Hello all--

Per the conversations that I have now had with many of you, I am sending out another e-mail to discuss some new developments for the Norman dance community.  For those of you that do not know me, my name is Kate and I am a professional ballroom/latin dancer that has been teaching and  competing all over the country for several years.  I currently teach at Harpe's dance studio in OKC, but live in Moore and have several students from Norman.

For those of you who have not received some of the e-mail traffic, a couple of months ago I was asked by John Hartmeyer to do advanced group classes for a group of folks in Norman.   We discussed many possibilities and held a small workshop to meet some of you and get some suggestions about additional future activities in Norman.

After some searching and the investigation of several possibilities voiced by various people, I have worked out a deal with the dance club Kongo's.  There are some other venues that remain open to us, but Kongo's seems to be the best option. Following are all of the answers to the many questions that people have had.  So, here we go:

1.  Kongo's has agreed to host dances on Friday evenings exclusively for us; I think that we should start with one Friday per month and eventually work up to two.  I would like to schedule the first one as soon as possible, and it would be good if we could shoot for either the 2nd or 4th Friday of the month, as the Oklahoma City Ballroom Dance Club has dances on the 1st and 3rd Fridays and I know that some of you like to attend those events.

COVER:  As it stands, Kongo's will NOT be charging a cover for us to enter, with the expectation that we will be good about buying water, soda, etc.  If we are not purchasing enough to make it worthwhile for the club, later on we may have to pay a cover but that will NOT exceed $5/person.

AGES:  The back part of the club which has the main dance floor is only open to those 21 and over.  We examined many possibilities to get around this rule, and it's just not possible.  However, Kongo's has two other rooms with dance floors; one of these is in the grill area, which IS open to those 18--21.  The dance floor is not as big as the main floor, but it is adequate and the room is very large with a commercial grade carpet, so the size of the dance floor should not be a big deal.  Kongo's has agreed to let us have both rooms at the same time, as long as we are very good about giving advanced notice.  So, we will have  a venue for EVERYONE over 18.  Also, Kongo's is considering running food specials in the grill just for our folks, so it will be a great place to grab a bite to eat AND dance.

TIMES:  The back room (21 and over) is available for our exclusive use until 9 pm on Friday; after that, the DJ plays a retro selection for the evening.  Of course, most retro music is  danceable for the rhythm dances, so people can stay as long as they wish and we may make the occasional request.  The front room (18--21) will also have exclusive use of the music until the grill closes, which should be 10 pm.  However, the owner of Kongo's is very accomodating, and would probably allow us to dance in the front room until whatever time, provided that there is not a group renting the room late in the evening.  I'm thinking that we could start the evening at 6:30 or 7:00.

I am more than willing to teach a group class on these evenings but I don't want to cut down on the time that is available for our use, so for the moment I think it should be a dance only. 

2.  Per the request, I will be offering an advanced group class on Wednesday nights at Kongo's.  I am hoping that this class will be ideal for those of you that want to continue past the Intermediate class that the SBDC offers.  I would like to work on 2 dances per session; this session can be 6 or 8 weeks.  By limiting the number of dances, we will have a chance to focus on them a bit more intensely.  The class cost will be in the $7--$10 range (per person per class) depending on the length of the session and the number of people that are interested.  I am hoping to coordinate with all of you so that this class is a good follow to what you are learning in the SBDC and the university classes.  I would like hold this class at 7 pm, but 8 pm is also a possibility.  This class can start at any time; I just need some feedback about dance and time preferences.

Basically, we need to decide a few things:
What will be the first Friday at Kongo's?
Should we start at 6:30 pm or 7 pm?
Should the Wednesday advanced class be 6 weeks or 8 weeks?
What dances should we do in the advanced class?

3.  Private lessons are now available at Kongo's on Wednesday, from 10 am to 9 pm.  I still have some lesson times available; also, my former dance partner will also be available for private lessons, as well some other independent instructors.  All of us are competitors and are highly qualified, so if you are looking for private lessons please let me know. 

I really think that Kongo's is a fantastic venue, and they are very willing to work with us on whatever ideas we come up with.  I would love to see a huge Norman dance crowd there, as it's quite a neat place.  If you have not seen it, feel free to come and check it out on a Wednesday when I am teaching; just give me a call ahead of time.  My cell phone number is (405) 664-6692.  This week I will be at Kongo's from 3 pm until 7 pm, but I can arrange to be there earlier or later if necessary.

Whew--done!  Sorry to be so long-winded, but I wanted to make sure that I answered most of the questions.  I've probably missed something, so feel free to send back an e-mail with additional questions.  I spoke to almost all of the SBDC officers on Friday night, and they are very excited about having some new options for the club.  Feel free to send your feedback to them or to me, and we will all coordinate this thing together.

Looking forward to dancing more with all of you,

Kate

R. John Hartmeyer, Jr., MHR
License Professional Counselor
Certified Advanced Alcohol/Drug Counselor
Norman, OK (405) 321-9090

Counseling Individuals, Couples, & Families throughout Norman and the surrounding area.

Health Insurance accepted.