Others Report: 2010 JG Line Dance Marathon
FROM: BIG DAVE
Friday/Saturday
A good start to the event Thursday, always a day when the choreographers/instructors share some of the biggest hits around – Dee got the show on the road in the ballroom with Maggie’s Gave It All Away & Robbie’s Undercover - I was DJ for Mona who did the popular Neville/Julie Murder My Heart (& Sugar Candy later in the day too) & next door in a 3rd room Nigel kicked off with Joey’s latest hit Stoked, from Sue’s Funk ‘n Cheap weekend in Stoke (UK) a few weeks back – So 3 rooms on the go - 15 dances in all including Robbie’s Fiesta (Johnny 2-Step), Ria’s That Man (Christopher Petre) ....
And a harder one getting really popular, Maria & Jannie‘s One Last Dance (Marilyn McNeal) – I really enjoyed teaching Maggie’s Invisible Girl which seemed to go well, as did Craig’s Kinda Busy for Guyton – JR taught a cool dance from Gaye Teather called Alejandro – Another popular one
Most requested of the days teaches in social dancing in my room was Stoked, but I’ll give my ‘Dance of the Day’ to One Last Dance, which is the one that seems to have caught the imagination of the crowd – It was a fun night – Most of the dances taught during the day were requested/recapped/well supported in between some cool social dancing – To give an idea of the hit dances just now apart from the ones I’ve mentioned those I was encouraged to play more than once included Faith & Desire, Quarter After One, Hands Up, American Cowboy, Stupid In Love, Hypnotized & Oh Ruby.
Great to have a beginner room going all weekend too – And Nancy got things going in there with Cato’s Easy Does It – The first of 9 dances for the day in that room – Nancy recapped this one in the evening too & the crowd enjoyed it – Just 16 counts but an awesome track to have fun with – And they did J
Friday morning & I’m in one of the 5 workshop rooms on the go – 44 dances to watch out for, so I’ll not see many of them until the recaps/social dancing in the evening – Anyways first up for me was the lovely Tajali from Canada – We are still enjoying Sunglasses back home which we learned at Worlds – Taj’s funky cha cha new one Body Bounce was really cool .......... Looking forward to seeing Guyton’s new one My DNA & Ruben/Pam’s P&R Gone Country being taught in the other rooms this hour ................
Next up Michael Barr – Heard a lot about this one – Dog-Gone Blues – Co-written with Michele & JoT – Classy/cool/boogie-blues West Coast – Will be a big hit in the States for sure – Hopefully the UK too – Love it ...... In the same hour I had a peek & Shaz had a good crowd for Each Tear J ..... Michael had time for cute/catchy beginner to the classic Hello Dolly (Bobby Darin version).
On to Dee with Fashion – A great pop dance well received – I’m going to teach this one in Phoenix …….. Dee taught Baby Baby Baby too in this slot …A good crowd for Dee, but the biggest class in this hour was for Debbie’s Oh Ruby, already hugely popular, but all wanting to perfect it with Debbie first hand I’m sure on her first Marathon visit JIn the next hour most folk moved on to Dan’s class for his new one which I heard was a hit teach when Dan previewed it at Ryan/Neville’s workshop in the UK last weekend – A big hit here too – Looking forward to learning this one – A classic ‘Dan’ style dance.
Michele Burton was with me next with a lovely smooth waltz called Zenyata’ Waltz – Really nice – And popular smooth dances elsewhere this hour with Joey & Shaz for Playboy, another hit dance out of Sue’s Funk ‘n Cheap weekend.
Then we had Will – A lovely night club to Keyy Clarkson’s Already Gone called Someone’s Gotta Go – A nice crowd, but most at Scott’s class for the first of his new ones Murder Machine (Teenagers) – Will tell you about that one after I see it tonight !! J ……… In the same hour Jordan made his JG appearance with Sayonara, a cool funky dance we enjoyed at our Derby Newline Sunday-Out a few weeks back – A tough choice for the dances this session in particular !! Shame because all great dances.
Still more ………… Including Guyton’s 2nd new one Imma Be (Black Eyed Peas Funky/Long/Hard/Phrased !! J) – But folk are getting tired & the rooms getting a little quiet !! J I was with Maurice doing a cool hustle dance called Hustle & Flow – Then Zac with a nice catchy Easy-Intermediate one called Silly Game & another to the classic track Spirit In The Sky, this one by Garath Gates – A fun & easy East-Coast one.
So tonight will tell what is popular ………………………. And it was another fun night – Lots of dances recapped/danced from the day – A full room for great new funky/phrased dances from Scott, Guyton & Dan in particular – But the winners by a short whisker were Dog-Gone Blues & Oh Ruby – With Oh Ruby already relatively well know (& more so now) my own Dance Of The Day goes to Dog-Gone Blues – One of many awesome dances ….. “Good Job” everyone !! J
Other highlights ……. To come after breakfast !! J
Dave
www.bigdavegastap.com
FROM: DIANNA BAYLESS (fldancewhiz5678@aol.com)
What a great way to see old friends and make new ones. Jean did a wonderful job as usual. My hats off to all the choreographers for all their hard work in getting their dances ready for us. I also wanted to say a big thank you to Big Dave. He is the greatest. He played all of our requests and it was very appreciated. We had a blast.
FROM: BEVERLY STRONG (bevstrong49@gmail.com)
So I have survived JG, my first big line dance event. Thursday was such a learning experience - only 1 hour of sleep. I just couldn't tear myself away from the Imperial Room 'til 2 AM and then only begrudgingly. So many proficient, beautiful dancers of all ages from all over the world dancing together. In my first 4 hours I only knew 3 dances, but that was OK. I'll know more the next time around. I enjoyed watching and talking to people who were sitting nearby. My favorite dance of the weekend was not even on the schedule - It was a cute beginner dance "Hello Dolly" by Lorraine Kurtela (Michele Burton's mom). Michael Barr was so nice to have given us this little bonus when there was time at the end of his class. He is a phenomenal teacher - so many tips on technique, so much more than learning steps. Other favorite instructors were his partner Michele Burton, Niels Poulsen, Ruben Luna, John Robinson, Juliet Hauser, Frank Trace. Zac Detweiller was adorable. Such nice, nice people. Dancing "Mamma Maria" and "Volare" with Frank Trace were highlights of the weekend. Not enough space to list all the highlights. So many wonderful dances to try to remember and learn over the next months. New dances may come along lickety-split, as others have said, but dances from the Marathon like "Rain Against My Window" will always be on my to-do list. Thanks to everyone on staff at the Sheraton Imperial for making the weekend such a wonderful experience. Hotel staff were so accommodating and helpful. The dining room staff are the best. They treat you like old friends. And to the organizers of the event - it was awesome!!!!! Thank you so much.
FROM: MARILYN McNEAL, BoarsNestFarm@aol.com
As our airplane ascended through the clouds on our return to Florida from the JG Marathon this weekend, I quietly thought about the freedoms we enjoy in our country – freedom to travel, choose our religions, leaders and role models, schools, restaurants, shopping, books, music, hobbies, friendships etc. Most of us assume this will always be.
On this Memorial Day, Ray and I wish to thank every person in our Armed Forces, present and past, for protecting America, preserving these rights we so often take for granted. Most of us have family members in one generation or another, who have served in the military. My daughter, Carla, served 20 years in the US Navy, Ray’s Dad is a World War II Veteran, as was mine and countless others in our community. We thank ALL of you. God bless our homeland USA.
THANK YOU JEAN, for the 17th JG Marathon! Your hardworking staff was once again, awesome! We also like this hotel because there is lots of room to wander, the entire staff is very friendly and the food here is really good and healthy! We see people here that we don’t see often, we dance and laugh together, and catch up on each other’s lives. I just love it!
A huge dance format was presented this weekend. Many choreographers were here from the UK and other far away places. We appreicate all of you who came so far to join our own stars in the States and share your talents. It’s amazing how line dancing brings us all together and results in friendships all over the world.
This report covers only those classes I took, so watch for comments from others. There will be many different favorites, which proves that we all have different tastes in music and movement. Lucky for us, these talented choreographers provide variety, so we have the opportunity to choose both the dance rhythms we like and the type of music we want to hear.
THURSDAY: Jean invites a few “non-choreographers” to teach at this event on Thursday only. The rest of the time, all the dances are original choreography by those present. I had the honor to teach on Thursday this year and I’m very proud of the dance I chose, a beautiful, advanced NC2, to very moving music. ONE LAST DANCE, by Maria Maag &Jannie Anderson from Denmark, song by Sarah Connor. Many NC2 dances were presented this weekend, and I believe that this one is in the top 3. Great choreography, very well received, and I wish them both great luck with this dance as it becomes more noticed!
BEGINNER ROOM – This room had tons of Beginner/Improver Level dances taught at various times on the schedule by a whole host of instructors that choreograph and/or teach beginner classes. It’s best to go to the website and view the lineup for all the dances taught in the Crystal Room. There were several also taught on Thursday night, not on the schedule, but all step sheets are in the booklet. My dances were Seduced, All of Me and I Can’t Tell a Waltz from a Tango. LOTS of good stuff and those of us who teach beginners are glad to have this new material.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
Dances I liked a lot, in no particular order include SO SEXY & ICU(John Robinson), DOG GONE BLUES,(Barr/Burton/Thompson), UNDER YOUR SPELL & FORGIVENESS(Bracken Potter), VOLARE & FLIP, FLOP & FLY(Frank Trace), ZENYATA’S WALTZ &CELVIS (Michele Burton), My DNA(Guyton Mundy), ONE DAY YOU WILL & LATIN CRAZY(Dee Musk), MURDER MACHINE & TROUBLE IS(Scott Blevins), CORAZON CHA(Dan McInerney), FIREFLIES(Neils Poulsen), JUST ONE MOMENT(Juliet Hauser), BE BACK SOON & THE FIRST THING (Debbie McLaughlin – OH RUBY won 1st place winner in choreography contest), HEY SOUL SISTER(Ruben Luna – REGRESS WON 2nd place in choreography contest).
FAVORITES by new, talented choreographers include SUNGLASSES by TAJALI HALL, 19 years old and a rising star. I loved the dance, the music and Tajali. She is delightful and very precise in her instruction! Her Mom, Sue, is very proud of her and we are too.
JORDAN LLOYD, 18 and I’m sorry I missed his class. TOO COMFORTABLE, a very nice NC2. I heard wonderful reports about this dance and Jordan.
There were other young choreographers here and I hope those who took their classes will mention their names and dances taught.
It was really great to see so many young people, from the US, Canada and UK. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them dance all the cool stuff and heat up the floor with the fast and funky stuff. They kept me watching until the early hours!
Other choreography contest winners included our own Florida gals, Lindy Bowers and Janis Graves.1st place in ABC choreography for Been There, Drunk That and Lindy’s Farmyard Dance won the Country Beginner category. Chasing Longlegs was choreographed by a team of 6 instructors and took 2nd place.
Dance rooms stayed busy day and night with deejays Louie, Big Dave and DJ Jam at the helm. Thanks for keeping us dancing and practicing what we learned, plus all the oldies and current favorites that fill the floors everywhere. Other deejays (including “my honey”) helped in various dance rooms.
THANK YOU JEAN, for another great event and the opportunity to be on your staff. It was a great weekend of dancing, renewed friendships, and we met lots of new people too. We look forward to next year already!
FROM: KAREN HEDGES
Just returned home from the 2010 JG Marathon, what a week it was to see so many old friends and to make new ones. Thank you Jean for inviting me again this year. My Granddaughter Paige accompanied me this year and what a thrill it was for her, she previewed our dance “Played” with me on Saturday morning and was scared to death but everyone made her feel so good she is anxious to do it again. Thank you Guyton for taking her under your wing, she absolutely loves “Imma b”. I want to thank everyone who attended my classes and for helping Friday night for the videoing of “Giddy On Up, Giddy On Out” you were awesome. Other dances I taught were, “Played”, and “Why Don’t We Just Dance”.
A very special thank you to Carol for the once again fantastic Cookie Party, she puts so much work and preparation into making this happen, and thank you for allowing NTA to be a part of it with the Scrubs badge holders. Also giving me an opportunity to explain NTA, I was stopped by so many people with lots of questions over the weekend.
For those asking about the terminology booklet I apologize for not having any with me, but you can order them on line at www.ntadance.com
Once again thank you Jean, Adele, Pepper and all the staff for a wonderful weekend.
From: WILL CRAIG
First off I'd like to thank Jean's staff, along with her co-directors, Pepper and Adele, for another wonderful event. I always look forward to this one. I would also like to thank all the other instructors at the event. There were some wonderful dances taught this weekend. Most of all I'd like to thank all the people who came and attended class. Without you guys none of this would be possible. and one more thanks I'd like to personally give out is to Big Dave when he was djing he kept his room full, played all the great dances, and we even got to review a lot of the dances done over the weekend in his room. Much love to him. Wonderful job as always. I'll keep this short. There are so many people Id like to thank by naming them but that could take forever but I would like to congratulate my girl Debbie McLaughlin on her 1st place win for her dance Oh Ruby. THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE especially Carol and Stacy for their work they put into this newsletter also Ruben and Big Dave as they always seem to keep everyone update even through the weekend with their posts.
FROM: LINDY (kicknboot@cfl.rr.com)
It was a long drive, but great weather going to North Carolina and pretty country to drive thru. When we arrived at the hotel, it was just like coming home...everyone is so welcoming and most of the same people work there for many years (says a lot for the management). Chuck has been driving us to dinner every year for ..... I lost count...and did again this year too. Such a nice man and tho he may not really remember us, he makes us believe he does! It is that way with the entire staff. The restaurant people could not be more attentive and helpful too. There was not even a line when we checked in which was amazing with all the people coming to this great event. I hope Jean will pass on our comments to the General Manager so he will know what a great job he is doing too.
The event was as wonderful as ever with really hard choices of which classes to go to. The only 'rule-out' ones right off (for me) are the ones with explicit lyrics that can be easily heard. I won't go into what I liked best and all because there were lots and other write-ups too. The most fun is meeting new "bff's" and re-connecting with old friends to dance with and visit. It is just like a big ole family reunion where you actually LIKE the family!!!!!!! Jean, with the help of Pepper, Adele, and countless others, do an unbelievable job year after year.
One little disappointment we had was that we had learned Lynn Martino's REALLY nice dance "Our Ordinary Life" to a really cool Wayne Brady song "Ordinary", and practiced it with her to dance in the pro-comp....but discovered that we couldn't since it had not been taught during the classes. Not a problem though as I am already teaching it in my classes and it is going over very well. Check it out....I know you will love it too.
We always have fun entering the competitions....mostly because we (all the competitors now, I think) bring extra step sheets so that we can swap dances!! Janis and I are already teaching some that we learned about and got that way last weekend. Of course it is very exciting and wonderful to place (and all of our 4 entries did place in 3rd or above....yeeee hawwww) but no matter really because the most fun is competing with old and new friends and supporting one another.
What fun to spend time dancing with and learning from THREE generations of dancers in the same family!!!!!!!!!!!! What fun they all have together and how fun it would be to be in their family!!! I speak of Leslie and Michael (mother/son...who look like brother/sister) and their parents too doing dance, music, etc. together. How very cool.
The DJs were awesome...I think Big Dave played EVERY SINGLE request in his room and kept the floor filled. DJ Jam (Jim) did an outstanding job with his room(s) as well....and by the way, he is an electronics expert and I can't tell you the countless times he has helped me troubleshoot some piece of equipment of mine when the sound was not coming out or whatever. (and actually spoke in language I could understand.....that ain't easy). :-)
We finally got to actually meet Bobbe from Marco Club Connection and what a cool gal she is. We have been working with her and emailing for probably a year or so, and so finally to meet her was a real treat. I know she enjoyed meeting other choreographers who she has connected with only by electronics too. Meeting David Bradley "Mr. Yummy" was a real treat too. What a very very nice guy ....and even us old ladies can look! We had the unique opportunity to help him learn some dance steps and best of all instruct him in how to write songs. (hahaha).....all 32 straight thru counts, of course!!!!!!!
Did I forget to mention the cookie party. Yikes.....the room was FULL. What fun and great networking with one another. The 'guess what people do in real life' was fun....great idea Carol. It's always fun to learn that people we know thru dance have other lives too. :-)
My good friend, Carol H. may have no idea how much she helped us during the competitions just by sitting right there and grinning at us the whole time (reminded us to smile too). I sooo appreciate her for many things. A bunch of the Florida contingent went to dinner together on Sat. evening and that was sure fun. Speaking of Sat. evening, the show was spectacular as always too!!! I wanted to mention how much fun it was to dance with my pal, Karen Hedges, and do her Giddy On Up, Giddy On Out dance with her AND .... BONUS.... we did it for the video too!!!!!!
Maybe I should leave some room for someone else now. To sum it all up in 3 words, I had FUN! :-)
FROM: TAJALI HALL, soaringwithoutwings@hotmail.com
I arrived back home here in Calgary late Tuesday night -- we'd decided to stay an extra day in NC to recuperate from the weekend -- glad we did as it gave us a chance to say goodbye to everybody who left throughout the day on Monday, but I have to admit, it was really weird to walk down to the ballrooms on Monday afternoon around 5:00 and see the hallways darkened and empty. It was like we were never there... :( I'm sure the hotel staff are relieved to have a rest now though!!! =)
I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Jean, Pepper and Adele for an amazing weekend. The sheer amount of organization it must take to pull off an event of this size and calibre is overwhelming, and they did a fantastic job. A very special thank you to Jean for inviting me to teach; I never in a million years expected to be given this opportunity and it was without question one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. You are one very special and classy lady :-) Guyton, thank you, as always, for looking out for me, and for recommending me to teach here in the first place and having confidence that I could do something I actually never believed I could do...you're the best. Thanks also to Jean's very hard-working team, but in particular to Richard and Rick for going out of your way throughout the weekend to make sure I was doing okay and having fun (and making me breathe when nerves started getting to me!!) -- you guys are awesome and I had a blast with you. Carol, thank you for, among other things, an amazing cookie party...there was some instructor trivia that I don't think some of them will ever be able to live down! ;) Big Dave, you're the man, thanks for keeping the floor crowded long into the night and the early morning hours, it was so hard to finally drag myself away in the middle of the night to go to bed! And I won't even get started on thanking all of the awesome dancers who made this weekend what it was for me, because there were so many AMAZING people that the list would go on for pages!
On to the dances...there was so much to choose from!! I managed to narrow down my list of favorites to my top 3 from the weekend -- in other words, the ones I'd race from ballroom to ballroom to dance every night! In no particular order :
BLOWN AWAY by DAN MCINERNEY: 96 count, 2 wall, advanced. I absolutely loved this dance! One thing I've really noticed about Dan's choreography is his attention to detail; the thoughtfulness he puts into his dances is what makes them so special, in my opinion. In this case, it was the timing of the footwork, which took me a couple of days to figure out, but by the end of the weekend (and lots of opportunities to practice it as it was a popular request during open dancing each day/night) I was starting to get the hang of it. You really dance into the intracacies of the music instead of just dancing on top of the music. Definitely a memorable one for me...gotta keep practicing it now so I don't forget!
IMMA BE by 523 (taught by GUYTON MUNDY): Phrased ABC, advanced. Okay, so I'm kind of cheating a little on this one as I had learned it previously when Guyton released it at an event we did here in Calgary in April, but to be fair, he hadn't taught it anywhere else at that point and so this past weekend was the first time I got to dance it with a crowd! I went to the workshop just for fun and it was packed...lots of laughter throughout, especially when he taught the arm movements in part C and everybody had their own variations! It was requested over and over again throughout the weekend and I don't think I'll ever get sick of dancing it...it's my favorite high-energy dance (and if you do it right, a huge ab workout!).
STOKED by JOEY WARREN (taught by NIGEL AMON): Phrased AB, intermediate. An awesome "party" dance...Nigel did a great job of teaching this one to a packed class on Thursday and for the rest of the weekend it filled the floor. There's some really cool footwork and the music is really high-energy -- I don't think it's possible to do this dance without enthusiasm because it's so contagious! There's several places where there's room to add your own personal stylings and make it your own but it also looks really cool when a whole floor is doing some of the trickier footwork parts of B all in unison. A keeper in my books.
The other dance I loved watching was NONONONONO-NOTSO by PIM VAN GROOTEL AND DANIEL TREPAT (taught by Daniel); I wasn't able to take the class on this one and I so wish I could have because it looked like SO much fun! Every night in open dancing I'd watch and try to pick it up off the floor but by that point I was so tired and braindead that it was hopeless =P so Daniel graciously taught it to me in the lobby on Monday morning after we got back from breakfast! 32 counts and fun for virtually every level of dancer...can't wait to teach this one at home...thanks Daniel!
The last, and most important lesson that I learned this weekend, wasn't so much a dance one, but a life one. Maybe it's because it was the Memorial Day weekend in the United States, but I remember looking around on Saturday night and seeing 200+ dancers from I don't even know how many countries, crowding together into one room to dance and talk and laugh and play and just be together...and it made me realize how lucky we are to have this big, extended dance family. I've always had fun growing up in the dance community, but I'm seeing now that it's truly a privilege, not a given right, and knowing that puts things into perspective. We may all have different opinions and preferences and beliefs, but at the end of the day, the fact that we have the chance to put all of that aside and step onto the dance floor together is such an amazing and special thing. So thanks to all the members of my "family", whether I've known you for a decade or whether we just met, for an unforgettable weekend. Love you all lots and hope to see you on the dance floor soon!
FROM: LYNNE MARTINO, Wiska51@aol.com, www.lynnesdancecrew.com
Well, it's a week now since we left for the Marathon and I just can't believe it has come and gone! I'd like to again thank Jean, Adele and Pepper for inviting me to teach this year. The expansion of the beginner program was awesome and I enjoyed every minute being with the dancers and instructors who took advantage of it.
I think that Tajali summed it up quite eloquently when she said that she discovered that it's more than the dancing at these events, but the friendships that develop and the bringing together of all different people into one place to do the thing they all love to do - dancing. That no matter what, once we are on the dancefloor, we are a family of one.
I'd like to thank Lindy Bowers and Janis Graves for their support and friendship. I can't express my gratitude enough for giving up your time to be there for me. Even though we didn't compete, you girls win first prize in my book. And congrats to you both for your 1st - 3rd places in your dances. Always look forward to seeing what you have created for us.
Also, a shout out to Ruben Luna. If you haven't met this guy, make an effort to do that next time he is at an event. Thanks for the chat in the lobby, the private lesson of " Forty Said "and joining the crazy New Yorkers for dinner. And Sue Hall and Taj, really enjoyed meeting you too. Would love to see all of you in November for the Tim Gillis Weekend. We'd have a ball!
To DeeDee for your support and including me in your traveling Popeye photos. And Lisa, keep up the good work. You look wonderful. I'll keep those reports coming.
And to my traveling buddies, Adrienne and Jane. You are such good friends and a blast to be with. They always keep me laughing. To Rona Kaye who is such a professional and talented dancer, and how lucky I am to have her as a friend.
Lynne Flanders, my namesake twin, it's always great being with you and working with you. Congrats on 2nd place in the comps. You deserve it.
Steve Lescarbeau, congrats on placing 3rd in the pros. Hey, I missed dancing with you this year.
Amy Christian Sohn, you are so adorable. Love making you laugh and dancing beside you.
So, as you can see, I am giving you a small portion of the my personal side of the event. I could probably go on and on, but I will leave you with this quote that I heard. It's actually two quotes that I thought went perfectly together . I've had many careers - business, teacher,(most importantly, wife, mother and grandmother) and dancer. And I think this sums it up : "When you are in your purpose, it shines. And, a passion becomes a career."
Keep Shining! See you on the dancefloor
FROM: BRACKEN@MOVEINLINE.COM
Once I got home from the Marathon this year, it was non-stop busy busy busy with CardioLineDance(TM) and preparations for dancing at the County Fair. We danced at the Fair last Saturday, so now I have a few moments to write in :-)
The jg Marathon has been one of my favorite events since the first time I attended many, many years ago.... This year was no exception. Lots of friends, new and old, and always a pleasure to be able to teach at the event. This year I also was a workshop DJ, so I actually ended up taking more classes than I normally would because I was working them... nice bonus!
So this year at the Marathon, I brought:
UNDER YOUR SPELL (UK) - this is a classic waltz of mine that, thanks much to Rachael McEnaney, was taught all over the world when I first wrote it years ago. Jean likes when we bring back classics, so I try to do that every year and this year it was Under Your Spell. Remember we are now dancing the one called "UK version" (starts 3 counts later, only 1 tag/restart).
BREAK EVEN - this one I taught in the same class as Under Your Spell. It's intermediate level and goes to the song "Break Even" by The Script.
FORGIVENESS - yes, another dance in 3/4 time... I can't help which songs "speak" to me! :-) This one is being used as a competition dance already in the ACDA circuit (American Country Dance Association, Mona Puente is the ACDA Line Dance Chairperson). On Carol's pre-Saturday-night-show-standing-in-line-survey, Forgiveness got quite a few mentions as people's favorite dance for the weekend. It goes to Leona Lewis's song "Forgiveness" and it's just 2 walls with no phrasing.
TRY, TRY, TRY and IN THE PARTY - I did these as part of the late-night-beginner-lessons in the Crystal Coast room.
In the Party is ultra beginner, fun party song from France by Shalya. TRY, TRY, TRY is a new beginner cha (keeps the 4&5, 8&1 count throughout) with plenty of room for styling and fun from more-than-beginner dancers, and I co-wrote Try, Try, Try with JP Potter.
The step sheets for all the dances I taught are available on my website (www.MoveInLine.com) and I also have VIDEOS available (well, DVDs actually) with full lessons, quick reviews, and dances with music - just $20 (plus shipping) for 13 dances, including all those I taught at the jg Marathon and more of my latest ones). Email me (bracken@moveinline.com) for questions or to order the DVD.
Also this year at the Marathon, thanks to RUBEN LUNA for teaching a dance we co-wrote called HEY, SOUL SISTER and thanks to NANCY MORGAN for teaching a dance we co-wrote called FREEDOM. Hey Soul Sister has exploded! And Freedom, although it was taught on Sunday (which, by that point in the Marathon weekend, most everyone would rather be sleeping in...), Freedom has gotten quite a few inquiries sent to me and Nancy for the correct sheet and music source.
THANK YOU to all of those who supported the jg Marathon this year, all the staff and volunteers who made it flow so seemingly easily ;-) and all those who attended my lessons, too - I had a GREAT TIME!!!!!
Bracken Ellis Potter
San Diego, California, USA
www.MoveInLine.com
FROM: MONAPUENTE@SBCGLOBAL.NET
I know you've read lots of glowing reports regarding the 2010 JG Marathon. Just wanted to add my two cents. Jean, Adele, & Pepper once again put on a wonderfully organized event...I'm just amazed at how smoothly everything runs throughout the entire 4 days for hundreds of dancers...it is truly an amazing, well-oiled machine. The event staff covered all the bases and seemed to answer every possible question, even before it could be asked. I so enjoyed catching up with friends and made some wonderful new ones this year! The new crop of dances taught at JG was awesome, the expanded Beginner Program was great, and Carol's Cookie Party was--once again--a big hit!
The Sheraton Sleeper Beds were awesome, as always, and the hotel food was delicious! The hotel staff was very courteous and really went out of their way to be attentive to every need.
I wish I could thank everyone for all the kindnesses and friendship extended to me throughout the weekend. A HUGE thank you to those who came to my classes for Murder My Heart and Sugar Candy! Thank you...that means so much. And, I do want to particularly mention Big Dave, as he does a really incredible job as DJ...he is amazing...thanks, Big Dave!
Next year's dates -- June 2 - 5, 2011, with the theme of Games! How fun is that?!! See you there!!
Mona Puente
FROM: FRANK TRACE
Thank you to all the wonderful dancers and instructors who attended my workshops at this years JG Marathon. Your support and comments have encouraged me to continue to choreograph easier level line dances, to great music.
Over the JG Marathon weekend I introduced 3 of my newest dances. VOLARE a 48 count one wall beginner line dance done to "Volare" by Bobby Rydell. This dance was very well received both in class and at the evening review. People tell me that they even enjoy simply watching this one.
FLIP, FLOP & FLY; a 32 count 4 wall easy intermediate dance done to "Flip, Flop & Fly" by Big Joe Turner. This is a fun energetic dance to fabulous music.... makes you want to dance. For a slower tempo, you can use "Burning Love" by Elvis.
ALRIGHT GIRL; a 32 count, 4 wall beginner line dance done to "But It's Alright" by Huey Lewis & The News. This classic song is very recognizable. The easy foot patterns feel good with the music.
Videos for all my line dances can be found on youtube. The music, available as downloads on Amazon.com. Step sheets are on my web site www.traceofcountry.com and other web sites.
Of course the highlight of the weekend (for me) was having Big Dave from the UK present me with my Crystal Boot Award for MAMMA MARIA. What an incredible honor. Thank you to all line dancers and instructors, I'm deeply humbled.
Thank you to Jean Garr and her co-directors Pepper and Adele for a wonderful event. Hope to be back next year.
Warmest regards,
Frank Trace
franktrace@sssnet.com
FROM: JOHN KORMAN page-me@comcast.net
After catching up on the work front the week after JG, heading to NJ & NY the following weekend for more dancing, I am just now finding time to finish and submit my review on JG.
On the Thursday (Day 1 of JG) I bumped into Johanna and Debbie at BWI eating at the kiddie table (my ears were burning) so we all boarded the plane from Baltimore to Raleigh. Once at RDU, I frantically called the hotel advising three dancers were "stranded" at RDU and we are requesting the shuttle to take us to dance heaven. Once in the hotel lobby it was a Florida reunion and a frenzy watching Carol Craven gather trivia for the cookie party. I also met for the first time the talented Jordon Lloyd (thank you for publishing your step sheets) and chatted with Crystal Boots winner Frank Trace. Once 2PM arrived it was time for lesson #1 of "X"-hundred.
First up was Joey Warren's dance STOKED. Looking at the video on YouTube, the night before, I was shying away from this, but I am glad I gave it a-go! After learning this new ROOMBA-type dance with top notch instruction by Nigel Amon, I had high expectations for all future lessons of the weekend. One cute dance was THAT MAN. Very cute dance yet the teach was a bit long. While good music was chosen on Thursday for other dances, others did not strike me.
Following a long wake up shower on early Saturday morning, I made it to dance previews. With my grid marked, I ventured out to start my day of memorization:
MY DNA (mundy) - Fun dance, nothing tricky. Reminds me a lot of his dance HEY! HEY GOODBYE, which I prefer.
EACH TEAR (walton) – It's a Mary J Blige song, so enough said! I have learned many other enjoyable dances to her music and this one is no exception. Tearfully I did not hear it played a lot the rest of the weekend.
BLOWN AWAY (McInerney) – Uh-Mazing dance! Great track, great steps, great choreography. This one will take loads of work so I am counting on my PA girls to (re)teach this (hahahaha) and blow us all away!
MURDER MACHINE (blevins) – I honestly don't know how I feel about this one. As a first teach, I was not impressed with the music, but the dance felt okay. I am not writing this one off as I hope to have another lesson on this to appreciate the song and comfortable with the dance.
IMMA BE (mundy) – Originally learned this at Eastern's and have loved it since. Great track by the B.E.P.s and a dance to go with. Very funky and lots of hands involved, but nothing tricky (it looks trickier than it really is - my hand-foot dancing coordination is not great). A floor full of line dancers doing this one looks great! Kudos to “523.”
After a full day of new choreography in the head, 6pm was a sigh of relief - the Cookie Party. Chatting with instructors all over the world and learning tidbits about our favorite choreographers was superb! Congrats, Carol, for your investigative skills and making this an enjoyable hour.
Friday night was great in both ball rooms. I saw dances not seen for some time as well as those I learned fairly recently that already went by the wayside: BROKEN HEELS, BABY BELIEVE, INSIDE YOUR HEAVEN, AMERICAN COWBOY, S.O.B., STUPID IN LOVE, LOVE YA, SUGAR CANDY. The walkthrus of Friday's lessons was beneficial, at least for the front wall.
Saturday dances:
CORAZON CHA (McInerney) – A smooth cha to a great song by Prince. The choreography matches the beat with each step making the dance flow well. My heart loves this dance.
THE FIRST THING (McLaughlin) – Tits a beautiful waltz....I mean it's a beautiful waltz. Flows wonderfully to the song that is a great pace, so it does not feel rushed.
TROUBLE IS (blevins) – Great NC2 to American Idolist, Allison Iraheta. Quite a tricky dance at first, but definitely worth the work. This one will take some practice with the turns and timing, but nothing that cannot become fluid with further practice. The more I dance this, the more I like the song, and there is no trouble there.
HOLDIN' IT DOWN (McInerney) – While this dance has been out for some time, I missed this one so I am thrilled it was taught here. The track by Fergie is infectious and the dance is great! Another favorite of the weekend.
LITTLE STAR (detweiller, rowe) – Great dance that was brought back. Such a fun dance that went well to a great song. Even if Zac wrote the trickiest four steps ending the dance, I am glad it was re-taught at an event to hopefully make the “classic” list.
BE BACK SOON (McLaughlin) – Fun dance that does not require thinking of “the next step.” The song is catchy – country-esque, but no twang. Great choreography, especially the last sets of the dance that repeat to fit the music, “uh.” The tag is not difficult and the build up is noticeable. I am sure Debbie will be back soon with more dances for us to enjoy!
HYPNOTIZED (walton) – catchy song to dance that flows well.
Saturday night parade was fun with a medical theme. The costumes were clever and congratulations to the winners (including those that won twice but let someone else have their second win). The drawings by Guyton were none other than amazing, with detail, and the puppet was just cute! While both open dance rooms had crowds, Big Dave was playing all requests keeping everyone in the room and, more importantly, on the dance floor. Instructors in the room participated when their dances were played which made it even more fun. Lesson walk-thrus in between open dancing did not disrupt things as instructors honored the word “walk thru.” Those who did not take the full lesson had the opportunity to pick up the dance now, watch it live, or rest the feet. I went to bed ~3AM and Big Dave's room was packed filling both dance floors.
While I intended to take some lessons on Sunday morning, that did not happen. As much as I enjoyed Daniel Trepat's I GOT A WOMAN at Boston Linedance Showdown, I have not danced it since, so I retook it now and enjoyed it just as much. Fortunately, he also taught SHOOP which was heavily played in Boston as well as JG. While I GOT A WOMAN is A-B, the dance feels great hitting the beats and bridges every time. SHOOP felt to be high beginner with the syncopations and one tricky step in the last 8-count; this was a floor-filler every time I saw it. Highly recommend them both.
I got a reteach by Dan on his dance HOLDIN' IT DOWN, which just solidified it for me. He also squeezed in a walk-thru of CORAZON CHA. While I loved the dances, I did not care for the interruption by the JG staff moving us to the Crystal Coast room in the middle of this lesson. While it appeared the floor crew was running ahead of schedule, to move a group of dancers in the middle of a lesson is not sound. The schedule showed lessons in these rooms until 5:50pm and that should have been honored. In the future, I recommend announcing a room change for subsequent lessons (before getting started). Just because I did not take enough lessons, and my brain was not completely mush, I joined John Robinson and a packed floor of dancers in the Crystal Coast room with his dance SO SEXXY. Cute, fun, dance to a catchy tune; I was humming it in the airport! This was a good dance to end my weekend off with. For those restricted to country music, especially check this one out!
Thanks for a great weekend, as always.