Arizona Vacation STARRING Chuck Brown!

Zo & Mary Carroll, Club President & Newsletter Editor Respectively

When I planned vacation to my home town in Tucson, Arizona ... I had no idea how LUCKY my timing was! 

Chuck with Wendy Miller

An EPIC event had been scheduled:

The TUCSON SWING CLUB was bringing in the DIVAAAMAZING Chuck Brown! 

Chuck has quite the rep for his FAAABULOUS teaching skills, dancing ability and ... DAAAZZLING personality!!!

(Chuck & Corinne Schwartz ...
 photo courtesy of Phil Key)

Not only that!

Chuck taught up in Phoenix at Paragon Dance Center and at the weekly venue, Desert City Swing Sundays. (This is only a 2 hour drive from Tucson). 

It was the highlight of my vacation. 

I only knew Chuck by his reputation. There are a lot of great pros and it's not easy to be impressed, However, I was looking forward to finding out for myself.

After this experience, I'm a disciple!

Born and raised in Tucson, my folks left me the homestead. They came from Boston to start a newspaper (The Sun News) back in the 1950s. Most of us townies hated Tucson and we broke out (of jail) after college. But we are bonded to the place we were born in. Like the swallows of Capistrano, we keep returning home.

Tucson is a really cool vacay destination. Us locals know that airfare is sooooo much better into Phoenix.

The Stagecoach Shuttle provides service down to Tucson and I saved a cool coupla hundred bucks. There's a drop off near the house so I packed lite and hoof'd it down the street in the quiet middle of the night.

I woke up to a clear blue sky, temperatures warm enough for shorts and fresh air! AND about a million calls! Since I hadn't been able to get home for over a year, all my friends were blowing up my phone. 

Sooooo good to be in my REAL home!

Eleanor Schrandt and Ricky Barfield

The Tucson Swing Club is one of my most favorite places to be on this whole planet. This is always my very 1st stop on any trip home! As far as I'm concerned, this is the best dance club in America. Everyone welcomed me with hugs and kisses and lots of DANCES!!!

Victoria and her friend with Zo Carroll (Club President) 

BONUS! My FRIEND and neighbor ... and SPECTACULAR national pro ... Wendy Miller taught the lesson on the 1st Thursday I was in town.. The very GROOVY Victoria Rodriguez DJ'd with a whole bunch of eclectic and FRESH tunes.

The 2nd Thursday that I was home ... was the MAAARVELOUS nite of CHUCK BROWN! His 2 lessons, which ran together, flew right by. Chuck is not just a teacher nor just a dance professional. He's not even just a technician. 

Chuck is an IDEA instrumentalist!!! From the 1st minute ... he engaged everyone (70+ attended).

We started with a solo dance warm up to FUN music! 
We got into nitty-gritty technique ... stuff like pitch and weight changes ... applied to basics. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QA0gdQXCV4

Chuck got people out of their comfort zones and introduced everyone to Zouk-ey style. You must realize, this is Tucson. There are fewer of us who are impressed with this stuff here.

People come for the sunshine. The sidewalks roll up at sunset. But most people are up at dawn and out walking, hiking, golfing etc. Very few trends/fads take root here. But it's always good to give people a few fresh ideas.

What made Chuck such a hit ... as a teacher ... and as a PERSON .... was his personal touch. 

He geared the lessons for the level of the dance community. 

The guy had time for everyone. To talk, teach and dance.

Rehanna Loncar (right) said: "so much fun!!! And so many epic and wonderful times and conversations and dances!!!"

Chuck with Mary Carroll (Tucson Club Newsletter Editor)

Chuck gave us everything he could ...  all night long. 

He's a teacher who is able to correct without making us feel incompetent. 

We left with a new understanding of our basics, tools to practice ... as well as a sense of hope and optimism. 

This guy is not like the other dance pros. Chuck is more. 

What makes the classics so special is that authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald made the words sing. 

CHUCK ... in a dance equivalent ... created a symphony.

The highlight of the night, however, was an AAAwesome demo with Wendy Miller. This guy has danced with Tatianna Mollman and Jennifer DeLuca. He's been all over the world and met the greatest dancers we've never heard of. But, I doubt he looked better with ANY of them than he did with OUR WONDERFUL Wendy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQWYc_w7GIc

Mike Gadberry (left), event director for Desert City Swing, hosted Chuck up in Phoenix the following weekend.

Saturday night there was a dance and lesson at Paragon Dance Center (www.paragondance.net) and 2 lessons at Desert City Swing Sundays which was held at Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

I drove up to Phoenix on Sunday for TWO convention quality workshops, dinner and dance. 

All for a MEASILY $25 bucks!!! 

It was just plain RIDICULOUS! 

Easily worth at least $100!!!

What a pleasure it was ... so rare for me to see my Phoenix friends and get to dance in this wonderful venue. 

Chuck ramped up the level a bit since the Phoenix crowd is a little more experienced. Again, he engaged everyone immediately with the fun warm-up. He talked about the importance of doing solo work, (ballet, jazz, hip-hop) to enhance body control and balance. Then we went into intensive technique. There were many drills. My favorite was a connection exercise. We partnered up and moved around while staying physically connected. This really made us aware of the various ways in which we can move in sync.

Photo Courtesy of Phil Key

And Chuck spent time with as many dancers as he could all evening. 

He left me, personally, with a whole basket of epiphanies!

The guy gave everything he had to all of us and most important of all ... Chuck participated and enjoyed himself with us.

You can bet, I'll be raving to all my event director friends to bring Chuck Brown to Town!

There was just sooooo much dancing all week long. My 1st weekend in town was in time for the monthly Swingin' Saturday dance at the swanky Tucson Racquet Club. 

That's Wendy Miller's son, Drew, taking the money. 

He decided (by himself) to dress for the occasion and take the job seriously. 

Some kids are just born particularly likeable. 

Drew has an ability to make a personal connection that's memorable. Like meeting a movie star or a politician. It's a significant experience. 

And his eyes ... just like his mother, only hazel.

(A heck of a dancer, too!)

Scott Miller (Wendy's FAAABULOUS husband) was the DJ. 

In my unhumble opinion, Scott should be out there with the big shot DJs. 

The guy is a world class DJ and he would fit right in with people like Louie St. George and Beth Bellamy. 

Every tune was an inspiration!

Wendy taught that night. 

She is the foundation of Tucson swing, along with Ellen Colonna & Hondo Velasquez (Left). 
https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U

There isn't a person who hasn't benefited by them. Not only are they STARS as teachers, they are our friends and we can go to them any time. 

It's part of what makes my visits home so special.

The pattern that Wendy taught ... was a revelation for me personally. She had a duck alternative that was really pretty cool! Just lift the leader's bicep rather than go under. Every time I used that one, the guy's jaw dropped open. Ladies, save your hair-do!

And it was Andrea Maynard's birthday! 

That's her on the left ... 

enjoying her special dance.

All the leaders lined up to dance with her including Eric Wade, featured here. 

For my 1st Sunday in town, I drove up to Desert City Swing Sundays in Phoenix. Fred & Leslie Price taught. 

They are consummate professionals bringing their Mid-west skills to Arizona. Although they have always specialized in hustle ... they are Master TEACHERS. It was quite impressive. 

Mike G. has high standards which makes for quite an endorsement of Fred & Leslie. Also, Fred is a HeLLuVa DJ! He played a mix of the RIGHT kind of old swing and COOL contempo.

There is no rest for the wicked!

Everyone URGED me to check out Nick Moor's dance at DanceLoft on Monday nite. 

The venue recently moved and now it's a real WESTIE kinda place ... excellent floor, located over a head shop and everything is off-beat but the music. 

The party was actually pretty good. Mostly the more experienced local dancers showed up. 

Rosanne Bonomo Crago did a SurPrise job DJing!

Also a budding stand up comic, she put out a hip, bohemian mix with plenty of stuff I hadn't heard lately or even at all. 

Looking forward to watching her develop her unique talent. 

AND, I want to hear more jokes!

DanceLoft is the brainchild of Reness Nasca (who works for Hallmark by day). 

There are several types of classes offered (incl adult ballet, modern and jazz, salsa, hip hop, belly dance, lindy and yoga) ... as well as social dance parties.  (People can drop in for single classes, too.)

She's following her instincts in developing her studio ... and it seems to be working out well. 
reness@thedanceloft.com

Everybody knows that on Tuesdays, the place to be is up in Mesa, (just outside Phoenix) at Paragon Dance Center for the Robert Campos' lesson and dance. 

This weekly event is always good. But St. Patty's brought 150 dancers!!! The guy is a master-MASTER teacher. His 1st lesson was basics review and clean-up. 

The second lesson was a nice pattern. Lots of really GOOOOOD LEADERS. 

Robert also DJ'd. Another reason the party was sooooo EXCELLENT!
https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U

Scott on right ... at the Tucson Club (Shall We Dance)

Since I left my favorite shoes at DanceLoft on Monday, I had to go back on Wed to get them. 

Which was conveniently right in time for Scott Menkal's "Ignite Your Wednesday" dance. 

Scott & Tevya Dovbish

The guy is a "wrangler" by day. (Really) He takes people on horse back rides! 

And, he lifts bails of hay! Let me tell you, this is one guy I actually trust to dip me!!!

Dancing with Scott was quite interesting. He is developing a rolling connection. Now, this may not be for a new dancer. But, it's quite a revelation. I never thought about it quite this way. An exercise in learning to engage your shoulders and arms along with the center in a more fluid connection.

Frequently Scott teaches with Wendy Miller. I would have liked to spend some time on this with Wendy ... but I'm about to start a big new project (Shhhh! It's a secret!)

While in Tucson, my dear friend Lee (who does not dance) and I went out shooting sunsets. We took a ride out to the Pinal Air Park, which is a bone yard for commercial airplanes. It's easy to just walk along the low barbed wire fence and take shots. We had the place to ourselves practically.

We also shot out at Gates Pass, the premier sunset shooting location. But this lookout in the desert is like Grand Central Station at rush hour. Everyone is stumbling all over the cactus in the wrong shoes to try to get a clear view of the sunset.

Picacho Peak is an AAAmazing place to catch the sunset and it's on the way to Phoenix. There are lots of hiking trails or you can simply drive around and park at any of the many lookouts. This is a State Park and there is a campsite. 

Lee and I always end our sunset adventures by venturing down to South Tucson for REAL Sonoran Mexican food.

You have to cross the border to get anything more authentic. Our favorite place is Guillermo's Double L and there's no website (1830 S. 4th Ave).

This restaurant is the most IMPORTANT dining experience!

My backyard

What a great vacation! My home is just the place I need to drag my abused soul to recharge. 

Life in New York City can be HELL. 

I work with a bunch of PintheA attorneys and struggle through Siberian winters.
(Not to mention ... all the drama with dance teachers and partners!)

Me & Chuck, courtesy of photographer Phil Key

All things come to an end ... and so it was with my vacation. 

But, I'll be seeing several of my favorite cohorts at City of Angels in a couple of weeks.

And, soon it will be September ... Desert City Swing-cation!

THANX Tucson Swing Club and Mike Gadberry for this very special treat. 

Chuck ... special THANX for the light you SHINED on me!