Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Tap Dance ~ Sweet Potato Casserole ~ John and Trish Bowler ~ National Groundhog Day

  

Good 23º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 61º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about tap dance..........

 

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the jazz tradition.

 

The sound is made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. There are different brands of shoes which sometimes differ in the way they sound.

 

History

Tap dance is an indigenous American dance form with roots that go back 300 years to British and West African musical and step dance traditions. These fused and evolved into a form of dance called "jigging", which was taken up by minstrel show dancers in the 1800s. Tap dance then became a popular stage entertainment.

 

As minstrel shows began to decline in popularity, tap dance moved to the increasingly popular Vaudeville stage. Due to Vaudeville's unspoken "two-colored rule", which forbade blacks to perform solo, many Vaudeville tap acts were duets. One such duo was "Buck and Bubbles," which consisted of John "Bubbles" Sublett tap dancing and Ford "Buck" Washington playing a piano. The duo performed a "Class Act", a routine in which the performers wore tuxedos, effectively distinguishing them from the older minstrel show concept of tap dancers as "grinning-and-dancing clowns."

 

Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Choreography typically starts on the eighth or first beat count. Another aspect of tap dancing is improvisation. Tap dancing can either be done with music following the beats provided, or without musical accompaniment; the latter is known as "a cappella" tap dancing.

 

Hoofers are tap dancers who dance primarily "closer to the floor", using mostly footwork and not showing very much arm or body movement. This kind of tap dancing, also called rhythm tap, was employed by slaves in America.

 

Steve Condos developed an innovative rhythmic tap style that influenced the work of later tap dancers such as Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. The majority of early hoofers, such as Sammy Davis Jr., Glover, Hines, and LaVaughn Robinson were African American men. Savion Glover helped bring tap dance into mainstream media by choreographing Happy Feet, a film about a tap dancing penguin. Another well-known tap film is 1989's Tap, starring Gregory Hines and many old-time hoofers.

 

Early tappers like Fred Astaire provided a more ballroom look to tap dancing, while Gene Kelly introduced ballet elements and style into tap. This style of tap led to what is today known as Broadway style, which is popular in American culture. It often involves high heeled tap shoes and show music, and is usually the type of tap first taught to beginners. Examples of this style are found in Broadway musicals such as Anything Goes and 42nd Street.

 

Taps are mounted to the sole of the shoe with screws, and sometimes adhesive as well. The screws are driven into a soundboard – a thin fiberboard integrated into the sole that can be firmly "gripped" by the screws – to reliably attach the tap to the shoe. When no adhesive is used, the screws can be loosened or tightened to produce different sounds, whereas tonal quality is fixed when adhesive is used.

 

If you want to read more, go here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_dance

 

 

When I was a late teen and had taken tap dancing, I taught a tap class to little girls. "Shuffle hop step" 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

There couldn't be an easier way to make an elegant sweet potato side dish. Canned sweet potatoes are a huge time-saver, and when they're mixed and baked with a few ingredients and topped with pecans, it makes this Sweet Potato Casserole hard to resist. We love having an easy sweet potato casserole recipe on hand, especially during the holiday season, so you'll sure be thankful you saved this one 'cause it's just so simple!

 

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened, divided
• 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
• 2 (29-ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
    
2. In a medium bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, flour, 1/4 cup butter, and the coconut, if desired; mix until crumbly, then set aside.
    
3. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, including remaining butter; mix well. Spoon into casserole dish and sprinkle evenly with pecan mixture.
    
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.

 

 

 

Special Anniversary today... pals John (LASD ret) and Trish Bowler are celebrating their 60th. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KIDS!!!

Historically this date...........

1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.

 

 

1848 – California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese immigrants arrives in San Francisco, California.

 

1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.

 

1976 – The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.

 

1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.

 

 

And births this date include... 

 

1937 – Tom Smothers, American musician and comedian 

 

 

 

 

1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (d. 2009) 

 

 

 

Here is a picture I took of her in Acapulco when I was working for Fabergé and we represented her line of hair products... 

 

 

 

 

1948 – Ina Garten, American author and TV personality 

 

 

 

 

1954 – Christie Brinkley, American model

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Groundhog Day on February 2nd each year asks one question. Will he see his shadow? Ok, well maybe it asks another question. Will there be six more weeks of winter?

Groundhog Day is observed on February 2nd, each year in the United States and Canada.  For a nice welcomed break during the winter, on this day the groundhog awakens from his nap and goes outside to see if he can see his shadow.  It is believed by many that if the groundhog sees his shadow that there will then be six more weeks of winter. If this is so,  he then retrieves back into his den and goes back to sleep.  If he is not able to see his shadow, the groundhog remains outside to play and people celebrate believing that spring is just around the corner.

The tradition of predicting the length of the remaining winter is intertwined with the Christian holiday, Candlemas. Clergy would bless candles symbolizing the ‘light of the world’ to give to their congregations.  Another tradition associated with this day is eating crepes.  Germans practiced the art of predicting the winter with a hedgehog until their arrival in the United States when they settled in the hills of Pennsylvania, and the groundhog became the official predictor.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been chosen as the site for the annual Groundhog day event.  Thousands of people come to the town of Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day for this day of celebration.

Although already a well known day, Groundhog Day received widespread attention as a result of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and portrayed Roger Rininger as the groundhog.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Check if the groundhog has seen its shadow. You can also watch the movie Groundhog Day. Read the Farmer’s Almanac to find out the likelihood of an early spring. Share your predictions on whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow.

NATIONAL GROUND HOG DAY HISTORY

An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, by storekeeper James Morris, dated February 4th, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

“Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”