Sorry it took me so long…… but it should work now.

Check this new one from TimbaLive!

I kept it simple.  Pulled in the blog and created a relatively self-maintaining calendar leveraging public Facebook events.  It will still only be as good as those using it, but let’s give it a try and make it worthwhile.

There is more information on the ‘About’ page and the Candela! Dance FB page.  Please take a look and let me know what you think.

And for those who want more details:

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How it works

Facebook: If you have a public or private account on FB that you use to create events for local bands, dance classes, workshops, venues, potlucks…any events open to the public that are of interest to the Latin/Cuban Seattle community, then your event will be automatically published to the calendar on the bailecubano site when you invite La Candela to the event.

Calendar Direct: If you are unable or opposed to using FB, you can enter events directly onto the calendar.  Please include contact information and expect a 24 – 48 hr delay.  [FB preferred, less maintenance and gives the event organizer the ability to change the event details]

How you can help

Fill in the Blanks: The are many names and faces missing from the links page.  Please help fill them in to create a more complete representation of our community.

• Forward this information to any musicians, bands, individuals, instructors, promoters, venues that you think would like to be included
• Send as much of the following as you can provide for your own groups:
  • Name of band, instructor or venue
  • Color photo
  • Facebook contact (individual or public page of person who creates FB events for the group)
  • Website URL

Send Photos/Videos/YouTube Links: Send your best or your funniest, whatever you want to share.  Bands and Instructors especially – please send me videos if you have them.  dancecandela@gmail.com

Add a Link to your Website: You can help in the process of optimizing the site for search engines, by adding a link to www.bailecubano.com from your website.

Thank you much!

Chaille

Maritza

Georgia

1) New  registration – new users will be ‘contributors’ – they will be able to create a post, but it will need to be approved by one of our editors before it is visible. At that point if they are real people – we will convert them to  an ‘author’ that can post at will.

2) I deleted 540 registered users that have never posted.  In the off chance that you are a community member that has never posted,  you will need to register again if you ever decide to post. The only reason to register is in order to post, otherwise anyone can read or comment.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

HaLo is located at 500 E Pike St, five blocks west of Century Ballroom above Brocklind’s Formal Wear and right next door to 8 Limbs Yoga. Or go to the Century Ballroom website for directions.

See you there!

Thank you for your conversation, and for your patience since the potluck at Barbara’s on December 6. I’m finally typing a brief (ha!) summary what I heard from the circle that evening.

The broad topics of discussion were (1) what makes Sunday rueda practica work? and (2) what would make it work even better.

(1) I was really glad to hear so much positive about what we’re all getting out of Sunday practica. In summary:

Reliability — We know we can come to practica on Sunday and enjoy music, dancing, socializing, and having a good time in a space away from our everyday concerns. The regular schedule helps, because if we don’t have 2 hours to spare, we know when to come for the part that’s most important to us. “Always puts you in a good mood.”

Diversity & inclusivity — We know we and our friends are all welcome. It’s casual. We get to see and learn from a variety of personal styles of dancing and history of dance experience. “Everybody gets to dance with everybody, and everybody gets to dance.”

Teaching & learning — A number of people expressed appreciation for Maritza’s energy and teaching style. We enjoy figuring out new moves and practicing dance skills and footwork. “Someone always steps up to teach what they know.”

(2) There were a number of specific suggestions for making practica even better than it is. My perception is these were grouped in these themes:

Organization — People like the structure of the 2 hours, but would also like more organization of calls to teach and learn (so we all know a similar set to dance together). The teachers who are willing to donate their time and experience could be offering their own perspective at different times, perhaps in a more organized way.

Progression — Everyone wants to have fun, and everyone wants to learn more in their dancing. More organization could help beginners move from basics into the open rueda. People would like beginners to have opportunities to dance for more time than just the first 30-60 minutes of the day. Dancers with lots of experience also want to find time to dance together and push each other to improve.

Contribution — Perhaps because Sunday practica is fun for everyone (“Best 2 hours of the week,” someone said), everyone seemed interested in contributing and learning from others’ contributions. We all know how much Maritza contributes each week. Dennis Ruiz offered to contribute footwork practice, especially for men. Many others also want to learn to call, to plan moves, to teach moves to others, to dance with newcomers, or to contribute in other ways to the community.

Finally, we all recognize that we’re part of a community that extends beyond Sunday afternoons. We want to support those who teach Cuban dance in the region, as well as the bands and clubs who play Cuban music for us to dance to. (Did you see: two!! options for New Year’s Eve. Hooray, Seattle!)

What comes next?

* I’m working on thoughts for updating our Sunday “schedule” to incorporate some of the things people want to see added to the mix. Please comment online or talk to me in person if you have ideas. I plan to propose some adjustments in January 2010 and request community agreement to try out some things. Having “a schedule” is clearly a positive thing–so let’s build in the things we want to see happen.

* Sunday practica gives us an opportunity to practice and learn, and to contribute our own expertise and celebrate our diversity in a way different from what’s possible in a classroom setting. So invite your friends, and also tell them about all our local teachers (see the Instructors & Classes page). The more we each learn, the more we all learn.

See you Sundays!

Kyra

I’m so glad we were able to find time at the potluck last week to talk about why we come to Sunday rueda practice, what it adds to our lives, and what could make our afternoon together even more fun.

I apologize that I have not had time this week to sit down and collect the notes Barbara and Nadja took into a coherent, typed up list. I will do that soon!

In the meantime, let’s keep thinking and talking about what we enjoy about Sundays at Sonny’s and what we’d like to add in to the mix.

See you on the 20th! (Yes, there is Sunday rueda today, I just can’t make it. Wish I could be there with you.)

Kyra

The only difference is that you can now subscribe at will without having to send an email (and bribe) to Eddie asking him to add you to list.  TO SUBSCRIBE go to http://mail.bailecubano.com/mailman/listinfo/bailandocubano_bailecubano.com

In addition to notifying you of special events this list will be used as the primary guest list for parties like Havana Nights.  To make that a little easier, when subscribing please enter your NAME – ignore the “optional”, if you will.

Stay warm and dry!  See you soon, chaille