Atomic Ballroom on Tuesdays

Tonight was such an amazing night of dancing. Atomic has definitely become my home. I  have made huge efforts to help build a sense of community and provide an inspiring atmosphere on Tuesday nights by DJ’ing upstairs in the loft. Attendance has dropped over the past year, for unfortunate reasons, which is a little bit disappointing, but it has been a great challenge to be optimistic and see all of the good things that come out of it every week that I am able to be there.

Today, I arrived  with a “wing it” attitude, as Mary (Frietag) and I have been teaching weekly Balboa classes, both beginner and intermediate. We didn’t quiet have a plan but it seems like we are able to brainstorm and come up with really fun materiel at the last second. Wow, Mary is such a fantastic teacher! It is so much fun and it is really inspiring to see her passion and watch her grow, both as a dancer and an instructor. She has so much love for her students and for the dancing; and what’s more, she has always treated me as her equal with the upmost respect for what I would like to contribute to the class. There is a type of respect between us that we have and with the students that creates a unique energy and fun atmosphere. Most of these classes, though I am teaching, I walk actually away learning something new and fantastic because of Mary and her students.

The best out of these classes today, was a class that we were covering for Mike Pedroza. Mikey is a well respected and energetic instructor who came up in Orange County and now travels the globe, teaching, performing and inspiring. James and Jakob were there tonight, as usual. These guys are so awesome. They make me want to get better so I can help them get better. They are both really creative and they always bring a light hearted sense of fun and entheusiasm that is unmatched at Atomic. Ha! And Jeremy Otth was there and decided that he wanted to participate in the class as a student. It was really cool because he really brought the level up. Yes, it was a humbling experience to have him rotating in our class but it was a real treat too!

The dance started at 8:30 and about 10:30 the loft opened to a crawling start. When I DJ, in general now, I normally play slower tempos because I’ve made a point of collecting and DJ’ing music that is vintage, swingin’, and beginner friendly. But tonight was crazy. There was a hunger that I had not seen up there for a really long time. The “old crew” was back for a really rare and special reunion. Fred Fielding, Amanda Heim, Michael Siebert, and a few of the flight rights were there dancing everything I threw at them. But what made it more like the old days is that Jeremy was there. I couldn’t believe that when the night ended, I barely played any music that fell under 200 bpm. And yet the whole night I saw some of the most inspiring Lindy Hop that I have ever seen. Yeap…..and Jeremy is a genius! He made it so much for everyone else! He asked any and every girl that he could get to dance with him and showed us all what creativity really is!! He is, perhaps, one of the most under-appreciated dancers in the international scene; but when you put him in a room, the level and the energy rises to a place that is indescribable. There is no superficial attitudes that separates all of us in the great dance hierarchy. Nope! Tonight, it was very small, friendly, and inclusive. The energy was so high that it was like a jam session the entire evening! I don’t think that I can describe how truly amazing it was, from start to finish. Damn!!! Thank you Jeremy, and thanks to all of my friends and fellow dancers who made it out tonight! You make me remember why Lindy Hop is so awesome!

Back to Bloggin,’ Ride ‘em Cowboy

Hey everyone, I was blogging a few years ago and have reposted most of my old posts from myspace. But it feels like this whole thing is completely new to me!! I don’t really read blogs, and it’s been a while since I wrote anything.  But I do have a horrible memory….and I think that is a fantastic reason to keep a blog, though it is not the only reason, by any stretch. Actually the main reason why I’ve decided to start this little thing is not just because I have been considering it for sometime now, but I think that I have learned a great deal of things over the past 10 years about Dance (in particular swing, with a capitol S!). I have made a conscious effort to probe the minds of professionals and peers alike that whom I have great respect for, and are well respected in the bizz. These people inspire me and give me hope that I can one day do this dance some justice. I have also been learning how to become a graphic designer in school which I have, in some ways, slacked offed immensely, and in other ways, completely devoted myself to it. And I am also a Marine Corps veteran and a Purple Heart recipient who is wondering across this vast existence pondering my place in all of this. I love talking to people and I think that this may be a fantastic way to communicate and express the ideas I have about all of these things with like-minded and passionate people. I hope that I can learn a lot from all of you and I also hope that I may be able to contribute to your learning process as well.

Letters from the War

 

Hey everyone,

I shared this with a group of veterans at the VA last week, in a group therapy session that I attend every week. I had wondered what I should do with this letter that I found in a keepsake box when I visited my folks in El Paso. But after reading it to my friends who fought in Vietnam, Korea, and WWII, I think that I have a responsibility to all of them. Therefore, I am sharing this with all of you, my friends, and I dedicate it to all who have ever fought and especially to all of the friends, fathers, siblings and loved ones that we have lost and to the survivors who brought the war home with them and continue to fight it, for everyone who didn’t have to go. l apologize if some any of the details are incorrect, I wrote it with all of the information that I had at the time. I understand that I am really put myself out there and trying to have courage. Please understand.

 

“ Thursday Sept. 9th, 2004

Today is the 9th. Supposedly, a month from now, is when we’re supposed to go home. Very exciting. It seems that it has been a very, long, long deployment. Everyone is eager to go home. It’s written in the way we act and in the things that we do. The base is over run with Marines who are fit and equipped to take our place when we leave. You can recognize them by their brand new and unworn uniforms, and their freshly painted M16A4′s, their superbly cleaned rifles.

 

Despite all of this activity of “out with the old and in with the new,” Marines are still getting killed out here. Salty Marines who survived Fallujah and are one month away from going home are still dying. Two days ago, while running missions for EOD (Explosives Ordinance and Disposal), my platoon responded to a call on MSR Mobile for an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) post blast and recovery of UXO’s (Unexploded Ordinance). The call reported that there was a fire fight and that 7 Marines were killed and another 6 were wounded and MEDEVAC’s (Medical Evacuation). We got to the scene and immediately got eyes on the wreckage. It was a seven ton truck, or rather, what appeared to be the remains of a 7 ton truck. It was still smoking and still smoldering. There were pieces of truck scattered in a 300 meter radius from the wreckage. Our dismounts swept the area for secondary devices and found none. Instead there were pieces of human beings, truck bits, and M16 parts.

 

The EOD team was able to make their assessment and determined that the blast was caused by a VBIED (Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device) and detonated by a suicide bomber. The unit hit was F-CO 2/1 (2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment). Wow, these guys were salty (experienced). Most of them were over here the first time and fought in An Nazaryah. Then they were involved in the assault on Fallujah. Only to come to this. They didn’t really have a chance.

 

Why this happened, I don’t know, but everyday closer I get to going home, the more weary I become that I might not make it out of here. It frightens me at times but my apathy towards death gets the better of me. I almost can’t picture a world without bombing or the exchange of bullets. It used to anger me that people my age are out partying and having fun while we’re out here fighting and dying. But that’s what we’re fighting for I guess. So that the war is fought here and not there. I think that we were wrong for starting this war abut we are not wrong for fighting it. And although I once felt guilty for leaving this place while some of my friends were still fighting and dying, I see now that all any of us have to do is put in our time and make it out of here. After that, we owe nothing and the rest of our lives are something extra. Something pleasant and unexpected.

 

They say that the first casualty of war is innocence, and I find that to be true. While people back home feel bad for the Iraqi’s for the world that they live in, I fucking hate them. While they feel bad for us because we have to kill to survive, I love it. I hate these people and I love killing them. Is there anything wrong with that? Am I sick or am I mad? Or do I see things clearly and understand that it all really is not that bad? That it’s all so much easier than any of us imagined or that movies have ever portrayed. It is such a strange combination of feelings, but they are what I feel daily. Despite the love for action and the enthusiasm we all feel for “getting some,” the only thing any of us really want to do is go home. “

 

Many of my friends who fought in previous wars, particularly in Vietnam, were amazed that someone from my generation had written this and swore that they could have written the same words 30 plus years ago. Even the Veterans of WWII and Korea felt the same sentiment. One of the guys remarked that he was so happy that I shared this because it meant that everything that the Vietnam veterans had gone through, after coming home, was not in vain because groups like this now exist for people of the younger generations. When I think about how positive it was to share this with them, and the apprehension that I felt about sharing it, I am over joyed and grateful to them for laying the foundation for future survivors of future wars. I hope that I can make such a positive influence on someone else’s life and help all of us realize that freedom and safety comes at the expense of the sacrifices that that the younger generations of this country continue to make for us. I further hope that my experience, while short and insignificant when compared to others, may bring recognition for all those to who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and our way of life; and I hope that we can never forget them because those who continue to fight and die are from among the most average and extraordinary of all of us. I hope that this may give faith and courage to many of you. Thanks.