DDW4

Why do I feel the need to cry after EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE WEEKENDS??? 

Thank you all so much for coming together and doing what you do for all of us! Rachael - you are truly amazing! I say it every time and then every next time you’re even MORE amazing! Jessie, Cody, Shea, and Christopher... AWESOME as always! The technological side of these events are mind-blowing! This wouldn’t happen without all of you! 

And the choreographers!!! Day 1: Michelle (Strangers In The Basement - my class is really going to like this), Fred (CMB - I really enjoyed this dance!), Roy & Fiona (& Claire ) - (Remember We Got Love - just fun!), Roy Verdonk, Christopher & Nadja van den Eeden (Colors - our group loved it so much we already had it taught in a class today!), Jo (No Secrets - funky fun that my class is going to enjoy), Maddison (Americano - great teach of a FAST classic!). Day 2: Willie & Jonas (Just 5 More - smooth! My class already likes this!), Shane (Rainfall... “rain on me... rain rain... RAIN ON ME!” Great dance!), Rachael (Let It Be - beautiful classic), Karl (Let’s Get Physical - my first actual teach from you... I’ve taught so many of your dances to my classes and now I feel like I’ve actually met you. Thank you for your dance... and your review of Alcazar! Yay!!!), Scott (Take A Picture - LOVE it!), Joey (If You Ever - we continue to dance this since we learned it in Chicago however many years ago!); and Day 3: Gary & Assumpta (Tequila La La La - once I figure out what tag goes where... 🤪🤪🤪 it’s a fun one!), Guillaume (We’re Blood - I’m excited to actually put it to music... I had to leave early and missed the music part!), Niels (Together But Apart - I know I’m gonna love it - but I need to learn it yet...), John (Choose Love & Be Alright - I missed your teaches but know that when I go back to them, they’ll be fantastic!), and Brandon (Wreck This Town - OMG! My class is going to LOVE this dance!).

Finally, THE SHOW! Just WOW! Nothing short of AMAZING! So creative! We were in awe just watching it! Thank you all for sharing your talents with us!

And we’re on to DDW5! How fast can I get this batch of fabulous dances taught before the next one??? 😉

THANK YOU!!!

Beginner Dances on Video as Exercise... Jo Thompson Szymanski

SUBJECT:  LINE DANCING FOR ALL (ESPECIALLY NEWBIES)

BY:  JO THOMPSON-SZYMANSKI

This is a great video for new dancers to use to learn basics from one of the best teachers ever.   It's a great way to introduce your friends to line dancing and to have them get some exercise at the same time and also to get your kids dancing!

https://youtu.be/bRD1TwPFPi4

A Love Affair With Dance...

In the Saturday, May 9, 2020, World Line Dance Newsletter, a story was shared... and I asked for (and received) permission to pass it along to you.

The story begins....

“I believe that most of us have a distinct memory of our love affair with Line Dance. 

 “I do not use the term love affair lightly.

“When I fell in love with line dance, it was EXACTLY like falling in love.  That feeling that just cannot really be stopped and can barely be described.  It was a long time ago when the US went ape $h!t over country music and line dancing all in the same year. Achy Breaky, Boot Scootin' Boogie, No One Else On Earth, Don't Let Your Love Start Slippin' Away, Shake The Sugar Tree.... also know as 1992.  I had a busy, lucrative career and completely ignored it from Wednesday to Friday night.  If a client made me work on Friday night.....I was not a happy camper. 

“If I arrived at the club on Friday night later than 6:45, there was not a table to plant my stuff...didn't really need to sit much, but the stuff needed a place. I was amazed that I was allowed to join this world of a big family of people dancing and enjoying this great music.

“It was a big club, too..... with an 1800 Sq Ft dance floor....perfectly square(you do not see that very often). I refused to go on Saturdays because the couples made me crazy. I used to dance on the very corner of the line dance group to guard people from the couples.....I would tell them that I could make it look like an accident.  Ha! Friday night was IT at the home club.   The floor was tile for 2 years until it was updated to wood.  I can remember waking up with my feet tingling for all the stomping and non stop dancing. I can remember telling myself to relish every minute of this because it brought me such joy. The place was only 6 minutes from my house for crying out loud. I can remember that some dances felt funny in different places in the music....like... well ..like you had to force yourself to do it. 

“Saturdays were reserved for a group that kind of formed to traipse all over the midwest to find other clubs in which to dance.  We went miles and miles to do this.  We had bus trips to do this.

“I even told my husband I had fallen in love with it. 

“I could not think about much else.  On Wednesday afternoon I would visit one of the many country western stores to get a new shirt or a belt or something for Friday night. 

“On Friday I would leave the office by 3 to go home and iron(THINK ABOUT IT...I IRONED!!!) my shirt AND the WRANGLERS, sponge off my hat, decide which bling to add to the entire outfit and wait impatiently for 6:15... then  beat feet out the door.

“I spent tons of money on Wranglers( because a guy at the club scolded me for not having any ) Stetsons, Acme Boots[they fit me best], accessory jewelry. Even now I still visualize any clothing purchase as 'how will this look on the dance floor'.

“I attended classes 3 nights a week ...practiced dances at home while my hair dried before going to the office every morning.....slept less to dance more at home.

“I became best dance buddies with my instructor and others from the club who were equally addicted.

“This euphoria went on for 4 years until.....wait for it....

“I attended my first EVENT!!!  Back then it was UCWDC events only.....they didn't care for us much, (in my opinion). Us being social, addicted, line dancers. When the Line Dance Events became the thing.....we had it.  COMPLETE  'I want a new Drug' territory.

“I think I danced at events for maybe 10ish years without my butt hitting the chairs very much at all.  It was a good run. 

“The dances!!!!  The instructors!!!!! The not eating so I would not miss anything!!!!!  The massive ballrooms with floating hardwood floors. 

The adrenaline of preparing for an event, being at an event and relishing an event is the dragon I chase today...even as it is in my home office with a mirror on the back wall and a set of new speakers.

“You can't learn and know them all.....unless you are Jessie Chan.”

She goes on to describe what it’s been like participating in the online dance events and online classes, the ability to support the LDF, and accessing the saved videos later ending with...

“We all do what we can, but one thing is for sure....you cannot stop creativity with a mere deadly virus. 

“I wonder how all this is going to change the relationships we have when we are able to safely see each other again. I feel like there will be more classic songs that will not have to wait until after midnight to be played. I feel like people will stay in the ballroom longer for awhile after we get going again. 

“I hope we can all find one new person to get hooked on events whenever that is.....”

I could relate to her story so much! I just had to share with you! Have a great day and remember to enjoy YOUR story!

DIGITAL DANCE WEEKEND #3

4/26/2020

Home with my feet up after another AMAZING Digital Dance Weekend (#3)! How can this just keep getting better and better??? Rachael McEnaney-White - just outstanding! You are such a special lady with incredible talent! Thank you for ALL THAT YOU DO! And, recognizing that there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes by Jessie Chan, Cody Flowers, and Shea McCafferty - you are all superheroes! Thank you for your 24-7 support to make this all happen!

On Friday I attended 4 workshops live (caught the rest later...). Stephen Paterson, Kate Sala, Fred Whitehouse, Maggie Gallagher, Niels Poulsen, and Michael Barr & Michele Burton. Many dances from this very first day will make it to my “future teach” list for my classes. (And - don’t forget to go out and purchase Ronnie Beard’s song “Faith Hope and Love” which he is donating 50% of the proceeds to the LDF!!!)

On Saturday I was able to attend 5 of the 6 workshops (I only watched Joey Warren’s as I already know that one!) - Roy Verdonk, Heather Barton, Shane McKeever, Hadisubroto Roy & Fiona Murray, and Maddison Glover. EVERY SINGLE DANCE is on my “future teach” list!!!

And then today. I started out with the longest line dance ever - dancing the Electric Slide with Rachael! Never thought you’d hear that coming from me!!! Had an easier day today as I didn’t need John Robinson’s )Jonno Liberman’s) or Scott Blevins’ teaches as I already know their dances. But I did spend time with Jo Thompson Szymanski, Rachael, and Gary O' Reilly. And, again, EVERY DANCE is on my “future teach” list.

I look forward to going back to the group page and revisiting the technique tips, lunch-time interviews, and social playlists! I just couldn’t absorb everything the first time through!!!! And I’ll need to see the show again (such TALENT!!!) as well as the group farewell (maybe I can get through it WITHOUT kleenex the next time!).

I didn’t take any selfies - just didn’t want to get caught in my “stay-at-home” look! LOL! But I was with you all and enjoyed every minute!

Remember, if you have the ability to donate to the LDF, please do - we have been fortunate to participate in line dance weekends that would normally cost us 3 times what we’ve paid in registration fees as well as travel, hotel and food costs... I’ve donated and will again!

CONGRATULATIONS to the WHOLE TEAM! Another FABULOUS weekend!!! My deepest THANKS!!!

Covid-19

These are interesting times we’re in. With “stay-at-home” orders, dance venues closed, and dance events cancelled... we’ve all had to get creative with keeping our dance lives going.

I created a Virtual Line Dance Class facebook group (private) for all the students of East Naples and the Vineyards to join in order to participate in Facebook Live dance classes. Several instructors and choreographers have done the same either with Facebook or Zoom. I’ve tried both - Facebook seems to work the best for what we’re doing. I guess if I had a more up-to-date laptop I might’ve been OK with Zoom, but there are just so many technical layers to using the program that Facebook is where I’ve stayed. Even if they do mute my videos.

I created a “public” line dance page for my beginners since so many of them were not on Facebook and were not interested in joining, either. Now they can follow a link which takes them to Facebook but the page is more like a website and they don’t have to be “on” Facebook in order to participate.

Choreographers are busy creating so many virtual dance events that we need calendars to keep it all straight! From the Digital Dance Weekends that Rachael put together; to the Streamline group (the UK instructors put together); to the Retro Line Dis-Dancing site where classics are being taught - there is no lack of dancing... anywhere on the globe!

It’s a new way of learning... and a new way of teaching... with steep learning curves on both sides of the classroom. But - we’re are learning. And we are dancing. And we are having a good time! It’s a bandaid until we can all be on the floor together again...

SCOTT BLEVINS WORKSHOP 2020

We had a great trip to the East Coast this weekend — the 7th Annual Scott Blevins Workshop. There was a social Friday night with 54 dances... 24 of which I did not dance; there was a playlist for the daytime on Saturday (both during the workshop day as well as over the lunch break)... of which there were 4 dances I did not know (out of 40!); and there was a Saturday Night social with another 49 dances... of which I did not know 4. (At one point I had danced 15 straight! Whew!!!)

Scott taught us 4 dances: “What A Man Gotta Do” (stepsheet is on Copperknob); “Nobody” (stepsheet to be released soon); “Take It Further” (by Tim Johnson - which Deb had already taught); and Scott’s classic “Drive Me Wild”. 

SCOOTER LEE - DANCING FOR THE DREAM

So exhilarating to watch my students on the dance floor with a big crowd of dancers - and see them excel! So fun to witness such excitement and sense of accomplishment! So very proud of each one of you!!!

We attended the “Dancing For The Dream” Bootscooter Line Dance Camp today with Scooter Lee, Jo Thompson Szymanski, Frank Trace, and deejay Lee Conwell at the Siesta Bay RV Resort in Ft. Myers today. I had students from my Absolute Beginner Class (Laura, Maria, John, Sally, & Brad), my Beginner class (Mary Jo & Shirley), and my Improver/Intermediate class (Linda). Other students from my Imp/Int class (Karen, Connie, and Cindy) were also there - as were students from Chris’ class (Louise, Yvonne, Joann)! There were lots of other familiar faces as well - fun to see everyone there!

The beginners learned dances like “Little Cupid” by Frank Trace and “Cut A Rug” by Jo Thompson Szymanski (which they had already learned) and “Swinging Thing” by Jo Thompson and the “Cowboy Charleston” by Jeanette Hall & Tonya Miller. These dances were paired with other teaches today including “It’s Time To Swing” by John Robinson & Jo Thompson Szymanski, “I Ain’t Never” by Michael Barr, Michele Burton, & Jo Thompson Szymanski, “Codigo” by Pat Stott, and “Until The Dawn” by Gary Lafferty. Plus we warmed up in the morning, and again after lunch, with a little dance called “Good Morning” by Jo and Machelle Cook Holloway.

Great dance day!