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!!!

PALM SPRINGS 2022

 PALM SPRINGS 2022

3 years in the making! An all-star line-up released in 2019 for the inagural event scheduled for June, 2020…. then 2021…. and now, FINALLY, May 2022! The line-up had a few changes but still spectacular! The original hotel changed to the Margaritaville Resort! The dates moved from June to May. This first-time event still delivered! 

I want to share my thanks to Mark and Eve, all the staff and volunteers, and the fabulous instructors/choreographers/and dj’s! Your hard work and seamless efforts are appreciated!

So much dancing packed in to just a few short days - I liked everything I took! Friday: Running Polka (JP Madge); Let’s Make Some Bubbles (Niels Poulsen); Clang Clang (taught by Jill Babinec); Shake It Like That (Jonno Liberman). Saturday: Lady Domina (Jonas Dahlgren); Kissing Boys (Guillaume Richard); Legends Never Die (Guillaume Richard); Life is A Mystery (Jonas Dahlgren); Blinded By Beauty (Niels Poulsen). Sunday: Unleash The Power (Roy & Fiona); Better As One (Darren Bailey). All to be taught in the near future to one class or another!

We arrived in Palm Springs a day early and played tourist (took the aerial tram and hiked around the top of Mt. San Jacinto); stayed an extra day and played tourist again (spent the day at the Joshua Tree National Park and had dinner at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown). Flights in and out went off without any glitches (not that all of them went that way!) and overall the experience was wonderful! Looking forward to the opportunity to attend this event again in the future!

WORLD DANCE MASTERS/SUNSHINE 'N LINE 2022!

 What is there to say about the AMAZING Rachael McEnaney-White? There is NOTHING this superstar can’t do!!!

We finally had the first ever US World Dance Master’s event at the Wyndham Orlando Resort and it was FABULOUS! Yes, the resort is a little dated. Yes, you have to walk outside to get to the ballrooms. But holy cow! The grounds are beautiful; there are lodging buildings everywhere! 2 pools and a hot tub are the center focal point of the resort - along with GATORVILLE! Wonderful buffet breakfasts! The circular building opens its entire pools-facing wall to create this open-air restaurant. Food was great! Prices quite reasonable (I certainly don’t pay $13 for a buffet breakfast at the Marriott Lakeside!). Now that we’ve been here once, we know what to expect for next year. I’m already creating my list of “must take with me’s” for next February.

The event itself was wonderful. Let’s start with DJ Dave who has a planned playlist of “must be danced” dances that are sent in advance; and then the DJ Feed is open the entire weekend to submit your other requests. The floor is hopping until all hours! And in the evening, you get a chance to recap the dances you took that day!

The choreographer’s! Granted, it was emotional from the mere fact that the majority who were here we haven’t seen (except virtually) in 2 years! But, that aside, to have Simon Ward, Maddison Glover, Roy & Fiona, Fred Whitehouse, Shane McKeever, Gary O’Reilly, Neville & Julie, Joey Warren, Dustin Betts, Christopher Gonzalez, and Suzanne Wilson as the main instructors for the weekend - quite the All-Star team! Not to mention - an event-opening teach by GUYTON!!!! Rachael even got in on the action teaching a new dance of hers!

I have not had to take this many workshops in one event since…. I don’t remember when - it’s been so long ago! My feet hurt, my head hurts, my body aches (and no, it’s not COVID!).

Plus - we had Gary Brey here - Line Dancer Web royalty - and members of the outstanding CountryVive team! 2 performances that were so amazing to finally see LIVE! What a treat!

The workshops. I took 6 on Friday; 4 on Saturday; and 3 on Sunday (planned on taking a 4th but slept through it!). Do I have a favorite? I have no idea. Right now I have 13+ dances all blended together in my head! 

Rachael - Country Liar. A fun country rolling 8.

Neville & Julie - Feel Alright. A very nice 64/2 cha cha.

Maddison Glover - Chasing Shots. Fun 32/2 rolling 8 with Simon.

Simon Ward - Vacation Cha. 2 wall cha cha

Dustin Betts - All Shook Up. Fun dance with Elvis knees!

Neville & Julie - Brave.

Fred Whitehouse - Zig Zag. One of my favorites of the weekend! Fun!

Roy & Fiona - Unleash The Power. Once I finally get through it all - I’m gonna really like it!

Joey Warren - Crazy In Line. This dance was taught by Simon and Maddie at Cowboys on Wednesday night for the event early-birds. It’s a fun 32/2 choreographed by all 3 of them.

Fred Whitehouse - 2+2. OMG! Gonna have to work on this one just a tad bit more.

(I think there was a theme. Start the event off with dances that are “easy” on the brain… hit them hard on day 2 with the mind-blowing teaches… and then let everyone recover on the final day with the gentle ones… Just my humble opinion!)

Shane McKeever - Forbidden Waltz. Beautiful.

Joey Warren - No Baby No. Fabulous waltz.

Neville & Julie - Not A Sad Song. Fun 64/2 with music by Parson James.

Since this was a qualifiying event for World Dance Masters, there were some competitions to check out as well! There was a choreography competition during the day on Friday and the WDM Team Competition that night; WDM Partners, Duos, & Pro-Am were on Saturday; and the Solo Finals with all the awards were on Sunday. It was fun to watch!

The DJs kept the ballroom floors hopping until the wee hours of the morning every night. There was no lack of opportunity to dance! And, unlike a lot of the regular events, this one goes Sunday night as well!

I’m tired. My brain is fried. But my heart is full having had a chance to see everyone, collect hugs from everyone, and do what I love to do - DANCE!