Another dance lesson for you and all you have to do is listen to the directions in the song!
Here is how to do:
THE CHA CHA SLIDE
(Main steps: 1-4)
1) “Turn It Out” or “Let’s Go To Work” are the key phrases indicating the start of the
electric slide. Turn to the rt. then 3 steps to the rt. and clap. Then 3 steps to the left and clap. Then 3 steps back and clap.
2) “Hop”-You hop forward with your feet spread apart the # of times dictated in the song. (Anywhere from 1 to 6 times)
3) “Stomp”-A hard step forward, first with your right foot then your left. This maybe done more than once also.
4) “Cha-Cha”-4 Steps. (1) forward with the rt. foot (2) forward with the lf. foot (3) back with the rt. foot (4) back with the lf. foot. You will cha-cha anywhere from 1 to 4 times, depending on the song.
5) “Criss-Cross”-Cross your legs and back again-2 beats. (1) X (2) l l.
6) “Reverse”-Hop and do a 180 degree turn.
7) “Slide”-One step to left or right depending on the song. (Advanced dancers drag your opposite foot-it looks cool)
8) “Charlie Brown”-Not Sure? I do the monkey (move my arms up & down…left-right- left-right etc.) 8 beats.
9) There are a few other self-explanatory steps-clapping, etc.
That’s it. It sounds confusing but once you get the song and do it a few times you’ll see how easy it is.
Kaydee says... "It's The Best instructional video for Cha Cha Slide on Youtube!"
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Greetings Fellow Djs. I would like to start the equipment article series with a talk about speakers, speaker stands, and speaker cords. This applies to freelance as well as staff djs that work for us. I can't stress enough the following: ALL SPEAKERS MUST BE ON SPEAKER STANDS.
We dj weddings and private parties, close to 90% of these parties are indoors. There is NO NEED to put your speakers on the floor, to put your speakers on your table (even if you are on a stage), or to put your speakers on chairs. There is also NO NEED to bring extremely large floor speakers that are TOO HEAVY to be put on stands. These floor speakers are for clubs, concerts, and outside events. There is also no need to stack your speakers (Those that bring 4 speakers). The only exception is for sub woofers.
When You elevate your speakers, the highs from your tweeter will not broadcast properly (bouncing off your dancing crowds mid section) nor will it be at ear level (irritating most guests). Your woofer, that produces bass and most of the mid range will also be elevated above the crowds heads (causing less irritation). One of the best reasons for putting your speakers on stands (up High) is so that the back of the dancefloor & room can also hear the music.
The appearance of your speakers and stands should also be in tip top shape. No one at a party wants to see carpet or parts dangling off your speakers, nor do they want to see scratched up speakers or those with the vinyl covering ripped off. Also your stands, if used in conjunction with light clamps can be scratched up very easily. Since most stands are black as well as speakers. Simple cheap black spray paint can sometimes bring your speakers back looking better than before and can also make speaker stands LOOK LIKE NEW. ONE NOTE if the equipment is not yours DO NOT do anything to it unless you consult the owners.
It is also a great idea to MAKE SURE your tweeters an woofers are working correctly at each gig. Because we stand behind our equipment for most of the night we might not notice a blown tweeter. Be sure to make a quick check at each gig. You should be doing this anyway at each gig during your MICROPHONE & MUSIC CHECK, 
but that is going to be a later article.
Finally, PLEASE make sure your cords are wrapped around your speaker stands 4 or 5 times. An alternative is to use zip ties or velcro to keep the cables hidden behind the speaker poles. A hanging speaker cord not only looks bad but gives the appearance that the dj was rushed or even a rookie. If you use these tips you will be on your way to being a more professional dj resulting hopefully in a better DJ.
Now that I've ripped all this music what do I do?
Lets say you have a 200 Gigabyte hard drive and and it is 90% full thats 180 Gig and about 45,000 songs (ripped at 128 to 192 kbs avg). Hopefully You already have used a good MP3-RIPPER like Audio Grabber but if you didn't you might have to do some of the following.
You need to do a few things to make sure your music collection is pristine. The FIRST MOST Important thing is to BACK UP your entire music collection at LEAST ONCE if not more. and this backup should happen monthly or each time you change or update your music collection.
Second is you should get an MP3 id3v TAG analyzer/editor. Run this program on your entire library to correct spelling and/or missing information. it should also update your tags automatically in a mass grouping.Try DR. Tag (I use it. FREE to try) - AVS Audio editor is similar to Audacity but it has more functions.
Third is NORMALIZATION. Grab an MP3 normalizing program that will set all of your mp3s volume levels at the same default level. MP3 Gain is great software and it is FREE! Keep in mind that normalizing your audio levels can have an affect on the way they sound.
After all this is done you can go deeper with the ID3v tag editor and really categorize all of your music (Manually of course) You can also use editing programs like audacity or Cool Edit to change or edit your music ( taking out bad words for ex.)
You can als get an mp3 BPM (Beats Per Minute) analyzer/editor to extract the BPM information form your entire library. Mixmeister offers a Very Cool Free BPM Analyzer. Note that the new DJ software on the market automatically BPMs each song when played live at a gig. and other programs can extract BPM and normalize as well as individually being able to edit mp3s id3v tag.
It's Wednesday.....have you called your clients for this weekend yet?"ENTERTAINMENT - The gift you give back to your family and friends."Isn't that great? It is, because it's true. Music will shape and define the event. It will bring people together to share very special moments that become their memories. It's a major responsibility and the client has entrusted you to get it done. Calling them the week of the event, whether you've had 6 meetings, 3 phone calls or 100 emails tells them that they have placed their trust in a professional who cares about their event. It sets them at ease which makes it much easier to do your job on the day of the event. A stressed out client is really hard to make happy and really easy to avoid with a simple phone call.
Mo' Money!
Yet another Spin Off dance of The electric slide, The Booty Call is a favorite in The Delaware, Baltimore, and DC areas. More Videos to come!
Here is how to do:
THE BOOTY CALL Song by: Cochise
Take 3 steps right and Clap (4 Beats)
Take 3 steps left and Clap (4 Beats)
Take 3 steps backward and Clap (4 Beats)
Jump forward (1st Beat) & Shake your Booty (3 Beats)
Step forward to the right side with right foot (keep left foot in place) & Sway hips forward & Back (4 Beats)
Step forward to the left side with left foot (keep right foot in place) & Sway hips forward & Back (4 Beats)
Now BOX STEP (4 Count) twice to equal 8 Counts but on the 8th Count turn ¼ turn counterclockwise
START AGAIN
THE BOX STEP: Your feet will be in a stance where your left foot will be in front of you to your left side.
Take your right foot step forward crossing over your left foot. Take one step back & left with your left foot. Now move your right foot back to the right (Feet now together but split a bit). Now step forward to the left with your left foot and you will be back in the stance you started in. This entire move takes 4 Beats. Do this two times.
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