SUNCOAST 2024

 

March 9, 2024

Louise, Vicki, Deb Olson, Deb Rossi, Kathy, Klare, Sharon, Valerie, Annie, me...

Julia Wetzel, Trevor Thornton, Jill Weiss.

Taco Bar for lunch.

Great one-day workshop. Fantastic to finally meet Julia Wetzel!

Julia taught her new ones:

Goodbye's Been Good To You (like it)

Sinister (really like it)

Drinks Drunk (beginner - cute)

Sexy Lady (not Julia's - cute)

Float (Hana Reis - cute)

Put It On (Rob Fowler - cute)

I Got It

One Two 3D

Trevor taught:

A Wild Goodbye (already dancing)

Tell Somebody (like it)

Move Like That (not Trevor's)

Get After It (already dancing)

Jill taught:

Swango (a beginner for Breathe)

Easy Roller 365

Breathe (Simon's - already dancing)

Bringing It Back (Fred's)

Lie to Me (Just A Little)

Washed Up In Austin (need to teach it)

I Can't Stand The Rain

Feels So Good

John also debuted two of his new ones - To Be Human (people really liked) and Out The Door

Sharon drove - we made really good time - left at 7:15 from Publix/Immokolee Road and got there just after 8:30.

THE JAMIE MARSHALL WORKSHOP 2024

 

February 24, 2024

WHAT. A DAY.!!!

We had 50 registrants for THE JAMIE MARSHALL workshop held at the Vineyards Community Park today. Jamie taught 4 dances - "More Than I Can Say", "Bringing It Back", "Electric", and "Hello Texas". We had social dancing in between with beginner, improver, and intermediate dances by request. It was an AWESOME day! A first-time workshop for a lot of people - and the feedback was terrific!

YEAR IN REVIEW - 2023

 

2023 CLASS STATISTICS:

ADVANCED CLASS -

       100 Different Dances 

       #1: All For You & Hurts My Soul

       #2: Always, Devil In A Dress, Anything’s Possible

       #3: Everyone Needs A Hero

INTERMEDIATE CLASS -

       54 Different dances

       39 New dances taught

       #1: Never Gonna Not Dance

       #2: Sharks

       #3: Til You Can’t, Show Me, & 3 Tequila Floor

IMPROVER CLASS -

       48 Different dances

       26 New dances

       #1: Mama & Me

       #2: Cold Heart, Back On Texas Time, Give Me Your Tempo

       #3: I Was On A Boat & Sweet Caroline

BEGINNER CLASSES -

       37-38 Different dances

       19-20 New dances

        #1: Rocket To The Sun

        #2: Mamma Maria

        #3: Rockin’ The Wagon Wheel

FITS 2023

 Short and sweet! I came, I danced, I fell. All on Thursday. (At least I was in good company with Guyton’s fall over the weekend as well!) Medical on Friday. Took one (ONE!) workshop Saturday - best of the weekend! “Heart of Darkness” by Rachael and Laura. Left Sunday morning. And will have surgery this upcoming Friday (for those of you wondering!). Plate and pins required. 🤦‍♀️

Maybe Classic will see me on the floor - DANCING! - a little more often!

Congrats to all the choreography competitors and special congrats to the winners! Thankfully, I was able to take a lot of this weekend’s offerings at The Marathon so I only missed a few. Special thanks for all the love and support from too many to mention at the event! Extra special shout out to Rachael who told me to go to bed Thursday night or she was going to take my ipad away… and Melinda Albano Bell for driving me around on Friday! And the BEST travel partner EVER - Kathy!!! She took the ABSOLUTE BEST care of me all weekend long! ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks to Jennifer and JC Dance Productions, all the staff, volunteers, and the Marriott for another great event.

MARATHON 2023

 As I sit at the airport waiting for my flight, I’m reflecting back over this weekend (that I wasn’t sure I was even going to be able to attend due to Grandaughter #2’s graduation - but was ASSURED by others that OF COURSE I could make it all happen 😱😵‍💫🤦‍♀️). As usual, Scott and Jean brought their A-game along with all the staff, instructors, DJS, and volunteers! Great weekend!

The cherry on top was watching Laura Gordon pull off the overall USLDCC Championship with her dance “Soar”. This amazing woman has battled her way through these competitions with dance after dance after dance - placing 1st or 2nd all the way along, and FINALLY saw her dream come true! Blessed to have been able to watch it happen!

I didn’t get to attend any workshops on Sunday due to the flight schedule, but made up for it by attending as many as my brain and body would allow the rest of the time:

Fionna Murray: Not Yet, Get Rollin’

Cody Flowers: Sexy Body

Guillaume Richard: Magic in Madness

Rona Kaye: Together Forever

Jason Takahashi: Come Around Again, Unfinished

Rhoda Lai: Choke

Scott Blevins: Love Love, Good Stuff

Fred Whitehouse: Beautiful World

Bradley Mather: So Cold

Roy Hadisubroto: Last Hurrah

Debbie Rushton: Right In The Middle

Brenna Stith: I Wanna Play

Amy Glass: Mirrors

(Along with hallway teaches of Wreckage and Cheeseburger!)

So many great offerings, so hard to choose!

This was our first event without our Debbie Carpenter. Lots of hugs and remembrances throughout the weekend, and only one total meltdown by me on the 2nd day. I felt her presence all weekend long!

Granddaughter #3 graduates next year - fingers crossed the timing will work out like this year and I’ll be able to attend the 30th Anniversary celebration!

GARY/JOEY WEEKEND - 2023

April 7-8, 2023

It's been awhile since we've had "the boys" together. Fun as always! This year, Sandy and Diane used the Goldstar Ballroom in Daytona Beach for the workshop. We went over Friday and attended the social Friday night; and danced the day away on Saturday. 

Five new dances were taught (actually 4 plus one we learned and danced from the Xperience and then not again after the hurricane).

Gary taught:

    "Eyes Closed" (choreographed with Maggie Gallagher)

    "Matoma Power"

    "Twisted Mind" (also taught at the Xperience)

Joey taught:

    "We Feel Like Dancing" choreographed by Marion Ronkes & Romain Brasme

    "Airs & Graces" choreographed by Roy Hadisubroto & Fiona Murray

We went to "Riptides" for dinner after the workshop and skipped out on the dancing afterwards at the Rockin' Ranch. Enjoyed a walk on the beach instead and then crashed for the night before driving back on Sunday.

 

SUNSHINE ’N LINE - Florida World Dance Masters

I’m only 4 days late with this….. Another fabulous event by the incredible superwoman, Rachael McEnaney-White! Loved my weekend, loved the resort, loved the location (don’t love GETTING to the location), loved the workshops, loved the social dancing! Love, love, LOVE! Make sure to mark your calendars for February 15-19, 2024!

Every workshop I took was amazing! Rachael taught one of her newest - “Where Nowhere Is”; Neville & Julie - “Stop The Rain”; Fred (not feeling the best) - “Makin Moves” & “Every Man’s Dream”; Niels - “Devil In A Dress” & “Hurts My Soul”; Gary - “Players”; Joey - “I’m Happy For You” & “Show Me”; Dustin - “Sexy Body”, “Motivate” & “Always”; Wendie - “Tulsa King”; Maddie - “3 Tequila Floor” & Ryan Hunts “Blow My Mind”; Shane - “I’m Haunted”. And there were so many more that I couldn’t take - just can’t be in two or three places at the same time!!!

I’m looking forward to teaching my favorites to my classes - and learning other people’s favorites as well! 

Rachael - well done! Big Dave - you were awesome! Can’t wait for 2024!!!