Diary of a Dan-cer: Homestretch

Wow! It’s almost here.

  The Sassy Six have been preparing since early October. We have worked very hard and are set to give you a great show next Saturday night, Dec. 8 at Moseley’s. While we are much improved dancers since the beginning of this journey, right now, the realization that this is actually going to happen is sinking in. In the past week, I personally have had two dreams/ nightmares. I kid you not. The first really freaked me out. It was vivid. I pictured myself on the dance floor at Moseley’s. I was in costume, with my partner. I scanned the crowd and saw a lot of familiar faces. The scene was real. Bobby Coughlin, emcee of DWTDS, looking dapper, had the microphone in hand and introduced my partner and I. We watched the video introduction, as clear…

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Diary of a Dan-cer: First Time for Everything

Life is made up of a series of firsts. We have baby’s first steps and first words. A little later in life, we have the first time we ride a bicycle, our first date, our first kiss…*gulp* our first time. Well last week, I had a first of my own. I dropped my dance partner for the first time. We didn’t slip. We didn’t stumble. I dropped her. Hard. My only consolation was that I fell, too, and much harder. We were adding a new move to the routine and, for me at least, with dance moves there is quite a large learning curve. Without going into much detail, in an effort to maintain the secrecy of my routine, I started to spin before we were both ready, and we went down like a sack of potatoes. I picture us looking like a spinning top that was …

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Diary of a Dan-cer: Confidence Building

Building confidence for the big day!

  Dancing is like any other activity…the more you do it, the better you get. Like shooting hoops in the driveway or taking swings in the batting cages, repetition is paramount. Contrary to popular belief, Practice does not make Perfect…Perfect Practice makes Perfect. In addition to my regular lessons, I’m putting in a lot of time outside the studio dedicated to sharpening my skills and making sure that I get it right. I have practiced in my kitchen. I have practiced in my living room. I have practiced in my basement. I have even practiced in my office at work. Fear of embarrassment in front of 1000 people at Moseley’s has proven to be quite a motivator! With all of this time and effort, much like taking swings in the cages, I am seeing …

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Diary of a Dan-cer: Remember....It's All for the Kids!

The purpose of DWTDS is to raise money for the Dedham Educational Partnership and Dedham’s schools and students…and the 'Stars' take this responsibility very seriously.

  After a few lessons, you start to get the feel of things. Personally, I planned out my schedule each week with regular lessons and I began to look forward to them. Pardon the pun, but you get into a routine. I knew with each passing lesson, I was getting better. I was becoming *gulp* a dancer. As I have mentioned in previous Diary entries, dancing is a physical activity. There are the same obstacles as you might find in another new sport or physical activity that you take up….initially, muscle soreness, pulled muscles, etc. Then, as you get more involved, you realize that both strength and stamina could be improved. To make things more challenging, for the first few weeks of practice, I was recovering from a broken finger, so I was …

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Diary of a Dan-cer: Song Selection

Song selection can make or break a routine.

  With about 15 minutes left in our first lesson, it was time to pick our song. I had emailed my partner a week earlier and we started narrowing down our list…from 20 songs to 10….10 to 5. The only real advice I had been given from former Stars was to choose a song you like…because you’re going to hear a lot of it. Song selection can make or break a routine. Some strong selections from past shows include LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know it”, Shakira, Wham! and, of course, some disco from Saturday Night Fever. A mistake with this critical part of your performance can lead to a lull in the evening and everyone at Moseley’s heading for a bathroom break when you perform the routine that you put so much hard work into. My intention is to make you cross…

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Diary of a Dan-cer: And So it Begins...

Just one hour after coming home from a dance lesson, it hit me. Total and complete exhaustion.

  After the initial shock wears off…after all of the congratulations are over with, you actually have to start dancing. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a dancer. I lack a certain….oh, what is the dancing term….coordination! Yeah, I lack coordination. The “Shopping Cart” has been my go-to dancing move since High School, and it still is. So, now that I’ve committed to DWTDS, a certain level of terror has begun to set in. There’s no turning back. I have 10 45-minute lessons to perfect a routine to be performed in front of 1000 of my closest friends in just 10 short weeks. Lesson #1…my partner and I are ready to get to work. I let her know that I am a willing participant, but we’re going to have to work on the able part. We decided to run …

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Alex Shumway

10:43 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Go Coach Dan!!!   more ›

Diary of a Dan-cer: The Announcement

We’re going to have some fun.

  Everything associated with Dancing with the Dedham Stars (DWTDS) is done with great secrecy. This is done to heighten anticipation and excitement. Mission accomplished! After Dimitria asked me to participate, I was walking around with this big secret, unable to tell anyone…not my friends…not my co-workers…not even my WIFE! I had this really great, really exciting news and I could tell NO ONE. Keeping the secret was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. The following week, Dimitria asked all of the Stars to get together and we would all meet each other. I was excited to meet my fellow Stars, but there was a certain trepidation as well. After all, this is a competition. We would be competing against each other both as dancers and …

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Diary of a Dan-cer: An Offer You Can't Refuse

Dan Maher is one of the six contestants who will be participating in this year's Dancing with the Dedham Stars. Maher writes about how he is gearing up for the big event.

  “Hi there. Am I speaking with Dan Maher? This is Dimitria Sullivan from Prime Honda. I understand that you recently purchased an Accord from our dealership.” “Yes. We most certainly did.” “Was your buying experience everything you wanted it to be?” “Of course it was, Dim.” I responded wondering where she was going with this. “Was the Salesperson knowledgeable and professional?” “Of course he was….” “I only have one more question for you, Mr. Maher…..do you want to be a STAR?!?” I was floored. Dancing with the Dedham Stars is a big deal! It’s the largest fundraiser of the year for the Dedham Educational Partnership. It’s a fantastic event! I routinely attend as a fan and have been a main sponsor the past two years for two Stars….Mike …

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