The 2009 Art Deco Ball,The Dancing Begins

Did you know? - A toast is someone or something in honor of which people usually have a drink, the drink or honor itself, or the act (pledge) of indicating that honor.

For example, a person could be "the toast of the evening", for whom someone "proposes a toast" to congratulate and for whom a third person "toasts" in agreement.

The toast as described here is rooted in Western culture, but certain cultures outside that sphere have their own traditions in which consuming a drink is connected with ideas of celebration and honor.

The custom of touching glasses is often believed to have evolved from concerns about poisoning, since clinking glasses together would cause each drink to spill over into the others. This, however, is not true.

The word 'toast' became associated with the custom in the 17th century, based on a custom of flavoring drinks with spiced toast. The word originally referred to the lady in whose honor the drink was proposed, her name being seen as figuratively flavoring the drink

Did you know? - A corkscrew is a tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, it consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point through the cork, entwining the cork and corkscrew so that moving one moves the other. Corkscrews are necessary because corks themselves, being small and smooth, are difficult to grip and remove, particularly when inserted fully into an inflexible glass bottle. The handle of the corkscrew, often a horizontal bar of wood attached to the screw, allows for a commanding grip to ease removal of the stopper. Corkscrew handles may incorporate levers that further increase the amount of force that can be applied outwards upon the cork.

Its design may have derived from the gun worm which was a device used by musketmen to remove unspent charges from a musket's barrel in a similar fashion, from at least the early 1630s.

The corkscrew is possibly an English invention, due to the tradition of beer and cider, and Treatise on Cider by John Worlidge in 1676 describes "binning of tightly corked cider bottles on their sides", although the earliest reference to a corkscrew is, "steel worm used for the drawing of Corks out of Bottles" from 1681.

In 1795, the first corkscrew patent was granted to the Reverend Samuell Henshall, in England. The clergyman affixed a simple disk, now known as the Henshall Button, between the worm and the shank. The disk prevents the worm from going too deep into the cork, forces the cork to turn with the turning of the crosspiece, and thus breaks the adhesion between the cork and the neck of the bottle. The disk is designed and manufactured slightly concave on the underside, which compresses the top of the cork and helps keep it from breaking apart.

Did you know? - A porthole is a small, generally circular, window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Porthole is actually an abbreviated term for "port hole window". Though the term is of obvious maritime origin, it is also used to describe round windows on armored vehicles, aircraft, automobiles (the Ford Thunderbird a notable example), and even spacecraft.

On a ship, the function of a porthole, when open, is to permit light and fresh air to enter the dark and often damp below-deck quarters of the vessel. It also affords below-deck occupants a limited, but often much needed view to the outside world. When closed, the porthole provides a strong water-tight, weather-tight, and sometimes light-tight barrier.

A porthole on a ship may also be called a sidescuttle or side scuttle (side hole). This term is used in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. It is also used in related rules and regulations for the construction of ships. The use of the word "sidescuttle" instead of "porthole" is meant to be broad, including any covered or uncovered hole in the side of the vessel.

Did you know? - Isn’t Argentine tango a sexy dance with a lot of dramatic flair and a rose between the teeth?

The style of tango done on the stage for performance is referred to as tango fantasia. It is generally choreographed, and if done with an Argentine basis, will reflect many of the steps and structure associated with the traditional tango, but done larger and more open so as to be seen by an audience. The image of the rose between the teeth and the rigid outstretched arms was created in a movie role by Rudolphe Valentino in the 20’s and stuck as a camp image of tango. It is NEVER done by tango afficionados. The experience of dancing tango socially is sensual, and often feels dramatic due to the surprise element of improvisation, but ostentatious dancing or those who dance to show off steps, are not especially popular as partners.