If Princess Leia had been a
dancer,
I bet she would have been just like
Yenni Setiawan!
Sweet and charming … as well as a consummate professional ...
Yenni is a perfect conduit to the future of west coast swing.
At DanceGourmet last Saturday, Yenni offered so much technique, substance and musicality …
that we were ready to tangle with Darth Vader on on the dance floor!!!
Warren Pino is Yenni’s finance.
(Sort of a more handsome version of Obi Wan Kenobi.)
Warren is also a teacher and was on hand to help and dance.
I've been LUCKY enough to get Warren in a couple of
Jack n’ Jills ...
it was TRULY like dancing with a Jedi Master!
Several times a year, Thomas Johnson invites dance professionals from other regions to give a fresh perspective on west coast swing.
He looks for popular quality teachers that we either don't see on the east coast very often ... or just can't get enough of.
But there is no fooling us!
Tom really wants a crowd to cook for!
Dance Gourmet is a Connecticut favorite.
This monthly venue in Hartford includes workshops, dinner and social dancing ...
but it's a bit of a trek for those of us who live in New Jersey and New York City.
This venue has an AAAwesome rep.Teddy & Susan Sams are friends from central Jersey.
They kindly picked me up in Jersey City and we headed up to Connecticut.
It was totally worth the 2 hour drive. We were not dissappointed!!!
This event was held at the Circle of Life Ballroom.
It has a comfortable "rec-room" quality, good dance floor ... tables ... music ...
perfect for moving around in our jeans and broken-in dance shoes.
But, it doesn't matter to us whether it’s a fancy ballroom, dive bar or church hall.
As long as it's FUNKY!
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| Jason & Kristen Shaw |
Jason Wayne taught earlier this year.
What a spectacular night!
The only thing missing … was Yvonne.
By the way, Yenni and Jason took 1st place at
"Frezno Dance Classic" in May 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP0jEcOMwUA
Local dance community leaders are only bringing a few of the teachers we have heard of.
And it's usually the same ole' (boring) ... over and over.
Not enough new teachers are taking root in the region to develop new students.
There is certainly a market for pros who want to be a big fish in a pond instead of minnows in the California ocean!
Fortunately, TOM is providing exposure to the wide variety of concepts developing in ALL the other regions.
Thanx Tom, for bringing lessons we want to us!
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| Performance Class at WnY |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8rOYGCCm2Y
At WnY, an eclectic mix of dance lessons is offered including line dance, 2Step, Zumba, Bollywood,
Yoga – west coast swing – and a performance class with Eric Jacobson (who once taught at Dance Manhattan). They host many dance parties and have fostered quite a few local dancers.
http://www.wnywarehouse.com
On Saturday, four workshops were offered:
Workshop 1: FUNDAMENTALS
This review and warm-up gave us the opportunity to correct elements in our dance technique. Immediately, Yenni made apparent
... the difference between the way we are doing things
and the way it will work better.
Workshop 2: SHAPES AND COLORS
Yenni & Warren offered embellishments and styling … which we were able to try while in the partnership situation … with many helpful hints to make everything work better.
Yenni & Warren offered embellishments and styling … which we were able to try while in the partnership situation … with many helpful hints to make everything work better.
Workshop 3: Musicality
This was the highlight of the event. I have never seen a teacher
conduct a musicality workshop as effectively as Yenni. The girl made sooooo much
sense!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT927Tet42U
Why is it that we get all these so-called pros coming out here with convoluted, complex and confounding workshops ... on something so primal?
Yenni brought us back into the music at its' core and everyone felt so much better about how they used their bodies. (And it was fun!)
8:00 - 9:00 Drills and Skills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT927Tet42U
Why is it that we get all these so-called pros coming out here with convoluted, complex and confounding workshops ... on something so primal?
Yenni brought us back into the music at its' core and everyone felt so much better about how they used their bodies. (And it was fun!)
8:00 - 9:00 Drills and Skills
Basically, we worked on spins and pivots.
And many of us really needed this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcjIXztTMY
And many of us really needed this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcjIXztTMY
Together with the Force, they forged a meal fit for the REBEL ALLIANCE!
Tom Skywalker proved he is truly a chef of many talents.
In honor of Yenni – dinner was INDONESIAN!
The menu:
Caesar Salad
Javanese Chicken Curry
over Whole Grain Basmati Rice
over Whole Grain Basmati Rice
Two soups:
Punjabi Zucchini
- and -
Carrot with Summer Vegetables
& Tofu in Coconut Milk
- and -
Carrot with Summer Vegetables
& Tofu in Coconut Milk
Dessert: (The Highlight)
Whole Grain Jasmine Rice Pudding with Grand Marnier and Pistachios.
Whole Grain Jasmine Rice Pudding with Grand Marnier and Pistachios.
In case there is anyone on earth who doesn't know, Tom makes and sells healthy muffin-cookies.
They're gluten free, low sugar and mostly made from pistachios, whole rolled oats, butter, dried apricots, stone ground whole grain rice and white whole wheat flour. http://www.muffkie.com
I guess we’ll
be seeing more of Yenni & Warren!
Most of us sat in a communal dining room for dinner.
A special "couples table" was set up across the
room so that Yenni & Warren could have a break with each other.
It was a lovely and cute idea.
A MAJOR highlight of the event
was Yenni’s “WINGZ” ...
stunning feather earrings!
Vivian Young said:
"Yenni's earrings are as beautiful as her dancing."
Yenni brought a selection and many of us gathered round to take advantage of this opportunity.
Unique and gorgeous, part of the proceeds go to:
Marin Friends of the Ferals.
(marinferals.org)
Check out Yenni's earrings at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wingzbyyenni/
It was mostly attended by the local Connecticut and Massachusetts dancers – but a few came over from Hudson Valley and New Jersey.
Demos are a tradition so ... of course we got to watchYenni & Warren.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQ5hAGAyX0&feature=youtu.be
But the best part of all is that they were delighted to dance with ALL of us.
Too often, event directors hire snobby pros who take our money for lessons and then avoid us on the dance floor.
But this certainly wasn't the case with Yenni & Warren. In a few short hours, they truly became part of our dance community.
If there is any question whether it was worth the 2 hour drive from Boston and/or the NYC metro area, I’ll let my friends do the endorsing:
 |
Dave Cronin (Boston) said: "
Technique that included, but was not limited to: posture and anchoring, technique to change rhythms between beats, and practical musicality interpretations that we can use now. All of her workshops consisted of drills that we can do without a partner.
Yenni is a refreshing change to the pattern based instruction that is common in the NorthEast. Plus she dances with everyone!"
Beth Farhina (Boston) said: "Tom always puts on an amazing dance gourmet!! From the tasty food, to the specially selected instructors that he brings in to teach us. I'm now addicted to DanceGourmet!
This was the first time I met Yenni. She was so much more than I expected. Her classes were a combination of technique and musicality (not pattern based).
Normally I have to admit that I'm not a fan of musicality classes because they show you that one way to "hit" the beat in a song. However, during Yenni's classes we were specifically taught "how to hear the music" and "how to actually dance/hit the beat" using our bodies."
Naomi Marinaro (Watertown) said: "DanceGourmet is a wonderful day of workshops, dinner and dancing hosted by Tom Johnson. This past event was with Yenni Setiwan from CA.
She is an amazingly beautiful dancer and brought her talent to CT. We had four brilliant workshops on the inner workings of WCS. Absolutely loved her skill, her brilliance and her warm personality.
Thank you, Tom for bringing in the best in the industry! Make sure to mark your calendar for the next DanceGourmet event."
Tom offers a comprehensive price which includes workshops, dinner and dancing for $75 ($55 to students)
Individually, each workshop was $15; Dinner was $15; The dance was $10.
Individually, each workshop was $15; Dinner was $15; The dance was $10.
Update 7/27/15: Yenni is back on September 12. Location for event will be the Polish Home, 9 First Street, Windsor Locks, Connecticut
2nd Update: October 10 ... Save the date! Mike Topel is coming!!!
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| Vivian Young, Susan Sams & Me |
What a pleasure it was to spend Saturday
at DanceGourmet!
See you soon and let the FORCE be with you!!!
