ORDER THE VIDEOS FROM THE TAMPA BAY
LINE DANCE CLASSIC
http://www.worldlinedancenewsletter.com/CJsVideos.html
******************************
FROM: KATHY G.
What a great event, Ms. Arline did a fabulous job in keeping things
running smoothly, working with everyone, she was one busy lady,
and thanks to Jenn (& Jaden) for doing all the behind the scenes
things that needed to be done and to her staff of volunteers, job
well done.
I personally had a wonderful time, the weekend flew by the dances
that were taught were fun, the show was magnificent, dinner yummy,
the diverse group of dancers were all so friendly, and to Louie,
Dave and Olivia, thanks for the right music at the right time, I
still haven't made it to the 4:00 am club yet. Maybe next year ;
)
Thanks again Arline, Hugs Kathy "G"
**************************
FROM: Dianna
Just wanted to send my thanks to Arline for another wonderful workshop
in Tampa this weekend. For anyone who has never gone to this workshop
they really need to try and make it next year. They won't be disappointed.
The show was great also. Everything really went smoothly and everyone
I spoke with said they had a great time. I also wanted to thank
all the instructors for taking so much time to help anyone who needed
a little bit extra lesson after they had finished teaching their
classes. They are all class acts!!!!
Dianna from Sebring
**************************
FROM: Bill McGee
This weekend I had the pleasure of spending another beautiful weekend
in Tampa Fl. at the Tampa Bay Classic. And what a GREAT weekend
it was. The dancing was awesome, such a great mix of dances taught
and music played. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Thanks
to Arline for having me again this year, and a BIG THANKS to all
you dancers that joined us for another weekend of dancing in Tampa.
If you didn't make it this year it would be great to see ya there
next year. There was such a good mix of dances taught that you just
couldn't go wrong. One room was even dedicated in the evenings for
reviews and that went over great. The review schedule gave every
instructor ten minutes to review what they had taught and with a
dedicated room for reviews it didn't take away from the open dancing
in the other rooms. The review room was hopping all night as well
as the other rooms that had open dancing. Beautiful dance floors
in each room, warm and friendly dancers everywhere, ni! ce and cool
air conditioning, great food, great music, it all made for a super
weekend.
I actually taught two dances that were carefully picked for the
event. Juicy by Michele Perron and the room was overflowing with
dancers wanting to learn this dance. Thanks Michele for another
great piece of choreography. The other dance I had the pleasure
of teaching was one from Kate Sala called Fairytale Life and oh
what a nice dance and that went over equally as well. The other
dance this weekend where I saw the room overflowing with dancers
was taught by Marilyn McNeal and that dance was Don't Feel Like
Dancing by Pat Stott.
We had the pleasure to get to know some great new personalities
-
Shaz from Jolly Old England - she is so friendly, energetic and
a great dancer. The Brit PAC has a winner with her!
Robin Sins from Singapore a really nice guy and as Lynda would say
a cutie. Everyone just wanted to take him home with them.
What a pleasure to be able to be at an event with Michael Barr again.
He is such a pro and he finally made it to Florida....... If you
did not get to this event you missed the Great Michael Barr.
So glad we got the pleasure once again to be with Big Dave, Pauline,
Christine and Nev. That Dave is a great DJ and all around nice guy.
Christine with her charmingly funny characteristics... is a pleasure
to watch on the floor.
The show was great I think we all need to try dancing with FANS
it will keep us all cool on the floor as well as looking so cool.
The Pop Shop Kids were great to watch. Love seeing those young ones
on the floor. The Sumo Wrestlers.... What can we say! Laughter was
so loud hotel staff had to check it out. The China Town Girls from
The Villages had the reddest lips and a great show dance for the
oriental theme. What a hoot. Guyton with his hottie Madame Natalie
(the classy) smooth through a great number. Boy can he show case
her!
Louie, Big Dave and Olivia keep them all dancing. Love that mix.
Hope everyone writes in to tell about their favorite dances of the
weekend. Now it's off to our 10th annual line dance cruise with
Lisa, Junior, Marilyn, Sylvia, and the rest of the gang and we don't
want to forget the upcoming workshop on January 13, 2007 at the
Midnight Rodeo in Ocala, Florida. This year Marilyn has Mr. Showcase
(John Robinson),, up close and personal along with myself for one
of their super Saturday workshops.
So please plan to join us in Ocala Florida on January 13, 2007 for
a great day of dancing and one of the best lunches in FLA. provided
by Ray McNeal.
DO IT ON THE DANCE FLOOR
with BILL MCGEE
Orlando, Florida
Fun Capital Of The World
407 422-7248
bill_mcgee@prodigy.net
Click below for the web site.
http://pages.prodigy.net/bill_mcgee/index.html
**************************
FROM: Judy Maggio (judymaggio@comcast.net)
I just got back from Tampa and as usual it was a great event. Thank
You Arline, Jennifer Cameron and Bryan McWherter for a job well
done. My favorite dance of the weekend is DIVISADERO CHA by Michelle
Burton, Michael Barr taught this dance it's a great and Michael
is a great instructor.I also did LESS COMPLICATED by Robert Delong
this was taught by Kathy G, Good job Kathy.I finally got to take
a class on JUICY by Michelle Peron, Bill McGee taught this one and
I really like it. There were so many great dances taught, and the
Brit Pak were great Big Dave, Neville Fitzgerald and Shaz Walton
(SexyBack one of MY favorite dances). The Show was awesome, and
everyone had a good time.
**************************
FROM: Marilyn McNeal,
BoarsNestFarm@aol.com
What an incredible weekend we enjoyed at Arline’s event in
Tampa! It was a perfect dance weekend with both old and new friends
from everywhere!!
HIGHLIGHTS: Local Dancer and Villages resident, Reny Mitchell won
a gold medal in the pro-am Division for dancing Cute, Cute, Cute
with twin instructors Margaret and Rose! He always brightens up
the floor with his special style each Thursday at Midnight Rodeo
too. Congratulations Reny on your fancy footwork and memorable performance!
We’re all very proud of you!!\
FRIDAY and SATURDAY: Great classes with a wonderful combination
of instructors with varied styles and music choices offered something
for everyone. Our talented DJs kept us dancing all night.
SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER: As always, Arline served us dinner with ease
and efficiency, and it was delicious. Good food, good service, happy
dancers!
SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW: How will you top this one, from lovely Chinese
umbrella and fan dancers to the Sumo wrestlers, which will remain
in my mind for a VERY long time! It was hilarious! The Pop Shop
Kids all looked like little “Guytons” and it’s
clear he loves them all. We were exposed to Zumba and it was very
exciting to watch! I wonder what would happen if Ray and I tried
that! Would truly be interesting!! Our compliments to everyone who
entertained us with a fabulous show. We hope our applause showed
our appreciation.
OUR DEEJAYS Louie, Big Dave and Olivia kept us dancing day and night
in 3 different ballrooms with the weekends’ teaches, reviews,
old ones, current dances, requests, just about everything! Thanks
for being consistently ON, even when you’re so tired.
DANCES: Thanks to all who came to my two classes. Both were well
received by a full floor of dancers. I taught Don’t Feel Like
Dancing, by Patricia Stott (GREAT song and dance) and Crown Royal
by Frank Cooper. For those who asked, the 2nd track I used for Crown
Royal is “How Do You Like Me Now” by Celinda Pink. It
compliments this very cool west coast swing as well as “Your
Love is King.”
There were so many good ones this weekend that my list of favorites
is off the page. I missed several that I planned to take. I enjoyed
Michael Barr’s dances, Divisideo Cha, Fell in Love and Just
a Matter of Time. Junior Willis will be on the cruise next week
and will teach a couple of his so I’ll be able to learn those.
Bill McGee taught Juicy by Michele Peron and I especially like Holding
Back the Ocean & Red Dress (Peter & Alison), and Coming
Out (John Robinson who will be at Midnight Rodeo with Bill on January
13, 2007). Vivienne Scott’s My Greek #1 was just plain fun!
Kathy G’s Yah Baby is a good club dance and Jean Brewer taught
a whole lot of REALLY good beginner dances in the Timberwoods room
to a very busy dance floor! I missed the others but had time to
visit with most of the instructors there. It was also good to see
Carol among us and I know there will be many reviews in her newsletter.
ARLINE: I truly hope you know how much we appreciate you and all
your efforts to make this weekend special. I never heard one complaint!
Thanks for inviting me to teach! Thank you Jennifer for all your
hard work, and Brian, for being a very talented emcee. You looked
really handsome in that red tie and jacket! Thanks Kaz, for all
the pictures you take – she was everywhere! My personal thanks
to all the dancers from this area who attended. Your support is
appreciated and I know you had a memorable weekend.CONGRATULATIONS
Arline, for a truly successful event! It was all for and about the
dancers, and we thank you!
********************
FROM: lindy
For the fourth year in a row, Arline and her staff of helpers have
outdone themselves to make this year's event the best ever!!!! I
loved that the floors 'fit' together rather than having to have
all those screws that occasionally came loose and tripped people.
There were really great dances and people teaching them, and I love
that the dance WORLD is like a big family! I think everyone connected
up with old friends and met new ones too. I met someone who came
to see what it was all about....her VERY FIRST EVER event....and
she came alone!!!! Of course, the first thing we did after we introduced
her to everyone we could and told her how much fun she was about
to have, was encourage her to buy a pair of dance shoes!!!!! I don't
know if she will write something up or not for the newsie, but she
was certainly a lovely person and we asked her every time we saw
her if she was enjoying herself and her answer was always a resounding
YES!!!!! Several peeps from my class came (t! wo for the first time)
and we all had a great time and I hope next year they will come
for the whole weekend. I got to meet a gal who I had only heard
about and emailed with before this event...whadda cool chick and
lots of fun! Sometimes we were chilly and sometimes too warm, but
overall the temperature was good in all the rooms. The hotel has
a Barnie's Coffee Bar in the lobby and a nice restaurant as well
as bar...all handy and very good too. The floors could have been
a little larger, but the carpet was definitely do-able when the
floor was too full. We all learned lots of great new dances and
are deciding which ones to teach to our groups first. Our Instructors
Meeting is this Sun. (11/12) and I am sure there will be lots of
Tampa event dances represented. The Saturday night show was just
awesome in every way. We were sorry that Stella's knee gave out
and she was not able to do her planned skit, but at least she did
get to participate with the Zumba demo. We all laughe! d till we
cried at the 'sumo dancers'. Most of the instructors danced with
the participants and even took some of the workshops with us, which
is a very cool thing. We REALLY enjoyed getting to dance Greased
Lightening with Michael Barr!!! It was just a most awesome event
in every way and soon we will be making our room reservations for
next November!!!!!!!! Thanks to all of the people involved in the
planning and carrying out of this great weekend!!!! And thanks to
God for such a beautiful weekend weather-wise for those visitors
from afar who are usually cold this time of year!!! See ya'll soon!
:-)
*************************
FROM: peeweefrog@comcast.net
I had a great time at the Tampa Event. Each year I've said...this
was the best... Well, this was the best! Thank you to everyone involved
but an extra thank you to Arline. PeeWee
*************************
FROM: BARRY DURAND
Thanks to Arline for putting on a great event! Even though I was
a bit under the weather during the weekend, I managed to learn some
new dances and even had fun doing my dance "Sambacha"
with Mary for Pro Am... way to go Mary. It was great to see the
dancers from the UK such as Nigel, Neville, Big Dave, Ian, Peter,
Alison and all the way from Singapore and Malaysia my friends Robin
Sin and Happy Khim. Hope you guys enjoy your trip to the states.
(It was also nice seeing Carol, Paula, Marilyn, Kathy and all the
Tampa Line dance folks too) The energy level was great at the event
and since I was also there promoting the Worlds Line Dance event
in Nashville in January it was nice hearing that most of the line
dancers there plan to go to Worlds this year. Again great event
Arline and thanks to Jen Cameron for all your help too. For all
of you going to Vegas in a couple of weeks I will see you there.
For info on Worlds please go to http://www.ucwdcworlds.com
Barry Durand
Events & Videos: http://www.BarryDurand.com
<http://www.MyDanceLesson.com
>
*************************
FROM: BIG DAVE
A great event - And best thing for me is that it catered for the
widest range of dancers - With a full schedule of beginner dance
workshops, as well as everything mainstream through to advanced/funky
over three workshop rooms during the day - And in the evening the
main (largest) room becoming a mixed social room, the 2nd a review
room with social dancing for the beginner dances taught - And the
3rd a review room with social dancing for all the other dances taught
- A great format where folk can pick & choose throughout the
day & evening - Personally I had great fun looking after the
review room during the days workshops & evening reviews - And
again on a personal note it gave me a great insight into what is
filling the floor in the States for my up-coming trip to the Worlds
in Nashville, although Carol Craven's World Newsletter Weekly Survey
pretty much reflects that well already ................... And bottom
line is that it's not all that much different f! rom the UK, with
the most notable exception what seems to be the current US favourite
Mr. Pinstripe, a dance by Simon Ward that has not really hit the
big time yet here in the UK (I've not done this one yet either but
plan to catch up with it myself) ............... Other most played
floor-fillers included Rio, Soul Steppin, It's Up To You, Cherry
Poppin', East To West, Come Tomorrow, Bosa Nova, Walk Back To Me,
Keep On Dancing, Heartbreaker, Be Strong, Red Dress, Simplemente,
Cute Cute Cute (It's Brand New Girlfriend in the UK), After Party,
Inside Your Heaven, I Scream, Break Free Cha, Hey People, Geek In
The Pink & Hips (Must catch up & teach this one - Last year
it was Zac's Cocoa Puffs - This time his Hips !! :-) .....to highlight
but a few of them !!
I was really proud & pleased for our 'Brit Pack' guys Nev &
Shaz ......... This was Shaz's first trip to the States & she
was just overwhelmed with the kind words & welcoming support
& friendship from the US guys & how well Sexy Back is going,
which Shaz taught in a well attended informal/impromptu workshop
at midnight on Friday (Want Ya too was popular & had many a
'corridor' teach !!) .........Also her awesome new one Hotline,
which was a big hit too - Shaz's other cool new one Lay Down Beside
Me was also very well received, although a shame wasted on the last
session of the weekend, when most had already started to make their
long trips home (Shaz will be doing this one at our Sunday-Out on
26th November).
Nev too, at Tampa for the 2nd year, had a hit with his great new
dance Wikkidest Ting - A Little Crazy was well received too - And
no surprise that lots also dancing some of his latest hits including
Cherry Poppin', To Love You More, Get A Grip, Pumpin' For Love &
more - Looking forward to some new dances from Nev at Worlds too
- And it will be great to be back at Tampa in November 2007 with
Nev & Dee
The most popular workshops ......................The main room was
packed out with close to 200 dancers for John Robinson's latest
Comin' Out - A really cool 48/4 West Coast to Everyday People by
Aretha Franklin - And it was one of the hits of the weekend too
for sure - Numbers peaked in the 2nd room with AJ Clayton teaching
a cool 64/2 beginner/intermediate dance by Jo & John Kinser
called Who's Watching to the 80's hit Somebody's Watching Me by
Rockwell/Michael Jackson - And in the 3rd room over 100 dancers
overflowed onto the carpet a few times - With Viv Scott for the
beginner/intermediate country dances Long Gone & On My Mind,
with Marilyn McNeal for Pat Stott's Don't Feel Like Dancing &
with Bill McGee for Michele Perron's Juicy (Bill's workshop in the
main room was also well supported for Kate's cool dance Fairytale
Life - And by the way it was great to dance the lovely night-club
Endless with Bill's gang from Florida & Lou Ann's gang from
Califor! nia - Also Bracken's Fantabulous with a bunch of people,
a dance that deserves to be much more popular than it is back in
the UK !!).
Other dances that seemed to be well received & caught my eye
were Robert DeLong's Less Complicated, a smooth 32/4 West Coast
taught by Kathy G, whose own dance Yah Baby was also a really neat
smooth country intermediate/phrased dance - Great track by Tyler
Dean (Built For Bluejeans) ..... It was great to catch up with Michael
Barr, a real nice guy on the US circuit, whose dance And Fell In
Love was cool stuff (Most popular to the classic Rise & Fall
by Sing/Craig David)) - Michael also taught Michele Burton's latest
Divisadero Cha, a neat easy intermediate cha which was a big hit
to both the Ronnie Milsap & alternative Rod Stewart (Missing
You) track. Maurice Rowe gave the funky dance Sweet n' Sassy a new
boost for me dancing it to Beats Like These (Verbalicious) - Great
stuff - Likewise his dance Little Star was a big hit (The hit of
the weekend for me - So says Shaz too) - This is an awesome cha
cha track & right at the top of my own teach list. Junior! Willis
is another well supported & popular US choreographer who had
particularly well attended workshops - And ones for me were his
dances Idlewild Blue (Outkast) & Gallery (Mario Vasquez), another
really smooth West Coast - Quite a few West Coast hits on this weekend
- And on a side it's a shame that more generally speaking West Coast
style dances are nowhere near as popular in the UK as they are in
the States - Another good one at this weekend was John Robinson
& Pepper's 32/2 dance Drop Dead Smile (BB Watson).
I also saw a few cool dances on the dancefloor - A new one from
Barry Durrand called Somba Cha (Chelo - Cha Cha) & lovely night
club called Abracame to an awesome track by Reba danced by Lou Ann's
gang - I also enjoyed teaching a few folk my own favourite dance
of the moment So Empty & dancing it a few times over the weekend
with them !!
Well done to Rob Sin whose cool 48/4 advanced dance Infinity to
Reach by Gloria Estefan was really well received (& walk-thoughs
& replays much requested) - Marilyn's teach of Frank 'Home'
Cooper's latest Crown Royal, a lovely 48/4 intermediate dance to
Will Young's Your Love Is King was very popular - Likewise Stella
Cabeca's teach of Robbie's Let It Swing was a big hit - And it's
great news that Robbie will be on the bill at Tampa next year. Mark
& Glen from the equally popular Chicago Windy City event did
Arline proud with some cool teaches too - Most notably I thought
a cool pop dance Where R U (Da Buzz)
I've not mentioned Guyton yet - And it goes without saying that
he was the funky star of the show with teaches of all his latest
hits that went so well for us at Leeds Newline - Ain't No Other
- Crooked Letter Y - Smack Dat - And his new one Crying Doves, which
will be held back until the release of the music in a few weeks
time, so watch out for that ------ Last but not least - Bryan taught
his lovely dance Mandolin Dreams (But drew the 9am Sunday morning
'short-straw' slot) - Also a teach of the funky hit Pon De Replay
was great fun - And as last year Bryan did a great MC job with the
awesome Saturday evening show & the Dance Preview sessions.
Well done too to Jean Brewer, Mary Ann Young & Ian Forster who
covered a great bunch of cool dances for the beginner/improvers
- There was regularly around 40-50 dancers supporting these workshops
which is really cool.
Peter & Alison where also on the bill & you can catch up
on their dances via their own site as they prefer.
On a personal note a special thank you from myself, Shaz, Pauline
& Christine to Maurice & Zac for a great day out in Disney,
to Bill & Linda McGee for a fun dancing night out in Old Town
Kissimmee - And most of all to Arline for inviting myself &
the 'Brit Pack' to her awesome event for the past two years - And
for a 3rd next year - Cool.
Looking forward to seeing everyone again in November 2007 ......And
before that many who said they will be at the Worlds in January
- Just like the Linedancer Awards in February & the World Masters
in August here in the UK, the social/workshop side of the UCWDC
Worlds in Nashville at the beginning of January is sure to be one
of the Premier linedance events in the world - I'm really honoured
to be invited to DJ there by Barry & cy'all there.
See you at Morecambe this weekend or Blackpool next weekend if you
are going - And back to normal with classes next Tuesday/Wednesday
with some great prospects to try out with you.
Cheers.
Dave.
***********************
FROM: Norma in Brooksville FL
In this person's opinion, the Tampa Bay Classic was "awsome!"
There is no other word than can describe it. If you missed it, you
must make sure you go next year. It isn't just the workshops, it's
the comaraderie, the atmosphere, meeting these very talented choreographer/
instructors, the dancer's that come from all over the world, dear
friends I know from different places I've danced over the years,
and the general aura of the whole event. It's kind of hard to put
it into the right words. It's a must go to, as far as I'm concerned!
And Arline, what a gracious lady. She is everywhere all of the time,
wanting to know if you're having a good time and if there is anything
she can do for you! She is a wonder! And the show was surpurb; I
agree with Marilyn, how can they ever do better than that? And I
learned alot, and had more laughs. My roommates were fantastic and
we're all going to come again next year, and one of them was a fairly
new dancer, too!! I'm not going to go in! to what dances were taught
or what the show or dinner were about, because I know other's will
do that. All I know is that the time just flew by and after dancing
all day, I was surprised as to how I was ready to dance all evening
as well! Oh, and there was a wonderful shoe vender there that had
every shoe that is made! I bought 2 pair; the prices were right,
and it was so nice to be able to try them on and get a great fit
vs sending away for them and going through the rigamarole of sending
them back for exchange for the right size. And the Double Tree was
perfect. Our room was great, the rooms we danced in were also great,
water always available, and a/c perfect! I left a bag there with
a sweater in it; I called, the housekeeper tracked it down and they
are going to send it back to me C.O.D! Many "Cudos" for
Arline; she truly outdid herself this year! It was truly an awsome
weekend and I am already looking forward to next year!........Norma
*********************************
FROM: k.p.smith104@hotmail.com
I had another enjoyable weekend in Tampa. There is always a good
mix of
choreographers and the dances they teach. I had the pleasure of
taking
classes from some of the top choreographer/instructors in the world
including John Robinson, Peter & Alison, Michael Barr and Guyton
Mundy.
Other workshops that were very busy included those for Don’t
Feel Like
Dancing and Juicy. I’m sure there were others as you can’t
attend them all.
Dance wise there were certainly lots of choices. For country fans
there was
Peter & Alison’s, Holding Back The Ocean, this is a challenge
but well worth
putting in the effort, great song and interesting dance, Vivienne
Scott’s,
On My Mind, terrific music and Kathy G’s Yah Baby, fun song
and cute cute
cute dance.
For pop fans there was Don’t Feel Like Dancing, taught well
by Marilyn
McNeal, Peter Metelnick’s Red Dress, this packed the dance
floor in open
dancing, Peter & Alison’s Can’t Stop A River, beautiful
waltz to gorgeous
music; there were several waltzes taught at the event but this was
the one
for me and it was the one that filled the dance floor in the evenings,
Michael Barr’s, And Fell In Love and Divisidero Cha, 2 well
received dances,
John & Co’s Comin’ Out, well deserved choreography
winner from the Windy
City Event, Mark Cosenza’s, Where R U, great song by Da Buzz
and Juicy
taught by Bill McGee.
Other dances I enjoyed were: Maurice Rowe’s Sweet & Sassy,
Alison Biggs
lovely rumba Mi Carino Maria, lovely dreamy music, Guyton Mundy’s
Ain’t No
Other, Bryan McWherter’s beginner dance Yes I Do, Michael
Barr’s west coast
Just A Matter of Time, Less Complicated, taught by Kathy G and My
Greek
Number One taught by Vivienne Scott.
A highlight of the weekend for me was the Saturday night show which
had an
Oriental Theme. The Joy Luck dance group were fantastic, these ladies
opened
and closed the show and their outfits were lovely. The Pop Shop
kids were
amazing, I think we were all wishing we could move like that. The
show
stopper of the night was the Dancing Sumos. What a riot! Peter,
Alison,
Michael, John and Bryan were hilarious and actually danced while
in their
Sumo costumes. Every year Peter & Alison top what they did the
year before
and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year’s
event.
Overall it was one of the best shows I’ve seen.
Some floor filling dances included: Mr Pinstripe, Red Dress, Can’t
Stop A
River, Don’t Feel Like Dancing, Keep On Dancing, Cute Cute
Cute,
Simplemente, Come Into My World, The Way. Also Candyman/Cherry Poppin
had
equal numbers on the floor. Both look like good dances.
Finally thanks to the DJ's who kept us dancing during the course
of the
weekend. Louie St. George for the endless hours he put in during
the
workshops and social dancing and Olivia Ray who kept the second
room
rocking.
*********************
FROM: Terri Alexander
jalexan5@tampabay.rr.com
John and I arrived a little later than planned Friday morning, so
I missed the first couple classes. I went to John Robinson's class
for "Comin' Out"...what a fun dance and fits the music
perfectly. Lots of laughter during the teach....John makes a class
time so much fun. We just have to work on that fan, toes, heels,
jump section. I also took Maurice Rowe's class and learned his and
Zach's new dance, "Little Star". I really like this one.
I spent the rest of Friday and Friday night in my hotel room with
a stomach bug!! That's a terrible thing to happen to a dancer that
is ready for a weekend event!! Couldn't it have waited until Monday!?!
Arline Winnerman said there were 4 or 5 people with the same bug.
We needed an exterminator. LOL By mid morning Sat., I was feeling
more human and although I wasn't up to dancing, I went to classes
to observe. "Juicy" seemed to be one of the hits of the
weekend. That one is on my "gotta learn it list". I also
liked Shaz Walton's Hotline, Don't Feel Like Dancing, and Micheal
Barr's "Just a Matter of Time". I had already taught John
Robinson and Hot Pepper’s new dance “Drop Dead Smile”
but decided to attend John’s class to see him teach it. The
dance really looks good on the floor and it’s an easy one…great
one to teach your improvers diagonal directions. I was feeling much
better Saturday night, and was really able to enjoy the wonderful
dinner and show. The food was yum! my and the show had the entire
audience laughing. Guyton's youth dance group "The Pop Shop"
performed and were adorable....we saw dancing with umbrellas, feather
fans, and ribbons, a Zumba demo, suma wrestler dancers ( the crowd
was rolling with laughter), the group from the villages had a cute
routine and had the biggest red lips! You just had to be there.
More open dancing after the show and I was finally able to get up
and enjoy some dancing! I headed back to my room about 1:30am and
the dance floor was still full. Someday I may make the 4am group.
LOL
I met so many people! It was nice to finally meet Tonya and DeDe....wish
I could have felt better so I could have stayed up later and danced
with them.....next time for sure. Robin Sin was such a sweetie and
when he dances, he glides across the floor. Were there ice skates
on the bottom of his shoes?? I got to catch up with some old friends,
Bill and Linda McGee, Zach, Carol Craven, Stacy, Julie, and Kathy
Brown. Kathy and I are putting the finishing touches to a dance
we are co-writing, "Oh La La".....watch for it in the
next week.
Kudos out to Arline......the event was wonderful!! I'm thrilled
that Arline has asked me to teach next year....hope to see all of
you there!!
www.crankitupanddance.com
*********************
FROM: VIVIENNE SCOTT
Hi everyone:
Just to let you know that my report and photos from the Tampa Bay
Linedance Classic are now up on my website www.stayinline.ca
It was a terrific event. Many thanks to Event Organizer Arline Winerman,
her volunteers, all the instructors and, of course, the dancers
who came full of energy and enthusiasm and helped make the event
so successful.
Thank you also to the patient dancers who came to my classes ready
for fun!
All the best and happy dancing!
Vivienne
********************
FROM: ROBIN SIN
3 cheers for Arline!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! It was a fantastic weekend
that words can’t describe. I’m truly honoured to be
invited and admire Arline’s courage to risking of having me
to teach..haha3! I’m glad I didn’t chicken out or else
I wouldn’t know how great it was.
Dances selected to teach throughout the weekend was so well balanced
that cater for all levels and music gender. It was such good mix
to make everyone happy and that’s Arline’s motto towards
the event. I have a great fun hopping from room to room, especially
the small tiny garden where we contribute air to the environment,
haha!
Thanks to all the friends I met during the weekend, you make me
feel like home in a foreign land; Kathy Brown, thanks for the BBC,
it was a great drink, I’m gonna try it out when I get back
home. Bill & Lynda, such humorous couple that u won’t
feel bored with them around. Liz Bogan, no woris, I’ll get
the dance right and reteach it when I’m back in my class..haha..
Carol Craven, who’s so encouraging throughout the weekend.
Maurice Rowe, WHAT A DANCER!!! Oops..!!!! Being baised is the right
thing to do, haha! He’s a great dancer and enjoy his dance
Little Star so much that I have to request it again and again..
haha.. John Robinson, it was so much fun in his workshop. Michael
Barr, sorry for not able to have a good chat with u, just a note,
u r real cool! Thanks to Mei Lan for taking up ur time to bringing
us around on our first day in Tampa and the Joy Luck Club, u ladies
are really fantastic!!! What a spectacular performance u did during
the showtime!!! Thanks to L! ouie, u did such a great job as a DJ,
born to be one???? Hahaha! Thanks for playing my request though
it caught me in surprise everytime, haha!!! Thanks to Big Dave,
nice to meet u, Pauline and Christine again, I’m glad that
u r around during my workshop, won’t want to mess up with
the system, haha!!! And Christine, gosh!!! She’s a great dancer,
another biased opinion, I know I know, but she’s so talented,
I’m looking forward for the day she makes to the top!!! Haha!
Thanks to Shaz and Ben, so happy to meet u both again! And I knew
Shaz will make it one day. She was a star throughout the weekend
with a new found fan club!!! Oops!! Haha! She’s such a gem!
A big thank you to Guyton, hey man, thanks for the arrangement for
me and the gals, we have such great time in Disney Magical Kingdom,
now I fear that my luggage might go overloaded!! Haha!!! Truly appreciated!
Last but not least, to all that I miss out, please pardon me, not
very good in remembering names and I’m shy towards stranger..oops..
haha.. Thanks again to everyone, we have a great time in Tampa Bay
Classic, a definite yes to come back again if we got a chance. Time
for us to pack and get ready for home. Till we meet again!!!! Take
Care!!!
Cheers
Robin Sin
www.thewildwestsg.net
info@thewildwestsg.net
***********************
FROM: Ellen Kiernan
wkierna1@optonline.net
If you read this newsletter regularly and didn't go to the Tampa
event, you are probably feeling very sorry for yourself! And you
should! I won't repeat all the wonderful things that have already
been said-- just one or two. One of the things I especially enjoyed
was the room dedicated in the evenings for reviews. I have often
been frustrated by taking a great lesson during the day and almost
learning a great dance and then not having the opportunity to dance
it again that night for reinforcement. I know the event DJs always
try very hard to get in all the requests and the instructors try
to be every where at night helping with their dances but, if there
are 3 dance rooms, you can be in the wrong room when what you want
to dance is being done, or maybe the dance is played but the instructor
is not there to lead it. At Tampa the review schedule gave every
instructor ten minutes to review what they had taught and with a
dedicated room for reviews it didn't take away from ! the open dancing
in the other rooms. The room was also very conveniently located
right next to the main room so you could run back and forth. This
set up was very successful mainly because all the instructors really
stuck to the 10 min. schedule - no run overs and dancers knew exactly
when each dance was being done,. One other thing about Tampa, many
have mentioned how Arlene seemed to be everywhere seeing to everyone's
happiness -- I figured that out! She had several clones!! Only way
it could have been done! Great idea Arlene!! Guess it took some
advanced planning! If you didn't get to Tampa, there is another
great weekend happening this weekend in the beautiful Catskills.
Call Tim Gillis at 1-800 TGB Events right now!!! It's not too late
to join the fun and next week you won't have to feel sorry for yourself.
You can even join us for just the day Saturday.
*********************
FROM: MICHAEL BARR & MICHELE BURTON
My first trip to Florida since I was probably a small kid (I learned
how to dive at some hotel somewhere in Palm Beach), was terrific.
My thanks to Arline for her absolute support. You're the best! The
Florida dancers are awesome!
The event was like 'butter'. It just went down so smooth. (Thanks
Zac for the car so I could see a few things other than the hotel.
)
Arline has asked Michele to join the fun and she will once the day
job takes a hike. Thanks Arline.
As I was getting ready for the event Arline was just great for feedback.
She really got both Michele and I geared for new dances and we came
up with two new ones just in time for the event.
Divisadero Cha (Michele's new dance) was done to both pieces of
music - Ronnie Milsap's There's No Getting Over Me and a new remake
of Missing You by Rod Stewart. The dance script that made it to
the book got a major change just before I left for Tampa. Although
I did bring lots of sheets I know someone will still look at the
old one and scratch there head. Sorry for that, these things just
happen sometimes. The new sheet is on our site http://www.michaelandmichele.com/home.htm
, so heads up on picking up the corrected sheet.
And Fell In Love (my new dance) also was done to two pieces of music
- Fooled Around & Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop (the original
from the 70's) and Rise & Fall by Craig David with Sting. The
dance has a night club feel and a lot of turns.
Boogie News: Shirt Design coming in January
Michele and I have started gearing up for our March event, Boogie
Til The Cows Come Home, March 17th 2007. Each year for the past
10 folks have showed up in our little town of Corning California
to Boogie for the day. I know they really just come for the breakfast
cooked by Michele's Mom, Lorraine, at our house the following morning
J
We are working on our theme which is, Express Yourself. Think of
a painter sitting at his or her easel painting some wonderful canvas
of color. Are you the artist in a colorful smock or are you the
creation. Might you be the Mona Lisa or are you the sculpted David
(fig leaf required). Maybe you are something GREEN as it will be
St. Patrick's Day.
Our shirt design will be out in the next couple of months. Check
out the site for the new design sometime in January. Michele and
I want to send a big thanks to all the dancers for the exuberance
they have shown for the Boogie Shirts. We have a ball with the designs
and thank goodness we know a great artist.
Ok, that should do it for now. All take care,
Michael & Michele
PS. It was great to see Bill & Linda McGee in Tampa. Bill is
still on his toes - that dude will never come down J
*************************
FROM: KHIM
It's Sunday back here in Malaysia. A week has passed ever since
I bid farewells to friends that I have finally met on the dance
floors at Tampa Bay Line Dance Classic.
My one word to sum up my experience at Tampa: CEMERLANG (Malay word
for EXCELLENT).
I can never express enough thanks to Carol Craven of World Dance
Newsletter who first invited me to this event last year when I was
in Jacksonville. I did not attend then, but made a promise to be
there this November. My congratulations to Arline Winerman for successfully
bringing together all the superb instructors and line dance friends
from all over the world to Tampa.
It was tough leaving at a time when there was so much going-ons
back home. The day I left, it was the festive season of Hari Raya
Aidilfitri - a time when I would normally go house-hopping, visiting
friends during their open houses and feast on local delicacies such
as Rendang (a type of dry beef curry) and Ketupat (a type of dumpling
made from rice wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch which is then
boiled.
But after transiting in no less than 6 airports, touring various
cities in East Coast, living out of the suitcases in 8 different
hotels - being there at Arline's event made me understand the full
impact of the name of this event. CLASSIC. I thought I knew it all
- having attended and organized numerous LD events in my homeland.
But Tampa Bay LD Classic will always have its lasting significance
on me. It raises my level of expectations on future LD events in
our region. The level of sincere appreciation the line dancers showered
on the organizer and instructors is phenomenal. People came from
all over and determined to have fun and fun. The DJs in Louie and
BigDave were simply impeccable, belting out dance tracks to requests
without a hitch. Though the dance halls were freezing cold, but
it warmed my heart to see so much goodwill and lighthearted rapport
between and amongst all the people there.
Nothing beats meeting the people behind all those big names. Exchanging
emails, pictures and jokes can never replace the joy of being able
to greet and hug the persons themselves. The workshops were splendidly
and smoothly conducted by professional instructors - some of which
I had to forgo to nurse a fever or simply could not clone myself
in time to attend the concurrent ones. I hope to be able to redeem
myself by mentioning them here:
Maurice Rowe - Sweet & Sassy, A Little Star Peter Metelnick
& Alison Biggs - (Mi Carino) Maria, Holding Back the Ocean Michael
Barr - Divisidero Cha, And Fell in Love Guyton Mundy - Ain't No
Other, Crooked Letter Y, Bryan McWherter - Sending Signals, Pon
De Replay, Shaz Walton - Hotline (and thanks to Christine for standing
within my view to help me out), Lay Down Beside Me, Marilyn McNeal
- Don't Feel Like Dancing, Crown Royal,
Kathy G - Less Complicated, Robin Sin - Infinity, Somethin About
U, Ka Boom,
AJ Clayton - Get Down Tonight, Vivienne Scott - Long Gone, On My
Mind, My Greek #1, Dance Zone, Neville Fitzgerald - Wickiddist,
A Little Crazy, Bill McGee - Fairytale Life,
Mark Cosenza & Glen Pospiezny - Walk Like a Man, Ian Forster
- A-B Ticket, Simply A-B, John Robinson (my all-time favourite in
Tampa!) - Comin' Out, Drop Dead Smile, I See I See, Easier Touch,
Champagne on Ice Arline Winerman - Macca Mambo (such a delightful
teach by equally delectable Arline)
The Show on Saturday night was a big treat. I have never laughed
so hard for such a long time - John Robinson actually shaved off
60% of his head and was simply so adorable in the Sumo Wrestler
Gig along Bryan, Michael, Peter and Alison. And the ladies of Joy
Luck Club - who gave us lovely oriental dances with such grace and
beauty in their costumes and colourful umbrellas and fans. Unforgettable.
There is so much that I want to write about, but will let the pictures
on www.myhappyfeet.net
bear testimony of the great fun and enjoyment during the Tampa weekend.
An afternoon with lovely Mei Lan - who brought up for sumptuous
Korean buffet lunch spread and her lovely home was really like a
dream.
Well done, Arline and thank you for arranging the lovely birthday
cake and your warm welcome. Thank you, Stacy - it was great meeting
you and I love the bracelet and thoughtful card. And thanks John
for the wonderful teaches, Viviene for sharing and Guyton for forsaking
your sleep to drive us in Orlando.
No words can describe the wonderful experience I have had. You have
got to be there to know it yourself. Start planning to be at Tampa
from Nov 1 - 4 2007 - the theme will be the `50s - which spells
FUN and CASUAL.
And there is still time to get to Nashville for the 15th Annual
Worlds! UCWDC World Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Was at
Barry Durand's booth promoting the Worlds. Do you know that he is
coming to party with us in Klang Valley first weekend of next month?
Majority of the names I mentioned above would be at the Worlds -
so start making travel
arrangements to count-in the new year with Arline, Guyton, Scott,
John, Nev, Mark, Robin, Rachael, Doug & Jackie, Peter &
Alison..the list is endless..
More information would be forthcoming on the Party with Barry, Worlds
and pictures on www.myhappyfeet.net
in coming days..
Yours in HappyShoes
HappyFeet
find me @ www.myhappyfeet.net
********************
FROM: Trish Boesel
– www.keepondancin.net
We’re finally back from the Tampa line dance event –
I know, it’s been a week, but we spent a week’s vacation
in order to see some of Florida. This was our first time ever in
Florida (except of course the Miami airport), so we had a lot to
see.
There is not much I can add to all of the glowing reports on Arline’s
event – she did an excellent job. One of the things that I
appreciated was how cool the dancing rooms were kept – this
is always important to us dancers. Some of my favorite dances that
were taught are: Wikkedest Ting (Fitzgerald), Infinity (Sin), and
Hotline (Shaz) – and I got to learn Pon de Replay from Bryan
McWhereter – Bryan really knows how to make a workshop fun.
I absolutely love this dance although we love Scott’s Replay
as well. Another dance that was taught that was a big hit was Don’t
Feel Like Dancing and I see it is already #1 on Carol’s newsletter.
Arline also had some outstanding acts in the show on Saturday night
– The Joy Luck Line Dance Club’s Umbrella dance was
gorgeous and the costumes beautiful. I loved watching Guyton’s
“kids” from the Pop Shop in Lakeland dance – great
job of teaching Guyton. Another act that was outstanding was Celine
Yee’s Ribbon dance – that was really amazing.
And what fun we had after the event starting with our trip to Busch
Gardens with Neville, Julie, Tom, Claudette and Lynn. Nev and Julie
are huge fans of roller coasters, and Busch Gardens is packed with
many exciting and different roller coasters. Since they are so “wild”,
you can’t take any loose articles on the rides, things like
purses, water bottles, sun classes, hats, etc, so someone had to
“sacrifice” their ride on the roller coasters and be
the “official” holder of these items – I played
the martyr and volunteered for this job ;-) I have to tell you about
one of the roller coasters, called Sheikra, was like a nightmare
come true. It goes to the top and then lets the cars go over the
edge and just “hang” there for 7 seconds (I counted!!)
while all the riders are facing straight downwards 200 feet!!!!!
And then it drops them straight down those 200 feet – I could
hardly watch it, much less ride it. And I have to say that only
2 of our group ventured onto that ride ! – Tom & Lynn
– we never knew this about these 2 people – they love
living on the edge and they must have a death wish J (Here's the
visual experience compliments of Neville - http://www.buschgardens.com/BGT/sheikra_movie.html
Neville had gone on this one last trip but he says this is his favorite
MONTU http://www.buschgardens.com/BGT/montu_movie.html
Our group then met Nigel and Hannah over at Carol Craven’s
house that night and she took us to a wonderful little seafood place
on the beach called Frenchy’s – Bob and I liked it so
much we went back a few days later and sat on the deck and watched
the ocean – beautiful.
Other sight seeing trips took us the Ybor City (like New Orleans),
Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Honeymoon Island, Dunedin, Clearwater
– I feel like we ate our way through Florida – they
have wonderful seafood and we ate it almost every day.
Helen and Bob invited us up to see The Villages outside Wildwood
– wow – what a gorgeous retirement development. They
have some beautiful “town squares” and so many recreation
centers you can find anything you like to do – they even have
a polo field!
And of course, we could not go long without dancing – Tuesday
night we went to Arline’s class. I taught Bob’s Mamma
Mia (actually the dance is called Here I Go Again, aka Mamma Mia),
Nev taught Get a Grip ( we have taught this one in our classes and
it’s been very popular), and Nigel taught Simon’s Larger
than Life.
On Thursday night we went to Paula’s class at the Round Up
and taught Miss Independent (another dance by Bob) – this
is a country western bar, but they play all types of music –
it was great. After the class, when “other” dancers
start coming in, they play 3 two step dances and then 3 line dances
– we got to do a lot of line dances.
If anyone needs any help with finding the step sheets for Miss Independent
or Mamma Mia, or with finding the correct track of music, feel free
to contact me at: rboesel@ix.netcom.com.
Again, thanks to Arline for a fabulous event (hope to see all of
you there next year) and Carol Craven for all her help while we
were there, but also for all her hard work with her newsletter –
she has truly helped to bring the line dance world together!
We had to come back on Friday (this turned out to be a 16 hour trip
from Tampa to San Jose) as we were teaching at a workshop on Saturday.
I taught William Brown’s Heart of an Angel and it was very
well received – I recommend that you take a look at this dance
too.
Keep on dancin….
Trish Boesel
*************************
FROM: PETER AND ALISON
Hi Guys
Thought we would drop by for a few minutes to thank everyone who
supported and attended our workshops at the Tampa Bay Line Dance
Classic. As always we had a great weekend! We would also like to
thank Arline Winerman for hosting the event and thanks to all the
volunteers who gave their time and worked so hard to make everything
run so smoothly and to the DJ's who as always work long hours. They
did a great job!
In the context of this we would also like to thank John Robinson,
Brian McWherter and Michael Barr for spending the time to learn
our Sumo routine for the Saturday performance. It worked out real
well, we had lots of positive feedback. Thanks guys! Looking forward
to seeing the DVD - available from CJ., contact Arline for further
information.
Noted with interest that our dances were not mentioned in the writeup
by Big Dave but for everyone who was unable to be at the Tampa event
here are the dances we taught in no particular order.
Can’t Stop A River - music Can’t Stop A River, Duncan
James
Holding Back The Ocean - music Holding Back The Ocean, Rockie Lynne
(Mi Carino) Maria - music (Mi Carino) Maria, Daniel O’Donnell
Red Dress - music Red Dress, Sugababes
Obviously we cannot give you any comment on the dances are they
are our own. The only comment we can make is the fact that our workshops
were all well attended by the dancers.
Also due to public demand and as we had the time to do this we threw
in teaches of Come Into My World and Satellites.
As we always say ‘if it wasn’t for the support of you
the dancers, the support of the instructors who teach our dances
and the event directors who give us the opportunity to teach at
their events we would not be able to do what we love to do so very
much’.
Thanks to everyone and see you on the dance floor!
Happy dancing!
Alison & Peter
**********************
FROM: Dallas (Proveaux not Texas)
Just wanted to say thanks to Arline for making this year's Tampa
Bay LDC the best yet.
What impressed me the most was the reviewing of the day's dances
during the evening. Thanks to Arline's splendid idea and the graciousness
of the choreographers I actually was able to remember more of the
dances I had learned over the weekend.
I can't wait to see what Arline Winerman comes up with next year!
**************************
FROM: SHAZ WALTON
Not long back from my trip to America. Had a fantastic 2 weeks away
with Dave & Pauline Baycroft, Christine & Kerry. In the
words Of dave.... it was AWESOME!
The first week was spent in Tuscon, Arizona, seeing the sites &
Enjoying Miller Light & Hot Wings!
2nd week was the Tampa Classic. WOW! what an event. I'm still overwhelmed
by so many things. Arline........How hard does that lady work??
It was Lovely to meet you Arline & Thank you for making me soooooooo
welcome. Everyone I met for the very first time, far too many to
mention individually (we'd be here for hours! LOL)........I'm still
stunned by the welcome & all the kind words I recieved &
the fun I had with you all. Really hope to catch up again with you
all again soon. Great to meet up again with Robin Sin, we had many
a side splitting with laughter session. Especially when Pauline
sat on the broken Chair & ended up on the floor, the poor woman
couldn't stand up for laughing! Another side splitting moment for
me was when I unfortunately dropped the toilet roll ( a whole roll)
down the toilet & watched with horror as the water kept on rising!
The staff were great & came to the rescue with mops & a
wet floor sign. The said sign then re ap! peared later In My Teach
review Kindly carried By Junior Willis! Tell me, hows a girl supposed
to carry on teaching in that situation! LOL
Had a blast in the workshops, all really well attended with all
the Instructors making each workshop memorable. Some great dances
were taught. All the dances have been reviewed in many other reports,
so I won't list them again or we really will be here all night.
Check out Robins Dance Infinity- Lovely track - Reach by Gloria
Estefen.
My personal dance of the weekend was "Little Star" Choreographed
By Zac & Maurice. Lovely track & Great cha cha.
In One word everything about the whole 2 weeks was FABULOUS!
I have a new website that will go online in a few days. Still very
much under construction, but all the photos will be on there. www.shazwalton.co.uk
along with dances, videos & fun stuff.
At Tampa I Taught Sexy Back ( at MIDNIGHT!!) was astounded at how
many people stayed up to join in the impromptu workshop.
Hotline- 64 count -2 wall higher Intermediate dance. choreographed
to Hotline By Ciara.
Lay Down Beside Me - 48 Count - 4 wall Intermediate Night Club 2
step. Choreographed to The GORGEOUS Last Request By Paulo Nutini.
All Scripts are on Daves Site. www.bigdavegastap.com
or email me direct
Videos on www.youtube.com (apart
from Hotline- that goes up in the next few days)
I must apologise to all the folks that asked to review Want ya!
on Sunday Morning, I forgot I needed to pack!! & unfortunately
time ran out. :-(
Again.. Thank you to everyone involved with the weekend. Arline,
all the organisers, friends, old & new....... It was AWESOME!
Also Thanks to Zac & Maurice for a Fab Day at Disney & Bill
& Linda McGee for a hoot of a night in Old Town Kissimmee.
One last Thank you (this is starting to sound like the oscars!LOL)
Dave & Pauline..... How special are you two? Both Myself &
Glen had a great time & can't thank you enough. Both Stars-
100% - Get well soon Pauline- We miss you.
Take care all
Love Shaz
xxx
*************************
FROM: Klaus Ulmer (Germany)
We are just two normal Linedancers from Germany (no chors, no instructors)
and attended the event for the first time. We are quite familiar
with the area as we have been visiting since 1999 every other year
and know Arline, Bill McGee, Paula Messier and Doug Westerlund for
quite a while. The Linedance Club in Germany where we belong to
is in it’s 12th year of existence and like many other clubs
we experienced a change from mainly country to the wide spread of
music used nowadays for linedancing.
Over the years we always visited Arline’s classes and had
always a warm welcome. We leave the rating of the dances of the
event to better qualified dancers. The following are just our personal
feelings of the “ambience”.
Let me begin with the summary: It was an awsome event! We really
enjoyed it and can certainly recommend participation to any Line
Dancer!
Let’s go in a little bit more detail. I want to point out
that not anybody might share our views, some of the comments might
be typical European or even German.
Registration services. Anything excellent.
The hotel. A nice place with enough parking spaces for even such
a crowd. Easy to find and in shouting distance from the airport.
Air condition. At least for Germans and some UK visitors it was
sometimes too cool. We are just not used to it.
The ballrooms. Very nice floors, good to dance on. Very good idea
to split these floors in the large ballroom. You have two effects:
no unsorted crowds and the possibility to get the wall in between
and have an additional room for workshops and open dancing. Also
good: water – and just water – in the ballrooms. No
tables, no hotel service, no gluey floors – that would only
be disturbing and take space. I guess you could not get such a contract
in a German hotel…
Snacks for breakfast and lunch. Very good idea, good choice at reasonable
prices. Again: you must have a good contract.
Merchandise stands with accessories. Rich choice with trendy stuff.
No intrusive marketing like on an oriental bazar.
Selection of dances. Actually something for anyone, from beginners
to intermediate / advanced.
Previews. Excellent idea. It is so much easier to plan the following
day. Someone might not like waltzes, or just does not like the music
a dance is written to. I did not see any empty workshop.
DJs. Louis St. George and Big Dave are first choice. Speakers in
the big ballroom sometimes a little loud, especially when you were
pretty close to the side where they were positioned.
Instructors/Choreographers. Excellent choice. At least we did not
attend a single bad workshop. We did not participate in a beginners
workshop and the dances are always a matter of taste. We do not
intend to actually learn and remind the dance. We prefer to take
part in many and get an idea how a dance feels in the feet to mark
it for learning later.
Competition. No idea, we did not follow-up what was going on.
But - we know there are people that like the competition at the
Tampa event happened but nobody had the slightest incovenience with
it. Not only the the big ballroom is occupied at competition events,
the awards ceremonies are almost ever very long and not very interesting
for the audience that was not involved. Not at the Tampa Classics!
A big Bravo!!!
Dinner. Anybody who talked to us about it was excited.
The show. Very varied and interesting programme, excellent presentation
by Brian. Maybe the Zuma part was a little long compared with the
other contributions.
Event guests. Almost any level of dancers, mix of age typical for
this kind of event. Except from Guyton’s Popshop the very
young were missing. But that is everywhere the same. Line Dance
is not as attractive to them as disco.
Mainly disciplined people, no alcohol, no drugs – at least
not visible.
Asian theme. Good idea to have a motto. Visible during the event
by your nice dresses and the stand in the hotel foyer. Some more
people with Asian attire at the dinner night. Good idea to have
Asiatic program items. Not really easy to adhere to when you come
from far away and are kind of limited with your luggage.
Miscellaneous side effects . There were a number of small neatnesses
along the event. As one example I want to mention the Chinese cookie
at the entrance to the show. Nothing extremely important but matching
exactly the theme of the event and the show and a clear sign of
good preparation. The were a lot of such visible contributions to
a good mood and – I am sure – even more invisible ones
behind the scenes.
*********************
FROM: Darlene
I had the best time ever at the Tampa Bay Classic. It was my first
time and I'm still flying high. What a fabulous event! Everything
was outstanding from the organization, vendors, choreographers,
dances, DJ's, food and the show. Absolutely outstanding. I'm looking
forward to next year. Thanks to Arline for putting on such a great
event and thank you Carol for taking the time with the newsletter.
I look forward to the newsletter everyday. Darlene
*********************
FROM: Gwen
I live in Poughkeepsie, New York. I just went to my first linedance
weekend, TampaBay LineDance Classic, and came home inspired. I don't
have acccess locally to the dance instructors that teach the dances
I saw on the Weekend, but I'm going to make every effort to find
one within a driveable distance. The Weekend opened up a whole new
world of dance possibilities for me.
***************************************
FROM: ARLINE WINERMAN
Not enough words to thank everyone for an awesome weekend. I got
a wonderful, happy feeling right from the beginning and it permeated
from then on. The atmosphere was electric! I have never been involved
in an event that went so smooth - no major hitches whatsoever. EVERYONE
seemed really happy to me. I had a fabulous time!!! <grin>
Thanks to all of you for coming and for the lovely messages I have
received. Hope to see you next year - same place - Nov. 1 - 4. Theme
will be the 50's. Fun and more casual instead of beautiful next
time!!!! Big, huge applause for Jen Cameron , Event Asst. and my
right hand for months and months of hard work. For incredible instructors
John, Peter, Alison, Guyton, Bill,. Marilyn, Maurice, Neville, Shaz,
Bryan (and great MCing). Junior, Mark, Glen, Mary Ann, AJ. Ian.
Jean, Vivienne, Michael, Robin, Kathy, and Stella. Awesome DJs Louie,
Big Dave and Olivia. Couldn't do it without volunteers -- Melissa,
Zac, Trish, Marty, Diane, BC, Bonnie and Jean - plus big help also
from Dave and Joan. (ain't easy to blow up 865 balloons and push
that floor together!!) The hotel staff was very helpful - especially
with all the room changes etc. Food was the best once again. I even
had time to sit down and eat this year. I am especially proud of
the Pro/Ams - Dave, gold and silver, Margaret, gold and two silvers,
Renny - gold, Korkie - two silvers and a bronze, Mary - two silvers
and a bronze. I congratulate them for the courage to get out there
and dance. I think they all had fun in the end ( after the nerves
passed ) ??? It was my privilege and pleasure to host the Tampa
Bay Line Dance Classic. Hope to see you next year if not before.
Luv - Arline
***********************
FROM: ARLINE WINERMAN
I wanted to write about the show separately - because it really
deserved some very high praise and many many thanks to those who
worked so hard to perform for those attending. We have had some
great shows in the past but this one was so elegant and gorgeous
that I was amazed and just watched in awe. Mei Lan and her Joy Luck
( 12 of them ) dancers opened the show with the umbrella dance -
when I thought that was the most spectacular routine ---- they then
came back to close the show with the beautiful feather dance. The
costumes were so colorful and the dances were so lovely and graceful.
I could have watched them forever. Guyton had been hoping to bring
his group of kids for the past few years but this year - it worked
out. They were awesome and many thanks to their parents who took
the time to drive them all down and back. How talented these youngsters
are and kudos to Guyton for making that happen. Guyton also danced
an incredible west coast swing with his gorgeous wi! fe Natalie.
What a treat for all of us. John and Michael did This House is Rockin
routine and can those guys dance or what? Jean Brewer and The Wilted
Lotus Dancers from The Villages were so great - I won't tell you
what they had behind those fans covering their faces. So much fun.
Celine Yee performed her Ribbon Dance - I cannot imagine how she
does that - it was unusual and fascinating. I was so fortunate to
become acquainted with Jani and her Zumba group and got them to
demo for us despite their terribly hectic schedule. It was intriguing
to see what is involved in Zumba - everyone wants to check it out.
Let me know if you want to get in touch with Jani. The kids had
a good time jumping in with this. Plus Jani on crutches sitting
doing Zumba with the geisha Stella (with a bad knee) was priceless.
Michael had mentioned to me that he wanted to do the Sumo Wrestlers
routine and I could not imagine was he was talking about. Anyway
- trusting him as I do - we made plans with ! Bryan and John with
Peter and Alison joining in with the ideas they ha d. It was too
funny - can't be described!!! Maurice and Zac did what they do best
- and that is just awesome dancing. A pleasure to watch their wonderful
talent. The kids were on again with interesting choreography and
then the Joy Luck Dancers closed the show as previously mentioned.
These extraordinary people worked very long and hard to prepare
this show with nothing more than thanks and applause from the audience.
For my behalf - I am forever grateful to each and every one and
thanks from the bottom of my heart for making it a EVENING TO REMEMBER!
Thanks to all for an outstanding performance! Luv - Arline
LuvToDancArline@webtv.net
********************
FROM : ARLINE WINERMAN
Please forgive me - I did not have my master sheet in front of me
yesterday --- I apologize!!! A J Clayton and Christine Baycroft
(Big Dave's adorable daughter) danced an outstanding night club
two with just a very short time to practice - they were truly awesome
to watch. Also at the very very last minute Shaz Walton and Christine
agreed to perform Shaz's fabulous dance SEXY BACK in the show. They
even got some belts from John and come out with terrific looking
outfits. I was really impressed and very grateful to all these neat
dancers for joining in the show. Many many thanks - you were all
unique and just the best! I cannot wait to see the video of the
show since I was in the back and on the side most of the time!!!
Hope you will all enjoy looking at it as much as I will. Luv - Arline
LuvToDancArline@webtv.net
*********************
FROM : ARLINE WINERMAN
THANKS TO CAROL AND STACY FOR AN INCREDIBLE AND AWESOME WRITE UP
AND SET UP ON THE WEB SITE ABOUT THE TAMPA LINE DANCE EVENT
Not enough words to express my thanks to Carol and Stacy for the
hard work, time and effort to set up the review of the Tampa event
on their web site. GREAT JOB!! Including all the fabulous pictures.
If you have not gone there yet - I hope you do ---- everything is
so classy and extraordinary (www.worldlinedancenewsletter.com)
. I am looking at it over and over and cannot believe all the wonderful
things said about the weekend. Also thanking all of you who took
the time to write in and express your feelings. It really means
alot to me. Vivienne has the write up on her web site and Big Dave
as well. I think there will be something in Linedancer magazine
also. Very much appreciated - hope I have not missed anyone!!! We
will have ROBBIE MCGOWAN HICKIE next year - Nov. 1 - 4 , 2007 ---
so mark your calendars. I will let you know as soon as the room
block is available so you can book yo! ur rooms. Thanks so much
for your support --- see you there next year! Luv - Arline
LuvToDancArline@webtv.net
********************
|
