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Tarheel Dance |
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"Welcome hurricane survivors to the 2003 Tarheel Dance classic!"
"Hey you, get back here and give me the rest of my pants."
"Let's see.....go to one of the 9am workshops or eat breakfast
hmmmm...."
Junior Willis handled the scheduling snafu of being in two workshop rooms at the same time like a trouper by forming a conga line in between rooms every 15 minutes.
"ZZZZZZ".
Guyton brought a friend with him to test out the Raleigh Airport metal detectors.
"And next year, I'm going to
demand they give me a room with electricity." Pictures courtesy of Carole Daugherty!
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Event Director Neither rain or sleet or hurricane or hotel closing will stop this event from taking place. That's what could be heard around town as folks nervously flew out to the almost cancelled Tarheel Classic that took place just days after one of the worst hurricanes to hit the east coast in some time. Even as Glen and I were preparing to travel there we weren't quite sure what to expect or if we were to get there at all. To top this all off, only weeks prior to event start, Scott was indirectly informed that his host hotel was now closed. Fortunately another one was available on a moments notice and the event went on as scheduled. The instructor list was slightly modified from last year with a few new returns:
Scott Blevins Also slated was Jackie Miranda, who had to bow out at the last minute when she found potential troubles with her connecting flight out of DC. She was missed by all. The workshops were mostly held at the nearby convention hall with the two rooms dedicated to the majority of the weekend's workshops. A third room was used for training and competition and a sprinkling of workshops (some beginner couples as well as three line dance workshops on Friday afternoon.) Click here to check out the entire schedule of dances that were taught. While I wasn't present for many of the workshops due to other activities, I did catch a few key dances that I hope to take back our class: X2C (Shabeda) - Taught by Bill McGee was a decent dance, but seemed a lot harder than I thought it should have been. The music was great and if I have a few days to spare, I'll spend more time getting this one down. Skillz (Guyton Mundy) - Cool looking dance that looked very doable for intermediate dancers. Glen insisted on getting this one on tape so that he could take this one back home. Brick House (Junior Willis) - Junior managed to catch all of the nuances of this 70's tune (or was it 80's). Anyhow, he had a full floor during the open dance review and I imagine this one already has sparked interest all along the east coast. I'm gonna give it a shot as well and see if the Midwest has the same interest. Suds In The Bucket (Yvonne Anderson): Good for the country lovers and for folks that like there dances on the easier side. Boogie All Over (Mike & Betty Weeks): This one will be taught again at the Windy City event, so hopefully I can catch it! Bucklehuck (Carole Daugherty) - Taught by Glen Pospieszny: We already taught it here and easily will be a national hit within the next few weeks as folks like John Robinson and Kathy Hunyadi also take this one around the circuit. My teaches included: Start Walking, Palisades Park and Long Train Running, which I volunteered to when Jackie Miranda cancelled. Video clips of Start Walking and Palisades Park are available on my video page. Other dances mentioned previously included: Don't Keep Me Waiting (Bracken Ellis) - Taught by Glen Pospieszny: A hit with our dancers, but hasn't had the national instructor support it has deserved so this one will have to remain our little secret. Cool Whip & Do It For Love - Judy McDonald Cold Blooded & Bidness - Scott Blevins Drive - Bryan McWherter Express Your Mind & Chase The Sun 2003 - Yvonne Anderson Yvonne also has a new swing dance that she demoed that I will look forward to learning at the Tampa event. The dinner show was well put together thanks to the efforts of Arline Winnerman. It was obvious that a lot of preparation went into the finale routine that many of the instructors participated in. Bryan McWherter was your host MC for the show and he did a fine job of announcing the acts and keeping things moving.
As one would expect, Guyton Mundy and friends put on an excellent hip hop act for the crowd, Junior Willis showcased his clogging talents to all and Yvonne Anderson showed a lot of energy as she sang and interacted with the crowd. (These were just a few of the great acts.) Open dancing pleased the dancers as the floor filled with some of the current favorites like Swing Your Chains and Another Quickie. I found myself sitting out more than dancing however just because of my unfamiliarity with so many of the dances that are done out there. No fault of the DJ since the floor was filled throughout the entire night - I guess it was a matter of a lot of these dances not making past the east coast borders yet. Maybe next year, I'll write to a few folks to see if there are a few dances I can teach myself prior to coming out there...... There also was a choreography competition that featured the teach and learn format that I enjoy. I wasn't able to partake in due to all of the other activities, but did watch and witness some great efforts. I was thoroughly impressed with how well Scott was able to adapt and even had an up-to-date dance schedule despite all of the last minute changes!! We'll all look forward to seeing what happens next year!
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Bryan McWherter