SUBJECT:
SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE LINEDANCE SHOWDOWN VIDEOS/DVDS.
FROM: ContractCJtheDJ@aol.com
Here's a little sneak preview from the Showdown. The complete list of
dances on the videos/dvds will be ready by next Monday and I'll send
order info shortly.
http://www.worlddancenewsletter.com/CJsVideos.html
NOTE FROM ME: You're gonna really laugh at this one!!
*******************
“My” Boston Showdown Moments
From: Johanna’s crazy cousin, Show-Ming
This writing here is only a tiny reflection of my event experience.
Even though I tried hard to be brief, this seems so long already. Enough
said. What an AWESOME weekend!
I felt cared for by all my crazy cousins, renewed and inspired.
After checking in the hotel, I can’t stop the hello/hugging mode
in the lobby for quite a while. Eventually my roomie,Judy Chen, and
I were driven to the local fine restaurant “Hard Cover”
by my long lost cousins Jared and Julie. The rib eye steak, the fish,
the wine and the dishes I can’t even name were all sooo good that
I totally forgot about my tired body, not to mention the sleepless night
before the six hour flight and all the effort to get to Boston.
The excitement was instantly infectious the moment I walked in the grand
ballroom for the pre-event welcome party. IT’S A FULL HOUSE! The
chandeliers sparkling on the red/white/blue balloons definitely added
lots of glamour. Since so many friends I haven’t seen for months
were already dancing, of course I hurried up and joined in the nonstop
dancing and laughing. This was only Thursday evening.
As I danced, I realized the floor is so kind to my aching joints. I
even felt like a much better dancer than my ordinary self. This quality
floor certainly helped motivate me to try the never ending turn/spin/sweeps
of Toy Soldiers, which was taught at 9AM Saturday by both choreographers,
Barry and Bryan. They took turns teaching the class.. Barry took only
a few minutes to go through the easier first and third sets of eight
counts. It was very brave of Bryan to teach such a big class the second
and fourth sets, which were loaded with turns and directional changes.
I wonder if that is how it was choreographed too? I like this dance
very much. Great job! Barry and Bryan.
Surprisingly, I like just about all dances taught or the ones I saw
in the evening parties. New dances I like include Raindrops For Perfidia
(beautiful haunting Rumba music and easy to remember steps), Toy Soldiers
(unique step/turn pattern), Sinfull (sensible steps with room for personality
twists), Ho Yau Ying (cool steps with Jackson kick; of course, it’s
a left kick, my unintelligent side), Syncopated Kiss (cute and fun;
brought smiles on dancers’ faces), Soul To Soul (great steps but
not easy to do as well as Michael Barr. I’m still faking it.),
Bosa Nova (happy rhythm to work on whatever techniques or flight ideas
that come up in my head), Talk About It (happy, energetic, fast rhythm),
Geek In The Pink (an event hit), Friction Addiction (I’m a bit
afraid to ask what it means; challenging steps), Speak To The Sky (nice
song). Hoo Haa Hustle (loved Debi’s demo but I missed the class.
Somebody teach me, please.), Papa Loves Mambo (witty choreography),
Dirty Cash (sharp beats; it’s growing on me)…
The slightly older dances that I liked included Just For Tonight (mentioned
in MIL Vegas; got to try this dance by Larry and Tracey), Shake (Guyton’s
brilliant choreography; dance like part of big production team) , Aquarius
(dreamy, ethereal; oh! take me away…..), That’s Life/C’est
La Vie (sensual steps), Get It While It’s Hot (it’s hot
hot hot !), No Regrets (my recent favorite of Scott’s dances),
Meltdown (hard to sit through the song without moving some parts of
the body; I rarely did it right, but it’s fun trying), Infatuation(love
it; I used it for performances), We Be Burnin’(unusual reggae
tone).
Many of us can’t help ourselves to try Speechless. It’s
exactly like Louie said, “Not pretty!” Watching Tom Mickers
dancing Speechless is simply humbling. I did take many of his classes.
Intellectually I understand everything he said, but physically I’m
worn out so very fast, in 30 minutes, well, I lie, maybe 20 minutes.
I noticed I simply tried too hard. Tom taught us the line dance technique
class overtime, 90 minutes to be exact. I knew I learned a lot, even
though right after his class I felt all of a sudden I couldn’t
dance any more. I think it’s only because now I’m aware
of all my technical challenges and just can’t get it right.
When Pedro stepped in and taught “Kick and Rock” impromptu
in one of Tom’s Friday classes, my head kept thinking about my
first Pedro experience back in 2001 at the Spanish CW Dance Championship
at Barcelona. During the whole twenty-five minutes he was teaching,
I was wondering if the whole class would be rolling, hopping, squatting
or crawling on the floor? I had seen how he worked his charm and converted
all the boys and girls into young Pedros (in spirit) in Spain. It would
be interesting to see how he transformed this crowd. Well, it wasn’t
meant to be. Tom took his class back and it was a different world. How
blessed are we?
PS: Thank you, Pedro for being so sweet. Your kind word is now engraved
in my heart. I felt so honored to be “knighted” by you.
Guess from now on I am Ok to be me.
The evening parties were full of laughter, dancing and exciting happenings.
Two special performances were presented Friday night by Swingin’
Six (line/swing routine) and Robyn/Amanda Delisle (Wikked Lillte Girls).
While I was busy dancing, all of sudden I heard some noises when many
dancers stopped dancing and hurried r to sit and watch Wild Wild West
being “line”danced by Tom Mickers, Pedro Machado, Brian
B. and …….. Guess you have to watch CJ’s video or
use much imagination to picture this scene. It’s probably more
entertaining than the formal stage performance. Another happening occurred
while I was dancing Bomb Shell Stomp. Almost in my blind spot I saw
four lady dancers ROLL OVER simultaneously on the floor, ON BEATS, they
got up and back to dancing vertically, ON BEATS, all synchronized with
the rhythm. Amazing!
To say the least, the Showdown Competition here was for the masters.
There were eight incredible performances to be exact. Among them, there
are young talents like Amanda Delisle and Jamie Beaver performing a
creative program. Elsa did a refreshing Indian folkdance/belly dance/hip
hop medley. It was charming and endearing. I am now willing to try dancing
on the floor horizontally, or to take traditional Raks Sharki (belly
dance) lessons (Elsa, classes next?), although I still can’t see
myself carrying Kuchi Pudi (pot) on my head yet. This was my first time
watching Tom Mickers’ performance up close, which is probably
true for most of the audience too. Can you imagine all eyes followed
his chiseled body dancing all over the floor. The floor coverage is
definitely the biggest ever. When Tom danced with the floor mop, my
head got very busy with many different ideas…
I want to give a billion thanks to Sofia and Michelle for taking me
to the Naked Fish. My main entrée and all three appetizers were
heaven sent. I was even healed by our goofy intellectual conversation
of nothingness. Thank you for driving me to buy the 365 million lottery
tickets; too bad they were not sold here in Boston.
It’s a delightful surprise to see Judy Teh of Malaysia here this
weekend. Wish you the best for your Pan Pacific event, Judy.
As Johanna described the best, coming to these events is like going
to our family reunions with all the crazy cousins. It’s way too
much fun! I can’t wait for my next family reunion, can you?
*******************
FROM: TODD LESCARBEAU
Well, let me just start by saying that Jason & Jen did a tremendous
job with this event. I haven't been to this event in a couple of years,
but from what I hear and experienced this past weekend I have to say
it's even better each year! I won't write in about Guyton and Scott
since Ginger and others filled you in. Let me suffice to say that the
"showdown demonstrated the diversity of dance and the artistic
creativity of the competitors" you can tell that they put alot
of thought into their routines. John Robinson was funny and entertaining
as always. I believe he taught "Aquarius" and "Cold Hard
Cash". Johanna Barnes's "GEEK IN THE PINK" is a great
dance that filled the floor each night it was played. Scott Blevins
taught Friction Addiction, Meltdown, No Regrets. Brian Barakauskas taught
"Oops Up!" and "Love is in the air". Braken Ellis-"Fantabulous"
and "How Will I Know". I had the pleasure to take Tom Mickers
"Speechless" lesson. Guyton taught "Drop The Heat",
"Shake" and more. Too many awesome dances to choose from.
I always have trouble deciding which workshop to take.
I don't know if you will receive the "official results" so
the following is what I can remember about the choreography contest.
Those of you out there who competed, please write in and let Carol and
the rest of the line dance world know of your wins. I am so proud of
all of the competitors this year. Great choreography as always. What
I enjoyed the most is the camaraderie amongst the competitors. Many
of us participated in demos of each others dances in competition. It
really demonstrates how great dancing is.
Choreography Competition Winners. (THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST as this
is based on my own recollection and I know I can't remember everyone.
So please take this as a partial list and use it as you will.) in any
event, these are dances to look out for.
ABC/phrased category
Syncopated Kiss - Forty Arroyo 1st place (you go Forty...you Hot Potato!)
Energy - Todd Lescarbeau 2nd place
Ain't Nothing You Can Do 3rd place
Not sure of categories or placements but the following were also winners
Ring - Steve Lescarbeau
Hey Y'all - Steve Lescarbeau
Just Dance With Me - Sarah Delisle
Boogie Foot 06' - Todd Lescarbeau (2nd place-Intermediate-non country)
Time To Play - Robert Delong
Double Take - Michelle Jackson & Alana Johanson
Polka Play - Forty Arroyo
I believe Christopher Petre was a winner in choreography although I
cannot rememember the name of the dance (Sorry Chris)
Any way that about sums it up for me. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!
Thanks to all the instructors for their hard work teaching us these
great dances!
Todd Lescarbeau
Let's Dance!
*********************
From: Mike and Connie Jackson
Where to begin......This was our first event to attend and it was an
eye-opener! My goal was to see the dances that are so popular on your
surveys each week. On Friday I popped into Michelle Jackson’s
*Speak to the Sky* workshop. Her style is easy and fun and I can see
why the dance is becoming a favorite-definitely a keeper! After that,
I followed with Signed, Sealed and Delivered (remembered when the song
was a top 40 hit) and very much enjoyed how Tom Mickers related to the
group!
Joe Steele opted to teach Just LeDoux and it worked well even though
the group was small. Irish Stew (one I already knew) but is always a
hit and he did a great job, with the help of Trish, getting everyone
to feel like an Irish Step dancer!
Then off to see Guyton Mundy *teach* Happy Hour. I have to admit I was
a bit overwhelmed but after a few times *working it*, I have a new appreciation
for line dancing. Great song and a super fun dance!
Now, Saturday brought new challenges and learning experiences for my
husband also including what I think was our introduction to Club dancing
or something like Hip Hop (have no idea what to actually call it) except
its name- The Shake. Now there is an experience for someone who does
country line dancing! But what a blast! Guyton taught it well and I
think I retained 40% (video is being ordered).
Donna Shea taught two very nice beginner dances- Love U 2 Much and the
Slow Slow Dance (a great alternative to couple two-stepping) with her
cool styling! Still recuperating from Guyton, we popped into the Bosa
Nova and Make It Up with Tina Foster and now know why those are in the
top of surveys!
We checked out the Competitions and were impressed with the work and
attitude of the dancers. Just a cool way to get ready for what the night
would bring.
Ok, remember I said this was our first event and we were totally not
prepared for what we saw at the Showdown after dinner. Jamie and Pedro
were incredible as MC(s) and to say that the competitors were great
would be an understatement. To see the talent of people I have read
about in your newsletter was an experience I know neither of us will
forget. From Tom’s impressive dance to the Paul and Rachel’s
winning take on Moulin Rouge to the Country Big and Rich mix with the
Amatos to Elsa’s traditional>today’s version of India
dance to Michelle Jackson/friend’s choreography to Brian’s
original work, it was so hard to vote! As mentioned before, the act
by Guyton and Scott was too funny for words!
Sunday allowed us to experience *the Jamie Marshall* and Bombshell Stomp.
Adding It Had to be You and B Squared, taught by Christopher Petre and
his technical flair made a final day a big hit.
Thank you, Camerons, for the time and effort you put into this *event*.
For us, it was a great experience!
Mike and Connie Jackson
NH Grizzlies Baseball
www.nhgrizzlies.com
********************
From: Sarah DeLisle - DancerMom@snet.net
We are back from the Line Dance Showdown 2006...totally exhausted, but
boy was it worth it!!!!!
We got there Wednesday afternoon - got stuff unloaded & then went
out to Tequila's to dance for a little while after event director Jen
Cameron & crew arrived from Florida. (Jason was already here enjoying
our lovely New England Mid-Winter thaw...it was in the fifties!) Thursday
we got up, had breakfast & got to work. Floors were put down, balloons
& lights put up & after feeding the work crew (Thank you ALL!
- in no particular order: Big Jim, Melissa Greene, Melissa from Maine,
Amanda, Larry, Tina & Irv, Jenn, Trish, Patrick, Beth & Allison,
Cat, Mary, Melissa Princess, Gracie, Matt, Bettie, Robyn, Shaunna &
Gabe, Kerry, Kelly, Kate, Betsy, Michelle, Kim, Jaime, Robin, Heather,
Jessica, Niki, Dawn & Dan, Bill & Sonja, Zac, Rich & I hope
I didn't forget anybody!) we headed down to the ballroom for the Thursday
night dance! What an incredible crowd ...totally awesome! On Thursday
night - before the event had officially started - the dance floor was
packed!!!! Guyton Mundy taught a fun dance called Happy Hour - check
it out at his website - www.funk-n-line.com)
& DJ Louis St George really knows how to keep us happy. It was so
fun to dance to lots of the new stuff, but also fun to see what we could
remember...SO awesome to have a FULL floor for Jukebox! It certainly
was a good start to a kick#%^*(& weekend!!
Friday morning came quickly & Tom Mickers (if you don't know who
he is go to www.TomMickers.com) started things off with a free workshop.
I am sure somebody else will go into detail about all the workshops
& instructors...suffice it to say the Showdown has the best of the
best! Workshops carried on the rest of the day along with several hours
of open dancing. DJs Dan DeLisle & David Kopcych did a great job
during open dance in the afternoon. Old stuff, new stuff, borrowed stuff,
blue stuff...no, not borrowed & blue...., but it was a great chance
to get some dance time in & work on remembering the stuff you just
learned!!
Friday night came & we were treated to 2 performances at the evening
dance. First was Amanda DeLisle (yup - my Amanda) & Robyn-April
Rivard-Darby Maguire (did I get them all Rob?) with a routine they had
choreographed to a song called Wikked Little Girls. Of course I totally
loved it & I'm pretty sure Robyn's mom would agree with me!) It
was cute & fun & Amanda even smiled! Then Michelle Jackson,
Anne Fleming & 4 others had a great line/swing routine. After that
it was more dancing!!! When I went up to bed the dance floor was still
full & it was past 1 o'clock! (ok, so I'm old & I need my sleep...I
did stay up past 3 on Saturday night, tho!)
Saturday morning we were back for more workshops & of course the
competition in the afternoon. Our area was very well represented: Vicky
Zalewski, Kim Beaver, Paul Bartlett, Steve Lescarbeau & Bill Belejack
all competed in line dance & did a GREAT job! In the choreography
competition it was great to see so many wonderful new dances - many
from our area dancers, too! Forty Arroyo, Robert DeLong, Todd Lescarbeau,
Steve Lescarbeau, Christopher Petre & Sarah DeLisle (yah, me) all
had dances entered in the 5 different divisions of choreography - I
think I got us all! The best part was watching everybody take the numbers
off so they could dance with each other in the choreography entries.
It is so cool to see the camaraderie that exists amongst us in this
area. We REALLY do play well with others!
Then Saturday night came the SHOWDOWN!!!!!!!....something we had all
been waiting for! There were 8 acts - ALL wonderful! Tom Mickers, Brian
Barakauskas, Elsa (dunno last name, but she can dance with a vase on
her head! in really cool clothes, too!), Barry & Dari Anne Amato,
Anne Fleming & Michelle Jackson, Scott Blevins & Guyton Mundy
(in drag if you can imagine that!), Paul McAdam & Rachael McEnaney
& MY personal favorites, Jaime Beaver & Amanda DeLisle! Jaime's
mom, Kim, & I were standing on the same chair in the back of the
room...good thing we were, or everybody elses' eardrums would have been
broken! Maybe that's why I am still hoarse today?
After the Showdown we danced, had 50th birthday cake for my husband
Larry AFTER he danced a Tush Push with some of his favorite girls. &
then we danced some more! After all the ballots were counted it was
time for awards - the Showdown winners were Rachael & Paul, followed
closely by Scott & Guyton....if you haven't done so already, you
need to order the video from CJ. I can't wait to get mine!
Sunday morning came way too soon...actually some people were going to
bed as some of us were getting up! More workshops & then the awards
from the Saturday afternoon competition. I wish I could remember where
everybody placed, but I can't - brain & body are still tired. I
just know that all our area dancers did EXTREMELY well...& I was
thrilled with first place in non-country newcomer/novice with Just Dance
With Me!. Forty Arroyo, Todd Lescarbeau, & cousin Steve Lescarbeau,
Robert DeLong & Christopher Petre all placed well...I think between
us all, New England brought home a whole bunch of medals! Who needs
the Olympics when we have something like the Line Dance Showdown!
Then of course the sad part...breaking down the floors, popping the
balloons, un-decorating & getting ready to go home. Thanks to all
who helped pack stuff up & put it away - next year can't come soon
enough! Thank goodness we do have the Florida Masters in Orlando in
July to look forward to! July 14th thru 16th...start planning now! It
rocked last year & will only get better!
Jason & Jen know how to throw a great event - it just gets better
every year! Mark your calendars for the 3rd weekend in February 2007....Danvers,
MA is the place to be ....or maybe they should change the name of the
town to DANCERS, MA?
**************************
FROM: RHODA WONG IN MA, cpcuau at hotmail.com
In a word FANTASTIC from start to finish! We actually had a warm up
on
Wednesday night at Wildman Louie’s Extreme Dancing in Groton,
MA and
continued onto the Showdown Thursday night till Sunday. A few workshops
were repeated – FRICTION ADDICTION and SHAKE, for obvious reasons,
so there were many choices. Here are some impressions.
HOTEL – Sheraton Ferncroft, Danvers, MA comfortable guest rooms,
meals were very good (new chef in the kitchen?) and reasonably priced.
Ballroom and conference room hard wood dance floors were just wonderful
– smooth, even, plenty of room and no obstructions like columns.
It took a little adjusting
and the hotel staff worked to keep the rooms temperatures comfortable.
OPEN DANCING – big party in the main ballroom ongoing from midday
to late night or whenever the last dancer left. DJ Wildman Louie (I
don’t know how he does it) doesn’t seem to need sleep and
was in top form throughout.
DANCE WORKSHOP DEMOS – well timed and offered the evening prior
to classes. Saw lots of variety in dance choices.
INSTRUCTORS – great line-up, personable, talented and dancer friendly.
Personal note – it’s easier (relatively speaking) to understand
a new move
when the teacher/choreographer explains the technical mechanics behind
the
steps and the feeling and look that the dance should convey. If you
haven’t
already attended a workshop with any of these choreographers and their
peers, please do. It can make a world of difference in your enjoyment
and
dancing.
WORKSHOPS – ran smoothly and on time. Last minute changes fitted
in a few new dances. These are some of the classes I attended. I wish
I could have
taken many more.
Thursday:
HAPPY HOUR – by Guyton Mundy, int country. Taught during the Thursday
night free dance.
Friday:
VOGUE – by Tom Mickers, int 2 wall with a restart - striking hand
and 3-D
body moves, model poses and attitude. Fun and find a mirror for practice.
A new favorite.
FRICTION ADDICTION – by Scott Blevins 32 count, int. Just walking
but so many turns can have your head spinning. Challenging and very
popular on the dance floor.
ROCK AND KICK – impromptu teach by Pedro Machado.
ATTITUDE – by Rachael McEnaney & Paul McAdams, adv 4 wall
with 2 tiny tags. Long-ISH, tricky and fun to dance.
Saturday:
TOY SOLDIER – by Barry Amato & Bryan McWherter, int 2 wall
phrased. Has lots of sweeps and spins that are timed just so that the
dance flows easily
with the music. Already popular overseas. First time taught in the USA.
My pick of the lessons.
WILD WEST BOOGIE – impromptu teach by Jenn and Jason Cameron (see
they can do anything!) and Pedro Machado (sometimes speaking in Spanish)
– int, 32 count, an old favorite.
HO YAU YING - by Rachael McEnaney & Paul McAdams, int/adv 4 wall.
Good beat and popular with Michael Jackson fans.
MELTDOWN – by Scott Blevins 32 count. Just like walking but so
many turns can have your head spinning. Challenging and very popular
on the dance
floor.
TECHNIQUE – by Tom Mickers. Helps to get the flow, balance and
movement looking and feeling right. Very solid.
Sunday:
SHAKE - by Guyton Mundy, int. 128 count funky. Clearly a floor filler
of
the weekend. Had to give it try finally. First 64 counts were tricky
(Guyton styling) and last 64 were easy to remember. So, don’t
give up
because of the length and give this one a look.
PODABE – by Guyton Mundy, int funky. Liked this one, nice pace
with hand
moves and dance steps.
TOO DELICIOUS TO DENY – by Tom Mickers int 32 count. Had fun with
this one. Felt like I was skating around an ice rink. Surprised how
the steps
worked, but the feet got there fine.
SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED – by Tom Mickers int 32 count. Again
some new steps – Pinocchio walk. Always liked Stevie Wonder’s
music and this new dance fits nicely with the Motown moves and attitude.
PON DE REPLAY – impromptu teach by Bryan McWherter. Same music
as REPLAY, but a bit easier to dance. Too tired to stand, so learned
this “chair
dancing”.
We stayed up too late in open dancing and didn’t get to several
intended
workshops like MYSTIFIED by Bracken Ellis. Liked these in open dancing
–
AQUARIUS by John Robinson, GEEK IN THE PINK by Johanna Barnes, DOUBLE
TAKE by Michelle Jackson and Alana Johanson (choreography winner). We
danced a new dance ENERGY by Todd Lescarbeau, (choreography winner,
still waiting for the dance step sheet, Todd if you are reading this)
which is as fun and energetic as the name says.
THE SHOWDOWN – this was worth the price of admission for the weekend!
Great entertainment with creativity and dancing artistry. Difficult
to pick just
one best. Also, I still laugh when I think of the Bundy Sisters.
Looking forward to next year’s event. Thank you Jenn and Jason
for a great
time!
Rhoda
NOTE FROM ME: Remember, you can see the clip of The
Blundy Sisters if you go to the link in today's newsletter at
http://www.worlddancenewsletter.com/CJsVideos.html
*********************
From: Sherry and John Labonte
What a fantastic time we had this weekend at the 2006 Linedance Showdown
in Danvers, MA. As usual the instructors were first rate, bringing us
some great new dances. Favorites of the weekend were Geek in the Pink
by Johanna Barnes (fun to do interesting moves and a floor filler),
Ooops Up! (very funky and fun to play with, goes great to the music)
taught by Brian B, but choreographed by Raymond Sarlemijn & Michel
Platje, Ho Yau Ying by MIL (fun and FAST), Double Take by Michelle Jackson
(also fun and fast) and the chance for a lesson on the awesome dance
Speechless from Tom Mickers! We didn't take the lesson on Shake from
Guyton, but obviously many did as it filled the floor by the end of
the weekend, making us really wish we hadn't missed it. There were so
many great dances to choose from I'm sure you'll be hearing about many
more.
The Showdown was incredibly entertaining as usual, and was won this
year by Paul and Rachel with a superb, and different routine where DJ
Louie saved the day and "created a new happy ending". The
show was stolen, however, by the 2nd place winning Sister Act. I don't
know when I've last laughed that hard. I couldn't make out exactly what
was being announced, but I believe they were calling themselves the
Blundy Sisters, (Scottina and Guytonette). They were just too much,
hamming it up for many photo ops and playing their parts until the awards
were announced.
This year's photos have been posted on the site: http://www.shorewings.com/showdown2006/
enjoy,
Sherry and John
***********************
from: Ginger Kozlowski
Just got back from three full days and nights of dancing at the Showdown!
It was a great weekend, and I thank Jen and Jason Cameron for keeping
us busy and happy. The Showdown competition itself was inspiring to
watch. This year, only two acts incorporated humor. Amanda Delisle was
hilarious with her "learning to dance" bit (never knew she
had such a funny streak in her!), and Guyton Mundy and Scott Blevens
were a scream as the "Lucky Sisters." It was hard to tell
who they were at first under the wigs, makeup, dresses and high heels.
You had to see it to believe it! All the rest were examples of dancing
at its finest, from Barry and DariAnne Amato's routine to a mix of Save
A Horse with other songs, incorporating clogging and a lot of fast,
precise moves, to Tom Mickers with his bullfighter theme and lyrical
dances with a broom and a scarf, to Paul McAdams and Rachel McInaney's
Moulin Rouge theme. Michelle Jackson and her friend whose name I never
caught did the routine they used last year in the regular show and it
was just as terrific...they deserved a prize too! Brian Barakauskas
was as amazing as ever, and a new person I've never seen before simply
called Elsa in the Showdown did a cool Indian (as in India, not native
American) dance balancing a vase on her head and then changing to a
hiphop dance.
I voted, but I wish I could have voted first place for them all. They
were incredible.
There were a lot of people in the regular competitions, more than usual.
They did well, but I was disappointed that few took advantage of the
no-rule rule to goof around and make it fun. That was always the best
part of watching the competitions at the Showdown for me.
I'll leave it to others to describe all the dances taught. I picked
up a bunch I want to bring back to New Hampshire, from beginner to advanced,
country and noncountry.
Louie kept the floor full for three straight nights. I don't know how
he keeps going like that! Jamie Marshall and Pedro Machado were very
entertaining at the MCs for the various events. I'd say Guyton's "Shake"
was probably the dance that got most people's interest. I thought at
first it was too impossible for me to learn at 128 counts, but gave
it a shot at the end of the weekend and it really was a lot of fun!
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