilddancer does, she immediately named their featured whiskey sour after us. And she had the dance floor well set up, with a lane around the outside for the dances that moved (mostly two-step and cowboy cha cha on April 18) and the center for swing and other dances that don’t move.

UCWDC Worlds Championships: Best Country Western Dancers

Posted on January 22, 2014 by WildBill

Wilddancer attended the annual US country western dancing championships in Nashville (“Music City”) during the week starting with New Year’s Eve, where hundreds of slender, fit people vied for top honors in eight different couples dances plus line dances and team dances. These folks were all having fun and staying in shape at the same time.

Use Drones to Video Dance Routines?

Posted on December 13, 2013 by WildBill

Amazon’s proposal for delivering packages via drones has triggered a huge wave of press coverage … and controversy. Wilddancer has been watching to see if and when they will get used to record dance routines, especially those that move around the dance floor (like waltz, foxtrot, cowboy two-step, or polka). The Parrot company in France introduced a model several years ago that can be controlled by an iPhone or iPod, which can also record the video stream sent back from the tiny video camera built into the drone. Thus far the Parrot seems to have been used mainly by the same sort of hobbyists who enjoy flying remote-controlled model planes. But maybe now with this publicity dancers (at least during practice and competitions) will consider using them to record their performances, and those of their competitors, it’s an idea whose time has come. Brookstone has been selling them for some time, and eBay usually has a bunch ofused ones listed. And the Christmas season is bringing them out in force, including from such unlikely-sounding retailers as Bed Bath & Beyond (selling the Quadricopter for $179). But the heavier-duty AR Drone 2.0 seems to be pegged at $299 (including at the Apple Store).

Annual Country Dance World Championships in Nashville December 30-January 5

Posted on December 4, 2013 by WildBill

This is a must for enthusiastic dancers to country western music–including polka, triple two-step, nightclub two-step, cha cha, waltz, (cowboy) two-step, east coast swing, and west coast swing—the eight dances whose competition is sanctioned by the UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council). Held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, it includes not only competitions and workshops, but also social dancing, shows, shopping, parties, and more. Check it out at UCWDC Worlds. See you there!

Senior Olympics Winner Trains by Dancing

Posted on August 22, 2013 by WildBill

One of the good things about getting older is that your preparation for athletic competition can be more fun. According to The Wall Street Journal the nearly-99-year-old Jim Kales skipped doing most of the track and field events he specialized in, opting instead to dance three to five nights a week (three hours each session), play tennis six days a week, and bowl occasionally. His dancing expertise includes swing, cha cha, salsa, rumba, bolero, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, waltz, and Texas two-step. This year he won two gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal.

Annual South Bay Dance Fling in San Jose August 29-September 2

Posted on July 25, 2013 by WildBill

This long-running event includes tons of workshops and competitions, as well as social dancing and a great dinner show that has been an annual must for Wilddancer for the last few years. It covers a wide range of country western music–including polka, triple two-step, nightclub two-step, cha cha, waltz, (cowboy) two-step, east coast swing, and west coast swing—the eight dances whose competition is sanctioned by the UCWDC (United Country Western Dance Council). It is one of a bevy of regional events that lead up to a national championship meet in Nashville at year-end. Its activities are also licensed through the National FastDance Association. Owned and managed by Glenn, Sue & Candace Cravalho, who hold a lot of competitive championships, it can be reached at www.southbaydancefling.com.

Good Tempos for Exercising, Dancing

Posted on April 5, 2013 by WildBill

Quoting Costas Karageorghis, deputy head of research at the School of Sport and Education at London’s Brunel University, the April 2, 2013 Wall Street Journal says workout music between 125 and 140 beats per minute is best to boost stamina and motivation. Of the 17 couples dances that Wilddancer covers today, for which the standards federations or experienced teachers give tempo ranges, 7 of them are in this range, 6 are slower, and 4 are faster. Given our focus, we’d say that all 17 are fine for motivation because they are fun. Officially slower ones such as the (slow) waltz and the bolero are more romantic than fitness-producing, but samba, hustle, and polka are energetic … at least as measured by the sweating and shortness of breath they produce. And the faster ones–quick step, Viennese waltz, salsa/mambo, and country two-step generally use songs of shorter duration (except many salsas are long … maybe a measure of macho for male dancers).