Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Line Dance Event Review JG2 June 1-4/06
First time at JG2.
I always appreciate hearing about LD events in Carol's newsletter, especially to know what ones to consider attending in the future. JG2 is in their 13th year. It's easy to understand why it's an enduring event. Everything ran smoothly from the demos, competitions, shows, costume parade and lots of open dance time in multiple rooms. James and Jean ask choreographers to bring their latest and only teach their own dances. While this sounds restrictive it has earned the reputation for the place to learn the new dances for the year in North America. Like the Line Dance "new model" year.
There were also international dancers because of this reputation. Choreographers came from the US, Canada, Iceland, Scotland and the UK. (I'm just writing this on the airplane from memory so I hope I didn't leave out any country.)
Thursday James and Jean relaxed the rules and let instructors teach other people's dances. There were 6 dance rooms plus one extra open dancing room. Teaches ran 10 am to 7 pm on the hour Friday and Saturday then Sunday morning.
That being said, you could only take so many classes. The morning demos really helped. You can see what it looks like and what the music sounds like. I prefer morning demos. Yeah it's hard to get up but evening demos seem to break into dance time and somehow after all that dancing you forget what they all looked like the next morning. Especially, if you were undecided between two. Part of what I picked was determined by who I will be seeing next. Scott, Gerard and John are going to be at The Big Party in Toronto in 3 weeks. So I gravitated to other instructors.
I always appreciate hearing about LD events in Carol's newsletter, especially to know what ones to consider attending in the future. JG2 is in their 13th year. It's easy to understand why it's an enduring event. Everything ran smoothly from the demos, competitions, shows, costume parade and lots of open dance time in multiple rooms. James and Jean ask choreographers to bring their latest and only teach their own dances. While this sounds restrictive it has earned the reputation for the place to learn the new dances for the year in North America. Like the Line Dance "new model" year.
There were also international dancers because of this reputation. Choreographers came from the US, Canada, Iceland, Scotland and the UK. (I'm just writing this on the airplane from memory so I hope I didn't leave out any country.)
Thursday James and Jean relaxed the rules and let instructors teach other people's dances. There were 6 dance rooms plus one extra open dancing room. Teaches ran 10 am to 7 pm on the hour Friday and Saturday then Sunday morning.
That being said, you could only take so many classes. The morning demos really helped. You can see what it looks like and what the music sounds like. I prefer morning demos. Yeah it's hard to get up but evening demos seem to break into dance time and somehow after all that dancing you forget what they all looked like the next morning. Especially, if you were undecided between two. Part of what I picked was determined by who I will be seeing next. Scott, Gerard and John are going to be at The Big Party in Toronto in 3 weeks. So I gravitated to other instructors.
I really liked Liz Clarke. Took a class from her for the first time. WALKING BACKWARDS was an easy dance with a song that Pepper mentioned seemed to stick in your head. (Of course you're walking backwards when he sings the words.) I really enjoyed learning THE PROMISE and WISH I. Easy dances that you can play with. Michael Barr also taught an easy dance (but fairly fast beat) BORN TO BE BLUE. I liked playing with that one. Neville Fitzgerald taught PUMP IT. For me it was a review from when Rachel and Paul taught it at the One Day Fun Workshop in Markham/Toronto. It got a lot of play at JG2, always filling the floor. Pepper Siquieros taught CELTIC KITTENS that you can warm up your Scottish or Irish feet to.
I really like Guyton Mundy's HEY! PEOPLE. Fast, fun, no arms, no tags. Bracken Ellis did her one teach of FANTABULOUS before the �accident�. It seems a lot of people know this dance and really like it. Alison Biggs taught COME INTO MY WORLD to the Barbara Streisand track. I thought: Great, another track that Louie will only play if really pressed. It's a great dance with a few tags that you can really hear easily in the music.
Everyone seems to like Guyton's SHAKE even though it's 128 counts. It's good to get a real teach on it. Some people jump up just to do the B part. Hmmm, fake and shake. LOL.
Scott Blevin's BREAK FREE CHA is a dance to a great song. Unfortunately, no single wall completes the 64 counts. There's a restart at a different wall almost every time. The restarts are obvious. The panic is: Have I danced this wall before and which way should I face after the turn? (Read your step sheet before class.)
We've been doing Michael Barr and Michele Burton's GO GREASED LIGHTNING since Ft. Wayne. At lot of people like dancing it and it won the top Choreography Pro prize.
Other teaches I liked:
Max Perry WITH THESE EYES
Oli Geir MANDY (we managed to remember it at night)
John Robinson CHA CHA HEELS, COLD HARD CASH, TOUCH ME TONIGHT, AQUARIUS, KOWBOY KRAZY (I've finally realised that this dance matched the Wild West Theme.)
Pepper Siquieros JUICY (too bad more people didn't take this)
Max Perry START A LOVE TRAIN, SUMMERTIME CHA CHA (one of Max's old ones with no actual cha cha.)
Neville Fitzgerald LOCK ALL THE DOORS
Thanks to Kermit Dukes for all the event photos.
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=kermitdukes&gallery_id=401681&image_id=271 (Bracken's such a trooper, keeps on teaching!)
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=kermitdukes&gallery_id=401681&curpage=16 (Blundy sisters, as never before.)
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