What do you get when you mix T-Birds, Bermuda shorts, bubble-flip dos and incredible dancing? You get Shag, The Movie a comic free-for-all (The New York Times) that Variety calls fun and breezy and you'll call a blast! Carson (Phoebe Cates, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) is all set to marry respectable but boring Harley (Tyrone Power, Jr., Cocoon) until her best friends Melaina (Bridget Fonda, Single White Female), Pudge (Annabeth Gish, MysticPizza), and Luanne (Page Hannah, TV's Fame ) whisk her off for a last-fling beach party where all the girls have the time of their lives! A charming bad boy throws Carson's marriage plans intothe spin cycle. His nerdy sidekick whirls Pudge through some dazzling dance steps. Sultry Melaina learns some sexy moves from an Elvis-like teen idol. And even straight-laced Luanne whips off her horn-rimmed glasses and tosses her innocence to the wind! It's not too surprising that Shag flopped on its 1989 release but found a devoted cult following on cable TV and home video. This featherweight comedy looked like a waste of space on the big screen, but it plays very cozily on the tube, where it lends itself to popcorn breaks and pajama parties. (The lousy title must have had something to do with the movie's initial failure, a problem worsened by the film being marketed as Shag: The Movie , a truly dumb idea.) Shag is in the tradition of Spring Break pictures, a thoroughly formulaic stroll through the conventions of the minigenre: beachside romance, a wild party, one tender deflowering, and lots of rock & roll. The time is 1963, as three gal friends trick their soon-to-be-married pal (Phoebe Cates) into one final all-girl fling in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Cates is engaged to a local well-bred stick (Tyrone Power Jr.), but soon she's tempted by a beach boy (Robert Rusler) bound for Yale (mm-hmm). The so-so material is buoyed by lovely Annabeth Gish, as the supposedly pudgy one in the group, and Bridget Fonda, as a prematurely sophisticated sexpot. After a while it's easy enough to relax and enjoy the girls' breezy adventures, which are served up without the soap opera melodrama of the similarly tooled Where the Boys Are . Oh, and Austin Powers notwithstanding, the title refers to the dance, not something else. --Robert Horton

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Q: Physics and the Art of Dance: Understanding Movement

[gallery] Physics and the Art of Dance gives all who enjoy dance - whether as dancers, students, teachers, or fans - an opportunity to understand what happens when human bodies move in the remarkable ways we call dance . How, for instance, do dancers create the illusion of defying gravity? Or of starting to spin when in the air with no source of force to act on their bodies? You may observe some dancers using their arms in a way that allows some to jump higher than others. What is that technique, and why does it work? In this second edition, author Ken Laws - a physicist with years of professional dance training - teams with veteran dance instructor Arleen Sugano to provide new step-by-step experiments for dancers. "What you see" sections describe the way physical principles form the framework within which some movements exist. The complementary "What you do" sections allow dancers to experience how those physical analyses can provide them a more efficient means of learning how to carry out those movements. Throughout, the book shows how movements are first artistic expressions, and secondly movements of the body within the framework of easy-to-understand physical principles. Dancers and dance instructors will find in this book an efficient means of improving technical proficiency and growing professional and aesthetic development. For physics and science teachers, the book provides a new and compelling way to draw people into the world of science. And observers and fans of dance will marvel over the beautiful time-stop photography by renowned dance photographers Martha Swope and Gene Schiavone.

Q: The Temptation to Tango: Journeys of Intimacy and Desire

[gallery] Explore the world's most sensual and intimate dance, through stories and memoirs by two avid tangueros. Discover why thousands of people are obsessed with the passion of tango.

Q: Dance Anatomy (Sports Anatomy)

[gallery] Powerful, expressive, and compelling! Now you can see what it takes to be a stronger, more elegant dancer. Featuring over 200 full-color illustrations, Dance Anatomy visually depicts the unique relationship between muscle development and aesthetic movement as never before. Dance Anatomy features 82 of the most effective dance, movement, and performance exercises, each designed to promote perfect alignment, improved placement, proper breathing, and prevention of common injuries. In stunning detail, the accompanying illustration captures the dancer in motion and highlights the active muscles associated with each movement. You’ll learn how to modify exercises to target specific areas to enhance flexibility and reduce muscle tension. You’ll also learn to put it all together to personalize a program based on your style of dance, level of expertise, and individual needs and goals. Whether you seek to optimize performance, add a new movement to your repertoire, or minimize muscle fatigue, stress, and injury, Dance Anatomy is your perfect partner.

Q: Dance Kinesiology, Second Edition

[gallery] Dance Kinesiology reflects modern techniques and includes articles addressing eight important systems of body work: the Pilates Method, Rolfing, the Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique, Ideokinesis, Body-Mind Centering, the Bartenieff Fundamentals, and Laban Movement Analysis.

Q: Ballroom Dancing, 10th Edition

[gallery] Now in its tenth edition, this classic and comprehensive handbook has been revised to bring it up to date in keeping with changes on the dance floor and in the rules of dance competitions. The Quickstep, Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango are all illustrated and described in great detail.

Q: Social Dance: Steps to Success (STS (Steps to Success Activity)

[gallery] Feel confident on the dance floor—step by step! This third edition of Social Dance: Steps to Success will teach you all the moves for 10 of today’s most popular dance styles: Merengue Four-count swing and hustle Waltz Six-count swing Foxtrot Polka Cha-cha Rumba Tango Salsa and mambo The first few learning steps in this book introduce you to the foundational skills and concepts you need for success on the dance floor. Each step you take is a smooth transition from the previous one. As you progress, you learn not only how your posture and footwork affect your balance but also how to connect your footwork with the music, adjust to a partner, make the transition between partner positions, and create sequences from variations of each dance’s specific rhythmic step pattern. Each of the steps also explains why the concept or skill is important, indentifies the keys to correcting technique, helps you avoid common errors, and provides drills to practice at your own pace. The later steps show how to demonstrate dance etiquette, including how to adapt to a crowded social dance floor. Best of all, the enclosed DVD provides you with 93 minutes of video demonstration and a music soundtrack with 19 tracks for practice and demonstrations of key movements, footwork, and the dances themselves. Written by master teacher and dancer Judy Wright, this special book and DVD package is part of the best-selling Steps to Success activity series, with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide.

Q: Ballroom Dancing Step-By-Step: Learn To Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango And Jive In Over 400 Easy-To-Follow Photographs And Diagrams

[gallery] A concise illustrated guide to each dance and its movements, so you can learn at home - learn the traditions, steps and routines, with tips on holds and improving your technique.

Q: Zumba 101 Dance Fitness for Beginners Workout DVD

[gallery] It's your turn to join the calorie-burning dance-fitness craze that's taken the whole world by storm with Zumba 101 featuring two awesome DVDs. Learn from the creator of the Zumba fitness program himself, Beto Perez, as he takes you through the essential moves to get you dancing yourself into shape. It's your turn to join the calorie-burning dance-fitness craze that's taken the whole world by storm with Zumba 101 featuring two 30-min workouts in 1 DVD. Learn the basic steps of the 4 core rhythms in a 30-minute basics class Then put those new moves to work as you rock out in an easy-to-follow 30-minute class Learn from the creator of the Zumba fitness program himself, Beto Perez, as he takes you through the essential moves to get you dancing yourself into shape

Q: Ultimate Lindy Hop Volume 3 - Flash, Shine, and Advanced Steps

Ultimate Lindy Hop Volume 3 expands on everything you learned in the first two videos of the series. Daniel Newsome and Giselle Anguizola show you how to endlessly modify the Lindy Hop by adding, subtracting, and changing steps. Choose from a wide array of over 30 moves, learning each at your own pace and coming back for more whenever you're ready. Dan and Giselle show every move clearly and simply -- and how to make them look good! Go from standard patterns that every Lindy Hopper should know, to original steps and variations that are sure to dazzle. Each move is clearly broken down, and demonstrated to music at Seattle's historic Triple Door Theater. This DVD will have you adding the style, energy and syncopation that defines the Lindy Hop. Giselle and Dan been teaching students worldwide for over a decade, and each is known as a leading historian and innovator in the Lindy Hop community. You will learn the authentic steps from the 1930s and 1940s that jitterbugs all over the world still dance today. At Motion Lifestyle we believe the best dancer is the one having the most fun and aim to make our students the best dancers on the floor. There is no better way to learn the Lindy Hop!

Q: Ultimate Lindy Hop Volume 2 - The Charleston

Add some kick to your Lindy Hop! Ultimate Lindy Hop Volume 2 picks up right where Volume 1 left off. In this comprehensive three-hour video Daniel Newsome and Giselle Anguizola show you all the basics of the Lindy Charleston, as well as many of the most exciting moves and patterns in the style. Especially geared toward fast music, Charleston is the ideal style to get comfortable leading and following to up-tempo music. These lessons will dramatically increase your swing vocabulary with Charleston-based movements and fluid combinations and transitions from 6 count to 8 count, to Charleston, and back again. Each move is shown with clear a breakdown of the steps, tips for dancing as a pair, and demonstration to music at the historic Triple Door Theater in Seattle. DVD includes: ** side by side Charleston ** tandem Charleston ** traveling Charleston ** 1920s (face to face) ** hand to hand ** crossover Charleston PLUS... original moves created by Dan and Giselle, and some that simply don't fit any specific classification! After taking in the basics, you will learn a series of routines and choreographies that will help you light up the floor! Not only have Dan and Giselle been teaching students worldwide for over a decade, each is known as a leading historian and innovator in the Lindy Hop community. They will show you the authentic steps as they were done originally in the 1930s and 40s, and add their own special twists. At Motion Lifestyle we believe the best dancer is the one having the most fun and aim to make our students the best dancers on the floor. There is no better way to learn the Lindy Hop!