“Winter Wonderland” – December 10, 2011

                                                            Contributed by Roger Troupe

Giant snowflakes overhead… Check.  Dance floor underfoot… Check.  Three continuous hours of Holiday dance music provided by DJ Jack Gilmore in the air… Check.  Christmas spirit everywhere… Check.  This pretty much sums up the South Shore Dancers’ annual Christmas dance!

The evening started with a swing combination, taught by SSD’s own Tom and Marie Osterland and, as the evening progressed, there didn’t seem to anyone concerned with whether their shopping was done, or what to get for Uncle Louie (or whoever.)  Everyone did what they showed up to do… Dance, socialize, enjoy the Holiday spirit and (did I mention) eat?

As always, we must thank those in attendance, who provided the refreshments and to our dance hosts for the evening.

New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2011

                                                            Contributed by Roger Troupe

Every few years, and not on any definable schedule, New Year’s Eve falls on the last Saturday in December.  This was the case in 2011 and the annual South Shore Dancers’ New Year’s Celebration became the South Shore Dancers’ New Year’s Eve Celebration.

So, how did this differ from years when the date wasn’t December 31^st?  Same great decorations (almost 300 multi-colored balloons), same great music by DJ Tom Osterland, same great buffet, prepared and served by the Family Crest Caterers, same Grand March, same snake dance (Conga line), same renditions of Auld Lang Syne and God Bless America… so what was the difference?  An extra hour and a half to PARTY!  Instead of winding down at the usual 11:00 PM, the party kept going through the New Year, until 12:30 AM (yawn.)

A special thanks to those who showed up at 11:00 AM to make sure the balloons were inflated and in their assigned locations and to decorate the tables, sconces, railings, foyer... the list just seems to go on and on; to those who stayed after the festivities ended to take down and pack up the decorations; and to the dance hosts for the evening.

Some of you may have noticed a change in the year displayed above the stage.  In previous years, this has been created using a string of white lights.  This year, we wanted an improvement.  One idea was to purchase a large, flat-screen monitor, but this was rejected by the budget committee.  Tom Osterland, came up with the idea to affix white numbers on a dark background and light this with an ultraviolet (what some call a “black”) light.  He took it upon himself to build this and I believe it was a definite improvement and will be much easier to print, cut out and affix (a) new number(s) each year rather than trying to build numbers out of lights.  Great job Tom!

For those of you wondering when the next New Year’s Celebration will be on New Year’s Eve, it will be in 2016, so mark your calendars! 

Friday Night Dances – Back on Schedule

We plan to be at the First Parish Church every Friday until mid-spring unless Mother Nature remembers that this supposed to be winter and throws snow at us.  C’mon down for some great casual dancing.

 “Lovers’ Lane” – February 11, 2012

                                                            Contributed by Roger Troupe

After our Saturday dance month off in January, we’re back with a Valentine’s Day themed (Lovers’ Lane) dance.  The last time we hosted a January Saturday dance, we were in competition with the Patriots playoff schedule and we had an attendance of 22!  Now, why anyone would rather watch a football game than dance is beyond me.

The evening will start with a Tango lesson with Lestyn Gilmore at 7:30, followed by continuous (dance floor romance appropriate) music by DJ Jack Gilmore until 11:00 PM, for your dancing pleasure.

The will be the usual dance hosts, ladies’ choices, line dances and mixers to keep you on the dance floor, as well as the snack and desert table, coffee, hot water and tea bags and copious amounts of ice and water in pitchers to keep you refreshed.

As of this writing, there are still plenty of tickets available.  To make reservations, call Tom at 781-659-4703 or email us at tickets@southshoredancers.org.

Dancing with the Stars – Season 14 Cast to be Announced Feb. 28^th

Get the scoop on Good Morning America on Tuesday, 2/28.

Also, So You Think You Can Dance, rumored to have been cancelled, will be back in May.   The new format will combine the ‘results show’ into the following week’s competition show.

Your Patriot Ledger Lend-a-Hand Contributions

Your Directors voted again to match the first $1,000 of your contributions.  This resulted in an aggregate contribution of $2,364.  Thank you for your generous support.

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