Dancers say...

Here are a few participant comments from Denver/Boulder Dance Weekends and Stanford Dance Weeks taught by Richard and Angela.

"Richard was wonderful as usual. He continues to set a very high bar for instruction AND fun!"

“Richard and Angela exemplify grace in their beings, as dancers, teachers and people. They provided an experience of complete joy, not just education of movement. All instruction was given in a positive light, with eloquently spoken descriptions that made each movement and transition simple and logical to comprehend. We learned the dances in the body not just the mind, because the dance was given to us. Instruction given in snippets followed by experience that integrated it, rather than long, egotistical dissertations followed by the sense that I’d rather be somewhere else because I can’t remember what was just said. Each comment was made in the positive. The rare ‘how not to’ comments were preceded by apologies.”

"Wonderful!  Learned a lot, but relaxed as well as challenging.  Wonderful people, great dancing, beautiful spirit which spreads from Richard... and the others who organize and teach."

“We were not the audience we were the experiencers. Everyone became a better dancer. The dance was given to us. The insertion of interesting facts about the history of the dance was an entertaining aspect that enhanced the day.”

“I loved the vast variety of music. That which we didn’t expect was a delight at every turn.”

“To my friends I say, ‘This is a workshop you will never want to miss in the future. Perfectly taught by highly intelligent professional teachers. The best teaching I have experienced in my 25 years of dancing. Pure joy, deep connections, really fun."

“I can look at the house chores that went undone and know that for two and a half days I wasn't a middle-aged ‘doer’, but joyfully ‘being’ an eternal dancer. For me dancing has become my fountain of youth and it was indeed fun sharing this elixir with other willing spirits.”

“[The Weekend] re-energized my sense of dance as a microcosm for relationship and life.”

“A bargain at twice the price.”

“The weekend taught dance skills with which most of us were previously unaware. We learned some important things beyond the specific dance skills, such as dance etiquette, dance history, and how to cope with life's stresses. We learned to not be slaves to dance ‘rules,’ that it's okay to be creative. We got to know old acquaintances better and made new ones. The weekend was just plain fun! If a new workshop happens, you should take it!”

“I can't remember when I have had such a satisfying weekend! I would have to equate it with the old days of skiing under ideal conditions with no crowds, no harried drivers or annoying traffic, and perfect Colorado skies and happy, fellow skiiers. Since I no longer experience this kind of Colorado bliss, this past weekend sure reminded me of those days of living a parallel reality. I emailed someone this morning describing this past weekend as a mini-vacation without having to get on a plane. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to travel with my body and spirit to the land of dance and music.”

"In regards to the dynamic between Richard and Angela, that is what I enjoyed the best.  They are wondrously harmonious.   I have never seen someone transmit so much, add so much, enhance so much, without every saying a word as I saw Angela this weekend.  What a beautiful working relationship.   If Irene Castle said dancing with Vernon was intuitive to be sure, then watching Richard and Angela teach, I would swear it was intuitive to be sure as well."

"I very much appreciated the mix of waltzing, partnering and ideas.   Recently for me dance has become too much analytical, too much about the steps and their execution.   But this weekend really helped to refresh my faith in dance for dance sake. "

"The notion of a weekend of waltz is superb.  It's like boot camp for dancing.   By Sunday, I felt like I was one with the others, their achievements, frustrations, joy, sadness all felt like mine.  Each of the people I met this weekend will be special to me.

I would like to add myself to the long list of those whose lives which have been affected profoundly by the Waltz Weekend; like an eye in my mind has been opened, to a world I was blind to."

"I want to comment as to what a superb experience waltz weekend was.   I felt I learned a lot about dance, not simply a large repertoire of moves.   While we often enjoy the isolated waltz here and there, rarely do we have the chance to focus on the dance and its spirit."