| |
and the East Coast rocked on the first weekend in
October at the
...The 1998 Tarheel Dance Classic in Rocky Mount,
North
Carolina,,,a UCWDC sanctioned event. Event
Director ...Scott
Hucks and Event DJ....JG2 worked hard to see that
the line
dancers had a very good time at this 3 day
competition and
workshop event.
Very famous names in the Country Western Dance
Community were
here at this East Coast Festival...over 70 line
dances were
taught in the 50 minute sessions in the 3 days of
workshops...
Dawn Beecham here from Toledo, Ohio...taught her
new beginner
dance...Got To Be Funky, (choreographed to
non-country
music...and taught here in the Bay Area in
September by Evelyn
Khinoo, Scott Blair and Rob
"I"...)...this dance packed the floor
on both the Friday and Saturday night dances! She
also taught Cinco
De Mayo choreographed by Alan Livett & Jo
Thompson...the "new"
dance that Jo & Alan premiered to the dancers
at the Newcastle,
Australia event in August.
Scott Blevins (Mr. Swing Time Boogie) here from
Highland,
Indiana...premiered his newest dance...Latin
Grove (choreographed
to non-country music) and presented workshops in
body rolls and
motions. He also taught an advanced dance by Greg
Underwood (Mr.
Crazy Legs)...Jump Jive & Wail...done to
non-country music.
Joanne Brady (Ms. All My Tricks) here from
Hockessin, Delaware
...taught several workshops including these
dances whose
choreographers are familar to us in the Bay
Area...Ribbon Of
Highway (Neil Hale), Blue-zzzy (Knox Rhine),
Kactus Jive (Vicki
Wenc), JJ JaBoogie (Jim Krywko "Mr.
Tailgating") and Let's Break
Up Tomorrow (Gordon Elliot).
James Gregory (DJ for this event) here from
Garner, North
Carolina taught Alan Clarke's beginner
"fun" dance...Kung Fu
Fighting during a break in the competitions...I
must say...he
didn't karate chop with as much verbalization and
enthusiam as
did Mr. Scott Blair when he taught Kung Fu
Fighting to us at the
Golden Gate Classic...grins...but then Scott is
our Champion, "a
young, California original!"
A handful of dancers were here who had been
taught Southern Streamline
(Mack Apaapas) by JG and he graciously played the
music for us during a
break so Evelyn and I could dance Southern
Streamline with him....
Evelyn Khinoo (Ms. Silk and Satin) here from
Menlo Park,
California...taught her dances Picture Perfect,
Attitude, Silk
and Satin, how sweet it is, and her newest
hit...That's My Hat.
Pedro Machado (Mr. Kick-N-Rock) here from Laurel,
Maryland...taught his Sunglasses and his
Funk-N-Grovin'. He also
taught Rob Fowler's advanced dance The Beast.
Max Perry (Mr. Swamp Thang) here from Danbury,
Connecticut taught
workshops including: Addicted To Love (Max
Perry), Alane (Helen
O'Malley) and Walk On...an intermediate dance
done to non-country
music by an Ontario, Canada choreographer. Max
travels
extensively to Country Western Dance Events and
he mentioned to
us that it is his pleasure to teach interesting
dances with
unusual step patterns to the dancers who take his
workshops...(it
was Max who taught MMM-Bop to Michael Barr who in
turn taught it
to us in the Bay Area). Max has a casual, but
very thorough
teaching style...he takes the time to point out
"probable trouble
areas" as he is teaching and he goes over
any sequence that he
notices is weak with the students before he puts
on the "real
music". I was mesmerized just watching his
"ballroom" type shoes
floating through the steps of Go On...his
demeanor and dance
style is, in my opinion, the closest to Mr. Fred
Astaire!
John Robinson (Mr. Dangerous) here from
Louisville, Kentucky (he
just recently moved from Colorado to Kentucy,
lucky
Kentucy...grins!) taught his Been There, Done
That; Dangerous;
Cha Cha For Now; Deal With It; Fresh; Get Down On
It; Red Zone;
and his brand new...just completed on September
29th and faxed
to the event.....Switchblade. John mentioned that
he has found
that the country tunes "I Break For
Brunettes"...and "You Ain't
Lonely Yet" are prefectly phrased to
Switchblade. (I love the
lyrics to "I break for brunettes and blondes
in Corvettes...." so
of course, I asked him to send me a signed,
original copy of
Switchblade....grins! John is also one of the
choreographers of
the dance Simply Irrestible which was taught to
us by Jo Thompson
on her August Australian Tour.
The Friday Night Dance at the Tarheel Dance
Classic featured
singer Kimber Clayton...the dance floor was
packed with dancers
doin' Jose Cuervo '98 while she sang her hit
song.
The Saturday Night Dinner Show included
individual dance
performances by World Champion competition
dancers: Scott
Blevins, Pedro Machado, and John Robinson. These
three younger
men, each with completely different styles and
personalities,
entertained to a very appreciative audience.
The Saturday Night Dance featured singer Scooter
Lee who invited
dancers to fill the floor as she sang songs from
her "Movin' On
Up" CD...she also announced an upcoming
October tour to the UK
that will include guest instructor, Joanne Brady.
The dances called at this event that would be
familar to us in
the Bay Area...Tush Push, Waltz Across Texas,
Hooked On Country,
Uno, Dos, Tres, OOH! AAH! (Sal Gonzalez), Ribbon
Of Highway (Neil
Hale), Swing Time Boogie (Scott Blevins), Cripple
Creek (Kip
Sweeney), Dancin' Feet (Harry & Susan
Brookes), MMM-Bop (Kelly
Kaylin), Coastin' (Ray and Tina Yeoman), T-Bone
Shuffle (Peter Metelnick),
Dizzy, Hardwood Stomp, Simply Irrestible and
Rita's Waltz (Jo
Thompson), Waltzing Matilda, Swamp Twang and
Honky Tonk Twist
(Max Perry), Kung Fu Fighting (Alan Clarke), Got
To Be Funky
(Dawn Beecham), Southern Streamline (Mack
Apaapas), Alane (Helen
O'Malley), Razor Sharp (Stephen Sunter), and
Dangerous (John
Robinson).
Bottomline...I had a great, relaxin'
vacation...met some of the nicest
Country Western "personalities"...and some very nice dancers
who just happen to surf my site....thanks for coming up and introducing
yourself to me...I always appreciate compliments...grins!
|
