SUNCOAST LINE DANCE WORKSHOP 3/14/2026

Yesterday was the Suncoast Line Dance Workshop at the Sara Dance Center in Sarasota, Florida. The new John Dembiac (have you seen his transformation? Amazing!) hosted a wonderful event with Rhoda Lai, Trevor Thornton, and John Robinson. 

The workshops I attended included:

Wings To Fly and Tomorrow Is Ours (Lai) by Rhoda Lai and Hayley Wheatley/ Rhoda Lai - great beginner dances

Freight Train Fever (Thornton) by Trevor Thornton - watch for the step sheet to come out on this one!

Porcelain & Pain (Lai) by Rhoda Lai - again, watch for the step sheet to come out on this one! 

Lose Control Tonight (Lai) by Esmerelda van de Pol, Rhoda Lai, Dirk Leibing - happy improver dance

Haunted (Dembiac) by John Dembiac & Guyton Mundy - great nightclub!

Do Si Dough (Lai) by Maddison Glover & Jo Thompson Szymanski -  fun high beginner dance

The other workshops included:

90 Proofin’ (Robinson) by John Robinson

Drink Champagne (Robinson) by Maddison Glover

Florida Beaches and Where You At (Thornton) both by Trevor Thornton & Brandon Zahorsky

Spring Shake Break (Robinson) by John Robinson

Getaway Car and Country Tightrope (Thornton) by Brandon Zahorsky & Trevor Thornton/Darren Bailey

Loved You Better (Lai) by Rhoda Lai & Guillaume Richard

On Purpose (Thornton) by Trevor Thornton & Brandon Zahorsky

John and his crew of volunteers provided a taco bar for lunch with rice and beans and TONS of fruits and desserts (we won’t talk about the margaritas that were ENJOYED by many!!!)

We had eleven dancers from Southwest Florida attending - and really happy to see so many friends from other areas of Florida. Always great to catch up with everyone! If you’ve never attended, it might be something you’d like to check out next year!

SNL 2025

 SUNSHINE IN LINE 2025

Rachael McEnaney-White sure knows how to put on a CLASS A event!!! We returned home from a 4-day extravaganza in Orlando. The DoubleTree at Seaworld is a new venue for this event - resort-style like the Wyndham but in a bit better shape. The conference center at one end of the property; more ballrooms in the main lobby building and Tower; lodging rooms in buildings surrounding the lobby and tower. A few pools (never really saw any of them!); great food in the Market and Laguna; friendly staff; and, of course, the warm chocolate chip cookies upon check-in... a DoubleTree signature treat!

Thursday was the welcome and introduction of staff. Rachael taught her new dance, "Tequila To Forget" (which I'll be teaching as soon as a step sheet comes out!) and we had social dancing until 2am. Ryan Hunt was our new DJ for the weekend - and he did an OUTSTANDING job!!! Great playlists EVERY SINGLE NIGHT with very, very few repeat plays. FABULOUS!!!

I over-extended myself on Friday. Couldn't help it. Too many good things to not miss! Cha Cha technique with Jenny Stephenson; Feel The Spark with Shane McKeever (fun!); My A.D.D. with Guyton (just one of those classics that I've never gotten to learn - and will need several more attempts before I have it down... but I DID dance it on the floor Friday night, so there's that!). Cha technique was in the Orange (lobby building ballroom); Feel The Spark was across the property in the main ballroom; and My A.D.D. was back in the Orange. It was at the conclusion of that 3rd workshop that I decided a) I was wearing the wrong shoes for this! I needed my Rumpf's that can walk outside because putting on and taking off dance shoes every time I needed to switch rooms was NOT workin' for me) and b) I had overdone it. I left the 3rd workshop and walked outside... saw the sign with the arrows pointing you in different directions based on where you wanted to be and it said my building was to the RIGHT. My brain said it was to the LEFT. And then it (my brain) shut down. Totally collapsed. I stood in front of that sign and literally had NO IDEA where I was going. Granted, it was probably only 30 seconds... but for that eternity of 30 seconds, I truly had NO IDEA where to go. 

Once I found my room, put my feet up, got something to eat, and chilled for a bit, I was ready to start again with a re-teach of Stomp Your Feet (everyone remembered the SING part!), took a break, and then a teach from Marlon & Romain of For the Glory. I'd already had it - but this was from the choreographers themselves. Awesome teach. First time seeing them in person. 

Saturday - I changed my approach! Made sure I wore shoes that could go outside and only took the classes that were ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to take: Get The News (Warren/Babinec), No Remorse (Ward/Poulsen), Back To The Start (Wheatley) and Azizam (Ward/Glass/Madge), and Familiar Faces (Mundy) ... (can you say Sound of Silence???).

I bailed on Sunday. There were a few teaches I would've taken but I was wasted. So many great teaches and workshops; and fantastic open dancing at night - completely wasted.

Many thanks to Rachael and her team, all the instructors and choreographers, the DJs, and the staff of the DoubleTree at Seaworld. What an experience!

2024 YEAR IN REVIEW

 

2024 RECAP

Every year I like to look back at the dances taught over the year and the ones that rise to the top.

INTERMEDIATE - 49 different dances taught and/or requested (down from 54 in 2023)

Gave Me A Girl

Straight Line

Breathe

IMPROVER - 51 different dances taught and/or requested (up from 48 in 2023)

Come Dance With Me

Un Poquito

Give Me Your Tempo

Cold Heart

BEGINNER - 41 different dances taught and/or requested across 2 classes (up from 38 last year)

Ultra Beginners

Stand By Me 

Swingin’ Thing 

Beginners

#1 Rockin’ The Wagon Wheel and Rockin’ Cha

#2 I Was On A Boat, Until The Dawn, That Honky Tonk Highway

#3 A Bar Song, K Is For Kicks, Glass Of Wine, and Never Drinking again

ALL-BEGINNER WORKSHOP AT THE RANCH!

 We had a great time at the Ranch on November 30!

Laura & Anthony Gordon and Michael Faith taught six dances throughout the afternoon - four of which have been requested to bring to our classes:

Country Bump

https://www.copperknob.co.uk/stepsheets/132100/country-bump

Twenty Two

https://www.copperknob.co.uk/stepsheets/187529/twenty-two-22

Made In Mexico

https://www.copperknob.co.uk/stepsheets/186199/made-in-mexico

Bright Lights by Michael Faith

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