Dec. 2-4 was this year’s Emerald Coast Dance Championships (ECDC), and our students Bonnie Bailey, Deanna Miranda, Lisa Roberts, and Cynthia Gravlee traveled down to the Hilton Sandestin Resort to display their dancing talents. Our ladies were expertly partnered by instructors Roger Howell, Brandon Barranco, and Christopher Busbin. All of our ladies performed wonderfully, scoring wins in both American Ballroom and Rhythm divisions, and getting so many first place markers, it was tough to keep track of them all. Student Lisa Roberts also took home the trophy for top newcomer lady. In addition to a wonderful competition, our students were also thrilled to meet Tony Dovolani and Chelsea Hightower from TV’s Dancing with the Stars, and were dazzled by exhibition dances from World Amateur Latin finalists Val Chmerkovskiy and his wonderful partner Dariya (Dasha) Chesnokova. Also featured in the show dancing a stirring hip hop rendition of the Dirty Dancing title track (Time of my Life) were our own Brandon Barranco and Christopher Busbin. Every year that we go and visit our Florida friends at the ECDC competition, we always have a great time and take home lots of fun memories. Thanks to all that supported this event! Also, Chris and Brandon would like to publicly thank their wonderful students for helping them both achieve their goal of topping 100 entries. Thanks Bonnie, Cynthia, Deanna, and Lisa!!!
Come Celebrate the Season at Fred Astaire
The owners and staff of Fred Astaire Hoover cordially invite all of our students to come out on Wednesday, December 22nd to our annual Christmas Party! Attire will be semi-formal, with the festivities kicking off around 7:30pm. There will be hors d’oeuvres and of course dancing, with festive holiday tunes and friendship all around. We hope you can join us! There will be no charge for this party…just bring your dancing shoes and your smiles!
P.S. Don’t forget, Fred Astaire Gift Certificates make great holiday gifts! Give the gift of dance with introductory gift certificates, or get a gift certificate in any dollar amount for your favorite dancer! Call 205-979-4777, or stop by the studio today for details!
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Last 2 Weeks of Festival are HERE!
Hey Fred Astaire students, of course it’s Festival time again, which means that if you are in a Bronze program or above, you can get in on some great lesson specials, and some great fun! We’ve got one more fun theme party going on Friday the 10th, which will feature a GREASE theme. Friday the 17th is the fabulous Victory Party, which is our traditional close to the Winter festival, and the night that we hold our grand prize drawings. The grand prizes up for grabs this year are:
- 3 Private Lessons and 3 Parties/Groups
- 5 Private Lessons and 5 Parties/Groups
- 10 Private Lessons
Be sure to get all your sponsor tickets in the ticket box BEFORE the drawing on the 17th. As usual, you MUST be present to win. No exceptions. Good luck and we’ll see you around the ballroom!
NDC 2010 in Orlando
We had a great time dancing in Orlando! Check out our pics on Facebook to see some of the fun stuff we did. Representing our studio were Luci Colee and Harold Riley. Both Luci and Harold performed well, placing in numerous entries, and even coming away with 1st places! NDC (National Dance Championships) is one of Fred Astaire’s 3 major national championships. We are very proud of Luci and Harold for performing and placing so well on the national stage. Go TEAM BIRMINGHAM!
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We’re doing another Hustle Boot Camp!
Due to the success of our last Hustle Boot Camp, taught expertly by our own Roger Howell, FADS Hoover is proud to announce that we’re going to be offering a second round of Hustle classes in the month of November!
Nov. the 8th and 9th we will be doing Beginners Level Hustle from 6pm-7:30pm, and on Nov. the 15th and 16th we will be doing Advanced Level Hustle from 6pm-7:30pm. Wed. Nov. 17th, we will be doing the semi-privates for both Beginners and Advanced levels, and getting down with a special Hustle Party from 8:15-9:15 for those who participated in the classes. Be sure to register early, because this is a boot camp which is sure to sell out. Last time was a stone cold groove! Call 205-979-4777 for more info, or ask your teacher about it today!
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Jackie and Fabian on ABC’s Talk of Alabama!
Check us out on ABC’s Talk of Alabama right here. Last week, Jackie and Fabian were featured on Talk of Alabama to discuss and promote the Dancing with the Silver Stars charity event.
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Check us out on ABC’s “Talk of Alabama”
Check out Fred Astaire Hoover owners Fabian and Jackie Sanchez as they appear on ABC 33/40′s Talk of Alabama with hosts Nicole Allshouse and Tracy Haynes on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Fabian and Jackie will be appearing to chat about the upcoming “Dancing with the Silver Stars” benefit, which will feature dances by local celebrities. The local celebrity dancers will include meteorologist James Spann, Dr. Jack Schaffer of Schaffer Eye Centers, Dr. Doug Tilt of UAB, actress and performer Jan Hunter, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto of UAB, chef and author Bonnie Bailey, and entrepreneur Jane Selfe of internationalvintage.com. The “Dancing with the Silver Stars” benefit will be held on Nov. 1 at The Club. For tickets, go to www.medicine.uab.edu/dwtss or call 205-975-5659.
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Kasia Kozak to Choreograph our Winter Showcase!
That’s right! Former Rising Star Latin Champion at the Blackpool UK championships and four time North American Latin finalist Kasia Kozak is coming to the magic city to choreograph our next showcase! Kasia has been to our studio on numerous occasions to coach our amateur and professional dancers, but this will be her first time choreographing one of our fabulous showcases. If you see her zipping around the ballroom next week with Fabian be sure to say hello!
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We Were Feeling the Funk at Roger’s Hustle Bootcamp!
The Hustle Bootcamp crew stayin alive
Our Hustle Bootcamp was a stone cold groove, baby! We had alot of fun dancing to Hustle classics from the 70′s, as well as some new hits from the likes of Lady Gaga and Enrique Iglesias. Roger packed in lots of classic steps during the Bootcamp group classes, which featured the four count rhythm of the Hustle. Here are a few of the steps that were covered:
1) Basic w/ Elements
2) Arm Loop
3) One Arm Bandit
4) Traveling Parallels
5) Sliding Doors
Don’t be a jive turkey and miss out the next time we do the Hustle!
The Dudes.
Vin... I mean Roger with all his bunnies.
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Fabian and Jackie to Appear on NBC’s Daytime Alabama
Dancing with the Stars!
Our dance studio will soon be in the news yet again! Studio owners Fabian and Jackie Sanchez will be appearing in a future episode of Daytime Alabama. The show is scheduled to air on Oct 21, at 11:30am. The segment will feature Fabian and Jackie teaching hosts David and Wendy how to do the swing, with alot of laughs and fun. Be sure to watch Daytime Alabama Monday through Friday at 11:30am NBC13HD.www.daytimealabama.com
Jackie and Fabian with NBC's Daytime Alabama presenters David and Wendy.
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