The Magic of Friendship and Goodwill
Last weekend was our annual December Magic year-end party. Every year, we are so tired by the end of the fall season, teaching numerous group lessons (our Rising Star Squad & UBC Dance Club) and preparing our students for various competitions (like the Grand Ball & Holiday Dance Classic), that Joel often becomes quite reluctant to hold December Magic. Every year, I push and I shove, and we end up having a great time! This time, after our 6th year of hosting December Magic, we are once again both happy that we organized such a fun event for everyone to enjoy!
As past competitors ourselves, and coaches of many amateur dancers competing in Vancouver, we know that it’s easy to become caught up in the competition scene. As I’ve discussed in other blogs before, competition is indeed a great motivator to help you set goals and improve your dancing. However, there is always a danger that you could become too absorbed in it all, which can be a lonely, frustrating road for you and your partner. We’ve seen it happen time and time again, and it’s such a shame for those people who really just want to show and express their love for dance.
It is so important for people to have the opportunity to celebrate the fun and passion they have for dancing away from the competition scene. For most people, the social aspect was the reason that got us started in the first place. We love the music; we enjoy other people’s company, and we should always hold onto that, regardless of how seriously we take our dancing.
During our December Magic party, there were times when there were only a few couple on the dance floor. At first, we were a little worried that the party wasn’t going well; however, we soon discovered that everyone was having fun laughing, talking and socializing with each other. Everyone was feeling relaxed and enjoying themselves, rather than feeling anticipation as they are waiting to be marshalled or to hear the results of their events. Many of our guests commented on how warm the party felt and that everyone was happy enjoying each other’s company.
It was great to see that our newest party game helped everyone mix and mingle! Thanks to everyone who participated and found their partner who shared their Christmas phrase. As one of the men remarked, “Apparently, I’m looking for my toe!” (As his phrase was ‘Mistle…’) It was good to see everyone practicing their true lead and follow skills, rather than just dancing with the same partner all night long, to the same routine that they dance every day.
Thanks to all the performers who did a great job on the shows. We had several comments on how wonderful the shows were this year! We had our Syllabus couples do a simple 4 dance demonstration: Alex & Peggy, Julio & Yukie, Jun & Grace, and Stephen & Carissa; and we had 4 of our open-level couples do a few fun and exciting numbers as a group. It was great to be able to challenge our students’ abilities by choreographing show routines that they had to work together on and learn as a group. It was definitely more interesting and enjoyable, both for themselves and the audience, than just having them dance their own competition routines. Thanks to the Open couples for dedicating their time to rehearsals: Andrew & Katya, Chia & Kim, Daniel & Kathryn, David & Emily.
This year, we also did our annual auction/competition fundraiser. In a sense, it’s just like ‘Dancing with the Stars’, with our students as the ‘Stars’! Thanks to everyone who has participated, we’ve been able to raise almost $1500 for our students over the past 3 years. Thanks to all of the auctionees, especially Zaccheus Lim, who has volunteered for the 2nd year in a row although he’s not a JC student. Special thanks to Simon Pau (and all his friends for pushing him) for being the highest bidder and for bravely leading his own teacher around the dance floor for the competition.
Christmas-time is the perfect time to remind ourselves that friendship and goodwill are truly important ingredients in our world of Ballroom Dancing. As we prepare for the holiday season and start planning out our competition schedules for 2010, let’s not forget how much fun we all had at December Magic, and let it bring some of that friendship, camaraderie and goodwill throughout the New Year.
*****
Thanks to all the individuals and businesses
who supported our event:
Prizes:
Sharon & Wen Wong, Shoppers Drug Mart
Heather Dunn
Amy Shih, Flair Design Dance Fashions
Fidelity Financial
CI Investments
Manulife Financial
Refrigeration Components Canada
Food:
Sandy Yang, a la Mode, Pies
Auction Winners:
Simon Pau
Lady Raeburn
Marian Adair
Paul Huang
Ivo Dimitrov
Angela Cheung
Adam Sheard
Tina Ng
Flora Chung
Amin Toufani
