Time To Dance At The 6/8/2013 Dance (Page Three)
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Page 1 - Meet and Greet
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Page 2 - Who Was Here???
Page 3 - Dancing In Earnest | Page 4 - A Comical View |
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Pronouncements And Introduction Of Guests
Did You Know? - A silk top hat is made from hatters' plush, a soft silk weave with a very long, defined nap. This is rare now, since it is no longer in general production since the 1950s, and it is thought that there are no looms capable of producing the traditional material any more; the last looms in Lyon were destroyed by the last owner[who?] after a violent breakup with his brother.[who?][20] The standard covering is now fur plush or melusine as Christys' calls it. A grey flat fur felt top hat is the popular alternative.
It is common to see top hats in stiff wool felt and even soft wool though these are not considered on the same level as the silk or fur plush or grey felt varieties. The standard crown shape nowadays is the 'semi-bell crown'; 'full bell crowns' and 'stovepipe' shaped toppers are rarer.
Because of the rarity of vintage silk hats, and the expense of modern top hats, the vintage/antique market is very lively, with models in wearable condition typically hard to find; price often varies with size (larger sizes are typically more expensive) and condition. Many surviving hats are sized much smaller than the modern average size because peoples' heads in the past were smaller.
Announcements
Guests: B.J. Clingan and Jim Bisch
Desert is served....
Everyone seemed to like the bottom of the berry glass
Who wants to wear the "Official Hat" this evening.... Volunteers???
The Music Begins
Great music selections this evening
The dance floor was a perfect size... We could move around the floor easily
Between dances we caught our breath and readied for the next great song
"What is it... A polka or a waltz??"
They got the "Blue" memo this evening
Gary... Get a room!
Why the big smile??? She is officially retired!!
The Rhythm Kings Were Keeping The Room Jumping
The Rhythm Kings hard at work
Tickling the ivories
Mr. Precussion... Joe Barille
Did You Know? - Joe played with the Ventures from 1973-1979!
Meanwhile On The Dance Floor
Good evening... Serious dancing underway
"Look who I have!"
The floor was full most of the evening....
Our guests seemed to be enjoying the great music
Smiles back and forth
"I am not letting this one go!"
We are moving with the great sounds
"You again??"
Warming up for the dance demonstration
Looking great!
Time to catch a breath before the next set
Sharing About "Top Hat"
Little known facts
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance together five times in this film. They would dance that many times together in only this film.
The end portion film was trimmed down after a preview audience complained of the length. Small parts by Donald Meek and Florence Roberts were cut. One of the last scenes to go, in which Eric Blore insults a policeman, is still present in some prints (including the RKO Collection videotape version from Turner Home Entertainment).
A 78-minute version of the film was released by RKO in 1953. Cuts to the dance numbers were severe. Prints are still in circulation.
The two-minute dance of "The Piccolino" was filmed in one take.
Earned $3 million at the box office (a huge amount at the time), the only other film in 1935 to outgross it being Mutiny on the Bounty.
One of the productions that rescued RKO from bankruptcy (the other being King Kong.)
Fred Astaire didn't care for the big finale production number "The Piccolino" so he handed singing duties on it over to Ginger Rogers.
The first time Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had a screenplay written specifically for them.
Erik Rhodes' Italian characterization so offended the Italian government - and dictator Benito Mussolini in particular - that the film was banned in Italy. The same fate befell The Gay Divorcee the year before.
Mark Sandrich, who directed five of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals, was a physicist before he got into filmmaking, and would devise blueprints for every scene, so he would know exactly where to put the cameras and the actors.
In one scene at the Lido, Madge orders a drink called a "horse's neck". It is traditionally served with a spiral of lemon (or orange) peel hanging over the edge of the glass, suggesting the curve of a horse's neck. It calls for 2 oz of bourbon or brandy, 4 oz of ginger ale, and a dash of bitters, over ice.
The Venice canal set was so large it required two adjoining sound stages at RKO's Gower studio. The entire length was over 300 feet. Up to that time it was the largest set ever built on the RKO lot.
After Fred Astaire met Irving Berlin while filming Top Hat they became lifelong friends.
Good music, good food, good exercise, and a free education!
"What do we know next??"
Form a circle
OK... We are ready to go!
Romantic lighting completes the evening
Around and around we go...
Swooooosh
"So... This is a mixer!?"
Ken and Marion
shall do a Fred and Ginger.... Les will attempt to catch the top hat
Whooooosh across the floor
They are so smooth we were looking for roller blades in their shoes
The audience roars
Someone really liked the demo
.... really liked it!
Hear No Picture, See No Picture, Speak No Picture
"It was there a minute ago"
"Did you check your batteries.... and the ones in the camera??"
Now we are in serious trouble (Courtesy of Ted)
The proper way to be sneaky (Courtesy of Ted)
"Anyone seen Gary???"
Grandchildren time
Time to share
Heading Home
Retirement must be tough on Ken and Amy.....
Meanwhile on the dance floor Fred and Ginger are still gliding
Our guests are getting ready to take to the floor
Sherrie is making hand shadows on the wall while dancing.... Two things at one time
"Oxygen oxygen"
"Good evening and please come back"
"It's a new style.... What do you think??"
The technicians are packing up the electronics
Sneaking on one more dance
Last dancers standing
Now a little Light Opera before we jump in the car.....
Perhaps a night cap before going home??? (Courtesy of Ted)
Did You Know? - A nightcap is an alcoholic beverage consumed right before going to bed. The alcohol content is higher than a wine or beer drink, usually a liqueur or spirit. Traditional nightcaps are brandy or bourbon or a cream-based liqueur such as Irish cream. However wine or beer can often be considered a beverage of choice before bed as well.
The origin of the word "nightcap" is not fully known but there are two theories. First, the warming and dizzying sense of alcohol before bedtime may help some sleep, thus putting a "cap" on the night. Another theory is related to the actual clothing "nightcap", which was a garment worn to keep the head warm, in times when there may not have been sufficient heating. The same way that the garment kept the wearers head warm, the alcohol "nightcap" had a similar effect.
Gary decided to flash the photographer
After hours of dancing....