MARATHON 2021!

The Line Dance Marathon 2021 - Dr. Suess - is in the books! A great event - my FIRST ONE since February, 2020! How fitting that my last event before COVID and first one after COVID were Scott events!

We flew in to Raleigh on Wednesday so we wouldn’t miss a thing starting on Thursday. It was an interesting schedule of workshops - the international choreographers couldn’t be there - but their dances were still taught… there was a mixture of older dances that each instructor/choreographer chose to “reteach” along with all the new dances that are hitting the circuit. Because of virtual workshops, several dances being taught were not new to me, which made the daily schedule much easier to navigate (it’s been a long time since I’ve had to actually choose which class to take… they weren’t just all offered one at a time on my TV!)

On the first day, I attended Darren Bailey’s teach of “Just Be”. I learned this beautiful waltz years ago and was happy to get a refresher. Another class being held at the same time was Niels Poulsen’s “Lifeline”, which I’ve been dancing for months and thoroughly enjoy! Jo Thompson Szymanski/Maddison Glover/Michele Burton’s “Country In 3” and Fred Whitehouse’s “Sadness” (both of which I currently dance) were also taught.

Even though I’d already reviewed “Suffer” by Brenna Stith, it was good to attend her workshop teach of the dance. During the same hour, Amy Bailey taught her fun dance “Moses Roses Toeses” (my class loves!).

Next, I sat through Adia Nuno’s teach of “Money On My Mind” (choreographed with Jonno Liberman and Rick Dominguez). This was one of the top favorites of those I was with.

Another exciting event on the very first day - I got to meet Craig and Donna Stott - the live stream hosts (LiveLoveLine) I’ve been working with to keep my students connected over the summer. I knew they were going to be there but had no idea who to look for… fortunately for me - they knew what I look like! Hahahaha!

Thursday night’s social dancing kept me on the floor until after 1:30am. Great mix of old and new, current and classic, pre- and virtual COVID. And everyone was in the same boat - wondering what would be remembered… and trying to reestablish the “walls” of a ballroom (and for many, dancing in a group again!).

The second day brought me a couple new dances - I attended Amy’s “Best Day Ever”, sat through Adia’s “Dazed and Confused”, and attended Jason Takahashi’s “No Expectations”. Workshops offered that I had already been taught included Everybody Get Nuts, Tooty Fruity, Would Have Loved Her (another favorite of those I was with), Do My Thing, Madelyn, Mesmerized, Wait For It, Nobody, Oops Baby, Where Oh Where (a favorite of my beginner and intermediate classes), and Feel The Heat.

The other class I attended was John Robinson’s “Top Tips for Teachers” Q&A session. Lots of tried and true tips from Mr. Showcase himself!

And finally, our last day… I started the day with dancing Tim Johnson’s “The Vibe” at the end of Cody Flowers’ teach, attended Debi Pancoast’s workshop “Fall On Me” (choreographed by Kerry Maus and Paul Snooke) - my FAVORITE of the whole weekend! Also attended Cody’s teach of “Upside Shake” (funky fun!); Jason’s “Authentically You” (beautiful nightclub), and Jo’s teach of Maddison Glover’s “Going Going Gone” wrapped up my day. Other workshops held during the day that I’ve already learned/am currently dancing included Call My Bluff, Take A Picture, Midnight Mess Around, As Good As It Gets, River Road Dream, I’ve Seen It All, Your Chewing Gum, Good To Go, Tension, Foolish, Spiderweb, It’s Go Time, and You You You.

Our flight to return home left early enough Sunday morning that we didn’t have a chance to attend any of the workshops. There were lots of amazing options including Money In My Pocket, Amor-ish*, Trouble Maker, Smooth & Easy, You’ve Got What It Takes, All Of Me*, It’s OK, Soul-Stirring, I Can’t Stand The Rain, All The Girls, Catch*, CMB*, Colors*, Muddy Water Healing, Hell Raiser, Destination Love, Regenbogenfarben, Blindsided*, and Miracles Happen Like That (*=dances already dancing).

It was a wonderful weekend - desperately needed - and just being with all the dancers live and in person was exhilarating. Seeing the choreographers and instructors “live” instead of on my TV screen - heartwarming. Not to take away from the fabulous virtual sessions and classes that kept us all dancing from the start of the pandemic through today - those have been AMAZING!!! Those are the reason we were able to get back on the floor with the confidence we had!

Many thanks to Scott & Jean for pulling off this event so quickly; the staff and volunteers who made it all go smoothly; all the choreographers and instructors for sharing their time & talents; the DJs who kept us on the floor; and the dancers who brought all their energy and enthusiasm to help us achieve a sense of “normalcy” we haven’t had in the longest time! Until the next time… stay safe and keep on dancin’!