The last few days have begun feeling a bit more like fall in Orange County. But at South Coast Dancesport, it has definitely stayed hot! If you missed our September Practice Party with the Jennelle Wax Orchestra, you no doubt heard about it. Studio owner Matt Gregory called it "probably the best dance party I've attended in over a dozen years in the business." The more than 50 people who attended the party certainly seemed to agree. However, don't worry if you didn't get a chance to take to the floor to this fantastic live orchestra, Jennelle and her bandmates will be back in December for our Christmas/Anniversary Party. More details on that exciting event in next month's edition of The Coaster (but mark down December 4th in your calendar while you're thinking about it). This month, you will find information on our 2 Practice Parties (Friday, October 2nd and 30th), the Hawaii Star Ball and our featured student, Ms. Kristi Kindred.

That's right, for the first time South Coast Dancesport will be holding two Practice Parties in the same month! The first will be this Friday, October 2nd. Instructor Ryan Crutcher will be teaching a free Salsa group class at 7 p.m., followed by great music and dancing from 8-10 p.m. If you've been putting off coming to our parties because you felt you weren't ready, then this Friday is the perfect opportunity to prove yourself wrong. The more time you spend on the floor, the faster you will learn. Our parties are also the perfect opportunity to invite your friends to check out your favorite hobby. We'll give them a hand and make it a fun evening. Our second party will be Friday, October 30th. As it's the day before Halloween, we encourage you to dress up and join us for a spooky night of ghoulish fun as Ryan will teach The Thriller during his 7 p.m. group class and then we'll all take to the floor till the witching hour (or 10 o'clock strikes, whichever comes first).

If you’re curious about South Coast Dancesport’s monthly schedule, including our nightly group classes, monthly parties, special events and Showcase Formation practices, click here to see our October calendar.

Next week you might notice a few people missing from the studio. You need look no further than the sunny shores of Waikiki to find the tanned and smiling faces of Trish Van Mourick and Kathy Lynch as they head to the Hilton Hawaiian Village for the Hawaii Star Ball. Organized by Geoffrey Fells, this event is a staple of the South Coast Dancesport competition calendar. If you weren't able to go this year, ask your teacher about how you can attend in 2010. In the meantime, follow Kathy and Trish's progress on the South Coast Dancesport Twitter feed (provided their instructor, Matt Gregory, can set his Mai Tai down long enough to post updates).

Periodically, The Coaster likes to highlight one of the students that you see on the floor at the studio. This month, please meet Kristi Kindred. Kristi is a CPA and CFO of a real estate investment company. Combine that with her German descent and Kristi seems perfectly suited to be the sexy, free spirited Latin dancer we all know. She began dancing two years ago when she was asked to participate in a fundraiser called 'Dancing to a New Beat' which was patterned after Dancing with the Stars. She performed to Donna Summer's hit 'Last Dance.' That night was a dream come true and she's continued to dance every week since then. When asked what keeps her coming back, Kristi said it's "the challenge of learning something I had always dreamed of doing which never seemed remotely possible in my life, the challenge of getting out in front of people to dance, not to impress them with my skills (which are still developing), but to show them they too can face their fears and insecurities and have the time of their life. That's what this journey is all about for me." The next time you see Kristi, don't forget to wish her a Happy Birthday!

Our desire is that The Coaster will help you stay on top of all things dance related in your life. If you’d rather not receive this monthly newsletter or were mistakenly added to the list, please click the ‘unsubscribe’ link on the bottom of the page. But we hope you’ll stay subscribed and join us at any of the events listed above. See you on your next lesson! Have a great month dancing!