http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php en taughnee@endeavorcreative.com Copyright 2008 2008-04-25T00:33:01-09:00 http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/about/ http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/about/#When:00:27:00Z Karin was a writer and social dance instructor in Anchorage, Alaska, and has recently relocated to Portland, Oregon, where she simply dances and sometimes writes. She dances salsa and social Latin, Argentine tango, and west coast swing, and has done some dabbling in West African, jazz, and modern. She formerly taught social Latin dance for The Alaska Club and has also taught for Anchorage Community Schools, the Anchorage Folk Festival, and the University of Alaska Anchorage. In December 2007, Karin started Joy in Motion, a website devoted to the celebration and exploration of social dance. Since then, she has been researching, teaching, and writing about topics that emphasize the uniting of spirit and movement in social partner dance. She recently completed a six-part series on flow in social dance and is now focused on researching the creative process and the concept of grounded energy. Karin also conducts interviews with instructors and performers of various partner dances to supplement her research and reflections. Her most recent include interviews with Argentine tango instructor Alex Krebs and west coast swing competitors and instructors Arjay Centeno and Melissa Rutz. Karin graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Russian. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a background in sports conditioning and coaching. Because of her knowledge and experience in fitness as well as language and culture, she is particularly interested in the mind-body connection and the intersections between dance, culture, community, and health. Her background and interest in these areas both informs and inspires her research in social dance. FB.init("b163995fc4cc3bd40bfb5d907277a202");Joy in Motion on Facebook About 2008-04-25T00:27:00-09:00 http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/contact/ http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/contact/#When:00:33:01Z Joy in Motion is dedicated to the celebration and exploration of social dance. I welcome your feedback on the articles and resources found on this site. Feel free to contact me any time with questions, comments, or ideas. Please also sign up for the Joy in Motion newsletter for monthly updates on new articles, resources, and current events in social dance. Joy in Motion is also now on Facebook! The page has just been created, so it is definitely a work in progress. But you can expect to see announcements, links, and discussions related to social partner dance. Feel free to contact me with your suggestions and feedback, and please also connect with other Joy in Motion fans to share your thoughts and experiences in the world of social dance. Click the link below to become a fan. FB.init("b163995fc4cc3bd40bfb5d907277a202");Joy in Motion on Facebook Enjoy! Karin Norgard Contact 2008-04-25T00:33:01-09:00 http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/links/ http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/links/#When:00:00:00Z This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are my favorite websites on social dance and music. If you would like to recommend a site that you feel is an excellent resource and should be included, please let me know via the Contact page on this site. You can also find a list of links to my favorite articles on social partner dance on the Resources page. Enjoy! Discussion Forums • Dance Forums - The most comprehensive partner dance forum, DF includes sections for ballroom, salsa, Argentine tango, swing, dance articles, and more. It features a large membership, making for lots of fun and expertise on a wide range of topics. • Salsa Forums - This forum is a smaller version of Dance Forums and is specific to salsa and other social Latin dances. It includes discussions on the dance as well as Latin music. • Westie Wire Forum - This forum covers a wide range of topics for members (and aspiring members) of the small but very committed west coast swing community. Dance Art and Photography • Dancing Art - This site features beautiful dance prints for purchase. The focus is mainly on ballroom, but there are also some prints that feature Argentine tango and other dances as well. Smaller unframed prints are relatively affordable, as are cards and stationary. • Wesley Kronick’s Photography - I met Wesley (and his camera) at my first tango festival in Seattle. Wesley does tango and other dance photography, primarily in the Northwest but also internationally. Salsa & Social Latin Dance • Salsa & Merengue History - This site offers clear and concise articles on the history of salsa and merengue as well as some basic music theory that underlies the dances. • Unlikely Salsero - Don Baarn’s blog offers some interesting insights into the salsa experience, music and musicality, learning and teaching, etc. • Salsa Vancouver - Vancouver B.C.’s salsa site includes many interesting articles and great interviews with some of the world’s greatest salsa instructors. • Percussive Rhythms of Salsa and Timba - Rueda con Ritmo (Ryan Mead and Sidney Weaverling) has an excellent guide on their website to the percussive rhythms in salsa and timba. • Salsa Music Ear Training Tutorial - Salsa & Merengue Society’s tutorial with music clips for understanding the various rhythms in salsa. • Salsa Rhythm - This is a good overview of salsa rhythm and a neat tool for breaking down the salsa rhythm and listening to the instruments in layers. A great way to train your ears to hear the various percussive elements in the music You may also want to check out Flujo’s Salsa Music & Timing video as well as the Salsa Merlizer. • A Gozar (To Enjoy): An Introduction to Salsa Dancing - A short but fun documentary featuring L.A.-style dancing clips and interviews with salsa dancers. • Salsa Congresses - A central list of national and international salsa congresses, with links to the event sites, is provided on this site. • Salsa from a Christan perspective: Flowing Through Me blog - This blog, from Anna in Seattle, talks about salsa dancing from a Christian perspective. Thank you to “Salsa Bear” of SalsaForums for informing me of this blog. Argentine Tango • Tango & Chaos - This site is almost on online book about Argentine tango, offering interesting perspectives on topics ranging from technique to culture. • ToTango.net - This site has quite a few articles on tango history, musicians and instructors as well as a regularly updated blog on current items of interest to tangueros. • Tango Mercurio Articles - Tango Mercurio’s website offers excellent articles by Sharna Fabiano and others about tango partnering, history, and etiquette. • Mandrágora Tango’s 70 of the Most Danced Tangos - Listen to or download popular tango songs; this is a great way to start a tango music collection if you’re a beginner to the genre. There are also links to popular milonga and vals music. • Todo Tango - This is an excellent comprehensive site devoted to tango music of the Golden Age. It includes history, interviews, tango lyrics, and more. • Tango DJ - Find resources (articles and links) for building your tango music collection and learning more about how to DJ at tango events. • My Tango Diaries and Simba Tango - Updated regularly and full of interesting reflections, these are my favorite tango blogs. • Neo Tango Site & Forum - This site provides information on modern forms (and trends) of Argentine tango. Though still very basic, it features interviews and articles as well as music lists and a discussion forum. West Coast Swing • West Coast Swing Global - Created and maintained by professional west coast swing performer and instructor Tessa Cunningham, this site includes history, videos, and tips for getting started. • USA Swing Dance Network - Find a list of west coast swing events along with DJ’s music lists and other resources and links of interest. • Westie Wire - This site is relatively new and still growing, but it offers occasional updates on its blog as well as a national calendar. The most useful and interesting feature is the forum. Lindy Hop • Kansas City Lindy Hop Society History Pages - Here you can find a very detailed history of Lindy hop, from the 1800s up to 2005. Big thanks to Steve Pastor for telling me about this website. • Jerry Almonte’s Wandering & Pondering Blog - This is a very comprehensive list of Lindy hop links, from blogs and music to instructors and venues. Be sure to check out Jerry’s own blog posts as well. Big thanks to “Apache” of Dance Forums for informing me of this link. Blues Dancing • What is Blues Dancing? - This is a collection of quotes from various articles on the definition, culture, and history of blues dancing. • The History of Blues Dancing - This is a blog post from Laura Slotkoff that also provides a collection of quotes from various sources on the definition, culture, and history of blues dancing. Friends of Joy in Motion • Chindu Sreedharan’s Indian in England - Chindu does excellent journalistic writing, but he also has some articles devoted to ballroom dance, including his Message from Mars series on communication. • Passion4Dancing - Leonid Turetsky offers free instructional videos in Latin and ballroom dancing.  Links 2008-04-25T00:00:00-09:00 http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/welcome/ http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/site/welcome/#When:21:48:00Z Joy in Motion is devoted to the celebration and exploration of social dance. The basic premise of Joy in Motion is that movement is not intended to be detached from the spirit, so the focus is on concepts that explore the uniting of spirit and movement, including connection, musicality, and flow. Bringing these concepts onto the dance floor encourage a partnership that is as dynamic and alive as the personalities that compose it. Although every form of social partner dance - from salsa to Argentine tango to swing to ballroom - has its own unique dance culture, the focus of Joy in Motion is to explore the intangible qualities that all social dances share. Joy in Motion aims to draw knowledge and inspiration from a variety of disciplines and to find common experience through many and diverse manifestations of that experience. These reflections are not meant to be the final word, but rather a starting point for further exploration and discussion. The focus of Joy in Motion necessarily reflects my journey and experience as a dancer. The study of the intangibles of social dance is not an exact science, but an art form as well as a personal and spiritual pursuit. Therefore, not all readers will agree with my ideas, reflections, and conclusions. However, my goal is to provide more questions than answers and to stimulate a richer experience and expression of the individual through social dance. Thank you for visiting Joy in Motion. Enjoy! Karin Norgard Joy in Motion Home Page Content 2008-04-23T21:48:00-09:00