Weekly Note #53

Let the Controversy Begin

December 3rd 2012

This Week's Note

Quote of the Week

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The Church of Jordan and Tatiana

WCS Revolution Series

Quote of the Week

Unless you become more watchful in your states and check the spirit of monopoly, you will, in the end, find that the control over your dearest interests has passed into the hands of these corporations.

-Andrew Jackson

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Katherine Eastvold

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Camarillo, CA 93011

LOOK INSIDE!

Christmas has come early! The "Look Inside!" feature is now available for BOTH of my books on Amazon.com.

"Look Inside!" allows you to do just that- flip through the first part of the book for free. You'll quickly discover just how much new material I've added, and get a great sneak peek and see what all the fuss is about!

Just click on the book cover that says "Look Inside!" on it at each of these direct book links:

Telling the Truth

and

Setting Dancers Free

Katherine Eastvold

PO Box ----

Los Angeles, CA

A year ago today I sat down to write out my scores for the Classic Division of the 2011 US Open. I wrote all night long, adding your scores and other observations first and saving my own scores for last. I finished around 5 am, and promptly cried my eyes out on my husband's shoulder for two hours. Husband's of writers deserve a gold medal. But more on that in my third book.

The point is, I knew how things were back then and I knew what would happen. But I did it anyway, and I'm so glad I did.

This year things are different. The majority of us swing dancers weren't even at the Open. We knew we weren't welcome. We're just too mature. (Did you hear about the WSDC's "role models" on all fours in the hotel bar? Hear about their favorite "kids" being kicked out of the hotel? Yeah. Yawn. Old news. Different demographic. Please.)

So we moved on. We get our swing on elsewhere now. And we had an awesome Thanksgiving Weekend instead. For example, I watched people buy my books at the local Barnes & Noble (yes, that means NON-dancers!!!) and Josh and Nick set off fireworks while the goose was cooking (literally). I couldn't possibly ask for more.

But that doesn't mean I don't have something to say. I do. That doesn't mean I'm going to leave you out in the cold. I'm not.

Let the controversy begin.

-Katherine

PS- Last year's infamous note IS in Setting Dancers Free. I'm having an awesome sale on it, so check your sidebar for more info!

The Church of Jordan and Tatiana

While putting together Setting Dancers Free, I had to add Discussion Questions to nearly 20 Notes. That included the famed Weekly Note #9: The Results are IN!

This Note proved a uniquely difficult one to write Discussion Questions for. So much hate had been violently poured out in an effort to silence people after it was released that the memory of it made it difficult for me to encourage people to speak... speak their own thoughts and their own minds.

But in the end I succeeded, and they are some of my favorite Discussion Questions yet. But there was one that shocked me... yes, me! You writers out there know that you can stand back sometimes and go, "What in the world did I just write!?!" And this question was one of those moments:

"Discussion Question #5:

Right before the US Open (2011) I was told that the Open, and the WCS community that attended it, was The Church of Jordan and Tatiana. In what ways does that title fit? Do you feel that you are a part of that church? What do you think your duties as a member of that church are?"

Yeah. Quite a question, isn't it? I so dearly wish I could be there for some of those discussions, because I can think of some of my own answers from personal experience. My, oh, my.

And then, shortly after I wrote that question, the US Open released an announcement proclaiming a "new" anniversary tape. "In celebration of our thirtieth year," it said, "we have created a compilation of the last ten years (2002 thru 2011) Classic and Showcase winners."

"What the heck???" I thought. "Are they TRYING to sell my books for me???"

Because, as anyone who has read me over the last two years knows, I've said a whole darn lotta things about the last ten years. And now they are putting out a new "tape" of the last ten years just to prove it. Cool.

But if you don't wanna spend the $40 buckaroos to watch the same people dance swing and then, slowly but surely, unravel and stop dancing swing, then go ahead and let me not only recap "The Next Ten Years" as they call it, but also break it down a bit for those of you who weren't around at the time.

The "Next" Ten Years:

2000
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Young Adult (1st Year as Partners)	Benji & Heidi 2nd Young Adult
2001
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Heidi 1st Showcase
2002
Kyle & Sarah 1st Classic (Johnny B Good routine) Jordan & Tatiana 2nd Classic* *complained heavily to Annie Hirsch	Benji & Heidi 1st Showcase
2003
Brent & Kellese 1st Classic Jordan & Tatiana DID NOT compete due to injury	Ronnie & Laureen 1st Showcase Benji DID NOT compete due to Mormon mission
2004
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	David & Susan 1st Showcase Benji DID NOT compete due to Mormon mission
2005
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Heidi 1st Showcase
2006
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic* *Final routine containing swing content	Ben & Carla 1st Showcase Benji DID NOT compete due to SYTYCD
2007
Michael & Kellese 1st Classic Jordan & Tatiana* 3rd Classic (read why...)	Parker & Jessica 1st Showcase Benji DID NOT compete
*First time doing a new routine for finals and fell out of it hard right in front of the judges. One judge told me, "I didn't sleep and sweated the entire night over not placing them in first. It killed me. I was so scared I did the wrong thing."
2008
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Kellese 1st Showcase
2009
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Kellese 1st Showcase
2010
Brennar & Torri 1st Classic Jordan & Tatiana 2nd Classic*	Benji & Torri 1st Showcase
*Since Jordan & Tatiana won upon graduating from Young Adult, judges felt the freedom to give 1st to the next graduates from Young Adult. But times had changed and they faced huge opposition the next year.
2011
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Torri 1st Showcase
2012
Jordan & Tatiana 1st Classic	Benji & Torri 1st Showcase

__________________

Okay, so I put 12 years up there for you, not just 10, but aren't you glad I did? I hope you really paid attention to my notes. On the years that they did not win, did you see why? Either they didn't compete, or messed up so badly with a new routine that they stopped and turned bright red. But even then the judges worried incessantly that they'd made some huge mistake, just because they didn't have Jordan and Tatiana in first.

And did you notice something else? Benji has never lost a US Open since he stopped competing against Jordan and Tatiana, and Matt and Meagan, for that matter.

And the names of those who won in his absence, or in the only three years Jordan and Tatiana did not reign for various reasons? Nothing's changed much up there in the last 10 years, just like I've said in everything I've written.

If you watch the tape of the first 20 years of the Open, you'll see some names repeated, like Lance Shermoen, but they don't tell you how he placed or competed in the years he didn't win. Both Robert Royston and Lance Shermoen placed 6th the year before or after their wins... it really was a competition back then.

So thanks again to the Open for putting out that new tape of the last decade. The first time I didn't have to publish proof on my own! How very sweet. And by all means, go ahead and get the tape if you want, just know what you're getting- a total 180 from the previous tape, and a total monopoly...

by the Church of Jordan and Tatiana.

Want to Know More?

Read all about it in my West Coast Swing Revolution Books:

Telling the Truth

and

Setting Dancers Free

I'm getting great feedback from around the world. If you're overseas, the best way to get one now is on you're country's Amazon.com site. I have links to some of these here.

To Swing... and beyond!

-Katherine

About Katherine

An author and Champion dancer who fell in love with West Coast Swing in the early 1990's, Katherine has owned her highly successful studio, become a finalist in both Classic and Strictly at the US Open, written articles for numerous magazines in the community since 1997, choreographed for numerous top 5 routines, been on the board for Boogie by the Bay and traveled to over 42 states.

She has written two books for her West Coast Swing Revolution Series:Telling the Truth and Setting Dancers Free.

She is not afraid. She loves beauty. She loves truth. And she believes it's knowledge that can bring a dancer more joy than they can imagine on the floor.